


4 Years of Beacon

by smstanton



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, F/F, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2018-05-21 00:52:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 61
Words: 648,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6032269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smstanton/pseuds/smstanton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story will cover 4 years of RWBY and JNPR in their time at Beacon starting at volume 2 ep 7's end. Arkos Primary Fic. Cinder never attacks Beacon. The group deals with problems as they arise and grow into the Huntsmen and Huntresses they are destined to become.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Year

Foreword:

This story takes place in the world of RWBY owned by Rooster Teeth, it starts roughly on volume 2 episode 7's end, with canon being rewritten so that dance is the end of the first term they shared at beacon. The story assumes a base level of knowledge about the world and the characters included.  For those not familiar here is a short rundown of some basic information on the world.  Many elements are taken from canon, but not all.  I will try and tell the story from a realistic perspective as often as I can, to the best of my ability, I intend to have 3 ships of canon characters, Jaune x Pyrrha, Weiss x Ruby, and Blake x Yang, they will not happen all at once and will take time to develop.  I do not intend to have a Ren and Nora ship.  While I like them as characters, I like them more as longtime childhood friends.  They will find their partners throughout the story assuming I can piece it together the way I envision it in my head, but it will not be until later in the story.  The story, as the title implies, will cover 4 years once completed with a possible epilogue afterwards, starting at the conclusion of their first term at Beacon.

Terms:

Aura:  Aura is the manifestation of a human soul, in combat aura can be used in several ways, but the most important aspect is its ability to shield its owner.  When a human takes a hit in combat after unlocking their aura, it is their aura which will shield them. Each person has a finite amount, and while it does regenerate naturally, the levels of each person are specific to themselves.  In the combat classes and tournament battles one is considered the victor when they drop the opponents aura into the red.  How much aura is lost per hit depends on the several factors, how well defended they were, and the power of the attacker amongst others

Semblance: A person semblance uses their aura to perform a function.  These functions differ from individual to the next, but it can often times be past down in families.  To use a person's semblance means they need to dip into their pool of Aura.  Example, Pyrrha can control the forces of magnetism with her semblance, Weiss and her family can use glyphs.

Dust: Dust is a refined form of crystal, when activated in weaponry or with somebody's aura they can perform a variety of functions.  IE a fire dust can be used to manipulate fire, to various extents.

Hunters:  Hunters are the protectors of Remnant, they are trained to fight Grimm, in one of 3 schools.  Students accepted to hunter schools are expected to possess a certain level of combat prowess, having attended a combat school or equivalent prior to enrolling.  In hunter training each person will be assigned a partner, through various means, they are to be their partner in school for the duration of their stay.  If they choose to go separate ways after training, that is a decision left up to them.

Grimm:  Soulless enemies of humans.  They are drawn to negative emotions.  They take the forms of animals, and tend to share in that animals habits in regards to fighting and hunting.  Examples of Grimm include, but are not limited to:  Nevermore ( big birds ), Beowulf's ( werewolves in appearance ) , Ursa (bears) , Deathstalker ( scorpion ), Goliath ( elephants ).

Faunus:  Faunus have the overall appearance of a human, yet they can take on aspects of an animal.  They could have cat ears, a monkey tail, antlers.  They are treated, generally speaking, as sub humans, and looked down upon by society.

White Fang:  White fang is a Faunus movement group, which has recently moved towards more terrorist style behavior noting how much force has been doing compared to their previous peaceful method of finding resolution.  Blake formerly was a member.  Most members of the White Fang are Faunus, but they do not attack only human owned enterprises to make their points, in fact the majority of the people they tend to harm, are Faunus.  Though the Schnee Dust Company tends to get a particular focus given that companies stance on Faunus rights.

Schnee Dust Company:  Simply the highly rich, wealthy, and powerful mega-corporation.  They also happen to be one of the most controversial companies to exist.  They are owned and ran by the Schnee family.

Scroll: Basically the equivalent of a very high tech cell phone.

Lien: currency ( dollars )

Persons of Interest:

Headmaster Ozpin : revered headmaster of Beacon, under his leadership Beacon is considered the top academy for hunters and huntresses in training.

Ms. Goodwitch:  combat instructor at Beacon, her semblance is telekinesis.  She tends to get annoyed by the antics of Beacon students as it tends to be her job to repair following an accident or incident, but she is a good instructor and cares for her charges.

Jaune (John… for this story anyway) Arc.  Weapon:  Crocea Mors, a family Heirloom.  It is carried on the hip like a typical sword, once drawn the sheath can be expanded into a kite shield form.  Semblance:  Unknown.  Jaune is a kind hearted boy, tends to lack in self confidence, but is known to possess an abnormal amount of aura.  He is unique in that he got into Beacon without attending a combat school.  In my story this was something he was open about.  Which is different from Canon.  Partner:  Pyrrha Nikos.  Jaune is the team leader of team JNPR and stands a touch higher than 6 feet tall, referred to as the Knight in the story.

Pyrrha(Peer-A) Nikos: Weapons: Milo(weapon), Akouo(Greek style hoplite shield).  Semblance: Magnetism.  Pyrrha is a fighter without equal, her unheard of physical prowess has earned her several perks, unfortunately she has never really had a chance to speak to people on a personal level.  Despite that Pyrrha is truly a great person, caring, patient, helpful, all qualities which are almost always overlooked when compared to her physical ability.  Milo has 3 forms, rifle, sword, and spear forms. She carries her weapon and shield on her back. Pyrrha is very tall for a woman, standing 6 feet tall, and is referred to as the Spartan.

Lie Ren: Weapons: Stormflower. Semblance, not specified, but he tends to be able to focus it into his weapons and physical attacks.  Ren is a stoic individual, nobody would go as far as to say he is without feelings, but he tends to be very calm in any situation.  His weapon is primarily a dual automatic pistol, yet it is a versatile weapon able  to be used in both melee and ranged combat.  Partner: Nora Valkyrie, a longtime friend. Ren is about 5'10.  Gunslinger is his story nickname.

Nora Valkyrie: Weapon Magnhild.  Nora is a powerful individual, typically preferring to use brute force over tactics to win her battles.  She is childhood friends with Ren.  Her weapon has two modes, 2 handed hammer, and grenade launcher.  She is eternally happy and bubbly, even at worst of times.  Her semblance allows her to absorb lighting to channel it into her weapons or herself to strengthen her attacks. Nora is about average height for a woman, around 5'5", hammer-wielder is shorthand for her.

Ruby Rose: Weapon: Crescent Rose.  Ruby personally designed her weapon, it is a scythe, and sniper rifle at the same time.  She was taught to her it by her uncle Qrow.  Her semblance is speed, being able to move almost incomprehensibly fast, while using her semblance she leaves behind rose petals in the air.  She is half sisters with her teammate Yang Xiao Long.  She was granted entry into beacon due to her actions in stopping a robbery, as such she is the youngest member of the group( 15 to their 17).  Despite that she does show a natural tendency towards leadership.  She is the leader of team RWBY.  Ruby is about 5'1 and is referred to as the Reaper.

Weiss Schnee:  Weapon: Myrtenaster( a rapier, designed by herself ).  Semblance: Glyphs, she can manipulate dust into various forms to due various actions which is stored in her sword, her two favorite elements are ice and lightning.  Weiss is the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, the world's biggest, most wealthy, and most controversial family.  She has an air of haughtiness about her, and while she is used to keeping people at arm's length and treating them coldly ( hence her nickname, Ice Queen. ) She is actually a good person, once people have gotten through her normally cold exterior.  She is partnered with Ruby Rose.  Weiss is a small individual, she stands about 5'3 and is referred to as the Heiress.

Yang Xiao Long: Weapon:  Ember Celica, they are normally bracelets, when she arms them they expand to cover her forearms.  They can be loaded with various dust shells and also function as a shogun which fits in well with her fighting style of power and ferocity over grace and precision.  Semblance:  Absorption, as she takes damage, she uses it to increase her physical power, when she uses her semblance, or is simply very angry, her eyes change to red, and her long flowing blond hair carries an odd golden energy to it, almost like a fire .  She is very protective of her hair.  Yang is a jokester and a prankster, she also happens to be the mother of the group in terms of maturity.  Despite this maturity she always seems to be in a joking mood, eager to poke fun at her teammates, and has assigned all of them various nicknames.  She is the half sister of Ruby.  Partner to Blake Belladonna.  She stands tall at 5'8 and is referred to as the Brawler.

Blake Belladona: Weapon: Gambol Shroud.  Her custom weapon is... complicated to describe.  It can be used as a sword, a grapple hook, a whip, and a scythe.  Semblance: Shadow, she can make clone images of herself and temporarily vanish from view.  Blake is a more mellow person, and she loves her books, especially smutty literature with her favorite book being Ninja's of Love.  She is the only faunus of the group, with cat ears on top of her head.  In my story she has decide to not wear her customary bow which she previously used to hide her ears already.  Her partner is Yang, she stands about 5'6, and is referred to as the Shadow in the story.

Intro:

Jaune Arc always wanted to be a knight, a hero really.   Growing up in the famous Arc family it was expected of him in truth.   Despite him having a very sickly childhood, and was never considered somebody who had the ability to protect others as was his dream.  It was a surprise then when he was accepted into Beacon, the best academy for training hunters and huntresses, the defenders of Remnant.  And so the hero in training took to his studies with the enthusiasm of a puppy with a new toy.

However right now, he is a hero in training, wearing a dress.  Dancing with his best friend and partner, Pyrrha Nikos.  He wore a dress on an off topic remark, firm in his belief that the unmatched fighter and gorgeous Spartan like woman would have a date to the winter dance.  Yet as with many things in his life, he finds himself on the short end of the stick, proverbially of course. 

On one hand, he is wearing a pink dress, on the other he is dancing with the girl he would only be able to describe as perfect.  A physical specimen with unmatched combat prowess as her calling card, the "Invincible Girl" was as close to the phrase as can be achieved.  Yet despite having the physical ability of a modern day Achilles, with a long, slender, graceful yet absurdly fit frame with hair of pure scarlet down to her waist and deep emerald eyes.  She remained a wonderful person on the inside as well, humble, kind, considerate, patient.  All accurate bywords when people would describe her.

For her part Pyrrha couldn't help but gaze in amazement at the goofy blond knight in training.  She never expected him to keep his word to her about wearing a dress if nobody asked her to the dance, yet now that she was dancing she had this joyous grin on her face that just would not leave.  She had seen him trained nightly for the past 4 months, and he had finally gained some modicum of muscle, taking on the beginnings of an athletic build himself.  With eyes of deep ocean blue and golden blonde hair, he was every bit the embodiment of the classic white knight.  Yet here he was, this strapping man of 17 years old, in a pink dress dancing.  To keep his word, and she believed, or maybe hoped.  To make her happy.

 

**Four Years at Beacon**

Ch1 Post Dance.

Still clad in the dress, and adorably enough, his sneakers Jaune was walking back to his dorm room with Pyrrha.  His two other JNPR(Juniper) team mates, the bubbly and powerful Nora along with the stoic and steady Ren, were walking a fair distance ahead of them.   A rush of footsteps behind them drew Jaune and Pyrrha's attention to a member of their sister team RWBY(Ruby). 

"Hey Vomit Boy!"  Jaune cringed as he heard his least favorite nickname.

"Hello Yang, you look nice."  She did too, Yang was regarded as one of the most gorgeous women in the school.  Her blond hair was thick and flowed well past her waistline, she cut a very powerful athletic figure and of course, her womanly endowment was the envy of most women in the school.  He issued a sideways smile trying to placate her, or possibly distract her.  He was not in the mood for her teasing at the moment.

"You know it" She said with a sly smile and turned her attention to Pyrrha.  "You know Cereal Girl don't you think he, actually no, I won't tease him tonight, not while he is wearing that for you."  Pyrrha blushed a bit at this and gently hugged her date with a happy expression on her face.

"I must admit, I respect your boldness Arc.  However, you sir, are still a dunce." Jaune cringed again as he had another encounter he was not looking forward too.  The Schnee Heiress was a small girl, but most anybody would call her beautiful with her platinum blond near white hair and delicate features only marred slightly by the scar on her face over her left eye.  She was very touchy and irritable on the subject of her scar, but to many it did nothing but accentuate her natural beauty.

"Hello Weiss, I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight?" he said looking back at the young snow haired Heiress.

"I suppose I did have a good enough time, once Neptune realized I was just waiting for him to say hello."  Jaune decided to let the fact that he had convinced Neptune to talk to her go unsaid.

"Well I am glad it worked out for you-" Jaune started, but was interrupted when Ruby appeared from seemingly nowhere via her semblance.  She still hadn't mastered walking, much less running in high heels and only stopped when she bumped into Jaune, who managed to catch the speeding Reaper.  Ruby being the youngest of the group was the smallest, yet she already had more curves on her body than the older Weiss did.  She was similar to the Heiress beyond the fact that she had black hair dyed a very dark red near the tips moving closer to her scalp.

"Oh hey Jaune, sorry again about your punch.  Hey has anybody seen Blake?" She asked recovering her balance.

"Last I saw she was still dancing with Sun"  Pyrrha responded.  She still couldn't quite get the happy off her face after dancing with Jaune, not that she felt any real desire too.

"Well the kitty cat deserved some fun.  So what are we all doing over the weekend?"  Yang responded

"My dear sister Yang, are you telling me that you forgot the sleepover tomorrow night?"  Ruby said with a pout.

"Course not, its everybody from JNPR and Velvet right, oh I know just what to do for fun!"  Everybody was scared of the smile Yang had on her face.

"Yeah Velvet said she would be there too."  Blake confirmed, finally catching up with her team.  Her friends still weren't used to seeing her without her customary bow on her cat ears.  Blake was an athletic girl, fitting for a Beacon student, she wasn't as strong as Yang , and was a mix between Yang's power, and Weiss' grace in how her figure framed her body.

"Actually I wasn't going to go."  All of them turned to look at Jaune, he quailed a bit under their collective glare.

"Sorry I have to study, Ms. Goodwitch made it clear I need to improve or I won't pass the combat assessment at the end of the year, which of course won't mean a thing if my grades don't improve too-"

"Jaune!"  Pyrrha said somewhat angrily.  "It's just one night, surely you can have fun with the rest of us?"  Her hair swayed as she turned to face him.

"No combat school previously, remember?"  He had told them that that despite being accepted to Beacon, he had zero formal education.  "I need every day I can get to catch up to you all.  Ozpin told me straight up he needs 100% from me or I won't be allowed back."  The group continued to walk towards their dorm rooms separated only by a few feet in the same hallway as they spoke.

Pyrrha wore an obvious frown on her face, but Ruby chimed up next "Well we arrived, let's get out of these dresses-"

"Oh thank god."  Jaune interjected and quickly opened the door to the JNPR dorm room.

... "-Don't worry Pyrrha I'm sure we can convince him to join us tomorrow night.  Why don't you talk to him with Ren and Nora?  Aren't they already inside?"   The Reaper continued.

"Yeah I'll talk to them, anyway its late, and I think we all can use some rest before the slumber party tomorrow."  Pyrrha said as she followed her team leader into the dorm room.  Many people asked her why she allowed somebody like Jaune to be her team leader, believing herself to be more suited to the job.  The truth is she saw something in Jaune from the moment their eyes met, she didn’t think she was as suited to the task.  If anybody was being honest with their assessment of him.  They had to admit that while his combat skills were… below normal at least for now, his tactical awareness and battlefield command were excellent.  As she entered she heard the end of a conversation with Jaune.

"... as I said I need to study.  I can't go tomorrow but don't worry about me, you three go have fun."  There was a uncomfortable pause as he looked around the room, and gathered that the decision for him to stay behind, wasn't a popular one.  "Anyway I need to get out of this thing, dibs on first shower!"  He then jogged into their team shower.

Nora waited until the door had closed before she said "I'm sorry Pyrrha, he is still as obvious as always isn't he?" 

Nora was the only one on the group who could match Yang in terms of pure power, she hid her strength well, but it was evident on her body to those who knew where to look.

"Well, no I don't believe so at least not completely, he did get into that dress for me and tonight was wonderful.  I do wonder if he still just sees me as a best friend"  There was just a hint of annoyance in the redheads face.

"Well don't you worry, we will help you tomorrow before the sleepover.  You know Yang is going to want to play Truth or Dare again right?  We need to come up with some devious scheme to get Jaune to agree to come along."  Nora said with an evil look in her eye and a sinister smile. 

"Nora really I appreciate it, but just try not to embarrass him to much alright?"  Curiosity overcoming her she continued "What do you have in mind?"  She couldn't help but think this was a dangerous conversation to have with Nora.

"Well it's simple really, we just need to convince Jaune that its best for the team.  I'm pretty sure he would feel obligated to go then.  Course if that fails you could just ask him, he seems to have problems not doing what you tell him."  The bubbly girl replied with a grin, causing the Spartan to blush heavily.

Nora continued with that grin growing bigger "Those was some fancy moves he showed though right?" Nora asked, causing Pyrrha to blush more.

"I never would have guessed he was such a good dancer, I knew about how large his family was.  I wonder why he never talks about it, I wouldn't consider being a good dancer was all that embarrassing."  Ren said. 

Ren was the most soft spoken of the group, yet when he did speak it was always with a purpose.  He stood tall, but thin, with the look of a martial artist in terms of shape, not overly powerful, but he carried himself with confidence and poise.

"Well, in any case it was fun and I am glad for tonight."  Pyrrha said.  It was obvious to all her friends, minus Jaune, that she desired more than friendship with the blond knight in training.  He has as of yet not picked up on that point despite the fact that she admitted she wished he had asked her to go with him.

Nora and Ren shared a look, then Nora spoke on.

"Why don't you just tell him?  Or better yet just kiss him!  I'm sure he would understand your feelings at that point."  A sly grin appeared on her face.

"You both know I am bad at talking about my feelings, and I can't just kiss him!"  Pyrrha responded in shock, her blush hiding the fact that she almost wanted to do that.

Her teammates looked at her as she funneled through her thoughts then she continued by saying  "It was hard enough just admitting I wanted to dance with him tonight.  That I wished he had asked me and I liked him as a person, more would be..." 

Pyrrha was going to continue when they were interrupted by Ren clearing his throat reminding them that the shower just cut off.

Jaune shortly thereafter emerged from the shower in his typical shorts and t-shirt. "Ok guys plenty of hot water left, I think I will turn in for the night"  Nora zipped into the shower soon as the entry was clear.

"Jaune, because of the party tomorrow do you think we could get our training in the afternoon?  I don't want to skip another day."

"Sure Pyrrha that sounds great."  Her smile was radiant.

"Excellent, how about after brunch?  Normally we have a late breakfast on Saturdays."  Looking forwards to sparring with him always put a smile on her face.

He answered with nod, then pulled out a book while the remaining members of his team showered and turned in for the night.

 

CH 2

Pyrrha woke up before her team, as is her habit.  She did a quick glance around her room, and found her teammates sleeping soundly.  After quickly dressing in her normal combat attire she went to the training room.  After a couple hours of what could only be described as training dummy annihilation she had finished with her morning workout.  She showered, then joined her team for breakfast.  Ren and Jaune were already at work in the kitchen.  As she approached she heard a conversation between Ren and Jaune becoming more clear as she closed the distance.

"Ren why are we both making pancakes?" Her team leader asked stifling a yawn.

"Well if I was the only one cooking Nora would get bored." Ren replied.

Jaune accepted this with a with a "huh, makes sense"  and angled his head to the side, then continued cooking.

"Jaune, you know it would really mean a great deal to the rest of us if you would join us tonight with RWBY."

"Ren, c'mon man you know I have to study."  Pyrrha stood out of view and listened to the conversation, ignoring the looks she was getting from her friends at their joint table.

"Jaune" Ren voiced back with a bit more energy then he likely intended.  "It's a few hours, moreover it's important to your team.  Everybody would benefit from you being there."

"Meaning Yang would have another target."  He replied somewhat under his breath remembering the 'Yang or nothing approach' she has to playing truth or dare.

"Well that too but it's important to us that we all be there for team building.  Hold on I have enough to get this round out to them."

Several members of the joint JNPR and RWBY teams cheered as more of their beloved pancakes arrived.  Pyrrha caught Ren's eye, he understood the look.  Nobody wanted Jaune there more than she did.  Ren went back into the kitchen and resumed cooking.  Pyrrha moved to take her seat at the table, following the mutual understanding between herself and Ren.

"Jaune I know you want to do as much as you can alone but you would have more progress if you let your team help you, that's why we are in teams after all."  Ren continued to speak to him but as Pyrrha moved away she couldn’t hear once she reached the table.

Yang was the last to grab some pancakes.  She finished buttering them and applied some syrup.  After she took a healthy bite, she voiced "Gotta admit, Ren makes the best pancakes" she spotted her sister across the table had finished eating her pancakes, waiting on more to be delivered, and chuckled when she pulled out cookies "Really Sis?  Cookies and pancakes?" 

She received a slow nod, almost akin to a 'duh?' and proceeded to devour cookies at an astounding rate.

"So Weissy, how'd the dance go with Neptune last night?"  The Brawler asked, looking to cause some embarrassment to start her day right.

Weiss responded with a huff but eventually worded "He didn't dance with me, we just spoke for a couple hours....  Wait a moment you knew that you came up and talked to us!"

The Brawler couldn't help but grin and reply back "Well I didn't keep my eyes glued on you two the entire night I was curious if he did anything more you know... provocative"  This was met with a death glare from the Heiress and another fit of laughter from the Brawler.

More pancakes arrived to interrupt them, carried by Jaune this time, they were claimed in the blink of an eye.  Jaune was slightly terrified at how quickly they were running out of pancake batter "How much more do you all want?"  He asked.

"Just keep em coming!"  Yang, Ruby, Pyrrha and Nora all said at the same time.  He saw Ren pulling a second bowl out of the fridge.  With a resigned sigh he started walking back to the kitchen.

Recovering from her previous mirth the Brawler asked with her normal smirk "Oh hey Vomit Boy!"  _Ugh, that nickname again_ "Why are you so bent on studying when the fall term is over?" 

Jaune froze, and slowly turned to face her.  He appeared to be questioning the wisdom of answering the question honestly.  His honesty won out and without his customary friendly smile he sighed, then answered.  "Yang, I am not naturally strong or fierce, like you are.  I am not a protégé like your sister.  I am not graceful and precise like Weiss, I'm not... I'm not perfect like Pyrrha I'm..."  He sighed again.  "Look if I want to be here next year I need to work at it.  It doesn't come naturally to me.  Please stop asking me to go, ok?" 

The mood at the table was several degrees colder once he was back making more pancakes.  Pyrrha was trying not to cry at that admission from Jaune.  On one hand she was elated like the 17 year old girl she was, that her crush just called her perfect.  On the other the look in his eyes and sadness in his voice nearly brought tears to her eyes.

As is normal in these situations, the youngest of the group surprised them all.  "Pyrrha you don't need to worry, Jaune will go all you need to do is ask.  It's obvious he will do anything you ask him."  Pyrrha blushed at that, it said something that even Ruby knew of her interest in him.

Blake who had finished with her pancakes and was back to her customary book worming deadpanned "That's a dangerous thing to say to her Ruby"  She blushed more.

"He has made so much progress especially when you consider that when he got here he didn't know a thing about fighting.  He knew nothing about footwork, stances, not even how to defend himself.  Despite all that he has made remarkable progress and is a great person."  She sighed sadly.  "He is an amazing leader I just wish he could see that himself, see his potential.  I think he has the potential  to be a truly exceptional fighter, he just needs a helping hand."  The Spartan lamented.

"I for one don't see what you see in him Pyrrha."  The snow haired Heiress chimed in, seemingly oblivious or simply not caring to Pyrrha's feelings.

"No Weiss, I suppose you don't.  Then again it's common knowledge that you cannot see what you are not looking for."  An uncomfortable silence filled over the table for several seconds.  The memory of Jaune's initial pursuit of Weiss which was a constant source of pain for Pyrrha fresh in the minds of the group.  The silence was interrupted by an adorable;

"Nope."  They looked at Ruby.

"Nope?"  Several of them replied back looking curiously at the RWBY team leader.

"Nope!  Look we aren't going to argue or fight today, we are done with our first term at Beacon and we are going to have fun!  With or without Jaune."  They couldn't help but laugh at her childish attitude, but it was exactly what they needed.  "Besides he is the only one of us who is sick, if he wants to study we should let him."

That got their attention, several pairs of eyes locked themselves directly on Ruby.  "Um, Sis, what do you mean, he is sick?"  Yang asked the first to piece together what Ruby said.

The Reaper seemed to remember that wasn't something she was suppose to talk about, and she tried to hide behind her cookies.  There is however no hiding from Jaune's partner, a fierce look was in the Spartans eyes when she demanded "What. Do. You. Mean. **Ruby**?!" Punctuating each word deliberately for maximum emphasis.

She gulped, then decided she couldn't avoid the topic now and in a quiet voice said "Our first day at Beacon when we met-" 

"You mean when you tried to blow me up?"  Weiss deadpanned.

"I said I was sorry!!"  Weiss just grinned.  "Anyway, I noticed he was out of breath while walking up the stairs you know the flight after getting off the bullhead, and he seemed sick.  He told me that he was constantly sick as a child due to him being born with a weak heart.  That's why he tires more quickly than we do."

They were interrupted when the bunny faunus Velvet walked up to their table and energetically asked them "Hey guys! what's up?  Can I join in for pancakes?"  In her usual cheer.

They were still trying to sort through what Ruby had revealed and it took a second for Pyrrha to say sure, however she couldn't help but tear up.  As she looked around she saw that everybody at their table was touched by what Ruby had said to varying extents, even Weiss had her eyes downcast.  How a boy, who was untrained.  Would apply and be accepted into Beacon to protect the innocent, when he himself had a heart condition.  The same boy who stood up to bullies like Cardin for people he didn't even know.  She recalled the memory of how he introduced them to Velvet when he saved her from one of Cardin's acts of bullying.

"You all seem... off, did I come at a bad time?" the bunny girl asked, her ears dipped down her head thinking something was wrong.

"No, no we are ok.  Hey Vel, nice to see you."  Jaune said surprising them, Ren right behind him emerging from the kitchen with the last of their pancakes.

"Oh!  More pancakes!"  A certain hammer wielder said.  Interestingly enough, half of the pancakes disappeared around the same time.

The two boys sat down at the table and began eating,  Jaune couldn't help but feel the glare of eyes against him and looked around him nervously.

"Uh, guys?  Something on my face?"  He knew, he just KNEW something was out of place by the intense glare of his partners eyes and the way that Ruby just couldn't quite meet his gaze.  He was about to interrogate the young Reaper when as usual, her sister came to her aid.

"We were just plotting on how we were gona get you to go to the party tonight."  Yang said with a wink. 

Jaune groaned and planted his face on the table.  Ruby, keen to distract Jaune added in "Yes exactly we were gona have cookies!  Oh oh and brownies!"  Pyrrha perked up at brownies, she always had a weakness for chocolates.  Several chuckles were heard around the table at that.

Picking up on the lead Pyrrha chimed in "It really would mean a lot to us if you went Jaune.  If you need to study we can help you afterwards ok?"

A resigned groan was heard coming off the table edge as he finally spoke "Gah fine FINE if it would get you all to stop pestering me I'll go."  Jaune finally caved in.  There was a chorus of "Yays!" around the table.  Pyrrha hugged him, Nora lamented the lack of more pancakes, Weiss chuckled at her partners energy, and Blake was just annoyed at the noise.

"So what's everybody going to do until tonight?"  Velvet asked.

"Jaune and I have training to do"  Pyrrha said cheerfully.

"I'm going to work on my Glyph more."  Weiss surprised everybody.

"What Glyph?"  Her partner asked.

"It's something I'm trying to invent, something that would let me heal the scar over my eye."  Despite being more comfortable around her friends, she never really spoke about her scar, her friends were smart enough to leave it alone.

"Why would you need to invent something Snow Princess the Schnee Corporation does everything you need?"  The Brawler couldn't quite hold back.

Her eyes narrowed in a Terrifying Glare, but she didn't dignify it with a response otherwise.

After the late brunch the group dispersed to go about their activities

 

CH 3

 

Jaune was left winded, sore, and a touch humiliated as he picked himself off the ground for what must be the millionth time.  They had been sparring for some time, he always seemed to lose track of exactly how long.  He had never known Pyrrha to tire so they normally stopped on the weekends when he simply couldn't go any further.  Which was different from their sessions during the week where they stopped after an hour or two.  He felt that threshold was approaching quickly.

"You know Pyrrha, if I had a cookie for every time I ended up on the ground out here.  Ruby would never need to eat again."  The Knight joked as he struggled to find his balance.

The Spartan grabbed his shoulders with a kind smile and helped steady him, then said "You definitely are improving, it is true."  The smile grew into what he might classify as ... affectionate before she continued "Why did I beat you that time Jaune?"  She had taken to making him refight the battle mentally, to try an added approach beyond just the physical nature of their training, and to give him time to catch his breath between bouts which she insisted upon most sternly until he complied given her newfound knowledge regarding his health.  Something which greatly assisted them in training for longer periods of time.

"You mean aside from being stronger faster and more, well, everything than I am, right?"  This resulted in a slight blush from the Spartan but none the less her eyes narrowed expecting an answer.

"Ok ok fine.  Well my center of balance was off, which is why you were able to push me over so easily."  He shook his head side to side then continued.  "Honestly though Pyrrha even if I had my balance you still could have pushed me over.  I'd wager Weiss could push me over right now if she wanted."  He was still struggling to catch his breath.

"And what does that tell you Jaune?"  She couldn't help but feel for him seeing him wheeze while trying to breath.

"That, I'm... I'm.....not-. "  He sounded defeated here staring at the ground.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Jaune.  That is the attitude I am trying to get you past.  It won't matter what skills I manage to give you or what physicality you gain if your mind is still closed off.  Keeping your form and maintaining your stance in battle is not something that only experienced fighters do.  It is absolutely critical to survival, it is not an option, it is a necessity."  She cupped his face with her hands and forced him to look at her.  "Jaune, you can do this.  Your body will give up well after your mind.  Keep your mind in the game, ok?"  She said all that with a very intense glean in her eyes.

He gave her an empty smile and said  "Thank you for believing in me Pyrrha.  I would literally be nothing without you, you realize that right?"

Pyrrha wanted to smile at that, she cared more for Jaune than she was able to articulate, but the fact that he thought so little of himself made her want to cry.  "Jaune, I'm your partner.  We are suppose to help each other overcome the others weaknesses, remember?"

"I'll remember that when somebody finds out a weakness of yours Pyrrha."  He said as he detached from her, his breath finally coming easily.

Pyrrha already knew her weakness, or at least the only one she was aware of.  It was something she desperately needed Jaune for, her complete inability to form meaningful friendships on her own.  While it's true, she was a kind and considerate person.  She found conversation, real conversation a more difficult challenge than any sparring match.  For all her training did to keep her mentally composed, human interaction was something she continually struggled with.  She was taught so thoroughly well that while she is an unmatched fighter, the same training told her that feelings are bad.  That she should always push them away.  As a result she never really learned how to deal with feelings outside of the arena.  This goofy awkward good natured blond boy has done more for her in this regard in the 4 months she had known him than she had in the previous 17 years of her life.  She just didn't know how to tell him.  Instead she retreated to more comfortable territory.

"You ready to go again?" She asked with a smile, and a mischievous grin.

____________

Several bouts later, once again Jaune was on his back gasping for breath.  He found his limbs weren't obeying him, he was absolutely, utterly, completely, exhausted.  Trying several times to sit up or spin over, only to come crashing back down to the ground.

"I fear... I will... have... to lay here... awhile... Pyrrha"  He managed to get out in between breaths.

Pyrrha stared down at her partner with a mix of wonder and sadness.  Wonder at this boy who wants to do the right thing so badly he gives everything he has, without holding anything in reserve.  Sadness due to the fact that Beacon housed several individuals who are far more regarded than he was.  People who were perfectly happy with their lot in life, never really feeling the need to push themselves.  Those same individuals looked down on him ever since he enrolled at Beacon.  It sent a pang through her heart, but it only reaffirmed her fondness for the boy.

"Pyrrha?" he asked, giving her a curious look, his chest still heaving as he tried to breath.

She wanted to go into her feelings, to express how much he means to her.  She tried to start saying so several times. Unfortunately just like normal when she tried to talk about her feelings.  The training she had endured which made her the premier fighter of her time, clamped down on them.  Unable to voice them.  Instead she decided on something else she wanted to know, something less alien to her "Jaune, why didn't you tell me about your heart condition?"

Jaune groaned, he really didn't want to talk about this topic.  He managed to roll over to his stomach and tried to push himself off the ground eventually rising to his knees while utilizing both of his arms.  Somewhere in his exhausted mind he realized he never told her about it, and figured out that Ruby must have told her.  Hence why she was so nervous at brunch... he kicked himself mentally for not putting it together before now.

"Ruby?" he asked trying to buy time to think, still facing the ground breathing less hard but still gulping in air as quickly as he could.  He managed to bring his torso up and one of his legs into a kneeling position an elbow resting on the kneeling leg.

"A woman never reveals her sources."  She said biting her lip with a nervous smile.... the smile quickly deteriorated as Jaune used 'that look' he had.  He doesn't use it often, but it was commanding and highly, highly intimidating. 

She could only hold the gaze for a fraction of a second before her eyes dipped down.

"Ruby" she finally affirmed, and once again grabbed him by his shoulders helping him stand.  Once he was up however she didn't let go.  She continued to look at him, with what she hoped was care and concern.  She could feel his body trying to gulp in as much air as it possibly could, she never really knew until this moment just how hard it was for him to keep up with others, it was hard for her seeing him like this now that she knew what exactly this was.  Previously she just thought he was out of shape.

He sighed dejectedly, and starred at his feet.  In a voice barely more than a whisper said "Do you really want to talk about this Pyrrha?"  She never heard him sound this way and was left feelings confused.

"Do, I... you... do you not trust me with the truth?"  She squeezed his shoulders to try impart some measure faith... or assurance for him, but was unable to completely keep the hurt out of her voice.

Jaune looked up at her and all her worry evaporated as once again he was just the kind boy with the gentle ocean blue eyes smiling at her. "Yes of course I trust you.  I just, really didn't want to talk about it, to bring it with me here."

"Why then did you tell Ruby?"  She couldn't help a touch of jealousy entering her voice here. 

He chucked humorlessly  "Ruby just earned her first nickname."

"Crater-face?" Pyrrha guessed.

"Yes Crater-face.  She needed a friend.  She needed to trust somebody.  I just saw a scared and confused girl, and I felt the right thing to do was help however I could.  Telling her a 'secret' was a great way to do that."  There was a sad look in his eye as he said this, but he tried to reassure Pyrrha with one of his smiles.

She immediately felt terrible about that pang of jealousy.  Jaune so casually is such an amazing person, always and seemingly effortlessly treating others so well.  She absolutely loved him for his heart, despite being unable to say so.

"Now that I know about it, can you tell me why?"  She pushed, her curiosity not yet being sated.

At this he bent over slightly, and uttered a deeply frustrated , emotionally charged sigh but spoke on after looking back up at her "Weiss introduced you to me as Pyrrha Nikos, the 4 time Mistral Tournament winner, decorated celebrity athlete who was heavily endorsed by several companies including cereal brands known as the 'Invincible Girl', right?"  She nodded.  "Well, in my hometown.  I was the sick boy with a weak heart who continually let his father down and embarrassed his family.  I wanted none of that here with me at Beacon."  His eyes spoke volumes to her as he recalled a piece of his, evidently, painful childhood.

It took Pyrrha no time at all to understand why he didn't want to tell anybody and felt horrible for pressing the issue.  She brought her arms around his body and hugged him while trying to utter an apology.  He completed the hug but cut her off with a shush.

He couldn't help but notice her gorgeous red hair given that it was inches from his eyes, tied up in her customary ponytail swaying with the breeze as he rubbed her back returning the hug as the silence drew on.

She would have been content to stay here like this for some time when she heard him speak again.

"Pyrrha..." he started to say then struggled to find the words.

"HEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY you two!!"  They turned to see Ruby happily walking towards them.  For reasons Jaune didn't quite understand Pyrrha continued to hug him, in fact she seemed to hug him more forcefully.

"Hey Ruby."  Pyrrha said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice, she really wanted to know what Jaune was going to say. "What's up?"

"Ren asked me to come get you two, he says if he has to cook cookies AND brownies you need to help with dinner."  The Reaper responded with typical youthful cheer.

"Dinner?"  Jaune asked, then looked around to observe their surroundings, it seems they were practicing for far longer than he thought, the sun was about to go down below the tree line.

"Yes of course dinner we are hungry!!!"

"But why would I need to help him I didn't ask for either of those things?"  He replied in mock indignation.

"Well... because I want cookies, Pyrrha wants brownies and Ren needs your help!" She then vanished in a puff of rose petals as she activated her semblance.

With a resigned sigh, he trudged off towards his dorm room.  Or tried to anyway, he realized that Pyrrha was actually supporting his weight, and nearly fell were it not for her catching him.  She helped him limp back to the dorm, gaining the strength to stand about halfway there.  Like most things in his life however he lamented, he has come to accept a steady amount of humiliation and accepted Pyrrha's willing assistance without complaint.

CH 4

Jaune let Pyrrha get the first shower, she would be done quickly and he needed the time to get his strength back.  Once she was out and he had his turn he had to admit the hot water did wonders for his body and his recovering stamina.  He stood just letting the water fall over his body for several minutes.  He remembered, wish some measure of regret that Ren was waiting for him and felt the need to hurry up and get dressed. 

He emerged dressed casually in a t-shirt and shorts and noticed Pyrrha in a similar set of clothing.  He took a spare moment to admire her physique and musculature while she was looking away from him fixing her hair.  He couldn't help but admire the long, slender and graceful yet amazingly fit look of her figure.  The alluring contours of the curves she carried from her head down through her torso and especially so in her legs.  She always managed to pull off breathtakingly gorgeous woman and shockingly deadly warrior at the same time better than anybody ever would have thought possible.  He realized that even if she were in a brown sack she would still manage to look regal refined and beautiful effortlessly.  A blush ran through his cheeks as he quickly looked away and started his way down to the kitchen.

Before he managed to exit through the door however Pyrrha intercepted him and said "You did well today Jaune, I think your body is starting to show some results too."  She squeezed his upper arm to show her point.

"Thanks Pyrrha, but I still wouldn't want to arm wrestle you."  She blushed wildly at this.

"C'mon let's get to the kitchen before somethi-”

"NORA!!”  The intruder shouted as she opened the door.

“ng happens...” Jaune finished.

“C'mon you two we are HUNGGRRRY! HURRYYY UUUUPPPPPP!!”  She proclaimed then the always cheerful girl skipped back down the hallway towards the kitchen.

Jaune realized that Pyrrha had grabbed his hand during that and was still actively holding it.  “Uh, are you ok Pyrrha?”  She blushed like a maple leaf in autumn and let go of his hand just a touch too quickly.

“Yes, yes I'm perfectly ok.  Let's go get some food before the party tonight, ok?”  She stammered out, then walked at a brisk pace down the hallway.

Replaying the event in his mind he thought, _wait a minute, was that her way of saying I looked good?_

He knew that he absolutely was attracted to her, in fact he couldn't imagine a more attractive person.  He knew she considered his personality amiable, she said so herself but the idea that she thought he was attractive too, just seemed to impossible to entertain.

When he reached the lunch room he found the table of his friends with Neptune as well as Velvet present, banging silverware on the table while demanding food.  Even Weiss was playing along at this point with an amused smirk on her face.

Neither Ren or Jaune wanted to be responsible for the desserts for the party that night, both insisting that they be responsible for dinner.

“As team leader it is my responsibility to ensure that my team is well nourished, it is only right therefore that I be responsible for dinner”

“Yes but as team leader you should be given the most difficult assignment, therefore the job of preparing the cookies and brownies should be yours”

This went on for several more sentences leaving the girls amused, somewhat entertained, but getting progressively more and more hungry.

Pyrrha decided to try and end the stalemate by saying “I think you two should settle this like men, not as children.”  With an obvious smirk to her sly smile.

“Oh that means fisticuffs!” Nora interjected with her usual cheer.

“I have 60 lien on Ren.” Blake deadpanned.

The two boys looked at each other with honest amusement.

Ruby chimed in, “C'mon nobody is going to fight, why don't you two do something else, like arm wrestle.”

“I have 120 lien on Ren.”  Blake deadpanned again.

Reading each others look Jaune replied.

“You really to go down gunslinger?”

Ren just smirked and worked his way around the table so they could face off against each other.

Pyrrha was certainly intrigued at this point.  She never actually believed Jaune would agree to arm wrestle as tired as he was and was dead set certain that the look the two shared carried some type of mutual understanding.  He must have something else in mind.  She knew that both Jaune and Ren considered the other a brother, they did seem to have an easy time with unspoken communication.

“This is really going to happen?  This will be entertaining.”  Yang said with an interested twinkle in her eye.

“This should be over quick.”  Weiss agreed.

Ren had reached the other end of the table and both boys sat down, then almost as if this had been rehearsed they shouted at the same time:

 “ROCK! PAPER! SISSORS! SHOOT!“ and proceeded to put down their choices.  The table was echoing with laughter(Pyrrha and Ruby), sights of girls falling out of their chairs while laughing (Yang and Nora) and looks of obvious disappointment as Blake and Weiss actually wanted to see some sport, even as they laughed with them.

Jaune ended up victorious after winning 2 out of 3 rounds leaving Ren to glare as his ‘Scissors' and accept his fate as the cookie and brownie master.  Pyrrha couldn't keep the blush from her face as Jaune took an honorary bow and went into the kitchen to prepare a dinner.

Turns out Ren actually won the wager as the kitchen was nearly devoid of materials needed to feed the ravenous pack of teenagers waiting.

“You knew about this already didn't you?”  Jaune demanded. 

The smirk he received in reply told him everything he needed to know. 

While Ren was slaving away at the desserts Jaune found enough to make what he hoped, would be a filling meal for his friends.  Ren watched as he prepared the party food with an obvious air of intrigue about him, unsure what Jaune was doing.  Jaune had never displayed any degree of skill with cooking previously aside from helping with pancakes occasionally.  Yet here he had the appearance of a professional chef in a kitchen he wasn't familiar with.

20 minutes later the cookies and brownies were cooling, an extra pan of each was made so the group would be able to hold off on devouring the rest. 

Jaune emerged with his scrapped together meal.  He found macaroni noodles, but no cheese to go along with it.  He did however find enough to make a rich alfredo sauce and so, made macaroni alfredo.  For a meat he made a rather impressive bowl of scrambled eggs with various onions, tomatoes and other ingredients added in.  While Blake would have happily eaten away at the meal provided for her she squealed in delight when Jaune brought out a salad prepared with a healthy amount of tuna.

As the collection of friends dug into the meal various compliments were thrown out.

“Holy crap Jaune where did you learn to do this?  More importantly why haven't you been cooking for us all along?”  Yang asked in between healthy amounts of pasta and egg.  “Seriously I think this could be in a main dish somewhere” She continued.

“It does seem exceptional.”  Weiss admitted, silencing the table.  Shocked pairs of astonished eyes glaring at her.  “What it's the truth!”

“Jaune, this is marvelous.  Where did you learn to cook like this for so many people?”  Pyrrha added in.

Jaune was never very adept at receiving praise and blushed heavily scratching the back of his head, but seemed hesitant to talk about it.

“Come on Vomit boy it can't be THAT embarrassing can it?”  Jaune looked at her very irritated at both the nickname and pressing the issue.

“I am glad that you all enjoy my cooking, I hope it's enough.”  He said modestly.

“Jaune, can't you just accept our praise?  This is very very good.”  Ren surprised him by voicing his thoughts.

Jaune let out another of his sad/resigned sighs “Yes, yes I can.  I'm sorry.  It just reminds of home."

They were still looking at him expectantly.  He continued  "You all know that I didn't receive combat training as my parents forbade me from training due to health.  I had to support my parents and 7 sisters by cooking, and other things around the house instead.  Cooking for you all and cooking for my family isn't all that different in terms of numbers.”

Pyrrha was sad at hearing that, but tried to cheer him up “Well it is an excellent skill to have, and as we all enjoy your cooking hopefully you would be willing to cook for us more often.”  She gave one of her radiant smiles and couldn't contain her blush when they looked at her.

“What other... hidden skills do you have Jauney?”  Ruby asked innocently enough.

“I’m sure he is good with his hands.”  the blond Brawler stated, starting in on catching her grove.

“I bet he is good with his fingers too.” Blake deadpanned.

“Oh now I know why Pyrrha gives him so much hand to hand training.”  Yang continued with a hearty laugh.  Seeing Pyrrha’s blush was as red as her hair she made to continue when she was interrupted.

“I don't know what any of that means.”  Ruby said with an adorable pout.

“You will when your older sis!”  Yang replied with a wink prompting another pout from Ruby.

“That is quite enough.”  The Heiress scolded with one of her death glares, then she continued “In all seriousness Arc what else can you do?”  The eyes of his friends bored into him expectantly.

Resigned to his fate Jaune answered “Well, I’m reasonable at hair care, I guess I can cut and style hair.  I can draw well,  and I was trained as a masseuse.  I think that about sums up what I can do competently.”  There were several blushes around the table (Pyrrha most notably) as she contemplated his meaning of masseuse.

“Oh awesome free hair care would you mind doing my hair Jaune?”  Neptune asked a little too energetically.  Not noticing the angry look from Weiss.

“No, Neptune, I will not be doing your hair.”  He dryly replied.

“Well damn.  Anyway am I welcome at this party of yours tonight?  You all never did invite me.”  Neptune asked.  For reasons Jaune didn't understand, the group turned to _him_ , for an answer.  Still not sure about why this was happening he nodded to Weiss for her to answer.

“Sure Neptune of course you would be welcome” and gave him a dazzling smile, earning a look of scorn from Ruby, oddly enough.  “How about Sun, would he like to come too?” She continued.

“I’m sure he would if he could, but he decided he wanted to return home for the winter break, he prefers sand to snow as you all know.”  Neptune replied.

“Neptune are you sure you know what your signing up for?  Yang has been known to cause near world ending cataclysm when she plays truth or dare.”  Jaune felt the need to warn his new friend.

“Oh I'm sure I can handle whatever she throws at me.”  He confidently stated, his confidence started to shake a bit when he noticed the terrifying look Yang was giving him.

After the meal Velvet, Neptune and Ruby volunteered to take care of the dishes.  Jaune suspected Ruby really just wanted to get closer to the cookies so in an effort to save them he pulled the trays to the table and started assembling them into a case.  He was amused by the look of betrayal Ruby had on her face as he saw through her scheme.  While he worked Pyrrha moved over to his side and asked him in a quiet voice.

“Is what you said true, did your family really make you take care of them like that?”  She had a clearly concerned look to her face and she asked in hushed tones.  She knew from the previous time with him that he didn't think of his family fondly, but he did his absolute best to please them.  Evidently it was loud enough for her friends to hear as several pairs of eyes looked to him to answer her despite her attempts to be quiet.

With another one of his sad sighs he responded “Yes, whenever they had an accident or someone needed a hair cut I was expected to take care of them.  If they were sore after practice or working out I was expected to give them a massage to help them stay limber.  They considered it fair trade for taking care of me given my condition.”  It would be impossible to miss the hurt which accompanied his voice when he answered that question.

“Well Arc I think you missed your calling, that was an excellent meal.”  Weiss tried to compliment him.  She seemed to miss the point that he wasn't proud of these skills.

“Weiss, it isn't about what I can do well, it's what I feel I must do.  I thought you would understand that.”  With that he grabbed his tray and the remaining dishes on the table and went back into the kitchen to help.  Pyrrha noticed he carried a cookie for Ruby and the girl gave a happy squeal once she noticed the peace offering.

Pyrrha was still annoyed at the Heiress and decided to make a point of it.  “Weiss, that was tactless of you to say you know how much he wants to be here.”

Weiss, never one to take criticism well responded.  “Pyrrha, I know you have feelings for him, so you feel obligated to come to his defense.   Plus he is your partner after all.  However we all must accept reality.  Some people just aren't built to fight, and if they attempt to force the issue then they only put themselves and those who are depending on them at risk.  He has obviously grown under your tutoring but he is still well behind the minimum expectations of a Beacon student.”

Pyrrha was about give Weiss a piece of her mind when the normally stoic Ren came to his leaders defense and walked up to Pyrrha’s side “Weiss, you and Jaune aren't so dissimilar as you seem to think.  You came to Beacon despite your father's wishes, so did he.  The difference is you were taught to fight beforehand.  Our team doesn't need another invincible warrior, we do have Pyrrha for that after all.”  He placed a hand reassuringly on her shoulder.  “We need a leader, somebody who could bring all of us with our different skills together, so the net result is greater than the sum of its individual parts.  There is nobody at this table who can do a superior job of that than Jaune has thus far.  I suggest you reevaluate why you are here and if you feel this strongly help him with his studying.  It is after all what you are best at.  Frankly as long as he continues at the rate he has been improving he will end up a fine hunter before his time here is done.”  He looked around the table having silenced everybody at it, including miraculously enough Yang.  “Come on, we have a slumber party to get too right?”

Pyrrha was practically jumping for joy on the inside at Ren's words.  She observed Nora walk to Ren's side and take his arm quickly then started to hum happily as she walked alongside him to the RWBY dorm room for the party with her longtime friend.  She he couldn't help but shoot another angry glare at Weiss, then she stood and began to move towards the RWBY dorm room herself.

The Heiress appeared to be struck speechless after uncharacteristic lecture from the normally stoic Ren.  Weiss was shocked.  It was one thing to be told that by Pyrrha.  It was quite another to be told that by Ren.  The lecture reminded her of something she promised Ruby.  She would try to overcome her short comings with everybody else, so the team as a whole improved.  By harping on Jaune's weaknesses and continually trying to break him down, she realized;  She was not honoring that promise.  This sent a shock through her system as she realized she was not keeping her word.  Something she prided herself on.   After recovering enough to gain back motor function Weiss stood with all the regal grace she could bring forth, and walked, nearly jogging up to Pyrrha.  She moved in front of the bigger redheaded girl cutting her off and ignored the look of scorn the Spartan gave her.

“Pyr-” she started to say.

“Stop.  Just stop, Weiss”  Pyrrha interrupted, she issued one of her rare sighs and lowered the strength of her glare.  “It is obvious you care, in your own way.  Jaune does not need somebody else trying to tear him down.  I suggest you put your mind and energy into doing something constructive.”  Pyrrha went to move away but was stopped by the smaller girl grabbing her arm and trying to pull her aside to no avail, unable to more than slow the more muscular woman.

“What do you want Weiss?”  She asked as she turned to face her, starting to lose her patience.  She knew she could break away from Weiss if she put even any effort into it... but decided to give the Heiress her attention again for the moment.

“Help me.”  She said simply, surprising Pyrrha.

“Help you with what?”

“Help me see the best in people, like you can.  How do you see potential when all I see is faults?”

“Weiss, you see what you let yourself see, you remember your opinion of Ruby when you started here?”  Pyrrha asked.

“Of course she was clumsy and careless and reckless and-”  She would have continued except Pyrrha interrupted her.

“And now?”

“Now, I guess I still see her faults, but....”  She went silent as understanding crept into the Heiresses ice blue eyes.  There was no mistaking that Ruby will end up a superb huntress one day once she learned to harness her incredible potential coupled with her natural eye for weapon crafting.

A sly smile appeared on Pyrrha’s face as she bent down and hugged the Heiress then whispered in her ear.  “There is no trick Weiss, it's just a matter of seeing what your eyes are looking at.” 

At that the two girls walked back to the RWBY dorm room, they were shortly joined by the remaining people and prepared for a night of fun.

Ch 5

As Jaune walked to his dorm to get some last minute items for the party he realized it didn't really matter that he agreed to go to the party instead of study.  With him as tired as he was, as soon as he opened a book odds are he would just fall asleep anyway.  At least here he could develop some friendships and maybe have some fun in the process.  Throwing on one of his signature hoodies, grabbing a blanket and a pillow he walked across the hall to the RWBY dorm room.

He found the rest of the ‘gang’ present and in a semi circle in the middle of the room.  He found an open spot next to Velvet, ideally he would have sat next to Pyrrha but she was already boxed in by Yang on one side and Weiss on the other.

“There you are Vomit Boy, we thought you were gona ditch us!” the blond Brawler announced to the world... seemingly.

“No Yang but I can't promise I won't fall asleep in the middle of the game."  He responded in a tired voice.

“I would advise you to stay awake Jaune, my sister does evil things when people fall asleep before they should.”  The Reaper warned her friend.

“We were establishing some round rules right?”  Neptune interjected.

“Oh who needs rules?”  Yang complained.

“I do.”  Blake said “ So rule number 1, no dares where you are asked to leave the building, dares requiring you to visit the JNPR room however are allowed.”

“Ok seems fair.”  Yang said.

“Also we each get a pass for either one dare or truth.”  Weiss demanded.

“Oh c'mon that's no fun.”  The Brawler complained.

She looked around the room and found her opinion to be the minority, then relented.

Jaune decided to enter the debate "Also no repeating somebody else truths or dares, you need to be original.”  Nobody challenged the point.

“Ok ok ok so we have the rules established, now to the fun part.”  She pulled out what looked like a tesla coil.  “This is a lie detector, if you lie, it zaps you.”  There were several nervous looks in the room at that.

“Is it on now?” Jaune asked.

Yang placed it in the middle of the room and hit a button, an odd glow permeated the orb.  “Yup is now!”

“I have 12 siblings.”  Jaune said as a test. He didn't get zapped.

“Huh seems to be broken?”  He tentatively asked, knowing full well he had 7 sisters.

“No it works fine, the dust charge is set to only activate after a question is asked.”  Yang explained.  “Ok time to get this party rolling!“  She produced a bottle and gave it a spin, it landed on Neptune.

An evil grin appeared in Yang's eyes as she asked “Truth or Dare Mister!”

“Truth.”  He said assured of himself.

“Who do you think is the most attractive person in the room?”  Weiss looked at him expecting a obvious response.

Neptune visibly paled and uttered “Pass.”

“So soon?”  Yang taunted. “No more safety net for you!”  Weiss was still looking at him in disbelief.

Trying to ignore the Heiresses gaze Neptune spun the bottle, it ended up on Yang.

“Truth or-“

“Dare hit me Blueey!”  She responded.

“Yang I dare you to remove your bra in front of us and leave it off the rest of the night.”

This drew a gasp from several members of the group but Yang didn't even blush.  She expertly removed her bra from under her shirt and dangled it out in front for everybody to see.

“You are WAY to good at doing that.”  Ruby said in wonder earning a chuckle from several people present.

The bottle was spinning again and it ended up on Velvet, her ears perked up in excitement.

“Truth or Dare Vel?”

“Dare.”  She replied eagerly.

“I dare you to tackle Weiss to the ground and tickle her until she begs you to stop.”  Weiss' eyes shot up in alarm at that but she was too late.  Velvet had already knocked her to the ground and was mercilessly assaulting her with tickles before she knew it.  Surrender is not in the Schnee vocabulary, as she had claimed so several times.  Weiss fought off the bunny girl for as long as she could, but minutes and a room full of chuckling friends later Weiss surrendered.

“I’ll get you back for that Yang!”  The angry Heiress said with a flushed face.  The bottle was spun again and it ended up on Jaune. 

“Dare Vel.” He responded.

Velvet really considered her options before responding.  Then as if a lightbulb went off in her head she said “I dare you to play against Weiss in chess, the loser has to take off their shirt for the rest of the night.”

The room was filled with several ‘Oh hoo’s!” and chuckles when Weiss declared “Arc I will destroy you at chess for you sake just pass now.”

“Actually Weiss, I accept, do you want white or black?”

Pointing a finger menacingly at him she declared “On your head so be it Arc!  Ladies first, I’ll be white.”  She pulled out an electronic chess board which allowed all in the room to watch the game, they agreed to a fast 3 minute game.  Several turns in Weiss wasn't sure exactly what he was trying to do, but she saw an opportunity to trap his Queen.  All she needed to do was surrender a knight and if he took it the queen would be hers, and almost assuredly after that victory!  She was laughing internally when he seemed to take the bait.

“I warned you Arc, it seems your queen is mine” She taunted as she confidently moved a bishop to take the queen.

“Yes, an excellent trap Weiss.  I will give you credit, you know how to play chess.”  She smiled smugly. “Also however,“ He moved a knight forward in a position she didn't see previously “checkmate, I’ll take that shirt off you please?”

Weiss could only glare into the board in disbelief, she furiously looked for anyway to get out of check but realized she moved the bishop which could have taken the knight out of position when she claimed his queen.  While she was in denial there was several hoots an cat calls being sent her way.

Pyrrha in particular was proud of Jaune for winning and was clapping excitedly. 

Weiss had one last card to play though, and pointed an accusing finger at him "You tricked me!!!  When I asked you what else you were good at you never said you were good at chess!!"  She said angrily.

To which Jaune replied with a smug grin "I never said I was good at chess mostly because I don't believe I am.  I do however believe you are worse than I am."  The look he received made him very glad her sword was outside of arms reach.

“Come on Snow Angel lets have it, you accepted the challenge after all.”  Yang taunted her teammate.

Weiss finally surrendered her shirt and held her arms around her chest to hide her bra.  After a seemingly long amount of embarrassment, keen to help lessen the sting of his previous comment Jaune removed his hoodie.  “Weiss, catch.”  He said as he tossed it at her.

“Oh thank you thank you thank you.”  As she pulled the hoodie on over her about as fast as it could physically have been performed.  The act of removing his shirt lifted up his undershirt for a period and the honest work he has been doing was evident on his body as lean muscle was displayed on his arms chest and stomach.  The moment didn't last long but it was enough for Pyrrha and several other girls to get a furious blush on their faces.

“Wow I gotta say nice work P-Money, hard to admit this is the same guy we met on that that first day.”  Pyrrha blushed harder.

“She is an excellent tutor, I really couldn't ask for anybody better.”  Jaune said in praise causing Pyrrha to smile as her blush was exceeding the color of her hair at this point.  Yang spun the bottle again, it landing on herself.  Before Jaune could even ask Yang blurted out.

“Dare take your best shot Vomit Boy!”

“I… don't think you want my best shot Yang.”  He cautioned.

“Bring it on little man!”  She taunted.

“Ok Yang, “ he said with an EEVVIILL grin appearing on his face. “I dare you to let me shave your head.”

The sounds couldn't be uttered faster than Yang did as she issued a near instant.  “WaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!! PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS!!!!” Yang appeared breathless her eyes become red and hair ignited at the thought.  Ruby was even clapping at how quickly Jaune got her sister to surrender her pass.  He had a smug look on his face as Yang calmed down and spun the bottle again.

Pointing an accusing finger at her new 'Arc-Rival' she said.  “Jaune you have just declared war, I hope you are prepared!”  There was definitely a look in her eyes at this point, _'nobody threatens my hair!!!!!'_ she thought.  He acknowledged her threat with a smile and leaned back against the wall.

There was murmurings around the room as the bottle stopped spinning and landed on Nora.

“DARE”  Nora proudly declared.

“I dare you to wrestle Jaune and pin him to the ground.”

Nora smiled and said “Sorry fearless leader, time to get pinned.”  Then walked menacingly at him.

Jaune just lazily scooted himself forward so his back was plush against the ground.  Nora stopped, a confused look on her face. 

“C'mon it's no fun if you don't plan on fighting back.”  She pouted.

“Sorry Nora no energy for that right now, you got me.”  Nora put a foot on his chest and ‘pined’ him.

Yang felt utterly cheated at this development but accepted it as she didn't word her dare accurately enough.  She vowed to get him yet!

The bottle was spinning again and it came to rest on Pyrrha.  She loves these normal person games and excitedly said.

“Dare!”

Nora considered for a moment the with a grin unknown to belong to her face said “I dare you to give up chocolate for a week!”

A look of utter betrayal appeared on the Spartans face.  "Nora we were sisters!”  She complained.   Then uttered a defeated “pass” before quickly scarfing down a brownie.

The bottle was spinning again and it ended up on Neptune.

“Truth”  He requested.

Pyrrha was unsure what she could ask the young man, although, she did want to know one thing.

“I want to know one thing.  What convinced you to go talk to Weiss at the dance after you showed up alone?”  Weiss’ eyes perked up at this, she never actually knew herself.

“Jaune convinced me to talk to her.”

Weiss was speechless “Uh what do you mean he convinced you?” she demanded.

“That's not really part of the game is it?”  He replied with a smug look on his face.  He must have been intimidated by the glare Weiss gave him as he gave more information.  “I was embarrassed about something, and he helped me see it was such a small thing to be embarrassed about when compared to making somebody happy, so, I went and talked to you”

Pyrrha was giddy as a schoolgirl, Jaune sought her out and gave up his pursuit of Weiss on the same night!   Whereas Weiss continued to want more information out of Neptune.

The bottle however was spinning again saving him from further interrogation, at least for the moment and it landed on Weiss.

“Dare Neptune!”  She proudly  announced.

“Ok, I dare you to kiss Jaune on the lips.”  A cold look of anger appeared on both Weiss and Pyrrha while looks of glee appeared on Yang and well... just about everybody else in the room aside from Jaune and, interestingly enough Ruby.

Weiss, thinking this would be a good way to get back at Neptune, sauntered over to Jaune in her best seductive walk.  Jaune for his part looked like a deer in the headlights, as she bent over and kissed him on the lips.

As she walked back to her spot she silently mouthed “Sorry” to Pyrrha, who wore a look of intense anger on her face.  The bottle was spinning again and it landed on Pyrrha.  She perked up at this and instantly choose,

“Dare”

Weiss took a moment to think and then said, “I dare you to steal one article of clothing off of whoever you choose.”

A mischievous grin appeared on her as she glared right at Jaune, and with a speed that only Pyrrha could manage she appeared next to him nearly ripped his shirt off him.  Jaune barely had the time to fight back or resist her.  Satisfied with her work she gave the shirt to Weiss.

“Feeling a little picked on there Vomit Boy!  This is payback for trying to get rid of my hair!”  Yang proudly announced... mostly just cause she could not because it was true.

Jaune was running low on energy as his exhaustion was quickly catching up to him, he could only really just grunt in response.  Feeling cold without a shirt on he pulled his blanket around him and watch as the bottle spun again, this time landing on him.

With a groan he looked at Pyrrha judging her mood, she appeared upset that he kissed Weiss, but somewhat... tamed due to her claiming his shirt.  At least that's what he hoped the blush meant.  Oh well he figured he still has a pass and isn't going to last much longer tonight before he passes out anyway so he figured he might as well say.

“Dare.”  He pushed himself back up against the wall into a seating position.

What can only be described as a sadistic smile appeared on her face as she contemplated her dare.  The smile changed into one of curiosity as she thought of her dare.

“Jaune, I dare you to tell me right here and now in front of everybody, what you were going to say to me while we were training before Ruby interrupted us.”

The look on his face as she said that must have been hilarious as Yang, Blake, Weiss, Ruby and even Velvet started laughing so hard they fell over.

“Pyrrha are you serious?!  That was more of a speech than anything else.”  Pleading with her to change her mind.

“Oh no you don't Vomit Boy she gave her dare, you either pass or you spill the beans!”  Yang responded back with glee at his discomfort.

Pyrrha for her part was curious what it could be that he actually is considering passing, and was starting to wonder if it would be a good idea to remind him he had the opportunity too, but decided nope.  He kissed Weiss without a fight.  He deserves no mercy.

“I’m waiting Jaune.”  She purred in an overly cute and innocent voice with an adorable smile on her face flashing her eyelashes for good measure.

Jaune was incredibly conflicted.  He viewed this information as highly personal, yet it was after all Pyrrha herself that said there is nothing to hide behind if it's the truth.  He also realized on some level that Yang was gunning for him, heavily.  While he knew he could pass this question, it might insult Pyrrha.  Which he wasn't willing to risk.  In the span of a few heartbeats he made up his mind.  He appeared more nervous than anybody had ever seen him, but eventually a powerful will appeared in his eyes as he started to assert himself.  With a deep breath he started his speech.

“Very well Pyrrha.  I’ve thought about the dance A lot, and specifically what you told me.  About your feelings about me and wishing I had asked you to the dance.  I wanted to apologize, I haven't been fair to you.  You told me a lot and aside from dancing with you, I did nothing to reciprocate that....” 

Pyrrha’s eyes went big, this was not what she was expecting, but she was starting to think; **_Yes Yes Yes Yes_** _._

He continued “... On some level I was aware of your feelings towards me I have for some time, and I guess my own insecurities got in my way.  At the dance you told me that you want to be with me, and I hardly considered myself worthy of you.  I guess for the most part I still don't....” 

Pyrrha brought her hands up to her mouth at this point unsure where he was going with this suddenly.  You could hear a pin drop in the room.  They were not looking forwards to the fallout if Jaune rejected her poorly in front of everybody.

“... But, you see, I, I realized something else.  And that something is...”  Here, he stopped for a second, and took a deep breath before continuing.  When he started up again he was visibly trembling, tremors ran the length of his body, but he never looked away from Pyrrha. “...that something is, when you... when you love, somebody, you are suppose to... to put that persons happiness above your own.  So even if I have my doubts, about my deserving you.  If you still feel the same way as you did, I would ask you to be my girlfriend.”

Finishing his speech his courage gave out and he covered his eyes with his hands.

“That's what I was going to tell you.”

He couldn't see this but his heartfelt confession brought about just about everybody in that room to tears.  Pyrrha was surprised to say the least, but also elated, she got EXACTLY what she wanted.  She felt like running right at him and tackling him.  Realizing that might not be the best course of action she stood, and walked slowly around the circle of friends.  Her eyes watery and her face sharing the same complexion as her hair while her hands still met together covering her mouth.

She sat down next to Jaune, and pulled his hands down from his face.  He looked right at her, she could tell that there was apprehension or maybe fear in his eyes after revealing so much of himself in front of so many people.  However he looked at her straight in the eye.  Confident she had his undivided attention, she said.

“That was the single sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me.  Of course I would love being your girlfriend, but that does make me address the fact that you made me wait this long.”  Jaune looked at her confused.  His confusion was squashed, literally, as she lunged at him tackling him to the ground and laid a heavy kiss on him.

That act seemed to bring the group of friends out of their daze and starting cheering, hooting, hollering, and in the case of Weiss, shout “GET A ROOM!”   Once Pyrrha had made her case on imprinting that moment in Jaune's memory she pulled him back up to a seated position blushing terribly, giggling happily, then leaned against his shoulder wearing a content and happy grin on her face.

After a time the silence was broken. "Come on we got a game to play let's get back to it!"  Ruby pleaded energetically following Pyrrha's forward actions and she quickly spun the bottle.  The bottle ended up pointing at her.

"Gimme a dare Jaune!"

Jaune thought for a good few seconds needing to clear his head, and realized he felt he owed Weiss one for his lack of a shirt, promptly said "Ruby, I dare you to kiss Weiss."

 Both girls eyes went big, very quickly.  Before Weiss could object Ruby used her semblance and planted a sweet, but unorthodox kiss on the older girls lips before vanishing in a puff of rose petals and reappearing in her seat.

Weiss felt the need to object. "Hey that dare was already used!" Ruby chuckled at this.

Jaune however predicted this complaint "Actually Weiss, you were dared to kiss me on the lips, I made no such requirement.  She could have kissed you on the nose, toe or finger and would still have completed the dare."  Several people were laughing hysterically at this Pyrrha included.

Several glances were exchanged and by the look in Yang and Weiss's glares they were now both gunning for him.  He would need to progress extra carefully from here on out.  The bottle was spun again and it landed on Ren, his first time up.

The stoic hunter in training said "Dare" in a confident voice.

Ruby had a malicious grin on her face when she said "Ren I dare you to spend all of Nora's pancake funds on cookies."

"OH NO! DON'T YOU DARE RENNY!"  The hammer wielder interjected.

Ren fearing for his life, or at least his dignity and quite possibly his legs too, muttered a "Pass."

Several more rounds passed and a handful of players were eliminated from the game.  Yang, Weiss, Pyrrha, Ruby, Jaune and Velvet were the only ones left in the game.  Jaune felt the chill of the void as the girls were looking at each other in turn as only women do, and that feeling of dread only intensified when they all seemed to nod at the same time.  He visibly gulped and looked at all the women in turn and finally realized.  They want me out of the game.  His eyes lingered on his newly fledged girlfriend who was putting on her most adorable 'who me?' expression.

"Just so you all know, this is totally unfair " Jaune stated matter of fact like.

"Now now Jauney-boy, we just realized that out of all of us you still somehow have your pass, you have slithered out of our clutches long enough, we will not let you win the first  RWBY/JNPR truth or dare showdown!"  The increasingly anxious Brawler stated.

The last person to take a dare was Pyrrha, and she gave the bottle a spin.  It came to no surprise then when the bottle ended up pointing at him.  If he didn't know better Pyrrha used her semblance to force the issue....

He realized the girls were waiting for him to make a decision with looks that appeared just a 'touch' too sweet,  and decided if he is gona go down, he will go down with a Yang.... _Ugh did I really just think that.... I'm clearly too tired to play this game_.

"Dare Pyrrha."  Not quite able to meet her gaze.

Her smile was both sly and radiant as she very simply said "Jaune, I dare you… to give me a back rub."  The rest of the girls looked at her aghast, Ruby even blurted out "Hey that isn't what we agreed!  He was suppose to give us all backrubs!!"  She couldn't have looked more adorably cute if she tried.

Pyrrha just gave a shrug and laid down on her stomach in front of Jaune expectantly and moved her shirt up to her shoulders.

"Pyrrha you play a mean game."  The Brawler said "This is officially war."  Pyrrha just smirked at her.

Jaune for his part did his best for his girlfriend.  Her skin was absurdly warm and soft, yet it carried unmistakable strength as he remembered this girl was also incredibly strong too, given how much energy it took to work out her tension.  A fact he realized somewhat foolishly, later than he would typically have preferred. While he worked his way across her shoulders she issued occasional moans and groans eliciting obviously jealous looks from her former conspirators.

"You are... stupppiiiddddly.... gooood ... at that....."  Pyrrha managed to say.

_'I'm going to get them both'_ the Brawler swore to herself _'but I gotta admit he seems to know what he is doing.'_

_'He can't be THAT good with his hands... could he?'_ Weiss thought while she glowered at Jaune.

_'I wonder what she likes so much about a backrub'_ Ruby thought innocently.

_Velvet was just happy that both of her friends found each other.... though she wouldn't mind a backrub either._

 As he moved from her shoulders to her middle and lower back the unintended sounds from her didn't stop, and she started to hum a happy and content tune to herself.  By the time her back was free of tension, he pulled her shirt back down over her back and realized she was sound asleep.  Well, dodged that bullet Jaune thought.

Jaune spun the bottle and it pointed at Yang.

Yang thought she had been on the receiving end of Jaune's dares already once tonight and figured Truth was the safer bet.

"Truth"

"Tell me honestly Yang, right now, are you jealous of Pyrrha" he asked with a smirk.

"What? No of course not YAAAKK!"  She was interrupted as the orb in the middle of room, gone ignored till then, proved it wasn't actually broken and gave Yang a powerful shock.

"Son of a @_%$#  _#@ $%#" Yang started off while the rest of them just laughed at her.  The bottle was spun again with the pointer going to Velvet.  A predatory glare entered Yang's eyes as she thought how best to tease the bunny girl, their earlier alliance seemly forgotten.

"Truth seems the safer option."

"Did you want to kiss Jaune when he stopped Cardin from bullying you?"

Velvet felt her face flush, and while she knew the answer was yes, realized she couldn't actually speak her answer in front of him.  "I withdrawal" she said with her ears flat and face down.

Yang gave a fist pump as she just eliminated another player and gave the bottle another spin.  This time the bottle ended up at Weiss.

Weiss was seriously considering her options, she was hell bent on not losing to both Ruby AND Jaune, for reasons she refused to admit to herself.  She steeled herself as she looked proudly at the Blond Brawler and said "Dare".

"Weiss Schnee, I dare you to fill up a bucket from the bathroom with cold water, and pour it all over Pyrrha."  She said with a wink.

Weiss felt, as Jaune might describe, the cold touch of the void, on her shoulder.  On one hand it would be supremely easy to do this.  However she wasn't sure if she could survive the Spartans wrath once she was roused.  However she had already set herself on the track of beating the two people who annoyed her the most.  At least the most at the present.  With all the regal grace of her upbringing she stood, and emerged from the bathroom a few moments later with a bucket full of water.

Jaune was trying to get some distance from the sleeping redhead and was able to succeed in getting a few feet of separation before the water was poured all over Pyrrha from the waist to her head.

The reaction couldn't have been more terrifying for Weiss if she had had a year to imagine the worst reaction possible, and then multiply it by 100.  Pyrrha was on her feet instantly, with a murderous glare in her eyes and they fixed themselves right on the Heiress, walking very, very slowly towards her.  While moving, she was making seemingly random motions and gestures with her hands…  Normally in a choking manner.  Weiss had her hands raised in surrender and was backing up slowly, but steadily away from Pyrrha.

"Now now big girl, let's not be too hasty it was a dare after all."  Weiss managed to squeak out and pointed a lazy finger at Yang who could barely keep her laughter under control.  The years of self control finally began to reassert themselves and Pyrrha just reached Weiss, plucked the shirt of Jaune's that she stole from him earlier.  Put it on, then sat back down a silent determination now in her eyes.  Weiss let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as Pyrrha settled in her seat.

Jaune tried to placate his girlfriend and put a hand on her neck and gave her a casual neck massage, she seemed somewhat pacified, for the moment.  At least up until the bottle ended up pointing at her, and she was once again in championship fighter mode as she waited for Weiss' response after instantly declaring "DARE" and awaiting on the Heiress's reply.

Weiss was, for the first time, utterly terrified of the person she must face.  The glare the Spartan was giving her was so many times worse than her father's it was making it hard for her to think.  C'mon think Weiss THINK!  What could she do to deflect her anger.  Her eyes lit up as she had a BRILLIANT idea... she hoped.

"Pyrrha, I dare you to challenge Yang to a pushup contest, the winner gets a massage from Jaune"

"Hey!" The Knight complained.

That did the trick Weiss thought, as the two girls glared angrily at each other.  Yang very energetically appeared ready to go and even adopted a one handed stance smugly.  Pyrrha, not to be outdone, mimicked her stance.

Remind me not to challenge them to an arm wrestling contest, Jaune couldn't help but think.  As the two women just kept cranking out pushups with abandon.  Thinking logically he has seen Yang put forth some incredibly powerful punches, but realized that Pyrrha wouldn't be outclassed by an irrecoverable amount in terms of raw strength.  Even if she was, her endurance far outstripped that of Yang.  So it was that even after he gave up trying to count, Yang had to concede defeat on their fifth arm rotation.

Pyrrha had a very triumphant look on her face as she once again laid down in front of Jaune while he worked out the once again tense muscles of her shoulder and back, and as before, she ended up sleeping soundly as he finished. 

Seeing Pyrrha sleeping with a content smile on her face he looked around the room.  The other friends who were long since out of the game and were keeping themselves busy watching a movie or observing the current game were now asleep, and Jaune realized just how heavy his eyes were becoming.

"Ok girls, I call a cease fire.  I give you all a backrub, and you let me go to sleep at a reasonable time tonight?"  Jaune couldn't even perceive how quickly Yang seemed to materialize in front of him begging for a backrub.

After giving each of the remaining girls a back rub and finding himself the only one awake in the room... somehow.  He looked around for a spot for him to get some sleep, when he noticed an unread message on his scroll.  Upon reading it he found he no longer desired company.  After grabbing his pillow, as he still wore his blanket around him, made his way to the JNPR dorm room for the night.

Pyrrha woke up briefly as Jaune was making his exit, saw her partner get the message, and very visibly, even in the weak light, go pale.  He appeared several years older when he gave the room one last scan.  Turned off the lamp near Weiss's bed, the only light on in the room, then left.  She resolved to ask him about it tomorrow.

CH6

The party goers awoke at various times and in some cases, awkward positions.  Nora was sleeping with her head on Ren's chest, but with her legs angled up against a bed.  The remaining finalists in the game in a semi circle where Jaune formally was sitting.  The first to wake was Pyrrha, who silently as she could manage, grabbed her gym bag which she packed with her blanket and pillow.  Then exited the room and made her way to the school gym.  The two back rubs Jaune gave her allowed her to put more into her morning workout than she typically did, doing both weight training and training against dummies at a greater intensity than normal.  When she still didn't feel appropriately tired she went on an aggressive inclined run on a treadmill, and managed to put several miles in before believing she had accomplished her morning goals.

After she showered she walked back to the joint RWBY and JNPR kitchen.  She couldn't help but wonder at how much a simple backrub can do for her.  She knew she was absolutely ecstatic that Jaune asked to date her.  She was more than happy to say yes, having tried, and failed to ask him out herself.  No, she didn't believe that fact, as giddy as it made her, would have this much of an impact.  She decided to try and coax more of those out of him to see if it continued to effect her that way in the future.

She arrived at the kitchen expecting to see the full gang present, and was disappointed as only one was present.  Ruby was at the table picking away at her breakfast.  She went through the line, got her typical eggs bacon and toast with some juice, then sat next to her friend.

"Hey Ruby, what's up?" she asked.

The younger girl gave a bit of a pout and replied "Nobody is happy like they should be after a party."

Pyrrha felt like she should stay silent and wait for more information.

"Weiss broke up with Neptune, because Ice Queen.  Nora yelled at Ren cause they didn't serve pancakes today, Yang is mad that Jaune never did give up his pass and Blake was depressed that her next smutty book wasn't being delivered in time due to the weather. Not that I know what smutty means anyway."  She said, finally taking a bite of food.

"That uh, kind of sounds like business as normal around here doesn't it Ruby?"  The Spartan said as she tried to cheer her friend up, normally it would be Jaune's job to do this.

"You don't understand... I want Weiss to be happy.  Why does she always push people away.  Even after she goes out of her way to get their attention, I just don't understand."  This was quickly turning into territory that Pyrrha really struggled with, and was glad when the remaining members of team RWBY arrived at the table except Blake, followed quickly by Ren and Nora.

"Morning Cereal-Girl, don't think I've forgotten about what happened last night!  I will beat you in pushups next time"  Yang said with her normal morning cheer.  "I gotta admit I feel full of energy this morning, that backrub from Jaune felt like magic to me." 

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed in annoyance but she didn't say anything, the last thing she wanted right now was more competition for backrubs.

"I think I'll ask him to do that more often."  She continued, trying to bring the Spartan into an argument.

As Pyrrha continued to refuse to take the bait Yang resumed her speech "Speaking of our resident blond goofball Knight has anybody seen him?"

Ren answered "I think he is in our dorm room, remember he wanted to study last night, I wager he is trying to get some book work done."

"Wait he was serious about that?  I thought it was just a ploy to not go to our party."  The Heiress stated with a startled expression on her face.

"Honestly Weiss I know you and he aren't on the best of terms but it just amazes me how little you think of him.  Why do you think he would make up an excuse not to be with his friends?"  Pyrrha said with an obviously threatening gleam in her eyes and she didn't try to keep a hint of anger out of her voice.

Weiss carefully considered her reply as she didn't want to antagonize the Spartan further "I don't know, I guess I just never imagined he was trying so hard."

"Well he is and he does.  Frankly he deserves more from his friends who, as you learned last night, he would give the shirt off his back if they needed it."  Indicating the hoodie that Weiss still wore.   Pyrrha at this point had no desire to speak further and she worked quickly to finish her meal to proceed with her day.

For the second time in less than 24 hours a Schnee was struck dumb, and in this case, a side of shame was included.  Weiss, normally so sure of herself, was actively trying to rework her image of Jaune.  He did apologize to her for all those times he pursued her.  He didn't mention her hated nickname, and even she was forced to admit that maybe she had the initial wrong impression of the boy.  Though the possibility of that actually being a necessity had the tiniest most slim chances of being a truth.

"Come on Weiss-a-rooney..."

Weiss made an mental note of her second most hated nickname with that.

Ruby continued "...You should cheer up and just try to be happy like the rest of us.  We have 2 weeks off we should have some fun!"

Despite herself Weiss cracked, what might have been mistaken for a smile, that is if Weiss actually was somebody who knew how to smile.  She was about to answer politely when a frantic yelp was heard from the direction of their dorm room and the unmistakable sight of Blake running as if she just learned the lunch room was serving an infinite supply of sushi.

"Keep it away keep it away from me AHHH!!"  She yelled jumping on the table to hide from her mysterious assailant.

It took a few moments for her pursuer to appear, as that of the Xiao Long family pet, the corgi Zwei.  He wagged his tail furiously and happily walked up to Ruby.

"ZWEI!"  The girls cried and moved to embrace the dog, aside from Blake who was trying to keep at least 10 feet and 2 people between it and her at all times.

While Pyrrha was fond of the dog, and animals in general she didn't want to be around Weiss.  Unfortunately the dog was one of the few creatures in the world who seemed to crack her eternally frozen exterior, she wanted to talk to Jaune.

Quickly depositing her now empty tray in the used dishes pile she walked at a brisk pace to the JNPR dorm room.

As she walked down the hall she looked out the windows to see the gorgeous grounds Beacon was housed in.  Contrary to the summer setting when she first arrived in Vale this was the deep of winter, and the swirling snow falling and glistening light of frozen tree limbs made a memorable sight.  She took a few minutes to try to memorize the scene before her, it being her first time seeing this much snow.

Breaking away from the view she made the remaining way to her destination and found her query inside with his face buried in a book.  Contrary to what Ren had said she fully expected to find him asleep.  She knew he wanted to study, she never actually expected him to be awake.  Judging by the empty tray of food on his desk and the multitude of pages he had filled out, he had been awake for some time.

"Hey Jaune, you're up early."  She queried.

"Oh, hi Pyr. " _Pyr, she liked that "_ Yeah I woke up early and decided to get some work done."  He replied in greetings.

She felt like such a coward.  He managed that confession in front of a dozen people and she couldn't manage a sentence with just him.  She had all morning to work up the speech she wanted to tell him.  How much the backrub meant to her, how incredibly happy she was that they were now dating, but at the sight of him once again that part of her that let her speak her feelings was closed off.

He looked at her with an amused expression on his face and added "Is something wrong?"

She didn't want the conversation to go in this direction, but it was comfortable for her, and she found some words were better than silence.  "Jaune I wanted to talk to you about your training."

This wasn't what he was hoping to hear.  She could tell that much by his face, but he none the less put his book down, and gave her his undivided attention.  She tried not to be irritated by how easy it was for him to talk to people.

She proceeded forwards "Jaune I was thinking we should do some work in the morning before classes, maybe do some cardio or weight training.  So you have some time to recover, before we do our combat training in the evening."

Jaune mulled the statement over in his head, and replied "I guess we can give it a try, though you and I both know I won't be able to keep up with you.  What brought this on?"

"I was just thinking about how we can improve your endurance, figured it might help."  She was struck by a flash of brilliance.  "Think of it as training for the Vytal festival tournament at the year's end."

"Pyr, I don't intend to enroll.  I will be more than happy to try morning workouts with you though."

She didn't want to give up just yet "Jaune if you enroll I will enroll."

His face was utterly shocked at the suggestion.

"Pyrrha don't put that on me, that isn't fair.  You know I have zero chance of winning the tournament.  You have a chance, a real chance to win.  Come to think of it you are probably the favorite to win.  Me I would be lucky to get out of the first round."

She was less than happy with his defeatist attitude reappearing.  It just reminded her of an old enemy she could never get rid of, but still replied in caring voice  "So what you won't even try cause you think you can't win?  I've told you that you need to stop thinking that you aren't good enough before you even try.  You should enroll."

Jaune was still calm when he replied "Pyrrha, I can't, I won't have a weapon."

She took about 3 seconds to process that information and when she did all she could come up with was "What?"

He indicated his scroll lying on his desk.  Pyrrha picked up the scroll and read the message already loaded in.

_Dear Jaune Arc,_

_I have thought about the current state of our family Heirlooms, and have decided that Crocea Mors is not best left to your care.  Therefore I have decided to reclaim the weapon and armor your family has loaned you, to present to your sister Jewel.   Please have it prepared..._

The letter went on but Pyrrha dropped the scroll, a confused burning anger filling her being.  Dear Jaune Arc?  Not Dear Son, or Dear Jaune.  Dear Jaune Arc?  From his father?  She didn't like this man already.

"Wait it gets better."  Jaune said "Read the date he wants it returned."

Pyrrha picked up the scroll again and read the date, it seemed like something she was aware of but she just couldn't place it.

Jaune provided the explanation "The day before our final combat assessments, middle of the day."

Pyrrha didn't think she ever felt hatred before, pure unadulterated hatred.  Even with the unclothe and ugly people from the tournament fighting scene she was familiar with.  This level of... uncaring was completely unknown to her.  All she could ask is "Why would he do this?"

Jaune had a look of accepted pain when he answered her "Pyrrha, it isn't that complicated.  He knows if I don't pass the combat final I won't be allowed back here next year.  Up until then I will need to use the weapon to stand any remote chance against the people I go against in combat class.  I've told you my family considers my being here an insult to them and ... well I guess I could go on but the point is they really don't want me here."

Pyrrha's thoughts turned dark, very very dark.  _Yes, this must be hatred, how could anybody treat their own children so poorly?_  

Trying to think of what to say. "How can you be this calm about it?  How can you not be angry about this?  Can't you get a substitute weapon?"  She fired off questions as they entered her mind.

A humorless smile appeared on his face.  "Pyrrha, I wasn't calm about it this morning.  I could hardly sleep at all, and I was angry about it.  I just, decided I should put my energy into something constructive.  I drew, made a picture to help me move on, then just pulled out a book and started studying.  Maybe if I can improve my written scores enough Ozpin will let me stay even if I do fail the combat exam.  As far as a new weapon is concerned I don't have the money.  If they are taking Crocea Mors from me my family won't agree to buy or order a new weapon.  I was hoping to do some work for Ozpin over the summer break so I could collect enough to order a new weapon, it isn't a perfect solution but it's the best I've got right now."

The doors were closing around Pyrrha's ability to think as she continued to work through her unbridled rage at the way his family was treating their son.

"What picture?"  She asked. 

He pointed to a book against the wall on his desk "Last page"  he said.

She continued "I still just don't understand your father, or your family.  Mine have been very supportive of me."  She regretted saying it almost as soon as the words escaped her lips.  Her eyes became huge when she realized what she just suggested.  Of course her family had supported her.  She was a world renown fighter, never been beaten in a tournament setting.  Rarely even gets struck in sparring contests.  Her success has brought her wealth, fame, and prosperity to herself and her family.  Yet even so she wasn't the only child her parents had, she had more... mundanely skilled siblings and they were supportive towards them.  Jaune knew almost none of this however, and she quickly tried to apologize.

"Jaune I'm so, so sorry I didn't mean it like that."

He dropped the venomous glare he was shooting her with, but didn't reply.  She could tell he was not amazingly happy with her at the moment.  Inwardly Pyrrha was kicking herself.  She felt he was trying, really trying to move past feeling down on himself and it is like everything that happened to him only seemed to remind him that he just wasn't good enough.  She was trying to build him up, not break him down, yet… she accomplished exactly the opposite.

Deciding to give him some time to think... and herself some time to organize her own thoughts, she moved to look through his art book.  She skimmed through the book Jaune directed her too and was observing the pages.  She found herself in awe of the images she were seeing.

The book carried images he had captured from his time starting at beacon.  At first the images were mostly of Weiss, drawn in flattering poses always hiding her scar.  The drawings might have only been made using a pencil, but they appeared every bit as skilled as any image she had ever seen.  As she paged through the book there were other images present.  She found pictures of Ruby playing with Zwei, of Ren and Nora in various poses.  A few pages devoted to herself in various sparring contests.  He seemed… hesitant to draw her.  Almost as if the thought of him being worthy of anything involving her was a joke.  Yet again she felt her stomach churn at how little credit he gave himself. 

A few pages after she saw a picture of himself cutting the head off the Ursa Major from Forever Fall when he saved Cardin from that very same Ursa.  She at first was very happy with the image until she realized he had drawn her in as well in the background.  Suddenly like ice shooting over her body, she realized he knew she had helped him.  If fact based off the manner in which she was drawn it was like he credited the entire victory to her.

Skipping ahead to the last page she saw an image which literally made her heart bleed.  His prized family heirloom was collapsed into its sheath form and was floating in the air with a light behind it burning brightly.  Surrounding the bright light was a ring of utter darkness with a person on the ground on his knees looking up at the weapon.  The word "Failure" was written in several positions around the edge of the page.

Suddenly she didn't want to look through the book anymore and dropped it.  At the sight of the book falling however, which carried with it Jaune's thoughts triggered something in her mind.   She plucked it right out of the air before it hit the ground and clutched it tightly across her chest.  Ignoring the pointed look from Jaune, she acted, moving quickly she put the book down on her bed.  She vowed to look through the rest of the images later, but right now, she had a job to do, a mission really.  She picked up her gear pack, slung it over one shoulder, grabbed his which she knew had all his combat gear in it then grabbed some water bottles she kept on hand, shoved them in his pack, and slung it over her other shoulder.  Their gear now secured she gripped Jaune by his arm and using all of strength her body could muster, yanked him off the bed, out of the room ( Jaune closed the door behind her ) and proceeded to drag him towards the training area as the rooftop was currently snowed in.

Jaune at first was in a daze but recovered enough to ask his girlfriend "Pyrrha!! What's Ow, what ACK, gotten into you?"

She stopped, turned towards him then with both hands grabbed him by the collar on his shirt then pushed him against the wall, tears forming in her eyes.  She tried to cheer him up through words, she failed at it.  She would not let herself fail in this.

"We are going to train.  I am going to push you harder than you have ever been pushed before.  I don't care what I have to do.  So help me god you **will** pass your combat test and you **WILL** be back here next year.  Do. You. **Understand**. **ME**?"  The longer she spoke the more her voice began to break until tears were freely flowing down her face.  While shivering slightly she hugged him tight with her arms around his neck.  He returned the hug, struck utterly speechless.

She allowed them to waste all of about 17 seconds in their embrace before she pulled away and continued to drag him towards the training area.

As she pulled him she thought to herself.  _The Arc family has had a single semblance dating back several generations.  In all occurrences and by all accounts it was an exceptionally powerful semblance, easily rivaling my control over magnetism._

She knew of one way to force a semblance to the surface and that was to instill a dire sense of need on the user.  She just knew in every fiber of her being.  If Jaune was going to pass, he needed his semblance.  He needed it now, and he needed to be familiar with its use.

With a sadistic grin on her otherwise gorgeous face she vowed she would impart some need into him.  She would not give his family the satisfaction of seeing him fail.  Ozpin has asked him for 100%.  Feeling a surge of motivation in her she vowed she would give 100% herself, and see if she can't crank a few extra % out of both Jaune and herself in the mean time.  These next two weeks might not be fun for either of them and she was sure that not every newly paired girlfriend and boyfriend desired to spend this type of time together.  However she wasn't the standard girl.  This new goal gave her a reignited sense of purpose as strong as any desire she had ever felt in her tournament competitions.  She would allow nothing to get in her way.  As long as Jaune was willing to try, no matter how much or little energy he had, she would force every bit of effort out of him she could.

Jaune was grateful for such an amazing partner and found his love for Pyrrha to continue to climb with her statement on her desire to see him return to Beacon next year.  However even he, as attractive as he found her, all of her, couldn't help but feel a tinge of dread at the possessed look in her eyes or the grin she wore on her face.  This would likely be a painful 2 weeks.  He steeled himself, and silently made himself a promise.  If his partner and girlfriend was willing to go to these lengths to keep him around, he swore, upon everything he holds sacred.  If he didn't disappoint one person, for once in his life, it would be her.

Ch 7

14 days later Yang was watching Pyrrha pummel Jaune for what would appear the, oh who cares she lost count 13 days ago.  Within seconds of thinking that thought she realized it was both unkind and unfair to Jaune.  The boy had grown by leaps and bounds since he started at Beacon and the pure dedication he had to improving was some sort of inspiring.  It was afternoon on Saturday, 2 weeks after their sleepover.  Tomorrow would mark the last day of their winter break before they returned to class on Monday, she was taking a break from her sisters endless plans about how JNPR and RWBY can have one last day of fun before the resumption of classes. 

In the time sense the break started Pyrrha has had an almost inhuman drive in her eyes as she pushed Jaune into new heights of training.  The effects this was having on his body was evident to anybody who found the male form pleasing, and she had to admit the eye candy was worth it.  Even if it was constantly getting beaten around, like now.  Both of their weapons were on the ground, as they were currently training in hand to hand.

The current bout ended with Jaune on one knee, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath, his clothing soaked completely through in sweat.  Conversely Pyrrha was barely even breathing, with just a light coat of perspiration on her body.  It was easy to see then how she lost to Pyrrha in that pushup contest.  She could probably bench press more than the redhead, but the Spartan's level of endurance was near superhuman.  She focused in on what they were saying.

***

"Not good enough Jaune you need to push harder."  Pyrrha said. 

In spite of her words she wasn't exactly sure how much left Jaune had in him or how much harder he could push.  She had become fairly familiar with the levels of his endurance over the months she had known him and she knew he was nearly at the edge of the cliff, but she also knew until he fell off that cliff he would give everything he had.  Right up until the point his body collapsed from exhaustion.  He had learned to use his aura reserves to help reinforce his body, which was a key skill any hunter must learn.  It was a blessing really that the boy had an unnaturally large reserve of aura, without it he would have collapsed long ago.

Jaune was still trying to force oxygen into his body didn't even try to respond, he knew Pyrrha would start another bout soon and he didn't wish to waste any on words.  He did look at her with a mix of confusion, frustration and anger. 

She understood the meaning, he didn't think he could push any harder.  An idea entered her mind, which she was loathe to try as it played with his emotions.  However she was confident that he would forgive her afterwards and that was what mattered.  She looked at her scroll and saw his aura level was in the red, but only just.  Another thought hit her mind.  While to the average person red meant they could only withstand one or two hits, to somebody with Jaune's aura, red meant they still had plenty left.  Set now in her belief that this was the right thing to do, she acted.

She walked up to Jaune until they were less than a step away and forced a disgusted look into her face "You know what Jaune, your right.  Maybe this really is your limit.  Maybe your family is right about you."  She couldn't have caused more damage if she hit him with Milo in spear form, changed it into rifle mode,  shot him and then hit him with Milo again in sword form. The look on his face almost made her heart break.  She noticed Yang even stopped what she was doing and looked aghast at her for saying that.

Pyrrha continued steeling herself by leaning in close so she didn't have to do more than whisper the spear point to her plan "I bet Jewel deserves that weapon more than you do anyway."  She didn't have time to look at him with a smirk as a blinding white burst of aura emanated from him and forced her back a step. 

Her senses where still in shock when she heard an inhumanly angry yell and connected the voice to Jaune.  Her training saved her from a punch as she rose her shield arm instinctively and blocked what would have been a very painful punch to take as it absorbed the blow.

***

Yang could hardly believe her ears when Pyrrha said those things to Jaune, and she could barely believe her eyes when with a rush of aura emanated from Jaune he had somehow leapt to his feet and sent a haymaker at Pyrrha.  She was even more shocked when Pyrrha barely blocked the punch with her arm.  She didn't know Jaune was capable of punching that hard or moving that fast.

***

Finally Pyrrha thought, he is close.  The flurry of punches directed at her wasn't really her worry.  In terms of weighted skill Jaune still was notched barely above zero compared to her, but the power of the blows wasn't something she wanted to joke around with.  The rush of anger has passed following that first punch, but Jaune still came at her with the fury of a madman.  She absorbed a shot to her forearm which echoed down her arm to her shoulder then countered with an elbow.  A -thud- echoed through the room as it connected driving him back.  Another soul piercing howl came from him as he leapt back at her.  This time countering each of his attacks with a punch or kick of her own she forced him back to the center of the training room.  He was moving with a greater speed than normal and his reaction times also seemed to be quicker.  While neither was on par with her own physicality she didn't want to take any risks at all.  Not every one of her attacks hit him as he was able to block or dodge some of them, but she continued to avoid his assault and finally dropped him with a kick to his jaw.  It was while he was standing up again that she noticed the faint white outline surrounding his body then with a flash it was gone.

Their eyes locked for a second and betrayal was still in his deep blue orbs, then comprehension vanished as he fell forward.  She closed the distance and caught him, then gently lowered him to the ground feeling terrible for saying those things to him, despite the intention of helping him.  She checked her scroll and his aura was completely gone, he once again gave her exactly what she asked of him, everything he had.

"Pyrrha are you trying to kill the kid?"  She heard Yang ask without her normal playful manner as she was walking towards the pair.

"He needed the push Yang."  She simply replied, keeping her eyes on Jaune.  She felt a grip on her shoulder and was pulled around to look at the Brawler.

"Pyrrha, you need to relax-"  Yang would have said more but Pyrrha interrupted her, outrage flowing through her.

"Yang don't you dare tell me what I need to do!  You did not read what I did, you did not see what I saw."  Her words were hot, angry and filled with emotion, "Jaune has never had anybody actually willing to believe in him don't you understand!"  The pain in her voice was evident now and she was barely holding herself together, her eyes watered up.  Yang surprised her by pulling her into a hug which the Spartan returned after a seconds hesitation, stifling a sob.

Yang continued the hug until Pyrrha pulled away.  She had a curious look in her eyes as she eyed the Spartan over but spoke "Pyrrha, I get it, you love him, and it's unfair how he has been treated thus far.  It's ok to cry, it is ok to be angry.  Just remember what he said." 

Pyrrha looked at her, not understanding yet. 

"What does he fight for Pyrrha?  Do you remember what he said first term?" 

Pyrrha tried to think, but she was struggling at this moment and didn't quite remember, though she felt she should. 

"He said fights for life, he fights for peace.  Don't turn into what you or he hates to help him grow, he will just resent it in the end.  C'mon let's get you back to the dorm, I'll carry Jaune you get your gear, ok?" 

Understanding appeared in Pyrrha's eyes as she grasped Yang's meaning, with a quick hug she thanked her friend and collected their gear packs.

Back in the JNPR dorm room Yang stayed behind in case Jaune woke up while Pyrrha caught a shower.  She stood in the shower letting the hot water fall down her back while she tried to calm her nerves.  Jaune has progressed immensely from when he started at Beacon and he has improved at an impressive rate throughout the two weeks they have on break, something she had taken great pride in.  However she couldn't quite get the look of betrayal he gave her out of her mind, it was absolutely haunting her thoughts.  The water was turning cold on her back when she finally forced her body to function, washed herself down and exited with a towel on her hair dressed in her t-shirt and shorts again.

"Jeez took you long enough, I was starting to wonder if you drowned."  Yang almost had her typical teasing smile on her face.

"I've had alot on my mind.  You go on ahead to lunch Yang, I need to be here when he wakes up."  While Pyrrha said that she had grabbed a chair and moved it next to Jaune's bed, she was about to grab the art book to look through while she waited when she noticed it wasn't on her bed, Yang had it.

"You really should check out these images Pyrrha, those of you are especially well done.  I wonder when he learned to draw so well."

Pyrrha was at first angry that Yang just opened the book without asking, then remembered it was on her bed.  Odds are she was trying to cheer her up not tease her.  A painful thought entered her mind as she thought about Yang's question.  "You remember how he said he was sick as a child?  I'd wager the only thing he had was his books and his pencil.  I bet drawing was the only fun he had for most of his life."  The thought caused her eyes to tear up and rekindled the feelings of rage she was beginning to harbor over his family.

"Yeah, I suppose your right Pyrrha."  Yang didn't even try to make a joke at that, she thought, I guess Jaune is starting to grow on her a bit.  "I'm going to go get some food for lunch."  Pyrrha nodded.   Yang paused, looked back then continued.  "You know, you both should hang out with us tomorrow, Ruby has been planning something all week."

Pyrrha thought about it "I have been pushing him rather hard haven't I?  I suppose a light workout in the morning or something wouldn't be too much, he should get his strength back for classes on Monday, we are going to have combat classes after all."

"Pyrrha, I hate to say it but it might be a light workout for you but to him it's all he can do to keep up, you have been pushing him extraordinarily hard.  Frankly I don't know how he manages it."

"He manages it because he wills himself too Yang.  All his life people have been telling him he can't do something, he isn't strong enough to train to fight.  He can't work out, he isn't strong enough.  I think he has finally had enough of people telling him he can't do something.  I've been saying I saw his potential for months now and believe me I am determined to bring it out of him."  Her focus still intently on Jaune as he rested.

"You really do love him, don't you?"  Yang asked, without a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes.... I do....  I have since our initiation."  She answered not shifting her gaze.

"Why can't you tell him?  I just don't get it if you felt this strongly for so long why wait to let him know your feelings.  For that matter why does this matter so much to you?  He is your partner yes, but you aren't obligated to be his guiding light."  The Brawler asked.

Pyrrha thought about her answer and tried to ease into it.  "Yang, since I was learning to walk,  I was taught to fight with a sword spear and shield it is practically in my blood.  In Mistral they do tests to measure various physical potential in children, mine were, shall we say exceptionally high.  My parents were working on my strength, endurance, and agility from before I can even remember because of that.  The first thing they teach you is feelings are your enemy, they betray you in fights.  The only thing that matters in battle is your focus on your enemy.  Locking out feelings of affection, kindness... love, are critical as they don't allow you to focus on your target.  I was very, very good at it.  It was beaten into me so well I was soon competing against people much older than myself.  When I was 12 I had beaten all my instructors and could do so regularly, if not easily."

Yang continued to listen.  She noticed the ... hesitation in Pyrrha's voice.

"By the time I was attending Sanctum I was already alienated by my fellow students.  They never treated me like one of their own."

Yang interrupted "Pyrrha you shouldn't listen to them, you aren't some monstrosity you are an absolutely gorgeous girl, why would you let them get to you?"  Yang was familiar with the talk Pyrrha consistently is subject to from people who didn't know her.

"Thank you Yang, but that wasn't where I was going with it.  Yes, I am very strong, especially so in my legs.  I would be a fool to deny.  Yes, my athletic ability and training has given me a tremendous advantage in many aspects of fighting.  In short I have been blessed in many different ways with talents and physical attributes.  What you don't understand is I was no longer a person.  I was a prize, I was a horse they brought out on parade and was put back in my stable after the match.  Yes I enjoyed the competing aspect of it, and I even began to love the crowd.  But at some point I stopped being Pyrrha, and became 'The Invincible Girl'.  Somewhere in that journey I had almost given up having a normal life.  People wouldn't talk to me, and when they did it was obvious they only did because of my fame.  Friends were impossible, close friends or relationships especially.  Not just because of my fame, but because as people distanced themselves from me the only human interaction I had was in press conferences.  Where I mostly just said the politically correct thing or read from a script I didn't even write."  She looked at Yang here, and the tears were evident on her face.

"Then came my time at Beacon, and I found this adorable, clumsy, blond, goofball who didn't treat me like Pyrrha Nikos.  He in fact didn't even know my name or title.  He just saw a girl.  For the first time in a very long time I had hope.  The problem was he never looked at me the way somebody interested did.  I had to fight for him, and I was losing that fight.  Weiss I thought was my rival for his affections and I was losing that contest.  It was a battle of the emotional kind I was wholly unprepared for."

Yang continued to listen, not quite sure where she was going.

"I knew he wanted to ask Weiss to the dance, I even gave him advice on how to do it."  Her voice began to crack slightly "It was a race, it was a fight, and I had lost.  The moment I confessed to him was done in desperation, I had given up.  I just wanted him to understand and I guess that desperation finally let me voice part of what I felt.  As I walked away I was sure it was over.  Then came the moment he walked up to me in that dress and I finally thought I might have a chance with him.  Do you understand?  I am fighting for him so hard because it is what he so casually and easily did for me at the cost of his own dignity.  He treated me like me, not as some untouchable celebrity, and certainly not some prize to be won."

Yang spoke up "Pyrrha, Jaune loves you.  It is evident all over him.  Especially so in his art, which you should look at by the way."  She gave her a sideways glance "That was a long explanation.  Why can't you tell him that?  Why can you tell me that?"

"It is harder when he is looking at me, I guess."  She replied turning her gaze back on Jaune's sleeping face.  "Go ahead and get some food Yang I'll be fine."  Yang handed her Jaune's art book gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and left the room.

While Pyrrha waited for Jaune to wake up she looked through his art book, picking up where she left off.  Following the picture involving the Ursa was more pictures involving his friends.  More pictures of Ruby working on Crescent Rose.  Some of Weiss arguing with various people, another of her shouting the world 'DOLT' ironically enough at the world, earning a quick chuckle from her.  Another picture of Nora with a plate of pancakes as high as the Beacon Clock tower itself, adorably asking 'is that all' and Ren's expression as he explained there is no more pancake mix in the world to her.

Turning the page she found a picture of Velvet, and his attempt to rescue her from Cardin's bullying.  Another of Velvet adorably playing hide and seek with Zwei, seemingly unaware that her ears make it obvious where she is.  She found a page out of order as he expressed his shame in being beaten by Cardin in training, and another at his elation at his first victory in the combat training classes, then realized it was deliberately drawn that way, a joint showing of feeling.  She turned the page again and her heart leapt up to her throat.

The next two pages featured her exclusively.  She was standing with Milo in spear form and Akouo held lazily down closer to the ground at her waist.  Her hair was a gorgeous flowing mane behind her that seemingly caught fire in the sun tied in her customary pony tail, she wore her combat attire beyond that, greaves, custom build flexible chest plate corset with ties at the back, her sash flowing off the side and tiara.  Everything from her facial expression to even the look in her eyes spoke volumes for the care he put into the drawing.  What stuck out most to her was the fact that her figure wasn't embellished as it was in campaign ads or photo shoots she had to partake in.  Her waist, while thin, wasn't overly so.  Her bust, while present, wasn't improved or enhanced.  The looks of her legs shoulders arms or just muscles in general weren't exaggerated or made overly large in an attempt at intimidation as she constantly found herself shown in an unrealistic way.  They were instead accurately shown, giving her a type of lean long athletic dancers grace which was more accurate to reality, while also making it clear that she had more than enough physical ability and power. 

The drawing seemed to capture her character in a way that left her speechless.  She starred finding additional details hidden away from the casual pair of eyes.  The focused intensity of her eyes, which you would really only know if you had trained or fought against her.  The exact and accurate way she gripped Milo and the way she angled Akouo all spoke of information gained from personal experience painstakingly added not in attempt to embellish or promote, but rather an honest attempt at showing reality.   The level of detail he was able to capture with a simple pencil just amazed her, but what touched her most is what he named the picture, it read simply 'My Warrior Goddess'.  This must have been made around the time they first started training together, she concluded.  The image made her heart flutter in her chest as she was touched somebody would put this much effort into a simple drawing of her, all because it meant enough to him to get it right.

Once she had her fill of the picture she turned the page again and couldn't contain the gasp.  The next image was titled 'My Family'.  She initially was expecting to see a group of 7 sisters and 2 parents, but instead she saw the RWBY and JNPR team members. Each of them was drawn to reflect their character.  Ruby was carrying Zwei, cradling him like a baby with an absurdly happy expression on her face as the dog licked her cheek.  Weiss was next to her with an annoyed expressed, or what she thought was an annoyed expression at first.  However upon closer viewing it was really just a smirk as she looked slightly down and to the left, using her off hand to pet the dog while not doing it in an openly visible way.  She saw Blake next and was unsure what was happening.  Her arms were outstretched as she ran after something with drool freely falling from her mouth.  She gathered that Blake was chasing Nora.  Nora was carrying a huge fish with 2 hands like a hammer but otherwise had the same drool and open mouth that Blake did.  Then the mystery was solved as she realized Nora was chasing Ren, who was carrying a stack of pancakes so tall they were starting to bend heavily over his head, evidently trying to eat them himself. 

Yang was spotted next behind Ruby giving her a pair of bunny ears with a dazzling smile on her face.  When she realized that Yang wasn't shown with her weapon bracelets Ember Celica, she did a rescan of the picture and realized everybody she had seen were just in their leisure clothing.  It took her a few seconds to realize why he had drawn them like this.  They were his Family, and he preferred to think of them as family first, not as warriors.  He viewed Yang not characterized as the blond brawler and party girl she so often was considered.  Rather by her love, care and affection for her sister.   She stood protectively behind Ruby, while the bunny ears she held up also it also clear that she was a jokester. 

Her mind was still reeling at the level of attention he gave this picture when once again she was dumb struck as she spotted herself in the picture.  She wasn't sweating or lifting weights, training, sparring, or even working out.  Her customary weapons and armor also weren't visible in the picture.  She was simply in her school uniform, with one arm around Jaune, hugging him, and the other around Velvet, hugging her.  The imagery was clear.  He viewed her as a person first, and a warrior second, the second time the thought occurred to her.  Also hugging Velvet implied he admired her character, as she didn't care that one arm was around a human, and the other a faunus.  She couldn't help but notice how this picture captured her character similarly to the previous one of her she saw, yet as there was no mention of her fighting ability, she was left confused for a moment.  Until she saw one detail so small she nearly missed it.  Her tiara.  The head ornament somehow brought her dedication into the picture in a way that she had difficulty understanding she was unsure if he understood the meaning of the tiara, yet his adding it in this picture made all the difference to her.  The combined thoughts brought a heat to her face and managed to pull her back to the world, she no longer heard Jaune snore.  Dispelling her desire to continue to page through the book at least momentarily.

Snapping her eyes to his face she realized he was awake and looking at her with an amused, but tired expression.  Suddenly embarrassed for being caught with the book she fumbled with an apology.

"Jaune I uh I'm sorry it's your book and I uh-"  He stopped her with a finger on her lips.

"It's ok Pyr I showed you that book after all right?"  She visibly relaxed.

He continued saying "This isn't a dream right I am still alive after that session?  I guess I am to sore to be dead."  He joked.

Pyrrha was suddenly at a loss for words, as she struggled with how she was going to word her apology.  Unable to look at him with eyes downcast she grabbed her right elbow, and bit her lip.  Determined not to stumble with her feelings this time, she forced out "Jaune I uh, I'm sorry with what I said, I wasn't trying to be cruel."  She held her breath as she waited on his response.  Her head was lifted up to face him as he gently cupped her chin.  He released his grip once she was looking at him.

"Pyr, It's ok, you said it to help me I'm mature enough to understand that.  It might have hurt me a lot at the time, but I get it."  He looked around trying to find something like the previous incident was already gone from his mind then asked "What time is it anyway?"  Pyrrha was left with her mouth agape as she was certain this would lead to a fight, or at minimum an argument.  How he could just casually brush the incident aside left her literally speechless.

He noticed her confusion and pinched her on her rib with a smile on his face.   She gave him a look which said she wanted nothing more than to attack him back in kind, but resisted the urge given his state of exhaustion, it wouldn't be fair or fun.  Finding her scroll she checked the time as he requested of her.  She didn't notice it previously but it had turned into evening while she was admiring his drawings.  She answered "Wow, it's a little after 6, I guess it is dinner time."

His humor returning to him he sat up and pushed his legs off the bed, albeit very slowly given his level of exhaustion.  "Well I think I'm going to swim over to the shower, try to clean myself off.  Then head to dinner, try to survive Yang's jokes and resist the plea to join in with RWBY tomorrow."

"Actually Jaune, I think we should go with them, whatever they do."  Pyrrha surprised him by saying that.

"I uh, wasn't expecting that, figured you'd want another day of practicing."  He said as he slowly moved his way to the team shower.

"Jaune, your body is exhausted, it's all your aura can do to keep you on your feet.  I was thinking a light workout session in the morning, we can come back relax, and then have fun with the others"  she replied.

"Pyrrha I trust you, I might not understand all the time, but I trust you.  If you think its best you don't need to try and convince me, you had me at 'I think'."  He gave her a reassuring smile, then entered the bathroom to shower with his change of clothes.

Pyrrha was blushing hard when she heard that, it was such a simple thing to say but it exemplifies why she cares so much for him.  She found she was a bit stiff from sitting in that chair looking over the photos so she did some basic stretches while Jaune was busy in the shower.  She was preparing what she wanted to say but was so deep in thought that she didn't hear him cut the water off and exit the bathroom.

"How do you do that?"  He simply asked, startling her.  Deciding to act and voice an earlier impulse he had.

"Do what?" She queried as she turned around.

"Do the most mundane things we can possibly do and look mind numbingly gorgeous doing it?"

The smile that brought to her face was radiant and made her feel extremely happy, the level of blush on her face grew darker that of her hair color.  She could do nothing but look back at him and smile happily if a bit shyly.

She recovered her voice and responded "You know, I never did thank you for those backrubs the other day.  They did wonders for me."

He gave her a rather sharp look of surprise and asked "Wonders?,  How so?" genuinely curious.

"Its like, I don't know it's like I had more energy than I normally did, I went about a workout even more intense than I normally do and I just didn't seem to tire.  I even decided to run a bit and even that barely tired me out"  She struggled to really say the effect it had on her as she didn't completely understand it herself.

"Well, the normal you is intense enough I could barely imagine a more intense version of you.  I suppose I do need to pay you back for these lessons somehow, I'd be glad to give you a massage anytime you want one."

She couldn't fathom how everything he said just caused her to blush wildly, not that she was complaining of course.  She was so giddy with happiness that she didn't even respond.

"Well in any case Pyrrha lets go get some food, ok?"  He started walking to the door.  He just stepped past his girlfriend when she grabbed his hand, turned him around with it and embraced him in a crushing hug.

"You don't owe me anything for the time we spend together, but I won't say no to your backrubs.  Just don't say anytime I want one as that's all you'd be doing, but whenever I need one, I think I could live with that, deal?"  She whispered into his ear.  Then kissed him on the cheek.

He responded by kissing her on her forehead and said "Anytime you need it, you got it."  After an unspecified amount of time, or maybe it was their stomachs grumbling loudly, they laughed nervously then exited their dorm, and headed off to the kitchen for some dinner.

CH8

Pyrrha was still gushing happiness as they walked down to the kitchen, a fact with did not go unnoticed by their friends as they found both RWBY and the remainder of JNPR present at their table.  Unfortunately they both also saw that something was wrong.  Namely the normally ravenous pack of teenagers, wasn't eating anything.

Pyrrha felt something akin to confusion as she struggled to figured out what this could mean, where as Jaune felt as though a favor would soon be requested of him.  A belief which only steeled itself when he noticed team CFVY(coffee) was also at the RWBY/JNPR table.  He recognized Coco, Fox, Yatsu and Velvet and acknowledged them with a quick smile, but figured a greater explanation was about to be more forthcoming.

When conversation went silent and all eyes turned on him and Pyrrha he was now dead certain he was about to be asked a favor, something which only increased in probability based off how they managed to include them in their conversation.

"So Jaune, can you uh, can you believe that they would serve cold cuts for dinner with the weather we have been getting?"  Ruby asked, obviously trying to lead him in the conversation.

Before he could answer however Yang added with an obvious amount of forced theatricality "Oh it is a devilish deed indeed, why we are only wanting a good-"

Coco cut her off and simply stated "We would like you to make us dinner Arc."  Prompting a facepalm from nearly everybody present at the table, only the stoic Ren was able to resist.

Figuring that's where they were going with this Jaune crossed his arms.  He didn't mind cooking for his friends.  He did after all view them as his true family, but he didn't like being asked to do it on demand.  He looked to Pyrrha for moral support.

She simply shrugged and said "Well, we are on break after all, it would be nice to have something more than cold cuts." she gave him a reassuring smile.  He for once, got the hidden meaning.  They aren't trying to take advantage of him.

With a sigh he asked them to wait, and visited the kitchen to see what they had for him to use.  He found the fridge mostly restocked, and he had plenty of options for what he could do with what was present.  He thought a few more moments about it then emerged from the kitchen, and once again all conversation stopped as they looked at him with anticipation.  He realized that Pyrrha had found her seat, and while there was a spot open next to Weiss he found it odd that she was avoiding her sitting near the end of the table opposite her, but didn't feel a need to push the issue.

"Ok, I'll do something for you all,"

Cheers prevailed through the room.

"but I need an assistant."  The cheers faltered a bit, as eyes cascaded over to Ren.

"Oh no, not this time, I always cook, today I'm taking it easy."  The group looked at him mystified that he would actually say no.

Jaune watched the proceedings with an amused look on his face as he had his arms crossed while leaning against the kitchen wall.  When something he never EVER expected to hear was uttered.

"Arc, I would... I would be glad, to help."  It took him several seconds before he realized that Weiss, was the one who had spoken.

For some reason the sight of her walking with perfect posture towards him with the offering to assist with food preparation, was something he just thought she would always consider beneath her.  The looks from their friends at the table spoke more volumes then Jaune's thoughts did.  Pyrrha looked absolutely speechless, like her mind was filled with static, and she looked the most 'there' among them.

Weiss seemed to be in a hurry to spare herself embarrassment and grabbed him by his hand and pulled him into the kitchen out of sight.  Though he couldn't decide if she was actually embarrassed or just wanted to get food ready as soon as possible.

She seemed a bit out of place in the kitchen and was fidgeting, but there was a look in her eyes that implied she needed to do this.

With a deep breath of resolve she started the awkward conversation "Ok Arc, you needed another pair of hands, I'm here.  What do I do?"

"Start by washing your hands."

Her eyebrow twitched.  "Jaune Arc are you implying that I am not clean?"

Jaune was trying not to laugh and answered the question to humor her. "Weiss, No.  You take excellent care of yourself.  We are talking about food here, you know, goes into people's mouth?  Wash your hands, first step every time."

Weiss seemed to accept that, and he was struck by a bit of enlightenment "You've never actually prepared your own meals or used a knife before, have you?"

She seemed to bite back her initial reaction and instead answer back with "Is it that obvious?"

Her lack of... venom, for lack of a better term, stuck Jaune momentarily dumb.

"Sadly, it is, don't worry I'm sure you will be an expert in no time at all."

He filled a large pot of about half full with water, and set the burner to boil.  Weiss tried to figure out what exactly he was doing, he had a pan at the ready with some form of oil prepared.  He pulled out a cutting board, a knife and vegetables with cheese.  Once he had what he needed he turned to her, and said.

"Ok here is what I need you to do"

***

Back at the table the group was still not quite sure who had kidnapped Weiss and replaced her with a doppelganger.  Nora even had some drool coming off her lip.

"Did what I think just happen, happen?"  Yang asked to nobody in particular.

"I think, so.  Should we be scared for Jaune?"  Ruby asked.

It never actually occurred to Pyrrha that Jaune was in danger.  While she felt a brief surge of energy to defend him, she instantly disregarded it as ridiculous that Weiss pulled him aside to try and stab him.... then realized that Ruby was actually joking and felt utterly foolish.

"I do wonder what he is doing... it must not be very extensive if he could get by with Weiss' help.  I'm pretty sure she has never even set foot in a kitchen before."  Blake added in.

"With Jaune you never really know what you're going to get."  Ruby said wistfully.

"Whatever it is it smells divine, oh I can hardly wait."  Velvet said, excitement practically oozing off her.

Their attention was drawn to Weiss carrying two bowls of ... a red substance which she placed on the table divided in thirds, then without saying another word, returned to the kitchen.

The group looked into the bowls and found they were tomatoes, diced into small pieces.

"Tomatoes?"  Pyrrha said "I have absolutely no idea what the guy is doing."

***

Back in the kitchen Weiss was mentally screaming bloody murder at Jaune, when she volunteered to assist him she didn't think he would try black magic on her, these onions are making her cry, horribly.

***

"So Pyrrha, do you think you have Jaune's semblance figured out?"  Velvet asked

"His semblance was never a great mystery, he is an Arc.  However much his family doesn't treat him as one.  As you know semblances are commonly passed on to children, and the Arc family semblance is well known."  She replied back, quoting information from her own studies on aura's and the information she has researched while trying to help Jaune unlock his semblance.

"Oh my.  I can't believe I didn't realize that already.  I studied aura pretty extensively in combat school but I never even thought about that"  Ren said, with an honest air of embarrassment.

"Sooooo what exactly is his semblance then?"  Ruby asked

"It's... complicated to explain Ruby.  Most people have mostly accepted calling it Aid, but it is more complicated than that."  Pyrrha stated.

"Complicated in what way?"  Yang asked.

"Have none of you heard about the Arc semblance?  I find that impossible given how much it is covered in aura studies classes?"  Pyrrha asked with a hint of shock in her voice.

The silence permeating from the table was her answer.  Before she could answer Weiss reappeared with two more bowls, and upon them being placed next to the tomato's the group realized they were diced onions.  They then saw that her face was red, puffy and had the appearance of crying.

Ruby being very quick to recognize her partners distress asked... with more alarm than she likely intended. "Oh no!  Weiss what happened did Jaune say something?!"  There was a hint of malice in her voice.

Weiss addressed her... overly eager partner by saying "No the dolt,"  Looking somewhat embarrassed at using that term "... he didn't do anything, it's those damnable onions, I didn't realize they induced tears when cut open."  With that she walked back into the kitchen.

The smell at this point was getting contagious and it was getting hard not to think about their hunger.  Pyrrha eventually remembered that they were talking about the Arc semblance and continued.  She cleared her throat to get back their attention then continued.

"Aid is similar to a healing Semblance, he can heal wounds his own or others.  Even more efficiently than our aura's will, and he can replenish the aura of others through a touch.  He also can channel his aura into an object, to temporarily strengthen that object.  That is its more basic level.  Once he has grown more familiar to the point he can control it at will, he can channel his aura into his body to give him a temporary boost in physical prowess, greater speed and strength, that kind of thing.  Some are able to do other things with their semblances after awakening it given how many bloodlines have married into the Arc family over time.  It will really be left up to Jaune to see what he can do."  She couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice as she described it.

"Was that what happened today during training?  With that glow around him?"  Yang asked astutely.

"Yes.  That wasn't the pure form, just A shadow of it.  I hope to refine his control over the coming weeks."  Her happiness at his progress was quite visible on her face.

Weiss reappeared with more bowls this time including diced peppers then returned to the kitchen.

Blake eyed the vegetables with an obvious curiosity.  "Peppers, onions and tomatoes, what in the world is he doing in there?"

Her thoughts were echoed across the rest of them.  This wasn't halted when Weiss reappeared again with more bowls, this time including cheese.  Before quickly returning to the kitchen.

Further conversation would prove impossible as curiosity overcame the need to talk amongst themselves when they saw Zwei trot up into the kitchen to be greeted by the Heiress happily petting the dog.  It took her approximately 7 seconds before she realized she did something wrong and cringed when Jaune's voice was heard from behind her, "Weiss not the dog NOO!!!  Now you gotta wash your hands again."  She looked like a tomato herself when she let her shoulders slouch and left the dog to wash her hands again.  The crimson on her face defused to a pink when she came bringing plates which had a curious flour product which had meat placed in the middle.

Weiss explained "He called this a Taco, evidently it's something of the local eats where one of his sisters attended school.  You put the cheese tomato's and stuff in there and eat it."

They just looked at her.  "What he told me to say that!"  With caution atypical to his cooking they cautiously went about filling their tacos with materials and Weiss went back to the kitchen to help more.  She re-appeared shortly after and took her seat.  Then grabbed a shell, and started filling it.  Pyrrha decided she would take the seat next to her after all.  She moved from the tables edge down to where the Heiress was sitting.

Weiss seemed surprised that Pyrrha sat next to her, she looked at her expecting a verbal onslaught, but she didn't say anything.  Pyrrha just pulled her into a gentle hug with one arm around the shoulder, and whispered into her ear "I'm proud of you".

She wasn't trying to provoke a reaction from Weiss, but the group was utterly dumbstruck a second time that night as that simple action caused her to cry briefly.

"Pyrrha!!" Ruby exclaimed "You made Weiss Cry, WHY?!"

Pyrrha, just smirked at the younger girl and replied "Ruby, I think you will find those are happy tears, not sad ones."  Then smiled at her.

Pyrrha decided she had enough 'stuff' on her taco and took a bite, the others followed suit and nervous glances were shared across the table with their eyes eventually ending up on the pile of unclaimed shells.  What happened next could only be described by as a frantic dash to finish their taco and claim another, and another.  Then glare viciously at those who had tacos and you didn't while you waited for more.  Pyrrha had an absolutely impish look on her face while she enjoyed the angry glares from Ruby and Yang looking hungrily at the taco they coveted.

"What I want to know." Coco started, "Is why have you all been holding out on me and my team?  This is outrageously good."  The menace in her voice... they at least thought was in jest.

Ruby responded "We didn't know he could do this until recently."

Jaune emerged from the kitchen carrying more shells to the joy of everybody at the table.  It was soon Pyrrha's turn to glare at the others as they had a taco and she didn't.

"Well we need to convince him to do this more often, this is marvelous." Weiss said.

"Just get Pyrrha to ask him.  Being his girlfriend has to come with dinner privileges."  Yang put forth happily.

"Oh I'm sure I could get him to cook for just me, but cooking for you all would be... expensive"  Pyrrha replied with a grin in good humor.

"That is cruel Invincible Girl, you would actually dine on some 5 star meal while the rest of us had cold cuts?"  Blake couldn't help but ask.

"Depends, how many favors are we talking about?"  Pyrrha couldn't help herself at this point.

"Pyrrha I promise you one tray of the most delicious brownies you can imagine a month if you get him to do this every time we ask."  Ren added to the conversation, a grin on his own face.

Pyrrha felt her face twitch at the aforementioned bribe, but didn't say anything causing a round of laughter to be heard.

By the time Jaune brought out the third batch of shells some people were beginning to get full so the completion for shells wasn't as bad, as such Jaune sat down himself on the edge of the line where Pyrrha formerly was sitting.

"Arc what is it going to take to convince you to do this every night?"  Coco asked bluntly.

Jaune coughed a bit at first choking on food, but answered after getting it under control "A miracle, I'm happy to do it once in awhile, but I don't see myself doing this every day.  For one the fridge isn't restocked enough for me to do this for you all every day."  Hoping that is enough to placate them he went back to eating, but was a bit unnerved in the curious glance CFVY was giving him.  He was very grateful when Ruby asked.

"So we are all going to have fun tomorrow right?  Last day of winter break and all."  She had an adorable smile on her face as she asked the question.

There was general affirmative murmurings around the table as they agreed they would be happy to have fun together.  Though Coco had to decline as her team was due another mission tomorrow and would have to miss it.

The group finished their meal shortly thereafter, nobody left hungry and there wasn't a single taco left over when it was all said and done.  Several members of the group left to go take care of dishes, leaving a spot next to Jaune, Pyrrha sauntered over with a very satisfied look on her face.

"That was superb once again.  I think we are going to get addicted to your cooking."  She said as she hugged him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm really very glad you all appreciate it.  We are going to work out in the morning right?"  Jaune asked.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what yet, I will need to know how much you have recovered by then.  Jaune I wanted to say I am proud of you, you've done exceedingly well these last 2 weeks."

He just nodded his head, and replied "I owe it all to you"  which caused her to blush slightly.  He continued "Pyrrha my body is still screaming at me from today's session, I think I'm going to get to sleep early."

She replied back "Yes I agree, that's a good idea, I was going to suggest we not do our nightly routine tonight.  Your aura was the only thing keeping you going earlier.  Your body is still exhausted, training right now would do more harm than good."

He signed dejectedly, making her look at him with concern on her face "I'm sorry, I will try to do better in the future.  Like I said earlier I trust you.  I had wanted to do something tonight but with you mimicking my thoughts, I won't argue."

"Jaune you don't need to apologize.  Really you have performed exceedingly well of late, and you have improved.  We can see it in your body, but right now you are exhausted.  I have been pushing you extremely hard and your body needs the rest.  We will get to the point where you won't feel like this.  I promise you."  She hugged him again and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Giving her a sideways glance he responded in kind.  She felt he sounded a bit down and felt the need to speak further.  "Jaune, really I mean it.  The people you are comparing yourself too have been in training for years, and have spent time honing their bodies all their life.  I admit I am extraordinarily blessed physically but even I have been working at it all my life.  Considering what you've done in less than a year it is remarkable.  Keep your chin up ok."  She gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Pyrrha, I really do owe you everything, all the desire in the world wouldn't mean a thing if I didn't have you willing to help me.  I just hope it is enough to earn a passing grade in the end.  I've seen the way Ms. Goodwitch looks at me.  It's like she thinks I'm a danger to myself and you realize she has told me you deserve a better partner than myself more than once.  I try not to think about it much but I do appreciate your words."  He said

That information brought a frown to her face "I hadn't realized Goodwitch said that."  Was all she could manage.  She was looking at him with pure concern, the last thing she wanted was for his self confidence to fail at this point and undue the work they have done over the break.

"You don't need to worry about me Pyrrha, at least not when it comes to effort.  I have somebody now who cares for me that I want to make proud."  He looked at her.  "You."

Happy tears formed in her eyes as she thought 'that's more like it' and before she knew it she was hugging him again.

After he managed to break away from the unexpected embrace he advised her he is going back to sleep, and left the table.

"Ok, I'm going to stay and talk to Ruby a bit, see what she has in mind for tomorrow's activities."  Even he as tired as he was couldn’t miss the sly smile on her face.

He did question the wisdom of leaving his girlfriend alone with their friends to discuss the next day's act ivies, but reminded himself that he trusted Pyrrha.   She had earned that trust 100 times over in the time he had known her, and had no reason to feel this way.

***

Sometime later Pyrrha returned to the dorm room, having done a workout on her own to find that Nora, Ren and Jaune were already back, and sleeping.  She eyed Jaune's sleeping form affectionately.  The honest work he had been doing was doing wonders for his body, but he was so tired he looked like he only made it to his bed, then collapsed on it.  She gently moved him into a more square position on the bed and moved his blanket over him.  Then laid herself down to sleep, looking forward to the act ivies of the next day.

CH 9

Jaune woke up feeling better rested then he had in, just about as long as he could remember during his time at Beacon.  His morning was further improved by his gorgeous girlfriend smiling at him as he gained some semblance of consciousness.  Once he had a few more seconds to improve his awareness he realized she was shaking him, obviously trying to wake him up.

***

Pyrrha was considering kissing him as part of her plan to wake him up, but decided it would be a bit awkward and simply decided to shake him.

"Time to get up Jaune, we have training time." She said with a happy smile.

At this point he had recovered enough to be aware of what was happening and stretched lightly while he answered back "Ugh, I'm pretty sure people aren't meant to get up this early."

"You are going to need to get used to it Jaune, especially if we are going to start working in the morning and evenings"

"Yeah I was thinking about that.  I think we, well, I should only get up on days when we don't have combat classes.  We both know I take longer than you to recover I can't show up exhausted."  He said while getting out of bed and grabbing his bag.

She pondered that for awhile.  "Jaune, I understand what you are saying, I do.  However acting like you are sick will only reinforce it in your mind that you are.  I think you should try to do as much as you can in the mornings with me.  Even if it is something as simple as showing up and stretching or just walking.  Once you get more accustomed to it, it will be easier over time."

He was unsure what to say for a time, his partner continued to amaze him.  "Pyrrha, you know I will give you everything I have, but you have to realize everything I have is... half of what-"  He was silenced by a finger over his mouth.

"Jaune, you need to understand something.   The first step in accomplishing anything, is simply taking that first step.  It is an absurdly simple lesson to learn.  Yet there is no doubting its accuracy.  Many things seem impossible, until you actively start walking down the path.  I am asking you to take that first step, nothing more."  The feelings she was showing was difficult to see in the dim morning light with no other lights on to not wake the rest of their team, but even to Jaune's limited ability to read people it was evident there was a world of emotion in her face.

He could think of nothing more than to look at her, and eventually hug her.  Once they had stood that way for a few minutes he whispered in her ear "Pyr, I swore that if there was one person I do not let down in my life, it would be you.  If you want me up every day to work out with you, then I will give you exactly that."

She squeezed him in response and hummed happily to herself.

With that they decided wordlessly to leave the room and head to the training room for their light morning workout.

Light in this case was Pyrrha introducing him with the proper form on more than two dozen workouts, none of which he had done previously making sure that he had the form correct.  Followed by an hour of Yoga.  After they had showered they started walking back to the kitchen for breakfast.

Pyrrha grabbed her typical bacon, eggs toast and juice.  Jaune for the most part just struggled to move.

"Never again, never ever again ever will I say Yoga is easy... ever never ever."  Jaune said more to himself than anything.

"Jaune you did well today, just keep giving me that every morning and I won't be disappointed."  She said with a happy smile.

"Giving her what every morning?"  Yang said with a grin that should be too big to appear on a human face.  Behind her the rest of team RWBY was trying to hold back their laughs.

"Yang please, just this once I'm begging you.  Just shut up and drop it, please, thank you"  Jaune said which absolutely silenced a stunned table.

Yang could only blink a couple times then her grin returned. "Tell you what Jaune.  If you can push me over, I will let it drop.  If not I will continue to tease Pyrrha, deal?"

Jaune looked at her, and decided in the next few moments.  "You obviously don't think I can, I think you should sweeten the deal.  If I can push you over, you cannot tease her or myself, until 2 weeks from now."

Yang's natural impulse as a gambler waivered as she was unsure how to treat Jaune's confidence.  Sure he is a lot more physically powerful now than when he started, but he also just finished working out, and didn't think he has all that much left in him now.  With a smirk she said "Ok fine, but if I am still standing after your push, you have to make dinner tonight and tomorrow, deal?"

"Deal" he said, with that he stood, ignoring the mystified look Pyrrha was giving him.

He walked up to Yang who had a look of supreme both confidence and amusement.

"Last chance to give up without looking surprised Yang."  He said with a smirk.

"Vomit Boy please, just quit while you are ahead."  She smiled at him.

"Jaune, you know you don't need to do this I can handle her teasing." Pyrrha said... not entirely sure why Jaune was doing this.

"Yeah listen to your girlfriend Jaune, you don't need to make a fool of yourself on purpose."  She looked at Pyrrha and made to wink.  The instant her gaze turned away from him, he jumped lightly and landed on both of her feet.  Then pushed with both of his arms until they reached extension.

Yang fell, landed squarely on the ground, and was unable to quite understand exactly what happened.  Though she did hear Jaune gloating in the background about how she couldn't tease himself and Pyrrha.  This was an impossibility, he couldn't push her over.... why was she on the ground and why did her feet hurt?

It took them about 3 minutes to explain to Yang that she did in fact get pushed over.

Jaune walked over pleased with himself and sat back down next to Pyrrha, surprise and amusement all over her face.

"One day you will have to tell me what that was about."  She said, grinning at him wickedly.

Jaune just looked at her smiled, then said "I can tell you now, a wise person I know.  Though she isn't just wise, once told me that all I had to do to accomplish something is take the first step.  I decided I would try that out."

Her smile couldn't be more radiant as she understood his meaning.  She pulled him into a kiss.  Several seconds in they were interrupted by a stern "AHEM!"  They looked up to see Yang standing across the table looking down at them with a very annoyed look on her face.

"Now now Yang, before you speak remember the bet, no teasing."  Jaune reminded her.

"Jaune-boy, this is a warning.  First you outwit me at truth or dare, you impress me with your dedication to your training, and then you trick me by pushing me over... I think you have just earned my respect."  Yang finished with a smirk.  "Just know, I will not underestimate you again."  She said the last statement with a threatening finger pointed at him menacingly.

"I would expect nothing less Yang."  He replied, then changed the subject.  "Although I gotta say I think Ruby is going to be disappointed given the blizzard outside"  He said pointing at the snow falling through the outside windows.  "I am unsure what we are going to be able to do with the rest of our day."

"Yeah it is not fair."  The Reaper pouted.  "I had all these events scheduled, but nobody is going to want to play out in the snow in a blizzard."  She looked around the room.  "Jaune I think it should be your job to come up with something for us to do today."

"Why exactly should that be my responsibility?"  He asked.

"Well it's our job as team leaders to plan, I planned for today but the weather trumped me.  It is your turn to plan something. PLEASE!?"  She gave him her infamous puppy dog look.

Jaune struggled for a time but accepted the inevitability of the situation by saying  "Well to be fair Ruby if we weren't going to do something I had already planned on trying to work on my semblance."  Suddenly the eyes around him turned from friendly to offended.

"You only planned for yourself?  That seems a bit self serving."  Ruby said with mock annoyance.

"Jaune I think your forgetting you need to rest.  You can't keep relying on your Aura to keep you moving, you should take it easy today"  Pyrrha said with a stern look in her eyes.  Then realized Jaune was trying to use that as an excuse to not have to plan for something, a few seconds too late.

"HA!!!  Well given that your trainer is vetoing that idea you need to come up with something mister!"  Ruby said victoriously.

"How about we start with what do you all want to do?"  He asked to well, nobody and everybody.

Weiss and Blake looked at each other.  Yang seemed distracted still that Jaune actually pushed her over, and Ruby seemed happy with the fact he was taking this seriously, so basically, he got no insight into what to think.

"You all never did explain how Zwei showed up mysteriously the other day."  Jaune asked to buy time.

"Oh!  Well he arrived via mail from dad that morning, Blake just opened up the wrong package, thinking it was her book, or that's at least what she said."  Ruby said... which Blake didn't object too.

Weiss surprised them by asking "Arc, I would like to play you again in chess, see if I can avenge my defeat."

Jaune just shared a glance with Pyrrha then looked back at her "If that is what you want, sure. Once you all have had breakfast."  He felt enough energy was back in him now to go through the breakfast line himself, and mimicked Pyrrha's meal, thinking if it's enough to keep her going as much as she works out, it should be enough to keep him going.

He realized the responsibility was somehow on him once again to plan for their teams act ivies.  He checked his scroll and saw a message from Ren, telling them to have fun as he and Nora are going to work on a new grenade shell for her weapon.  Leaving him and Pyrrha with RWBY.

Following breakfast the group moved to the RWBY dorm for the rematch against Weiss and Jaune.  They ended up playing 4 more matches with Jaune winning each of them, without himself ever appearing threatened.

"How do you continually beat me this isn't fair!" Weiss complained to, well, the room.

"Is the possibility that I'm actually better at than you at chess, or maybe even strategic thought so impossible?"  He answered.

"Jaune, you are a team leader, so I confess you aren't a complete moron.  But I should still be able to beat you.  Nobody has a perfect record, Pyrrha's tournament record not withstanding anyway.  Help me understand why you keep beating me."  Her voice sounded almost... pleading.

He looked at her for several seconds while trying to best find the words to explain how he could make her understand. 

"Weiss, look at Pyrrha.  Tell me what you see."

The snow haired girl looked almost... insulted by the simplicity of the question, and answered.  "She has a graceful slim yet powerful and feminine athletic body, she is what most everybody would say attractive if not more so.  She has red hair tied in a pony tail down to her waist, vivid green eyes and is around 6 feet tall.  How much more do you want me to say?"  She sounded bored.

"That is what she looks like, yes.  However that isn't what she is and it shouldn't be all you can see.  If that is all you see, that should explain why I can beat you."  Weiss cocked her head, thinking about something, but not entirely grasping his point.

"Ok let's try this, look at me, what do you see."  He tried again.

"Arc, I can describe you all you want but you aren't explaining your point."  She sounded testy.

He looked at her for a few seconds more, he knew he had the attention of everybody in the room as they waited for him to speak.

"Are you going to help me or not Arc?"  she asked.

"Weiss, believe it or not, I am trying too."  He sighed.

"Fine.  Weiss when I look at you, I see a pretty girl, I see snow colored hair, delicate features, and a short petite frame.  That is about as detailed as you went when you described Pyrrha, but yes, you are missing the point.  You sit and present yourself like somebody raised in privilege, its written in your posture and how you stand.  The way you always sit facing off to the side and tie your pony tail off center hints at your insecurity about your scar on your eye."  She moved to hide it further as he said that.

Jaune continued.  "You tend to think of yourself as superior to everybody else because of your skill with your weapon,  glyphs and your extensive education.  You move with a dancers grace which does grant a graceful thought process and way of thinking with a fluidity of movement.  Yet that is impaired by your previous limitation regarding your stance about others.  I could go on, but I've made my point."

She had a bit of a sneer on her face as she thought he was insulting her.

He further continued "When you look at me if you were being honest with yourself you would say you see somebody whom you don't respect as an opponent.  Who you deem to be less intelligent than yourself.  Somebody you are capable of winning against regardless of the means of competing.  All of that might be true to a certain extent.  But what you fail to see Weiss is that this is exactly why I beat you.  You do not see me, at all, you see your opinion of me.  Which is highly flawed, and easy for me to exploit.  When I look at you I acknowledge your strong points, while also realizing possible weaknesses I can exploit.  It gives me insight to your way of thinking which allows me to predict what you are going to try to do and formulate plans to beat it.  I know of no other way to explain it than that."

She was still contemplating his words when Yang interjected "You could look at me, tell me what you see when you look at me Jaune."  She said in a friendly manner.

"I could Yang but then I would be here all day doing that for all of you and to be honest I just don't want to do that right now.  Pyrrha how about you and I go get yourself registered for the Vytal tournament then I'd like to spend time in the library.  I want to do some reading about my semblance."  He stood, while he was saying that and offered his hand to his girlfriend.

"Oh no you don't Arc I still have something to say to you."  Weiss said threateningly.  "So what your telling me is you beat me because you think you know more about me than I do of you?"

"I wouldn't word it like that.  While I think that is true, I would say I beat you because I take that information and I am able to formulate strategies to take advantage of what I can.  Your pride and superior attitude leave many openings for others to exploit."  Pyrrha had taken his hand at this point and hugged him as he helped her to her feet.

"You know Jaune, you are going to have to tell me what you see when you look at me one of these days"  Pyrrha said with a coy smile on her face.

"I would but I think my vocabulary would run out of accurate words to describe you before I finished doing an adequate job."  He replied, to which she ducked her face down to hide her blush.  "But, I will happily try one day."  He finished with a friendly smile.

"You all haven't already registered?"  Yang asked.

"Well, as you know I won't have a weapon so even if I wanted too, I can't.  I don't think Pyrrha has yet, and I know Ren and Nora already have."

"Everybody on RWBY has ."  Ruby proudly announced.

Conversation delved into talk about how more chess matches would be needed in the future as they walked with Pyrrha while she registered for the Vytal Tournament.  Once at the library Jaune did reading about his family semblance and was astonished that nobody in his family mentioned what he learned was common knowledge.  A fact Pyrrha found infuriating as it would have helped them unlock it by well before now.  In the end it was a lazy Sunday spent reading, joking and teasing Weiss' inability to beat Jaune in chess as they played 7 more matches in the library, with Jaune winning each one. 

"Arc we will continue to do this until I can beat you, I refuse to accept that I am incapable of beating you."  The Heiress vowed.

He chuckled then responded "You might notice I've never said I was invincible Weiss.  You tend to excel at whatever you set your mind too, you just need to open up your mind to new ways of thinking."  That seemed to pacify, if not please her bruised pride.

"Speaking of that openness of mind one of these days you will have to tell me what you see what you look at me Jaune."  Yang said with her customary joking mannerisms repeating her previous request.

"Would you be happy with 'Boobs and Hair'?"  He responded.  The resounding thump of something sounding suspiciously like it had collided with his head indicated no.  "Oh ok very well, sometime"

"Me too!" Ruby said... somewhat energetically.

Blake tried not to look interested but she admitted she was curious.

"Weiss you ever finish with your work on that glyph of yours?" Jaune asked.

She appeared annoyed with the question.

"Ok jeez forget I asked"  He said as they parted ways outside their dormitory.

They decided to take an early night.  Pyrrha stayed true to her convictions that Jaune should rest and skip another day of night combat practice, though she did stress that starting next week they would resume both morning and night time lessons.  She put in a workout after they left the library and found Jaune at work with a new scrapbook.  She picked up the first book of his and paged through a few pictures. 

While she continued to marvel at the skill he displayed she didn't find any images which jumped out at her and captured her attention like the previous ones.  She did see that each of the JNPR and RWBY team members were drawn in their standard combat stance with their weapons, she found the only one missing was Jaune himself.  She thought about why he would leave him out as he had drawn himself previously.   She came to the conclusion either he didn't think he was a warrior yet, or simple didn't want too.  She turned the page near the end of the book she saw an image which was drawn in first person from his perspective.  She found herself tearing up at the image, but one of happy tears.  The title of the picture was "I am such an Idiot".  The image was simply of herself on the balcony in her red dress at the party before she confessed to him her feelings.  The image was well done, but she couldn't help but keep an idiotic grin on her face at how seemingly perfect she was drawn in that dress.  Yet as she looked at the image, as gorgeous as she had to admit she looked, the image wasn't embellished.  Moreover, it was from his perspective, meaning that was how HE viewed her.  The thought brought a happy smile to her face and she found herself not wanting to turn the page to the next image.

She put the book down, moved to go to sleep, and found that he had already turned in.  Once she finished looking through the current book of his she vowed to look through the one he was actively filling, in time.

CH 10

The next morning Jaune awoke to find Pyrrha shaking him once again, they grabbed their gear bags then walked into the training room.  Inside they did their normal stretches and decided doing Yoga again,  a different exercise then they previously did.  Pyrrha advised him that until he got used two the two-a-day workout approach they are going to take things easy in the morning.  When they arrived at their joint kitchen for breakfast they found their teams waiting for them.

"Hey guys, ready for combat classes?" Nora asked in her normal energetic manner.

"Ready as I will ever be I suppose"  Jaune asked.

"Jaune you've prepared as best you can, just do your best."  Pyrrha supported him.

"I suppose it depends on who we get paired with right?  I wonder who I will be placed against today"  Ruby voiced her thoughts.

For the most part Jaune didn't listen in to the table conversation.  He was more focused on keeping himself motivated for the combat class.  He had gotten used to a steady stream of humiliating defeats.  Something his friends, well aside from Weiss, had been very supportive of him given his lack of previous training.  None of that lessoned the bruising on his pride however, he thought.  He realized this line of thought is somewhat foolish, he has people behind him now none he was more thrilled with than his own partner.  As long as he did right by her, it would be enough for him, I just hope I am not first up.  He was pulled back from his thoughts when he realized they were trying to get his attention.

"Uh what sorry I wasn't listening"  He said.

"I said what have you decided about your family taking your weapon from you?"  Ruby asked.

The question brought back some unpleasant memories which he could see mirrored on his partners face.  She accepted his decision not to sign up for the Vytal Tournament given his lack of weapon but that didn't mean she wasn't furious about the facts leading to that decision, she was likely even more mad than he was about it.

"To be honest, I don't know.  I don't have the funding to buy one, I was hoping I could work here doing... something for Headmaster Ozpin during the summer, maybe earn enough to get him to have the armory forge me one.  I realize it isn't the best of solutions but it's the best one I have right now."

Next to him Pyrrha wanted to say that with her wealth she could just order a weapon for him, and if Weiss helped with supply the weapon might even be done within a week.  She had considered this point several times but she realized Jaune wanted to prove to his family that he was worthy of the family heirloom, and hoped that he could change their minds.  If he had arranged a replacement, it would be like part of him had given up.  She wasn't happy about this but she accepted it.

There was an unhappy uncomfortable silence around the table as the group shared similar feelings regarding the reclamation of his family heirloom, but they finished their breakfast and made ready to move on to the start of their second term combat classes.

"Why oh why does all my bad thoughts have to come true."  Jaune complained to everybody and nobody at the same time with the realization that he was first up being matched against the team CRDL member Russel.

Pyrrha pulled him into a warm embrace and wished him luck, ignoring the looks they got from their fellow students, then watched as he walked down to the arena.

"Think he has a chance?"  Blake asked.

"Of course he has a chance."  Pyrrha responded back with total confidence.

"Well I guess the question is how big of a chance we talking about?"  Weiss asked.

"That remains to be seen Weiss"  Pyrrha said with a smile.

"GOOOOO FEARLESS LEADERR!!!!"  Nora shouted energetically as they squared off against each other.

The match kicked off with Russel started with his typical aggression wielding his duel daggers with some degree of skill.  Jaune for his part kept dancing away and blocking playing it very defensive.

***

"Pyrrha I'll say it again, you have done an amazing job with him, he doesn't look like the same guy from a few months ago."  Ren said.

"Yeah, he has put a lot of work in he deserves to see some results." Pyrrha replied keeping her eyes on the match.

"What is he doing?  Why isn't he attacking?  He cannot win if he doesn't at least try to hit him.  Sure his defense is reasonably good at least when compared to Russel but eventually he will tire and wear out."  Weiss said voicing the thoughts of several people present. She acknowledged that Jaune had a ... knack for strategic thought, but not attacking when even he could have seen those openings was something she failed to understand the purpose of.

***

Jaune focused on keeping everything balanced and level, maintaining his footwork while deflecting the barrage of close ranged dagger strikes.  His lessons with Pyrrha doing wonders for him now, but Russel eventually managed to get his daggers inside his guard and scored a few quick hits.  Jaune hit back with a shield bash sending the other man sliding backwards.

***

"Well, that happened, Russel came out on top of it." Blake lamented.

Pyrrha kept silent but watched the fight, thinking she figured out what Jaune was trying to do.  He was trying to frustrate Russel into over committing but she couldn't figure out why.

"Uh guys, why is Jaune's aura draining?"  Ruby asked.

Pyrrha didn't catch on to this right away but looked at the aura readouts, sure enough his aura was draining ever so slightly.

"I don't know Ruby, the fight hasn't gone on long enough for his stamina to be depleted he shouldn't be using his aura to keep himself going this soon."  Despite her words she was terrified that their morning routine tired him out more than she thought, and hoped she didn't have a lapse in judgment regarding his training.

"No, it isn't his aura keeping him upright, he is channeling it into his sword, look"  Ren said.

Sure enough there was a faint white glow on the weapon as it received his aura's energy.

"Uh, ok, but what is he doing, I OHH!!" Pyrrha understood.

"He isn't attacking cause he wants to make Russel to think only about his shield, if he appears too afraid to commit to attack and open himself up for Russels offensive he hopes Russel will leave himself open."  She announced.

They went back to watching the fight. 

***

Jaune was once again back peddling but blocking his attacks with his shield, and once again manage to bash him away with another hammer strike using his shield.  He could tell Russel was getting impatient, Jaune decided it was time to go for broke.

***

"Oh no he slipped!"  Ruby observed.

The two teams were wearing uneasy expressions by the observation.  Pyrrha in particular really wanted Jaune to win, maybe more than he wanted to win himself, if for no other reason he really needs the confidence now to keep propelling him forward.

They weren't the only ones who noticed the fact that he slipped, Russel decided now was the time to take the Knight out, and committed into his trademark air spin.

"Here it comes!"  Pyrrha said with a worried expression on her face.

***

Jaune finally got what he wanted, he recovered from his slip, given that he did it on purpose he was never actually in danger.   Then briskly stepped to the side rotating to his left, spinning to his right.  He absorbed the forward kick with his shield then caught Russel on his chest with his sword completing the spin over his shield between the two daggers set up in a defensive posture.

A flash filled the room as the energy stored in his sword was unleashed.  The lights kicked on signaling the end of the match.  Russel was laying on his back at Jaune's feet with a look of utter confusion.

"Uh what just happened?"  Ruby asked.

"Did...Did he just take out nearly all of his aura in one strike and a couple shield bashes?"  Yang asked in disbelief.

Sure enough they looked at the Aura readout and Jaune was reduced to maybe 70%, where as that one strike brought Russel into the deep red below 10%.  They saw Jaune help a completely dumbfounded Russel off the ground then slowly work his way back up to his friends.  They all noticed how heavily he was breathing.

Pyrrha couldn't help herself as he got close, she embraced him seemingly squeezing the life out of him out of sheer happiness that he won.

"You won I knew you could do it!"  She announced gleefully.

"You still have a long way to go Mr. Arc, but your progress is visible, keep it up."  Ms. Goodwitch issued words of... he hoped encouragement.

"I will, thank you professor."  He replied humbly.

"Well done Jaune."  Ren put forth.  While Nora was playing tug of war with Pyrrha to get Jaune into her own bear hug.  In the end they both decided to hug him, one from in front, one from behind.

The rest of the group issued similar words of encouragement.  He was actually glad the praise stopped when Goodwitch announced the next fights.  Pyrrha made short work of Cardin.  Once again as was her calling card not even taking a single scratch of damage, which wasn't saying much as she proved to be capable of taking out his entire team single handedly without taking a shot previously.

Ren and Nora also faced off against the remaining members of Team CRDL and Jaune was pleased to no end in the knowledge that his team just swept their rivals.

Ruby ended up facing Neptune and won making it look easy as she was simply too fast for him to keep up with.  Much to the chagrin of their blue haired friend.

The most competitive match was between Yang and Sun.

Sun initially had no problem landing blows against Yang, and it appeared as though he would come away with an easy victory.  But he discounted Yang's semblance.  Specifically  the additional power Yang received in return as she took damage.  It was an extremely close match but Yang manage to win once she caught him with a few punches when she was nearly beaten.

Following the combat classes the group was left tired, but elated as they all managed to win their first bouts of the new term.  Their afternoon class was spent listening to professor Port go on tangent after tangent while he relived the glory days of his youth.  One out of seemingly one hundred words was actually important and it seemed the only two people who could accurately follow were Pyrrha and Weiss, though Jaune, Ren and Blake all succeeded in staying awake through the class.

"You all are going to be assigned a project which you will work throughout the remainder of your time in this class this term.  You will be with your initiation partners for this assignment so there is no confusion over who is paired with who.  Assignments will be sent to your scrolls where you will research and come up with a method of dealing with a specific scenario.  That will be all, see you next week."

Two classes later the group had finished their courses for the day and were making their way back to the kitchen for dinner.

"Is it normal for Port to give us one assignment for the term?"  Jaune asked.

Weiss answered "I overheard one of the professors saying they are going to try it differently this term.  They said that this first year class is exceptionally competitive so they are experimenting.  Allowing greater focus on our combat training to help determine who is best to represent Beacon in the Vytal Tournament."

"Speaking which,"  Jaune started "the qualifiers take place the last week of classes following our combat class, right?"

"Yes that's right, the tournament itself lasts a week.  This year they are only having the singles competition."  Pyrrha confirmed.

"What do you all have to do for your projects from Port?"  Ruby asked.  "We need to come up with 3 strategies for dealing with a Deathstalker."

"We have to come up with a plan to clean out a nest of Nevermore's."  Ren Said.

"We need to come up with a way to stop Beowulf's from scaling buildings."  Blake said.

"Wow all of that seems easy compared to what Pyrrha and I have to do.  We need to come up with the best plans for dealing with Goliath's."  Jaune said.  "Specifically a group of stampeding Goliath's."

"That seems, impossible, very few encounters with Goliaths exist to draw from, they tend to be highly intelligent Grimm"  Weiss said

"Well that's all the more reason once we finish dinner I want to head to the library and get a head start on it.  You ok with that Pyrrha?"  Jaune asked.

"Sure, training after right?" She asked with her typical smile.

The pair arrived in the library and set to work on finding out anything they could about the Goliath Grimm.

"Well, they are old, some believe centuries old.  With that age comes an intellect, they are said to be extremely powerful.  The book here claims even high caliber sniper shells would do little more than irritate it.  Granted the book is written by Professor Bootblack so we should take that with a grain of salt."  Pyrrha said as she surmised their findings.

"Well, we know more about their physical being, they tend to resemble elephants.  The question is how do you stop a herd of stampeding elephants.  I'd say the best answer is not let them start to stampede in the first place."  Jaune commented.

"Well, that might be right be we should assume for the sake of the assignment that it is already in motion.  How would you suggest we stop it oh wise team leader?"  She joked.

"Well"  He thought about it.  "If we assume they are highly intelligent then we can also assume they have a sense of self preservation, and won't run headlong into something which could harm or kill them"  He said wistfully.

"So what exactly do you have in mind?"  She asked, curiosity present on her face.

"I'm saying this book suggesting that some type of tranquilizer would work is ridiculous, it was written hundreds of years ago and while the information might have been accurate at its time, It doesn't seem like the best solution"  He said indicating the book he was reading.

"Id say the best solution is to block its path.  Most of the time we as hunters would fight Goliaths because they have wandered too close to the city, and we wouldn't care about stopping it unless they were moving into a population center, you follow?"

"Yes"  She said, not understanding his point yet.

"So, my point is, collapse the passage.  If it is an urban area there must be buildings nearby we could use.  Prof.  Ooblecks book clearly indicates they do not encounter them often due to their cautious nature, they know if they attack humans it tends to only lead to their deaths.  So we don't hunt them as they tend to stay away.  A stampede which brings them into the population centers would just need to be diverted. "  He said like he just solved a complex riddle finally.

"Ok, so how do you plan on coming up with ways to collapse passages?"  She asked with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"One word.  Nora."  He replied with a grin.

With that they went about coming up with different means of halting and or slowing their advance.  They would continue to work on coming up with theories but were happy to get a head start on their winter project.

_____________________

They used their weapons this time during combat training once again.  Instead of his traditional weapon Jaune used a stock weapon and shield freely available to beacon students.

"This result, leaves much to be desired."  He lamented as he tried to catch his breath following a bout.

"Yeah, I don't know what to tell you Jaune, hopefully you won't have to use one."  She eyed the weapon he was carrying.

"I didn't think it would shatter on me, I figured they would be better made then that."  He said still not quite sure why he was holding the hilt.

"Come on, your aura is nearly out and its almost curfew."  She helped pick him up off the ground, and was concerned when he let a sigh out.

"Jaune, what's wrong?"  She asked, concern etched on her face.

"It's, it's nothing Pyrrha."  He winced as she gripped his arm with a vice like hold.

"Jaune, please don't give me that come on tell me what's bothering you!"  A hint of pleading entered her eyes.

He looked at her, hesitated then proceeded "Pyrrha, how do you do it?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"I have paired off against Yang, Weiss, Blake, Ruby, just about everybody in our year.  While my win rate leaves much to be desired I have managed to actually hit them.  Nobody ever touches you, like never ever.  I've never once seen it."  She moved to speak, but he interrupted her.  "Don't tell me it's all about your semblance, I know you use it to help with close calls, but."  He sighed again.

"I'm not angry Pyrrha, I am overjoyed you've helped me, I've said it before, and I will say it again you are the reason I am still here.  I am nothing without you.  It's just, the better I get, the more I realize how much you are holding back and how much I have to grow."  He said voicing his feelings. 

Her shock evident that he discovered, while she thoroughly enjoyed helping him, he had yet to even remotely push or threaten her, even that brief moment when he activated his semblance wasn't truly a threat to her.

"It makes it seem like an impossible task."  With that he turned and started to walk down towards the dorm room.

She ran ahead of him and cut him off. "This is about your family taking Crocea Mors back, isn't it?"  She asked, there was a gleam to her eyes that he couldn't quite place.

He looked at her for a long time, affection was in his eyes, but it was mixed with pain, leaving her confused.  With a sigh, he spoke "Pyrrha, I love my family.  No matter how they treat me or what they say, I love them.  That simple fact has caused me more pain than I can put into words.  It is in my nature it is who I am.  I am still trying to do right by them.  The thought I can never make them proud, its... it's like a black mark on me that I can never wash off.  You saw what happened just now without Crocea Mors I will have to rely on hand to hand.  Not something that might shatter in my hand.  I am just not a guy that is threatening with 'these'."  He said shaking his hands in front of her.

He continued, "At least that weapon, as old as it is, is dependable.  It is literally my only positive mark I could rely on, and now I don't even know how long I will have it.  I don't know what to do.  You have said multiple times I need to be able to defend myself unarmed, I need to be able to grapple and I need to be able to fight with my weapon.  I don't dispute any of that and in fact I agree.  It's just, it sometimes feels like to much to overcome."  He didn't sound like he was complaining here.

"Jaune..."  Words failed her here. 

She lunged forward and hugged him which he returned instantly.  He still hasn't fully mastered his semblance she thought to herself, but she has done as much as she can for him in unlocking it, he needed to learn how to use it.  She didn't know what more she could do for him.  She buried her head in the crook of his neck while she gathered her thoughts.

"I just... I... I don't understand, why your family can treat you so callously.  You are their son, you are trying to protect people, is that not enough for them?"  She asked in a whimper.

Jaune wasn't sure what he could say beyond what he already has on the topic, but he felt he owed it to Pyrrha to try again.  "Pyr, it might be difficult for you to understand.  You have only ever known victory, success.  Me?  My family has learned only that I let them down literally from the moment I was born.  They wanted a healthy boy to carry the family name.  They got me.  They wanted that boy to be able to go to combat school, earn high marks and represent the Arc name, as our ancestors did.  Again, instead, they got me.  Yes I got into Beacon, for reasons I still am unsure about, maybe Ozpin lost a bet I don’t know but that’s all, I didn't earn my way here, I was given the opportunity as a charity offer.  There is a statue of my great-great-grandfather on the entry walkway to Beacon, you might have seen him, he was the one who had Crocea Mors forged and one of the earliest Hunters, he paved the way for what Beacon came to become.  That is what is expected of every Arc.  We are expected to succeed in what we do.  Out of all my siblings, I am the only one who has not lived up to that.  They don't want me here.  They find it an insult to them that somebody like me, who they consider a disappointment and failure, would be enlisted at Beacon representing the Arc name.  They will do whatever they can, no matter how cold to keep me from being here.  They can't forcibly remove me as I am of age, but they can take away my ability to stay by removing the weapon."

She stifled a sob as he tried to help her understand and hugged him even more forcefully.  None of it made sense to her.  Jaune was a great person.  He had a great heart, supposed weak heart be damned he was the best person she knew.  He worked hard despite not having the advantage of good health made what would be consider miraculous improvements based on no previous training and hell be damned if she wasn't hopelessly in love with him.  However… this wasn't something she could face for him, she had no way of making it easier for him beyond training him and encouraging him to push himself as far as that heart of his could carry him.

"It isn't fair." Was all she could say tightening her embrace.

"No, I suppose it isn't Pyr, but you have given me a chance.  That is more than anybody else has ever done for me. "  There was no trace of contempt or pity in his voice.

She felt like the doors around her mind were closing again and she desperately needed them to stay open.  While she was still able to think she reached up with her hands, cupped his face, and planted a kiss on him.  It was sloppy, it was awkward, it was poorly aimed, none of that mattered.  It was the most accurate way she had of getting her feelings across.

Jaune was a bit dazed, he didn’t think he was suppose to kiss her back as right after the kiss she went back to hugging him tightly.  He felt her start to shake, and realized she was crying.  He didn’t want to break away from her hug to kiss her lips, so he just kissed her neck, she shivered at his touch, and he went back to holding her.  Somehow the feeling of her crying into his shoulder and her shaking as she cried hurt him more than he was able to describe.  Right at that moment he didn’t care about curfew, his priority was her. 

"Should I translate that kiss to mean 'Don't you dare give up or I will throw my spear at you?'" he tried a joke.

"Something like that"  She started to say.  He could feel the smile form on her face in spite of herself.  She broke off finally and was grinning at him with affection in her eyes.  Seeing her feeling better they joined hands again and moved back to their dorm room.

CH 11

The following weeks passed very quickly for them.  And they found themselves on the final Sunday before the combat assessment finals on Monday, the two teams of friends were trying to enjoy one last weekend before the biggest test of their Beacon careers took place on Monday and were followed by the qualifiers for the Vytal Tournament. 

While Weiss would never admit it, but she found her thawing... slightly to the blond haired knight.  His simple dedication to do what's right and improve himself was starting to wear her down.  Though at the moment she couldn't think about that, because this stupid glyph continually infuriated her.  Her family semblance being the manipulation of dust using glyphs officially made her family the go to source for glyph based manipulation.  Yet this simple thing, this simple desire, to heal her scar, proved to be a task of the type of complexity she didn't even realize could exist.  Each time she thought she had it prepared, she found another flaw.  Some other facet of which would leave too much damaged skin, or simply cause more harm than good.  She only had one chance to do this, and she was determined to get it right.

"What's wrong Weiss?  You have that weird look of concentration on your face"  Ruby asked with a smile.

"This.  Stupid.  Glyph.  Refuses.  To.  Work."  Glaring at it as if it was actively trying to not function out of spite, giving the clear impression she doesn't want to talk about it.

"Oooookay then, message received you want to be alone."  A coy smile appeared on her face. "I think I'll go play against Jaune in chess, I'm thinking I'll beat him first try."  She said with a smirk... or would have if her partner hadn't leapt over the table separating them and starting strangling her.  A cloud of dust appeared around the two girls as they seemed to fight around the room.

Yang walked around her room picking up her things like it was just any other day, seemingly ignoring the two of them spinning all over the room leaving a whirlwind of devastation as they passed.  She was prepared to just let them work it out until they were in danger of spilling into the hallway, at which point she reached into the cloud and managed to halt the proceedings grabbing Ruby by her hood.

Ruby seemed to have a slight advantage as despite being younger, was likely the stronger of the two given her work with Crescent Rose and had one of Weiss' legs in some type of lock.  While Weiss was playing the ticklish card and seemed to be winning the match at the exact moment it froze when Yang intervened.  Both girls had their hairs disheveled and were breathing hard.

"Girls if you two are going to fight like this you should at least do it while Blake is nearby to capture the event for her journal."  Yang said with an obvious laugh on her lips.

"You assume I don't have spies everywhere and I wouldn't see it anyway"  Blake said with a -thump- as she landed on the floor after clearing the window to their room.

"Where were you at kitty cat?"  Yang asked.

"Observing..."  She said with a sly smile.

"Observing... what?"  Ruby asked as Yang was thinking of a more elaborate way to put the question.

"Stuff, things..."  Her team glared at her.  "Ok fine I've been watching Jaune and Pyrrha's morning session."

"His parents didn't show up to take back his weapon right?  I bet that has him in a good mood."  Ruby said with a happy smile on her face.

"Yeah about that... I'm not so sure.  It isn't like he did anything to get them to change their mind.  No until the combat exam is over tomorrow I will continue to think this is something of a trap."  Blake said in total seriousness.

"That seems, out of character Blake, what gives?"  Yang asked.

Blake gave her partner a calculated look before answering. "Yang, Jaune believes in the best in people.  Over the last few months he has even helped turn Cardin into something resembling  a less horrible human being.  He cannot help but strengthen everybody he is around.  He helps both Faunus and Human, he doesn't care if you have a tail or an extra pair of ears.  In short his heart has earned my respect.  I've seen the ugly parts of this world through my time in the White Fang, I will not believe this is over until it is over given the letter his family sent him."  There was an obvious gleam in her eyes as she spoke.

"Well, ok noted but what exactly can we do about it?"  Weiss asked.

That question was left in the air for several minutes.

"I don't really think we can do anything but be there for him.  Remind him he doesn't have to do it alone."  Wise words from the youngest of them.

"So uh, what exactly where they doing?"  Yang asked... trying not to make it sound... dirty.

"They were just finishing up weight training.  He was heavily relying on his aura that much is clear, but I still would have swore it was impossible for somebody to improve as much as he has in just a few months.  Pyrrha really pushes him to be better."  Blake said.

"Yes but it isn't like Jaune doesn't also inspire Pyrrha.  You've seen her training and her fights, she seems to get sharper and more crisp each fight, something I'd have swore was impossible given how lethal she already was."  Weiss commented.

"I guess, they really just needed each other."  Yang said.  "It will be interesting to see how they grow in future years here."

_________________

Across the hall and down the passage Ren was making pancakes for the group... talked into it by Nora and Ruby to celebrate... something or something else.

RWBY found Nora already eating away happily at her pancakes with Ren seemingly pulling double duty cooking them.  Ruby volunteered to sub in for Jaune to help Ren keep up with demand... provided the group help convince him to cook dinner for them.

***

Pyrrha was worried, though she wouldn't let anybody see it in her face, especially Jaune.  She noticed Blake observing them while they trained, and they shared a glance at each other.  She seemed to understand the black haired girls concerns.  She couldn't help but think that something was in store for Jaune tomorrow and it will be nothing but cruel, but she very much hoped to be wrong.  It might be nothing.  After all the day had come and gone when somebody was suppose to show up to receive his family heirloom, she just hoped things didn't fall apart now.

She had to admit that while Jaune had yet to fully master his semblance, he had made remarkable progress with it.  It had taken her years before she was comfortable with her semblance and years more until she was good at its use, given how she has chosen to employ it.  The fact he can dip into it at times speaks volumes to how hard he has worked this year.  As she remembered the famous quote about aura loosely "Aura is the reflection of your soul" she couldn't help but wonder at how pure his desire is for him to be able to use it as well as he has.  The work he has done to besides that was impressive, though she wonders what he could have done if he hadn't had to continually use his aura to keep himself fresh.  No use wondering about things that cannot be she supposed.

Jaune emerged from the men's shower and they shared a quick hug.

"Jaune, I wanted to tell you something."  She said.

"Uh, ok."  He smiled brightly at her... but he was thinking to himself 'oh crap'.

"I realize you said this months ago, but, I've continued to think about it.  Yes, I have had to hold back with you quite a lot at times.  But, please keep in mind, I have to hold back against almost anybody in training.  There is no shame in that you do realize that?  You have done a truly superb job.  You are the only partner I would want to have."

"Pyrrha where is this coming from?"  He asked.

"You just seemed, saddened by it Jaune.  I don't want you distracted for tomorrow test."  She said with concern in her eyes.

He gave her a leveled look, putting the most serious expression on his face he could "Pyrrha, my concern, is that I want to protect people.  I always have.  I want to protect those I love.  My team, RWBY, even people I don't know.  Most of all you.  And, I just realized how impossible it is that you would ever need my help.  The thought just made me sad."  She couldn't detect any hint negativity in his voice at all, the unexpected smile it brought to her face was dazzling.

Pyrrha tried, really tried, to speak her feelings about how much he IS helping her, how much he had helped her throughout the term, on the inside.  She just... was unable to voice the words.

"Besides I get the feeling you are upset about something, what's wrong?"  He asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, just something I heard.  It's nothing."  She sent him a smile, and secretly was surprised he caught on to it, though which of the two things on her mind she wasn't sure.  She had heard some things from the females of Beacon about their relationship that worried her, but she refused to bring this in front of him at this point so close to the biggest test of his career.

He gave her a sideways glance that seemed to indicate he didn't completely believe her, but didn't push the matter further.  He simply took her hand in his and said "Well, ok, let's get to breakfast before Nora eats all of our pancakes, shall we?"

They arrived at the joint kitchen in the middle of breakfast, Velvet had joined them, and seemed in awe of how much was actually being eaten.

"Oh good Jaune, you’re here."  She said "Can you explain to me in 10 words or less where she puts all those pancakes."  Pointing at Nora "It is like she has eaten her body weight in pancakes."

"Uh..." He looked around the table and observed the people eying him expectedly. "She is Nora?"

Was all he could say, earning a round of laughs from the group.  Both he and Pyrrha started attacking the pancakes.  They were interrupted by an.

"AHEM!" He looked up to see Weiss looking at him with her hands on her hips.  He briefly searched his memory for something he might have said that made her angry, and came up blank.  Her right hand broke away from her hip and she pointed it threateningly at him "You!  Jaune Arc, I challenge you to a round of Chess!  If you lose you must submit yourself as the cook for tonight's dinner!"

He looked at her in reluctant amusement, trying to hold back a chuckle, something Pyrrha failed to do and started laughing at the situation.  So it's going to be one of those mornings eh?  Ok I might as well enjoy myself.

"Ok Weiss, let's think here.  I lose, I make dinner.  Ok that's fair, but what if you lose?  What do I get?"

"Uh, Weiss makes dinner seems fair."  Velvet suggested.

"Not for the rest of us, we actually want to survive our meals."  Yang said with a smirk, causing Weiss' eyebrow to twitch.

"It can't be that much of a wager really, I mean isn't it like 0-71 in Jaune's favor?" Blake decided to interject, this time causing Weiss' eyebrow and lip to twitch.

"I would accept something like you owe me one."  Jaune put forward helpfully, he hoped...

"I think I can accept that Arc... Just nothing indecent!"  Weiss agreed to the bargain.

"Where is the fun if it isn't indecent?"  Yang couldn't contain the laugh as Weiss ran to get her game board.

Weiss returned with her game board, and in-between bites of pancake they played their game.  3 minutes later it was 0-72 in Jaune's favor.

"Good game"  He said... more out of politeness than anything else.

Weiss merely nodded and rested her head on the table.  Under the table however she used her foot to touch Yang signaling it's her turn.

"Ok Vomit Boy, how about a wager.  We arm wrestle, if I win you make dinner, If you win... I'll owe you one?"  She put forth.

Seeing a pattern forming here he simply said "Pass".  Earning a look of shock from the rest of the group.

"What you don't even want to negotiate?" Yang said... trying to imprint some amount of outrage into her voice.

"Uh, sorry?"  He simple said.

Ren emerged from the kitchen with Ruby and they carried the last batch of pancakes.  The girls shared a glance and before long were in a huddle near the kitchen entrance Pyrrha included... somehow just appearing at her pre-defined spot in the huddle.  Ren and Jaune shared a look and mutual understanding passed between them, they both knew what's happening.  Jaune decided if he was going to have fun with this, he might as well go all out.

"You know girls-"  They stopped mid conversation to look at him.  "If you want me to make dinner, you could just, you know, ask me, right?"

They went back to huddling and he could have sworn he heard the question asked "Would that even work?"  but he couldn't tell who asked it.  A few seconds later Ruby had appeared in front of him and asked with the cutest puppy dog look possible said.

"Jaune would you make us dinner tonight puuuuuuuuullease?" and blinked heavily flashing her eyelashes for good measure.  He could practically see her tail wagging.

It took all of the willpower Jaune had to resist the infamous puppy dog look from Ruby, but he stifled a chuckle and simply said "Nope."

It took about 20 seconds for the girls to figure out what just happened, except Pyrrha.  Pyrrha seemed to see through what Jaune was doing and slowly, very slowly, sauntered around the table.  Using the cat like grace she possessed swaying her hips in a way that was highly distracting to mortal men.  Once she reached him she sat in the seat next to him, then pulled him into a sweet and loving kiss on the lips taking several seconds and removing any breath he had in his body.  Once she was sure he was appropriately dazed she asked him "Jaune, would you please make us dinner tonight?"  While flashing him a coy smile.

Jaune's eye twitched and couldn't quite stop the sound "NRRRRGGGHHHHH" from escaping until he finally voiced "That.  Was.  Cheating... Fine."

Earning a chorus of "YAYS" from the group, one highly amused look from Ren, one supremely pleased look from Pyrrha, and one evil look from Weiss and Ruby.  With a visible gulp he focused on finishing his breakfast.

After breakfast the group moved back to the JNPR dorm room.  Weiss decided that she needed to play against Jaune more in chess, and took turns playing games against him with Pyrrha.  While neither were able to beat him, both Weiss and Pyrrha were on about the same level in terms of skill with the game.  It was a new sensation for Pyrrha, she had no illusions about her skill with the game, but it was odd finding herself on the losing end of, anything involving Jaune.

Yang, Nora, Ren and Blake were enjoying a game of poker, while Ruby enjoyed watching both games take place.

After beating both Weiss and Pyrrha they decided they should pair off against each other, Jaune pulled out his art book and began drawing, occasionally paying attention to the poker game.

Yang was playing a coy game this hand, he thought.  He had gotten accustomed to her tells throughout the day and was sure that she had a massive hand.  Judging by the body language on the rest of the game players he didn't think anybody else knew that but him.  A chance to play a joke on Yang came into his mind and he got Ruby's attention, and using a finger requested that she come over to him.

"Ruby I need you to do me a favor."  He whispered.

"Uh, ok what is it?"  She said, equal measure excited and caution while also keeping her voice quiet.

"I need you to do this."  He told her.

The Reaper had a positively evil expression on her face at the prospect of paying a prank on Yang.  She had an expression so puppy like it almost could have been seen on Zwei as she walked up behind her sister, and said with as much theatricality as she possibly could. "*GASP* Holy Crap, nice hand!"  The other people in the game instantly folded.

Yang had this amused expression her face until she realized Ruby did that on purpose AND Jaune arranged it, she was about to take action when there was a knock on the door.

Jaune looked at the door, and said "I bet that's Velvet, just saying hello, Ruby do you mind?" 

As the Reaper opened the door she stood facing a very tall man with blond hair followed behind by two women, both also with blond hair.  The rest of the group didn't pay any attention to the newcomers until Ruby said "Uh, Jaune?" 

The newcomer was broad and tall, filling out his shirt nicely, he had a beard neatly trimmed covering his face and had his hair drawn back flat to his head which continued down to his shoulders. 

Jaune looked at the man and paled very quickly, was on his feet almost instantly, and struggled visibly to find his voice.  Pyrrha looked from Jaune to the newcomer and back again, a terrible feeling sinking in her stomach.  The encounter had gotten the attention of all of the people in the room.

"Dad?"  He asked in a voice barely more than a whisper.  "What are you doing here?"  Utter silence permeated the room as all other activity stopped.  Pyrrha noticed the Arc family symbol on the suit the older man wore.

"Why do you think I am here?  I am here to claim Crocea Mors."  He replied with a smug look on his face.  His voice was rich and seeped in arrogance.

"But, that was Friday I didn't think..."  Comprehension entered Jaune's face, and he seemed to deflate a bit.  He was still struggling with what to say and the two women outside behind his dad giggled at the situation.

"Oh I understand.  You assumed I meant last school day in my letter.  Well the letter clearly indicated around noon the day before your combat final which is today."  That smug look on his face grew in size and gained a sinister aspect, with the two women behind him chuckling evilly as he spoke.

Jaune clenshed his fists trying not to be rash, and Pyrrha knew he was absolutely livid, for that matter so was she.  Looking across to Weiss, the look on her face made it clear that even the Heiress never believed his family would do something like this.

"Well, are you going to make me search the room, Idiot Boy, or are you going to give me what is mine?"  His dad asked crossing his arms.

Pyrrha, now more certain than ever this feeling was hatred rose to her feet and was about to say something when she noticed Jaune's outstretched hand silencing her.  It took an effort of will, but she didn’t speak as he requested.

Jaune moved as if every step pained him, but he walked to his gear pack.   He removed the water bottles he always carried and a few articles of spare clothing.  Until only what remained in the bag was his prized family heirloom and the armor pieces he normally wore.  Then zipped up the bag, and cradled it in his arms.  As he turned to give the bag to his father Pyrrha noticed the... lack of life present in his eyes.  It took all of her self control not to move or say anything in her fury at seeing that.

He handed the bag over to his dad, and said "Thank you for the use of your weapon."  Before turning his back to him with his eyes closed, there was no missing the fact that his shoulders were shaking, despite visible efforts to keep himself composed.

Mr. Arc seemed pleased, but he still had more to say "One more thing, you are coming home with me."  He paused and let the words sink in.  "Your presence here is a disgrace to our family and I will not allow it to proceed any longer."

Jaune opened his eyes and appeared more angry than anybody thought he could be.  He rounded faster than anybody had ever seen him move and responded back, fighting to keep his voice calm "That, is not your decision to make.  My place is here."

His father's voice level rising he continued "Your place will not be here when you fail your combat test tomorrow, I suggest you spare us the dishonor and come home while it is still your home to come back too"  As he spoke he reached forward to grab Jaune's arm or shoulder.

Jaune stood his ground and swatted away the outstretched arm of his dad, earning a sharp look and spoke "Then I won't return home, my place is here Mr. Arc.  For as long as Headmaster Ozpin will have me.  Now please leave."  He shouldered his way past his dad and the two women behind him and made his way down the hallway.  Mr. Arc was still bristling at the implied statement.

His dad watched him leave then resumed speaking  "That damned fool, what a disgrace.  Well you all should be thanking me for removing that failure from your lives.  Especially you Ms. Nikos, with him gone you might actually get a partner you don't have to babysit."

Pyrrha was rage incarnate, for Jaune's sake she did everything she could to not lose her temper and tried not to respond, even as tremors racked her body.

"I thought you would be more thankful, and as a sponsor of yours I think you should be more grateful."  He continued to speak.

She looked at him with murder in her eyes.  "What company of yours sponsors me?"  She asked as politely as she could.

"Arc-Wheat, we farm the best wheat which goes into several major cereal sponsorships including yours"  He said with pride.  As he said that he removed the weapon from the bag Jaune gave him, and handed the weapon to one of the women behind him then said to her "In your hands this weapon might fulfill its purpose, he doesn't have a shred of your potential"  He turned back to Pyrrha seemingly oblivious to the livid look the group was giving him when he noticed Pyrrha had pulled out her scroll and was making a call.

"Yes Mom?"  She said "Yes Yes I am perfectly fine.  Listen I need to ask you a favor.  I have a sponsorship from 'Arc-Wheat' right?"  She paused as her mother confirmed this.  "Great, listen, I want this sponsorship dropped immediately.  Yes mom I am sure I will explain later, great, love you, bye"  She looked back at Mr. Arc wishing she could deal him a worse blow than she did.

"What is this foolishness?  I offer you all a chance to get a real leader on your team and you all-" *SMACK!*  Pyrrha had heard enough, moving with blinding speed she slapped him.

"You are an ugly, detestable, cruel, sad excuse of a human being.  I don't care if your spawn has A million times the potential of my friend.  I would rather fight beside one of him, than a 1000 of you 3."  She nearly shouted with A look that demanded silence as her body heaved in barely controlled anger, then continued "You are not welcome in this room, do not make me call security.  Leave, now."  She then exited the room searching for Jaune.

"Well I have got to say the standards at Beacon truly has fallen I am glad that my children who aren't disappointments decided on other schools"  He made to speak again when Weiss stood and in her typical sweet voice said "Mr. Arc, hello my name is Weiss Schnee, pleased to make your acquaintance."  She did a slight curtsy.

"Oh yes finally somebody with some class, what can I do for the Schnee family?"  He gave an almost courtly bow to Weiss.

"Your family, is it related to the Arcadian Dust Company?"  She asked.

"Yes it is one of our family businesses, we have are actively establishing a partnership with yours.  I believe the contract is being discussed right now in fact."  He said with evident pride in his voice.

"Excellent"  It was Weiss' turn to pull out her scroll and make a call.  "Mr. Burgess?  Yes this is Weiss Schnee.  Listen I need you to halt all contact negotiations with the Arcadian Dust Company"  Mr. Arc could barely keep the rage out of his face. "Yes I want all further negotiations canceled, yes I mean that.  I will deal with my father.  Thank you."  It was Weiss' turn to look pleased with herself.

"You idiotic foolish girl, you just cost my family millions of lien!"  Practically spitting the words.

"And you, dear Terrible Human being, has tried to pry a friend away from all of us.  Consider yourself getting off easy.  Now I am 3 seconds from pushing this button" she said indicating her scroll "and asking for Security.  Leave.  Now."

"You spoiled Brat I am a booster to this university you do not call security on me!"  Mr. Arc Roared.

"That will be enough James."  Ozpin said with Ms. Goodwitch behind him.  "When I gave you permission to conduct family business on Beacon grounds that did not include harassing students.  Ms. Goodwitch please, escort them out."  When they didn't move a fire entered the venerable headmasters eyes as he rose his voice up to say " **NOW!"** The tone and look on his face commanded obedience.  With supreme arrogance the Arcs left the room in a huff and marched down the hallway.

The 6 friends looked at each other, their games forgotten.  Ruby was freely crying, though she had the self control to do it silently.  Yang's eyes had turned red, and it was all she could do to not run them down and pummel them senseless.  Blake was still in shock unsure what to think though she hated being right in this case.  Nora kept whispering to herself "I will break his legs, I will break his legs, I will break his legs" and Ren was seriously considering not stopping her.  Jaune was practically a brother to him and that was a difficult thing to watch.

Still crying her silent tears Ruby regained enough control to say to the group "We have to do something about this, this isn't right."  She was about to continue when a bone chilling howl was heard through the open windows of the room.

"That sounds, bad, we should find Jaune." Ruby said, with that they left the room.  They saw the headmaster talking to Ms. Goodwitch at the end of the hall, but couldn't hear what they were saying.  They moved the other direction, to the rooftop where they figured Jaune was now.

***

Pyrrha considered herself a master of self control, having been put in the spotlight from a young age always expected to say the proper thing and leave her feelings out of what she said, it wasn't an easy skill to learn.  Yet even she with all this experience, was nearly foaming at the mouth with pure rage filled hate, made only stronger when she caught sight of her partner on the roof.  He had just issued the most un-Jaune-like scream she ever thought to witness and punched a tree on the roof so hard the tree literally was shattered by the aura augmented punch.

She just, did, not, know... what to do.  Violent tremors racked his body, and though he wasn't making the sound of crying, the puddle of water accumulating at the base of his feet made it obvious he was in fact crying.  She heard a sound behind her and saw that the remaining members of their group,  RWBY and JNPR walked up behind them.  She knew it was her job to try and say something.  To help him.  She just had no earthly idea what she could possibly say when her own thoughts were so dark she almost wanted to go after them with her spear.

She tried to distract herself by thinking about the combat final tomorrow and what he could possibly do to do well.  He had no weapon, no suitable replacement would be found on campus, and he stood practically zero chance fighting hand to hand.  A shiver ran through her body as tears mixed with rage leaving her confused.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see Ren, motioning for her to be silent.  He then moved up to Jaune, starting from the side, as his back was too the group.  He moved slowly, cautiously, like he was trying to circle a wounded animal.  Until Jaune noticed his presence and seemed to let him get close.  Without a sound and without warning Jaune seemed to lose the will to stand and collapsed on the ground into a seated position.

Ren looked up, caught Pyrrha's gaze and nodded.  Ignoring the butterfly's in her stomach and the fact that she still didn't know what to say.  She walked up to him and sat down next to him off to his right, granted further away then she typically would.  She followed Ren's actions and slowly approached inching closer to him, when he seemed to acknowledge her she pulled him into a hug.  He was still shaking so heavily she was having difficulty keeping herself still.  It wasn't until she was hugging him that she understood the true level of his duress.  She had never seen him effected by anything like this before.  He appeared utterly inconsolable.

Ren sat down in front of him, and at his nod Nora moved closer to sit next to Jaune's other side opposite Pyrrha.

RWBY decided to move back to their dorm, and leave JNPR alone on the rooftop to help him through this, though Ruby did send Ren a message that if they were needed, to ask.

After an unspecified amount of time, Jaune surprised them by speaking, though they weren't happy with what he had to say.

"If you all want to request a new team, I understand."  They looked at him mouths agape.  On some level they knew what he was doing.  He was giving them an out.  If they asked for a new team, it would imply it was their choice to leave him, not that they were forced into it.  A small distinction but a political one, if they were of the mind to do it.

Pyrrha's thoughts were made of mush and she couldn't respond.  If she did it likely would have resulted in a bruise on the blond boy.  Instead ironically enough Nora was the one who responded with a gentle ( for her ) punch on the shoulder.

"Jaune, It hurts me that you would even think we would want to leave you now.  We started as a team, and we will finish as one.  And if you say something like that again, team leader or no team leader your legses will be in danger, understood?"  She forced her normal cheer into the statement.

Ren just smiled, while Pyrrha was actually surprised that she more or less managed to sum up her own thoughts.

Jaune kept his eyes closed and his head downcast, but did eventually manage to say "Thank You,  I'm ok I just need to sit here awhile, you all don't have to sit with me."  Nora, Pyrrha and Ren shared a look, and they both agreed to leave Jaune alone with Pyrrha.  They both gave his shoulder a supportive squeeze as they walked past him.

Jaune waited until he couldn't hear their footsteps anymore then said to Pyrrha, unable to look at her "If you feel the need to punch me you should do it now.  You might not get a chance later."

Pyrrha looked at him, and decided that he was joking... for his sake, but continued to hug him in silence.  When he made to stand she stood with him, and pulled him into another forceful hug once they were both on their feet. 

She finally had enough time to sort out her thoughts and whispered to him.  "Let me help you, tell me what you feel."  Trying to pull him back to the real world.

He stirred, somewhat then said, "Nothing" She stayed silent figuring he would finish his thought, she was right, he finished with "I feel... Numb, I don't feel anything" completing his thought.

She put even more power into the hug upon hearing that desperate to give him an anchor to anything beyond his loss right now.  "Please, talk to me."  She whispered.

"I don't know what to say."  She just continued to hug him, and was relieved when he finally brought his arms up to complete the hug, as if he just noticed her around him.  Her thoughts were coming from everywhere, every direction, every type of emotion.  Anger, love, hate, rage, concern, frustration, helplessness.  She would happily stand against anything with her weapons, she knew of no tactic for engaging in this type of battle.  She wanted no more than to help him, as he certainly would her if their positions were reversed, she just had no idea on how to do it.

"I thought it would be easier to hate him, to hate them.  It might be.  I just... cannot hold on to that amount of hate.  It just isn't a feeling I am able to keep in me."  He said, his voice made quiet by virtue of Pyrrha having him crushed against her.

Pyrrha nearly started crying again when she heard that and her eyes definitely became watery.  She had no doubts she absolutely hated his family.  Yet after all that has happened, he still didn't have it in him to hate them with her.  He was STILL trying to find some good to hold on to.  It broke her heart how vulnerable he was right now.  "Jaune.  Please.  Tell me what you need."  She pleaded.

"I don't know."  He admitted.  They stood in silence as they continued to hug each other.

Sometime later when Jaune was feeling a little better, he noticed it had turned dark outside. He checked his scroll and learned it was nearly 7pm.  He had zero desire to cook at this time, none at all.  He wasn't even hungry.  He had however given his word, and was determined to see it through.

Pyrrha continued to send supportive looks as they walked, she wished she knew what he was thinking.  They arrived at their dorm room, and found RWBY talking with Nora and Ren inside.

Conversation stopped and it was obvious just about all of them wore the signs of crying on their faces, Jaune was surprisingly touched by this.

"I said I would cook dinner for you all, lets head to the kitchen."  He turned and started walking to the door.

"Jaune, you know you don't need to do that."  Ren said.  A shocked expression on his face.

Jaune just turned back and issued a sad smile, "An Arc never goes back on his word."

Ch 12

Pyrrha cautiously walked alongside the group to their kitchen and found Velvet waiting for them.  The bunny faunus seemed to sense something was wrong and didn't move to intercept Jaune as he moved to the kitchen.  Velvets caution only increased when they sat in silence and she noticed that many of them appeared to have been crying recently.

Weiss broke off briefly from the group to try and help Jaune in the kitchen.  She returned once again with her eyes beginning to water despite her best efforts to the contrary.

"He said he doesn't want help tonight."  The Heiress claimed.

Worry taking shape in her normally affectionate and welcoming brown eyes Velvet asked quietly "What happened?"

By the time the explanations finished, Velvet was openly crying, and prepared to add herself to the waiting list of people to break the Arc Patriarchs legs.

"I just don't understand."  Was all she could say.

"I worry for Jaune tomorrow."  Ren said.  He continued by saying "It is no secret he held out hope of earning the weapon in the eyes of his father and being allowed to keep it.  With it being entrusted to his sister that has almost no chance of happening."

"Can't we talk to Goodwitch about the combat final, she can't expect him to fight without a weapon."  Pyrrha asked hope riding in her eyes.

"We did while you all were with him on the roof.  She said she can't.  In the schools eyes it is very similar to finding yourself on a battle field where your weapon breaks or you lose it.  You would have to make do.  She did say that you don't need to win the battle to get a passing score, merely fight well.  Though that is a consolation of no real measure at this point.  Practically a cookie with raisins"  Ruby said, not entirely happy at all.

Ruby looked around thoughtfully and walked into the kitchen.

"Uh, what is she doing?  Yang asked.

"She's your sister, use those sisterly powers you are always talking about"  Blake said... not quite able to joke at this moment.

***

Inside the kitchen Ruby walked up to Jaune, he didn't seem to notice her.

"Hey Jaune!"  She said with forced cheer.  "What can I do to help?"

He looked at her, and her cheer evaporated.  He looked like he was barely holding himself together.  "Ruby, right now, I need you to leave me alone, moving helps me focus."

With that he went back to his work.

***

Ruby emerged from the kitchen, sat down, and pouted.

"Now what happened?"  Pyrrha asked.

"He said he wants to work alone, it helps him focus"  She said with a sniff.

Yang, who was seated next to ruby pulled her sister into a hug.  Not even Zwei happily trotting up to the group could put a smile on their faces.

Roughly half an hour past and finally Jaune emerged from the kitchen, carrying their meals.  It took several trips as they each had their own plate.  He served hamburgers, cooked to absolute perfection, blue cheese melted in the middle of the patty, another cheese on top.  All the toppings included around the plate.  A salad was included in a bowl, and there was steamed vegetables on the side in the form of beans, corn, and broccoli.

"What exactly, do I do with this?"  Weiss asked.

They looked at her mouths agape "You've never had a burger before?"  Ruby asked in amazement.

"Its... finger food, of course I haven't had one before."  She said as she placed the toppings she wanted on it.  As she took a bite of it her eyes lit up.  "Wow."  was all she could vocalize.

Despite the superb meal Jaune provided them, conversation was nearly impossible to make given the mood of the table.  Jaune himself didn't sit with his friends, instead preferring to take his food back to his dorm room to eat in peace.

"That... cannot be a good idea, he shouldn't be alone right now."  Pyrrha said, worried for her partner.

"Let him go for now, after you finish with your meal though you should go to him."  Ren said.

Pyrrha never thought she could force such a delicious meal down without really tasting it, but her concern for Jaune seemed to overcome her desire to taste the food.  She ate as quickly as she possibly could.

She moved her plate to the kitchen, left it in the room on the promise that they would take care of it, then hurried down the hall.  Upon reaching the door however, she faltered.  What should she do?  What could she say?  She didn't know the answer to those questions.  Some part of her psyche, a small part, urged her in despite not knowing what to do.

Upon entering she found Jaune sitting on his bed, with his elbows on his knees staring seemingly at the floor.  His food tray was already gone, he must have ate even faster than she did.

She stepped forward cautiously into the room, and decided to do something she hadn't yet had the courage to do.  She sat down on his bed beside him.  When he didn't object she snaked her arms around his chest and pulled herself into a hug against his body, he placed an arm on her back.

"I'm glad you are here, I wanted to see you."  He surprised her by saying that.

She was unsure what to do so she just continued to hug him.  "I wanted to do something for you, lie down on your bed."  He asked.

"Jaune, what are you doing?" She asked cautiously.

"I wanted to give you something, for all the help you've given me this year."  His happy smile almost back on his face.

"Jaune I've told you, you don't need to pay me back"  She was vehement that her time with him wasn't something he owed her.

"Pyrrha, I understand that, that's why I'm offering you this as a gift, please lay down on your bed."

Unsure what he had planned, she did as requested.  "What are you going to do?"  She asked

"I'm going to give you a massage."  He said simply.

"Jaune, you don't need to-"

"I know."  He interrupted her "I want to do this.  OK?"  He asked.

She finally relented and submitted to the massage.

She found herself utterly amazed, at how incredible it felt.

"I... don't.... understand... how.. mmmmmmmmm, you...."  Was about the most cohesive thing she could say.

When her back was free of tension she didn't even know she carried, he started on her legs.  He was working tremendously hard...  He realized it seemed insane, but it never struck just how much power Pyrrha had at her disposal until now, trying to work her tension out of her body was exhausting for him.  "Sweet, Holy... Dust, what are your legs made out of, Dust Hardened Granite?"  She blushed both at the comment and the manner in how he was touching her.  She found that his touch was utterly putting her to sleep.  Well before he actually finished with his massage she found herself asleep.

______________________

She was awoken several hours later by a sound, and snapped alert looking around the room, she saw that Nora and Ren had just arrived.  Alarm shot through her when she didn't see Jaune at his bed.  The time was nearly 1 am, well after curfew.

"Have you two seen Jaune?"  She asked with concern in her eyes.

"Yeah, he is right outside sitting on the bench.  You should talk to him, he appears troubled."  Ren stated, concern evident on his face.

Ren's concerned look frightened her like nothing she had ever experienced before, her terror was further increased when she remembered something Jaune had said earlier that night 'If you feel the need to punch me you should do it now.  You might not get a chance later.'  Her breath caught, her mind froze, momentarily paralyzing her utterly frozen in fear.

Ren seemed to read her thoughts despite not hearing the conversation with Jaune, maybe he just guessed his team leaders intent.  He gripped Pyrrha's shoulder and said "He doesn't need me or Nora right now.  He needs you, hurry."

That was all the motivation she needed.  She quickly found herself outside in the hallway and saw Jaune sitting on a near bench towards the end of the walkway leading towards the rooftop, hands in his face hunched over.

"Jaune you should head to bed and get some rest, you have an important day tomorrow."  She said, sounding almost pleading, nervous energy causing her hands to fidget.

"Pyrrha, we both know without a weapon I won't be able to pass."  He replied.  Horror took hold in her features again.  He didn't look at her.

"It is better this way really, you can get a partner which actually can contribute to the team, and not be a burden as I am."  She started shaking uncontrollably at his words.  He still didn't look at her.  Suddenly it all fell into place for her.  His determination to fix a meal for his friends.  His insistence on giving her a massage.  He was trying to say goodbye.

"Giving you that massage is about all I've ever been able to do to help you, I see that now-" He was cut off when Pyrrha placed a hand on his mouth, sitting down next to him on the bench.  With her tremors barely under control.

"Jaune.  Please, don't make me beg you.  Please, go back to the room, and get some rest.  You need your strength tomorrow."  The darkness of the hallway hid most of her, but her vivid green eyes were still clear, as they began to water.  "I need you to do well tomorrow."

He pulled his hands away from his face and said while turning to look at her "Pyrrha, I will always be eternally grateful for your help.  I don't know how many times I've said this but I would be nothing without you.  You deserve somebody who will help you as much as you have me.  Or somebody you don't have to help at all.  I mean look at you, you clearly don't need me."  He had a sad look on his face, when he spoke, but spoke clearly.

Desperation took root in her mind again.  She felt like the world was going crazy and this was all a bad dream.  Jaune could not give up now.  He absolutely could not... but she didn't know what she could do to motivate him now... until his words sunk in.  It was then she knew what she had to say.  She was given courage by the fact that what she needed to say was true. However it would be the single most difficult thing she has ever had to say in her life, possibly most difficult thing period.  She gripped him by his shoulders to force him to look at her, with also having the effect of steadying herself.

"Jaune, listen to me, now, I..."  She struggled talking about this at the best of times, and that was not now.  "I have never really told you about my time at Sanctum.  You need to understand something, before you say another word."

She could tell he didn't want to listen.  Believing that she would only complicate matters, but gave her his undivided attention again, if reluctantly. 

"My life, at Sanctum, was horrible.  Absolutely horrible."

"Pyrrha that makes no sense, you were at the top of your class you won all of those awards."

"JAUNE!"  Her voice, normally so pleasant was a Shriek as she cried his name, to the point he visibly recoiled. "Please, please just listen to me!"  Tears were flowing from her face now.

"Yes, I was popular, but I was miserable."  She paused stifling a sob.

"How many friends do you think I had at Sanctum?"  She looked at him expectantly.

"I don't know we never spoke about your time there."  He admitted.

"There is a reason for that Jaune." -she sobbed- "I had no friends Jaune.  None, not even one!"  That got his attention, he hadn't expected that.

"You just told me you were popular."  He said, confusion evident on his face.

"Yes I was popular.  People knew what my name was, but they didn't know who I am."  She paused, and collected her thoughts.

"Jaune this really isn't easy for me to talk about, so please,"-another sob- "listen to me and do not interrupt.  During my time at Sanctum, I was hollow, I was empty, and I was profoundly unhappy."  He looked at her, and did not move to interrupt her as she requested.

"I was, I was.... "  Hating the words even as she spoke them, she sobbed, then continued with her emotions clear in her voice. "I was treated… as an… as an animal.  I was a race horse, being made pretty for the camera's and brought from one event to the next.  People avoided me at school, they spoke behind my back.  They whispered as I walked.  I hated every moment of my time at Sanctum."  Tears were still freely flowing from her but she none the less stared at him.

"It isn't that I didn't try to make friends, I did try.  I did speak to people,"  She sniffed sadly here.  "but it was to no avail.  I was no longer a person to them.  I was this celebrity, this entity people spoke about, never too."

"Pyrrha I-" She cut him off again.  This was painful for him to listen to and watch her like this, she knew that, but she needed to do this.

"Four years of isolation, 4 major tournament victories, several smaller tournament victories, and one very unhappy life I was glad to try and leave behind.  When I graduated from Sanctum and enrolled at Beacon, I was so happy to be away from there.  But you must understand.  I was so terrified, I was so incredibly scared."  He looked at her in utter confusion, nobody would use those words to describe her.

"I was terrified of spending another 4 years alone, like I did previously."  He listened, the words not quite sinking in, another string of sobs came from her and her tears didn't seem at all likely to stop.

"I had this, mad hope, that Beacon would be different, but I saw nothing to indicate it would be.  It was even reinforced in my mind when Weiss walked up to me and gave me the same routine everybody else did at Sanctum.  She only saw 'The Invincible Girl'.  I hadn't been here for even a day, and already people were lining up to treat me exactly the same.  I was crushed, I was devastated.  I wanted to quit.  I could not endure another 4 years of solitude."  Her grip on his shoulders was getting painful at this point with her fingers digging into his flesh.

"Then, I met a certain blond boy...  At first I thought he was taking me for a fool, or was trying to insult me.  But... I learned he wasn't doing either.  He knew nothing of my fame.  Even after he learned of it, it didn't change the way he treated me.  I came to love him for that."  His eyes widened.

"He gave me something, something I've never had before.  He just saw a girl when he looked at me.  He offered me a chance at stepping off that podium I so hated, stepping off that race track.  The chance to be a girl again, not a prize animal."  She looked at him with an intensity that dwarfed all other looks from her he had seen.

"You... You..." She sobbed gently.  "You seem... to think, that I haven't... that I haven't..... " -another sob- "... been getting any sort of benefit from having you in my life or as my partner."  The pleading in her eyes only intensified.

"Yes, it is more evident on you.  Your skill has grown, your body has strengthened."  She moved her hands off his shoulders and was touching him on his arms, chest, stomach.  Trying to make a picture for him with her words, once she was done, they went back to his shoulder, gripping harder than before.  "What you don't... seem... to understand."  She sobbed again.  "Is that the entire time I've known you...  You have done the same for me, on the inside."  His mouth fell open and stared at her with a dumbfounded expression.

"Jaune, within seconds of meeting you, I had gained a friend.  Within minutes of meeting you, I grew to love you.  And that feeling has only grown."  She tried to give him a smile.

"Within a day of meeting you I had 3 friends, 3 teammates.  More than I have ever had within my entire life.  And through you I have made friends with team RWBY and beyond.  I have people who are actually willing to treat me as a person surrounding me now, I could only dream of that before I came here.  It is the greatest gift anybody has ever given me, and it is all thanks to you.  I could not, have not, ever have done that alone."  She leaned forward and hugged him, he could do nothing but continue to listen, a stunned expression on his face.

"You have said that without me, you would be nothing.  I guess in your view that is true.  What you Must, MUST understand, is that is true… for me… as well"  He could hardly breathe following that.

"Without you, I would be empty, without you I would be a husk.  With you I have never been happier in my life.  Even with today and the... cruelty of your family.  It might be hard to see, because you never knew me before Beacon, but it absolutely true."  She sobbed again.  Still hugging him.  Though her eyes remained locked on his.

"Do you understand what I'm telling you Jaune?  If you were not here I would be nothing as well.  The effect might not show on my body, as the muscle you have gained does on yours.  But that does not mean it doesn't exist."  She squeezed him in that hug which dwarfed easily all other hugs she has ever given him in pure strength.  "I truly would be nothing without you."

She started trembling again... shivering and sobbing uncontrollably, and in-between it all, managed to say "Jaune, I need you here.  Desperately I need you here with me, and I am begging you now with every fiber in my being.  **Please**.  Go back to our room.  Get some rest.  Recover your strength and prepare for tomorrows test."  She was beyond pleading with him, and was still shaking horribly several moments after she stopped speaking waiting for some action on his part.

Jaune's mind was in a daze, his ability to process information stressed to the limit.  He was never exceptional at it, especially when he was ambushed like Pyrrha had just done to him.  To the point he didn't even really feel the tremors running through his body as Pyrrha shook against him or how unbelievably hard she was embracing him.  Yet, he knew, he must not lose his sharpness right now. 

All his life, all he has ever known himself to be was a failure and disappointment .  Either through himself or his family, no better example than today.  To belong, to feel needed, was a sensation he wanted to feel more than anything.  The feelings Pyrrha just… set loose in him, with this revealing information.  Seemed to spark a fire in him that, he never experienced before.  Somebody needed him.  He was helping her just as much as she was him.  The impossibility of it being Pyrrha, Pyrrha Nikos HIS Pyrrha Nikos, the "Invincible Girl" herself.  His best friend, his mentor, his role model, his idol.... his... -the first time this word sinks in-... Girlfriend.  It was almost more than he could comprehend.  Yet it meant more to him than... the only words he came up with was everything and anything else.

He stood, and she let out a whimper as he broke from her grip, and just stayed standing for several seconds.   A minute. 

Two. 

Five.

Pyrrha continued to looked at him with desperation in her eyes, she could barely get those words out.   She hoped that they finally, FINALLY got through to him.  His eyes went from confusion, to, something akin to pride to, some other emotion she couldn't place, but his eyes eventually held a focused intensity that she had never known him to possess.

"Pyr, please stand, this will be easier if you are on your feet."  He turned to look at her as he spoke.  If she was more self aware, she might have identified the affectionate reference to her name.

She still was crying... her emotions were all over the place and for once, her training could not run them aground.  She was in unknown waters and could do nothing except trust Jaune to help her navigate them.  She managed to stand off the bench holding a nervous pose.  She was still unsure what he was going to do when he made the few steps needed to stand directly in front of her.  They stood face to face being of similar heights.

She still hadn't identified the look in his eye and she had no further time to try.  With a conviction in them she has never seen before, and showing an initiative she never knew he had.  His right hand moved purposely behind her neck, his left hand around the small of her back and pulled her close.  He took her lips in his, a spark past between them, she gasped, and he did not relent for several minutes.  By the time he finished, a different type of tear was in Pyrrha's eyes.

Jaune took a small step back from her and took up her hands in his holding them gently.  "Pyrrha, I don't think you can understand, how much what you just said means to me."  He looked away unsure what to say to explain how he felt.

It was her turn to take the lead.  If his kiss was a calm gentle stream of affection, hers was a torrent of pure passion.  She surged across the distance separating them with such force he was driven back several steps until the other end of the hallway stopped his movement.  Crushing her lips on his with the most passionate, fiery, affectionate kiss her young body could muster.  She leaned into him with such urgency, their bodies pressed against each other so forcefully they were practically one.

They broke apart a couple minutes later.  Breathing hard, panting for breath. 

With a determined look in her eye, she took his cheeks in her hands, and pointed him at her.  Locking her gaze on his eyes she said "You swear to me Jaune Arc!  Right now!  You swear that you will give everything you have.  Don't leave anything unfinished.  You fight with all your strength, everything, 100%."  She looked away and issued a quick sob, then looked back at him "Please, I, I need you here, with me.  Promise, promise me… that you will do everything in your power to stay here."  Tears were visibly falling from her face as she, for the first time in her life, allowed emotions to run their course.  The desperation and pleading mixed with love and affection in her eyes really only allowed him one course of action.

He wrapped his arms around her and answered still looking into her eyes.  "I promise, I will give everything I possibly can-"  He didn't need to explain more.  Nor could he, as she couldn't hold back anymore after hearing what she longed to hear.  She pushed him back against the wall as she kissed him again, trying to impart all of the emotions she was feeling at that moment.  It lasted several moments and she tried to draw out the feeling as long as possible.  For nearly a year she had known him.  Nearly as long she had wanted to kiss him like this.  Now she had the opportunity, and she cherished it.  It was only a lack of oxygen that forced her to stop and rest her forehead against his.

"I love you... you, big, dork."  She managed to whisper to him.

"I love you too, you... beautiful, gorgeous, red headed... spear throwing lady."  She chuckled despite herself and buried her face in the crook of his neck.  Just melting into his body as he held her, and ended up wrapping her arms around him meeting at the middle of his upper back.  She felt his hands pull her in around her upper and lower back.  Despite the sadness of the day, they stood soaking in each other's warmth for several minutes.  Him thinking about how he managed to get so lucky that Pyrrha was interested in him, her infinitely happy that she finally saw eye to eye with Jaune on her feelings.

While she loved being this close to him and being held by him.  Her own pleas forced her to break away well before she wanted too and get Jaune back in their dorm room, they did have a test tomorrow.  Though if she was honest she might never have wanted that moment to end.

They were greeted by their teammates who waited for them.  Both Nora and Ren seemed to sense a change in Jaune.  While the goofy blonde was still present, there was a conviction driving him now, and they could not be more pleased.  They shared a moment in of camaraderie before realizing it was now almost 2:30 and morning would roll around very quickly.  Then went to their beds, and got some rest.

CH 13

Nobody woke up at their normal times the next morning.  Pyrrha woke up around the time she was normally finishing her morning workout.  She found Nora and Ren already up and getting dressed.  Jaune was still sleeping soundly.  By unspoken consent they moved to the hall after they dressed.  Ren first, then Pyrrha, followed finally by Nora.

Nora exited the room and found the other two members waiting for her, with a highly amused expression on her face.

"Nora, what did you do?"  Ren asked, being her lifelong friend he couldn't help but feel the alarm flaring up in the back of his mind.

"Oh I just made sure he would wake up in time for breakfast!"  She said with a gleeful chuckle.

"Do I even want to know?"  Pyrrha asked

"Oh its nothing!  Come on let's get breakfast made."  Ren and Pyrrha looked at each other, shrugged, then walked to the kitchen.

"Nora how much time do we have until Jaune wakes up?"  Ren asked.

"31 minutes 73 seconds." She replied.

"Soooo 32 minutes... 10 seconds?"  Pyrrha asked.

"What did you expect an even number?"  Nora asked still smiling happily, nothing seemed to take away her cheer....

Right up until something did.

"What do you mean we don't have pancake mix!?!?"  She exclaimed.

"I mean, we are out of pancake mix."  Ren cautiously confirmed.

"Well, that sounds like a job for Jaune!  But we were going to do something special for him!" Nora said with a frown.

"Well, I guess we will have to adapt"

The 3 JNPR members turned to see RWBY entering the kitchen.

"What do we have to work with?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, eggs?"  Ren answered quickly followed up by Nora advising

"and 30 minutes 81 seconds"  She said with a smile.

"What happens in.... that much time?"  Yang asked

"Jaune wakes up... evidently" Pyrrha said.

"Well, Jaune could make a luxury meal with just eggs, surely we can manage a tolerable one."  Weiss said, earning shocked expressions from everybody present.

"What?  I need to beat him in chess before he goes anywhere."  She joked.

"Did, you just compliment Jaune, and joke, in the same sentence?"  Yang asked looking at her partner.

"Uh, did we have a blood moon last night?"  Blake asked looking back.

"I think I need to sit down."  The two of them said at the same time.

"Well let's get started"  Ren said.

"I can help."  Weiss volunteered.  As they were walking to the kitchen a screeching sound was heard.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

"Uh, was that Jaune?"  Pyrrha asked.

The looks of the group converged on Nora.

"Uh, sorry, I guess I miss timed my alarm"  She replied still all smiles.

Ruby walked up to Pyrrha with an odd expression on her face and pulled the Spartan aside.

"Pyrrha, we were thinking.  About the combat final, you know Jaune doesn't have a weapon."  The Reaper reminded her friend unnecessarily.

Pyrrha nodded in reply... she was intimately familiar with that fact.

"We were thinking, we would be happy to let him use one of ours, but none of our weapons even remotely resemble what he is used too.  We thought you might want to let him use Milo and Akouo.  If he kept Milo in sword form it wouldn't be all that different than what he has practiced with."  She suggested.

Pyrrha's mind stopped working for a few seconds... then she pulled the smaller girl into a crushing bear hug.

-HURK- Was the only sound Ruby could make as she was patting Pyrrha on the back to get her to let go.  Realizing what she did with big eyes an embarrassed yet absurdly happy look on her face she let the Reaper go from her grip as tears of joy appeared in her eyes.

"Of course Ruby I cannot believe I didn't think of that."  She pulled her into another hug... gentler this time then let her go and sat at the table.

She was so happy she didn't hear Jaune approach until with a loud *THUNK* he dropped some... odd machine on the table.  He was dressed in his combat gear, minus the armor plating which his family took away.

"Can somebody explain to me, What. This. Is?"  he asked.

Everybody looked at Nora.

"Uh, I was trying to make sure you woke up on time It just went off a little early"  She sung.

"This. Stupid. Thing. SHOCKED. ME!!" Shooting one of his rare glares to Nora.

"Well, I had to make sure you were up and about for the big test today.  About 15 minutes before the test they will announce who we will be matched against."  She advised with her normal cheerful tone of voice.

"Just so you know If I get matched against any of you I will hold it against you if you take it easy on me.  Nobody gets a bad grade for my benefit, understand?"  Jaune said... bordering on ordered.

Pyrrha's was proud of him for making that statement, she always respected him for his heart.  But she was forced to wonder, if she was matched against him, would she really be able to fight at her maximum knowing how much she outclassed him?  She really hoped she would never find out.  Remembering what Ruby and she spoke about moments before she decided to ask Jaune now.

"Jaune, Ruby had a good idea I'd like to talk to you about."  Trying not to sound TOO happy.

"Shock of shocks I know."  Ruby said with a smile on her face.

"She suggested, I lend you Milo and Akouo for your combat test."  Not able to contain her glee at having a solution for him.

Jaune just stared back at her a blank expression on his face, blinking several times to try and comprehend what she just suggested.

"Would that even work?  Would Goodwitch allow it?"  He asked.

"That's the AWESOME part"  Ruby said. "We spoke to Goodwitch about it already, she said yeah, no different than team members tossing their weapons to somebody who needed it." 

"I don't know what to say, if you would actually let me-" Jaune started to say.

Pyrrha hugged him to interrupt him then said to him. "Of course you big dummy, I'm just sorry I didn't think of it earlier."  The group didn’t think they had ever seen her so happy or relieved.

"Time for food" Ren advised, bringing out the dishes for the two teams.

"Omelet, looks great Ren."  Blake said, reminding everybody that she is present.

The group talked amongst themselves as they ate their breakfast, but Jaune for his part tried not to listen.  He swore to Pyrrha last night that he would do everything in his power to do well today.  He realized that he didn't need to win the match to pass.  However a large part of him thought he owned it to Pyrrha to win, if for no other reason to validate the time that she has spent training him with her eternal patience.  He wanted to win, for her.  Before long he had finished with his meal and noticed that his scroll had a message.  It was who his match would be against.... Cardin.

"Who are you against?"  Pyrrha asked, trying not to look concerned at his expression.

"Cardin"  He said simply.

Pyrrha was crestfallen, Jaune and Cardin haven't had the same level of rivalry, the hatred towards each other for some time.  She realized however that he was somebody Jaune at least in the past, had zero belief he could beat.

"Jaune, you beat the rest of team CRDL, Goodwitch wouldn't match you against him if she didn't think it would be a fair test."  Trying to cheer him up, as she quickly learned needlessly.

"I am 0-6 against him, I guess that means it is my turn, right?"  He said, Pyrrha's smile could not have been bigger.

Finishing their breakfast the group walked to the arena for their combat final.  The order of fighting was made available, Jaune learned that he and Cardin would fight last.

The group of friends were energetic, happy, and most importantly, functioning like a team, as they cheered on their teammates to do well.  Pyrrha finished her match first out of the 8 of them, earning a perfect score on her final and for the class with the second ever S ranking.  Ruby was next going against Weiss, the match ended in a draw, with both of them earning an A.  Nora, Blake and Ren each went against a team CRDL member and won their match, Nora earned a B ranking as she didn't try to strategize at all and instead kept attacking until one of her hammer blows connected.  Ren and Blake more strategically took down their targets, also earning an A.  Yang was matched against Neptune.  The blue haired boy fought well, earning a B, however the powerful Yang put him down, earning an A-.  She let herself get hit to power up her semblance, a fact which Goodwitch didn't like, but because she did it tactfully she didn't remove too many points.  Other matches took place until finally it was Jaune's turn.

As Jaune started his way down Pyrrha pulled him into a gentle hug and kissed him on the cheek, earning a round of murmurings around the room.  She ignored them however, she just looked at him and simply said.

"Remember, 100%, you promised me."  He nodded, with that she kissed him again, he then moved down to the arena floor below.

Milo felt different to him, yet he was oddly optimistic.  With as often as Pyrrha had hit him with these weapons during their training sessions it was almost like Pyrrha was alongside him as he went up against his longtime rival.  The feeling was incredibly comforting, even thinking that she was with him.  In spirit if nothing else.

Cardin looked incredibly confident in his full plate armor carrying his brutal 2 handed mace, watching Jaune walk into the arena, especially without his armor plates and unfamiliar weapons.  He had no reason to think that this would be any different than the previous times they had squared off.  Jaune and he might not be enemies, like they were in their first term.  That did not mean they were friends and he was determined to beat the young man again, if for no other reason he hated losing.

The pre match began as they normally do, lights turning off on all area's but the combat floor, to focus attention on the fights for learning purposes, and to not distract the combatants.  It was impossible to miss the shouts and cheers from the area where Jaune knew his friends sat.  Nora and Pyrrha's voices in particular came through exceptionally clear.  He smiled, brought up his shield arm.  Indicated he was ready with a nod.  Then, focused with all he had on Cardin.

***

-BANG-

The match kicked off with Cardin charging at Jaune in his typical style and brought his mace down at him with a heavy two handed strike.  Jaune knew from previous experience he could block the mace, but it would drain his aura needlessly to do it.  Instead he utilized one of the endless things Pyrrha had taught him. 

-Don't match strength for strength, angle your shield so the blow is deflected, not absorbed.-

He remembered the lesson, and was glad when it did the job, the mace shied away from his body, at the same time he brought Milo across his body and was rewarded with a grunt as the sword hit Cardin in the chest.

***

"YES!" Pyrrha exclaimed as Jaune did exactly what she hoped he would.  She was excited, elated, terrified, and proud all at once in equal measure.  A few more like that, and Jaune might just pass the test.

Words of encouragement was also shouted by the rest of the friends as they watched him continue to fight.

***

For the better part of 10 minutes the two men fought.  Jaune dancing around the bigger man getting in hits when he can, and trying to avoid the crushing blows of Cardin's mace.  Milo was different than the sword he had trained with, and it was difficult to land solid blows against Cardin given his full plate armor.  Yet he continually got in as many hornet strikes when he could.  His didn't have the deadly precision of Pyrrha's strikes, nor did he swing with the same force she did.  But, he was in the fight, and making a good account of himself.

Jaune just hit Cardin with an overhead slash, ducked under the counter swing, and got a few more hits in before Cardin activated his semblance, Jaune was knocked in the air and while he tried to block the swinging mace the he couldn't quite catch the angle, the blow sent him flying backward several meters.

***

Worried looks were on the faces of RWBY and JNPR as they watched Jaune take that hit.

"Pyrrha you should be proud, I don't believe he has ever fought better"  Ren said

"I'm sure he will get a passing grade for this."  Yang added.

"I hope your right, I really do."  Pyrrha said in response.

It was impossible to miss the gasping breaths Jaune was taking as he tried to keep himself in the fight.

***

Jaune forced himself to stand, and face Cardin again.  He could tell by the look on Cardin's face that he was less that pleased that Jaune was still in the match, but Jaune was feeling himself tire, and wasn't sure how much longer he could keep himself going.

Cardin started to run at him and one again cranked up a strong 2 handed strike.  If he were Pyrrha he would have spun Milo into gun form, and fired at Cardin.  He was not Pyrrha, and he wasn't as familiar as she was with the weapon.  He didn't want to risk being caught in gun form in melee combat.  So he didn't try.  Instead he waited as long as he could, then threw himself towards Cardin flat to the ground and rolled under his arm to get behind him.  He hit Cardin with several quick sword strikes and blocked a backhand from the bigger man.  When he tried to move away he caught the smirk on Cardin's face.  He had grasped the shield and was holding him in that location while his other arm brought the mace down.  He remembered another of Pyrrha's lessons.

-Never keep hold of your weapon if it means getting yourself killed, it is better to surrender it and keep fighting, then foolishly hold on to it and take a shot you could otherwise avoid-

He let go of Akouo once again stepping under Cardin's mace, Milo was inches from its target when once again Cardin used his semblance, only this time knocking Jaune back, not in the air.  Cardin threw the shield to the side.

***

Jaune's breathing was all the group could hear, it was a terrible thing to listen too.

"That's it."  Pyrrha said "That's the limit of his endurance."  He gave everything he had, she thought, she could ask no more.  Cardin was nearly beaten, and Jaune for his part still had more than an ample amount of aura, in fact he was barely out of the green, but it would mean nothing if he couldn't move.

***

As Jaune tried to stand he lost his footing and he slipped down, staring up at Cardin run towards him thoughts and feelings came to mind.

I HAVE to move... but I can't, my arms are heavy, I can't get enough breath, and I have about 2 seconds until that mace hits me and my aura is drained.  

If he continued to draw from his aura yes he could stay in the fight but all Cardin would have to do at that point is just defend and wait for his aura to expire.  He knew Cardin was a smart enough fighter to do that too.  Moreover his aura couldn't keep up with the demands of the fight… if he has some time to catch his breath his aura would replenish his body but that required time he just didn’t have.

Then he remembered.

"Give 100% leave nothing unfinished."

The memory reignited his drive to win, but he had no energy to fight with. 

Just as that thought exited his mind.

-He gasped-

That's when he felt it, a tug on his thoughts, like a piece of twine around his mind.  It was strange, and alien, and, oddly warm and comforting.  Trusting his instincts more than rational thought.  He grasped that twine with his mind, and pulled with all the strength he could.

***

-CHINK!!-

The onlookers gasped as there was a brilliant flash of blinding white energy from Jaune, they watched as he brought Milo up and used his left hand to hold the flat edge of the sword.  His arms ignited in an incandescent white light as he was able to block the attack.

Pyrrha's gasp was more of a yelp, with tears of joy falling from her eyes as she pointed at him excitedly.

"His semblance!!!  That is his semblance!!!  He has mastered his semblance!!!"  There was no mistaking the pride and pure elation as she practically sang that jumping like a rabbit up and down excitedly.

His friends were renewed in their energy to cheer him to a victory continued to shout words of encouragement at him.

***

Jaune could swear he heard shouts from his friends and gasps from the crowd as he blocked the mace.  He was aware that Cardin had a shocked expression as the previously exhausted boy was able to block his attack even as he continued to struggle against this newfound strength, but he knew he needed more.  The, odd, heat he had on his arms gave him a boost in energy.  His arms didn't feel so tired or heavy.  Yet still he had no air in his lungs and his legs were burning from exertion.  IF only he could pull that ... lower.

***

His friends cheering only grew louder to the point it was a deafening roar as they saw his semblance take shape.  The white light on his arms extended down through his torso, suddenly his painful sounding gasps for breath vanished.  It continued further into his legs, he regained his balance on sturdy footing.  Finally it extended up from his chest to cover his head.  Where the light met his eyes it turned into a gorgeous ocean blue giving off a compassionate sapphire light.  Jaune reared his arms back and with a push from his legs, shoved Cardin with his mace back several meters.  Then stood to face him again.  His semblance causing waves of fire like light to pass over his body, looking like a living white flame.

"Holy Dust! THAT is the Arc semblance?"  Yang asked.

"YES!!! That's it!!!" Pyrrha confirmed energetically, tears of joy still falling from her face.

"Wow, that looks incredible."  Ruby managed to say.

"I don't know how long his aura will be able to keep him going, he is out of energy otherwise.  He has an impressive amount of aura but it will run out at some point"  Ren cautioned.

"What matters is that he passes"  Nora said with all her attention focused on the fight below.

Pyrrha was going to say something... more, but settled for what their pink colored cheerful friend said.

"GOOOO JAUNE!!!"  someone yelled, it took the group a few seconds to learn it Weiss.

"What, I really don't like Cardin"  Weiss said.

They laughed, and focuses again on the renewed fight.

***

Feeling refreshed and full of energy, Jaune kicked off straight at Cardin.  He noticed that things seemed to happen slower than they normally do, like his eyes were processing information faster than they normally did as he closed the distance.  He gripped Milo with both hands, and swung with everything he had.  As the blade was descending he saw off to his left in his peripheral vision Akouo on the ground.  Cardin blocked the attack, and gasped in amazement that the force of the blow sent him skidding backward several meters earning sounds of astonishment from the crowd.  Jaune pushed off to his side, and in a couple strides picked up the discarded shield.

***

"Jeez, this is crazy" was about all Yang could say.

"C'mon Jaune you can do it."  Ruby whispered nervously biting her finger nails wishing her friend would prevail.

"Damn he is so much faster with that semblance active." Blake said mouth slightly agape, not quite believing what she was seeing.

"Who knew Jaune had this in him all along?"  Nora asked, looking knowingly at Pyrrha as she said it.

Ren kept looking up at the aura readout then switching his gaze back to the fight.  Jaune's was fading quickly.  Having to maintain his body and his semblance at once was taxing it.  He had never known anybody to possess the same raw level of aura that his leader did, even so the demands placed on it right now were extreme.  He didn't have long to win the fight or semblance or no, he would lose.

Pyrrha wanted to praise her partner more but excitement was radiating off of her and she could only watch the fight.  She didn't realize her nervous energy was causing her to bounce slightly as she clapped her hands together quietly.

"It seems you were right all along Pyrrha, the dunce....the goof, has potential after all"  Weiss said, then corrected, she was struggling not to water up as Pyrrha.

***

Jaune ran at Cardin, effortlessly ducked under the sideways sweep of the mace, and realized that as the telltale sign Cardin was about to use his semblance again.  He jumped rolling off to the side.  His intuition was correct as the ground lit up following the activation of Cardin's semblance.  This time however the blow meant for him was stopped by Milo as Jaune blocked near the handle of the mace.  Surprise was in Cardin's face, it was quickly replaced by determination as he sent a punch at Jaune.  Jaune moved stepping into and under the punch while rotating his body spinning to the left.

-CRACK-

His shield collided with Cardin's head dazing him.  He reversed with his spin and kicked with all the strength he had, sweeping the legs out from under the bigger man.  There was an audible *thump* as he hit the ground.

A yell emerged from his lips as Jaune jumped on top of Cardin's chest and brought Milo down on his throat.  The lights kicked on.  Match over.  Jaune, had won.

***

"YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!"  Essentially is what RWBY and JNPR were doing, Ms. Goodwitch observed.  Secretly she was proud of the Arc boy, pushing on and trying to be the best person he can despite what he has endured in his life.  She suppressed a smile as she observed Pyrrha crying tears of joy as the teammates and friends hugged each other in celebration.  Ozpin had previously told her several times that it isn't simply one's ability to fight that makes them special.  In many cases it is their ability to form connections, deep bonds, to strengthen each other beyond what would normally be possible.  She couldn’t help but think Jaune personifies this type of leader seeing the reaction he got from his friends as he won.  Except now he was also starting to show incredible combat potential thanks to Ms. Nikos.  The Mistrali girl seemed to be the first to spot it, which really shouldn't surprise anybody given his lineage.  His mother in particular is one of the fiercest warriors to ever have existed.  She was glad to have been proven wrong in this case.  Yet as she looked back at the two boys in the arena, alarm shot through her.

***

"Uh, guys, what's going on?"  Ruby asked.

Pulling away from a hug with Nora, Pyrrha looked back on the match below.  Jaune had collapsed on the ground next to Cardin.  Cardin was shaking him, gently.  Why was Cardin shaking him?  She could almost understand it if Cardin punched him, it would give Nora the chance to break his legs and herself a chance to spear him.  But that isn't what was happening.  Instead Cardin was calling for a stretcher, and proclaimed he wasn't breathing.

This cannot be happening, she thought.  She vaulted over the guard rail to the next level, and again to the ground, the rest of her friends were not far behind her.  Concern was etched on her face when she reached Jaune.  The boy indeed wasn't breathing, and had gone, pale, very very pale.  She felt a knot in her stomach as the medics carefully put Jaune on a stretcher, and moved him to the infirmary, even as they tried to get him breathing again via a healing glyph.

CH 14

Today, was going perfectly, until an hour ago.  Pyrrha thought.  Jaune was now in a medical bed, Doctors were hovering over him.  Her weapons were back in her possession, in their normal positions, but nothing felt right about it at all.  All 7 of the RWBY JNPR group crowded into the waiting room.  She could do nothing but try not to cry, and glare at Jaune's unmoving form, willing him to get better.

***

Several hours pass.

Ms. Goodwitch walked up to Pyrrha and got her attention.  The rest of their group follows suit.

"Ms. Nikos, Headmaster Ozpin would like you and the rest of JNPR to join him in his office."

"Why?"  Ren asked.

"It concerns your team, it is best left to him to explain more."  She said, then turned and left.

"Go to Ozpin, we will stay here."  Ruby said with an odd commanding tone in her voice.

The group walked in scared silence as they made their way to the central elevator which would take them to the top of the Beacon Clock tower where Ozpin held his office.

The door opened with a 'DING!' and they walked into the somber office, pillars were on each of the sides as they made their way to the central area where the Headmaster waited for them.  Surrounding the office was a glass wall giving them what would be a breathtaking view of the Beacon Grounds... if they were of any mind to look.

"Ah good, you 3 are here, please, come closer and sit down."  He asked.

"If this is about moving us to another team, I can speak for everybody and say we politely decline."  Ren surprised them all by speaking.

Ozpin gave them a warm smile, then repeated "Please, sit down."  This time, they did.  He took a slurp from his ever present coffee mug, set the cup down, brought both of his hands together making a semi pyramid like structure, and gave them a piercing look.

Off to her side Pyrrha noticed a desk covered by a white sheet, something was obscured below, but she couldn't make out what it was.

"I asked you all here to talk to you about Jaune."  The Headmaster started off the conversation.

"Like I said Headmaster, we have no desire to be moved to another team."  Ren repeated.

"Mr. Lie, I am not asking you to move to another team, in fact I am doing everything I can to prevent that.  But I need your help to do it."  At this point he had their undivided attention.  He pulled out a picture from under his desk, it was a large picture, maybe 1 foot by 18 inches.

"Look at this, tell me what you see."  He said.

The 3 of them studied the picture, it was a diagnostic glyph, taking an image of a human heart.

"A heart"  Pyrrha said.

"A normal heart, more specifically."  Ozpin corrected.  He pulled out another picture and placed it next to the first one.

"Again, what do you see?"  he asked.

They looked at the picture, and saw no noticeable difference.

"Uh, looks like a heart again."  Nora said.

"Correct, the second one is Jaune's heart, it appears for all intents and purposes to be normal.  Surprising isn't it?"  Ozpin said.

At this point, Pyrrha was developing a sick feeling in her stomach.  She observed Ozpin pulling out another picture, setting it on top of both of them.

"This is why I wanted you here.  This photo has finally given us a glimpse at what has been tormenting the young man down in the infirmary."

It was once again a picture of a heart, magnified to an extreme degree.  It showed a very small almost invisible back image, they weren't able to identify it.

"I don't understand."  Pyrrha admitted.

"Jaune Arc, was not born with a weak heart."  Ozpin said.  He gave them some time to let that sink in.

"Again, I... we don't understand"  Ren said.

"Jaune was born with a parasite.  It has gone untreated for the duration of his life."  Ozpin said.

Cold fury started to fill Pyrrha.

"You mean to tell me his family didn't even care enough for him to take him to a doctor?  They just assumed he was born with a heart defect?!"  She could barely keep from screaming in her anger.

"I can't claim to know what caused it initially, and honestly that isn't why I have you here.  If it sets your mind at ease so we can move on, I will tell you I will have two independent doctors perform a report on the young man so we can use that in the future.  What I need from you 3 is much more pressing."

He took another swig from his coffee cup, as if to gather his thoughts on a difficult thing to say.

"When Jaune used his semblance today it overtaxed his body.  Right now instead of being a problem, draining his strength, the parasite is potentially killing him."  He said with a somber expression.

They could not think of something to say.

"You three are faced with a difficult decision.  There is a chance that with his level of aura reserve, he will pull through and survive.  The doctors give him a 20% chance of dying if left untreated.  But if we do that his time here will be at an end.  He would not be able to exert himself like that again as the next time he does, the parasite would kill him."

Nora and Pyrrha both started to tear up, only Ren, with his stoic professionalism kept them off his face.  He was collected enough to ask "What is the alternative?"

"Alternatively we can use a very advanced, and dangerous, dust bombardment treatment.  The odds are strong he will not survive, I am given a 60% chance he will die if we do it, given how long the parasite has gone untreated it is powerful at this point.  It will be difficult to kill.  If they can however, he will finally have a clean slate in terms of health."

Pyrrha had a thought.

"Why is this our decision?  Why isn't his family making the decision?"  She asked.

The headmaster gave her a calculated look before responding.  "The Arcs have not been very helpful on this matter.  They tell me they are near the point of disowning the boy, and are trying to distance themselves from him.  They won't make a decision quickly.  As such it falls to you three, his teammates, who know what he would want best to decide."  He sounded sad as he said that.

The three of them shared glances with each other.

"Renny..."  Was all Nora could say.

"Jaune, I believe, would want to try the procedure.  Leaving Beacon would be horrible for him."  Ren said.

"I also believe the procedure is what he would want, his dream is to protect the innocent, he cannot do that if he is given a lifetime of bed-rest with that... thing in his chest." Pyrrha said, fresh tears in her eyes.

The headmaster smiled at them.  "I was hoping you would say that.  This process is very expensive-"

"I will pay for it."  Pyrrha said, a sharp and hard look in her eyes.

"Thank you Ms. Nikos, but that is not what I was going to say.  The school will cover it.  We invest in all of our students, and Mr. Arc is no exception.  However as your headmaster I will give you the same deal I gave Jaune."  He gave them a warm smile again.

They looked at him expectantly, not sure where he was going with this.  "I want you to give as he does, 100% effort, that includes now.  You all signed up for the Vytal Tournament.  To honor your friend, and everything the tournament stands for, I insist you all compete to the best of your ability.  Do this, and the school will consider it more than fair trade for the medical procedure.  To add to this I want you 3 to return here next year to continue your studies, I have high hopes for you all."

The 3 of them smiled, Pyrrha was happy somebody was willing to give Jaune something essentially for free.  They get to compete, stay with Jaune while he is here, and be with him next year... if he survives.

"How long will the process take?"  Ren asked.

Ozpin was taking another slurp of coffee and didn't respond right away.

"The doctors tell me it will take about 2 weeks, sadly you 3 will likely be gone by the time he wakes up."  He answered.

Pyrrha was sad at hearing this, she wanted to spend more time with him, but at least, she could be with him in-between matches.  The qualifiers for the tournament would start early the next morning and run until Friday.  They would take a break for Saturday, then run through Thursday when the champion would be crowned.

"I suggest you all send warm wishes to your friend, it speaks well of him that he has grown so much this year, and with some luck, will continue to grow in the coming years.  Unfortunately I need to advise our medical staff to start the process soon, and I must ask you three to leave.  I will have another appointment soon."  Ozpin said.

As they silently excited the room, they shared nervous glances with each other, really really hoping they made the right decision.

CH 15.

16 days later.

Strength and feeling slowly coming back into his limbs as Jaune worked his way back to consciousness.  His vision at first was black, but slowly the his eyes captured the image.  While he was confused, he at least could place where he is.  He was in the infirmary, its lights bright against unused eyes.  He looked down and saw a pair of clothes waiting for him in a chair near the rooms door.  Looking around the room he saw some cards next to his bed, and a newspaper.

His arm was slow to follow his commands, but he found the paper, pulled it in front of him and smiled at the headline "Invincible Girl wins Vytal Tournament."  He looked down and saw a picture of his girlfriend smiling for cameras with an absurdly gorgeous trophy in her arms, she carried a card in her hand, the print was small, but she recognized lips present in it.  He realized the tournament ended some time ago.  That would be why they aren't here, he thought sadly.  They are all back at home.

He pulled through the cards left for him, and realized they were from RWBY and JNPR.  Giving him best wishes for a speedy recovery and advising him to let them know when he wakes up.  A special card was from Pyrrha.  It simply said "Love you" and had a pair of lips captured via lipstick on it, and realized Pyrrha had this same card in the newspaper picture, he smiled at the thought.  He would have to remember to send them a message later.

He noticed his scroll on the table and it had a message, received minutes ago.  He picked it up, and suppressed a gasp as it was from Headmaster Ozpin.  It simply read: "Mr. Arc, please get dressed and meet me in my office, as soon as you can."

He rotated himself to the side of the bed, and tested his legs.  Everything is working right... he thought.  Last thing he remembered was his fight with Cardin, he won...he thought... then he blacked out.  Maybe he got hit when he didn't notice and lost?  He decided to ask the Headmaster.

The clothing which was laid out for him was simple, his shoes, shorts and a t-shirt.  Nearly identical to the ones he and Pyrrha spent countless hours working together with, but these were new. 

He quickly dressed and was walking towards the elevator to take to the headmasters study carrying the newspaper and cards from his friends.  While waiting for the elevator to bring him up to the highest level Beacon had to offer he read more of the newspaper article.  All of his friends did exceptionally well in the tournament.  They all made it to the third round, where they mostly started facing each other.  Pyrrha in particular really earned that trophy.  She faced Sun in the first round, somebody who could easily have made it very deep in the tournament.  Cardin in the second round.  Blake in the third.  Ruby in the fourth, and finally Yang in the championship, having never taking a shot... again.  He smiled warmly at his girlfriend, wishing he could have seen her fight, or just seen her in general.

The ding of the elevator pulled him back to the present.  As he stepped out of the elevator he found the Headmaster talking to... an older, taller, and seemingly stronger version of Weiss dressed in the same style as who he guessed is her younger sister.  He stayed a respectful distance behind them so he didn't hear the conversation.  As their conversation concluded he realized the headmaster had seen him... or maybe just heard him and asked him to come forward.

As he was walking the white haired woman stopped him "You must be Jaune."  It was not a question.

"Uh.  Yes, my name is Jaune, pleased to meet you."  He extended his hand to her.

She looked at it for a second longer then he would have preferred, before accepted the handshake, her grip surprisingly strong.

"I have wanted to meet the boy who caused my father such a headache."  She said with a smile.

"Sorry, I don't follow."  He said, a confused expression on his face.

"Don't worry I'm sure my sister will tell you.  My name is Winter, Weiss is my sister."

"Ms. Schnee."  Ozpin called from his desk.  She acknowledged him by nodding her head.

"Sorry, I have to go, nice meeting you Mr. Arc."  She turned, and exited the room.

Not quite sure what to think about the older Schnee Heiress, he turned and moved on to find Ozpin having stood up and circled around his desk to meet him.

"Mr. Arc, it is so good to see you fully recovered."  He said with a warm smile.

"Thank you sir, but uh, recovered from what?" He asked.

"Mr. Arc, look at this."  He held picture.

The picture looked like a mosquito, if you crossed the insect with a shark.  Beyond that it had the unmistakable black white and red combination Grimm have been known to possess.

"It looks like a Grimm sir, but I have never seen the type."  Jaune answered honestly.

"That is because this is a very, very rare kind.  So rare it was thought to have been extinct several times, its name, aptly enough, is Vampire Grimm.  It is a parasite Mr. Arc, and it until recently, is why you were thought to have a weak heart."  Ozpin said.

Jaune just stared at the picture, not quite understanding what Ozpin was trying to tell him.

"I'm afraid I don't understand sir."  He said.

"There is not much more to say beyond what I just did.  You were told incorrectly that you had a weak heart.  This parasite had been leeching off of you since you were born."  Ozpin still had a happy smile on his face.

Jaune took a few steps forwards, and sat down in a chair, his mind reeling.  "So, if that, thing is out of me now, that means I should be healthy right?"  He asked, not quite able to keep the hope out of his voice.

"Correct, Mr. Arc.  While you were resting from the medical process we had to put you through I had 2 doctors do an evaluation."  He moved to sit behind his desk, and pulled out a folder, then set it down in front of Jaune.  "That is the physical copy, I have sent an electronic copy to your scroll, use it as you see fit.  I suggest you read it when you get a chance."

As overjoyed as he was to learn this information, he felt something even more important to him demanded his attention.  "Sir, I meant to ask you, my combat final.  How did I do?"  He asked.

"Ah yes, that."  Ozpin said, taking a sip of coffee.

"All of your grades were satisfactory.  You will be welcomed back next year.  The lowest grade you earned was in Ms. Goodwitch's combat class, which, by the way."  He pulled up a report from his scroll and began reading from it.  "Has performed beyond my expectations for him.  He has improved steadily with the aid of his teammates, and seems to inspire them in a way that is unexpected.  In the combat final assessment he performed tactically and fought well.  Earning a B- with a recommendation for JNPR to join team RWBY in the advanced combat course starting next term."

At seeing Jaune struck speechless.  Ozpin grinned, took another slurp of coffee, and continued "The advanced combat course is something which only happens to the teams who perform above and beyond expectations.  Once selected they continue as a group through their time at Beacon.  It is very rare for two teams to be selected.  You should be very proud of your team."

All Jaune could say was "I owe everything to them, Pyrrha especially."

Ozpin smiled "Believe it or not Jaune, they might say the same about you, including your partner.  While it is true Ms. Nikos is an exemplar in battle, she is not without her weaknesses as an individual.  You and her make a truly exceptional team.  It will be interesting to see where and how RWBY and JNPR grow in the coming years."

That brought an immeasurable smile to Jaune, however it turned into a frown.

"Sir I wanted to ask a favor of you"  He said.

"Oh, do tell, what is on your mind?"  Ozpin asked.

"Sir, as you know, my... ... Father, decided to remove Crocea Mors from my care.  I am grateful that Pyrrha let me use her weapons, but I need my own.  I was hoping you would let me work here for the summer and possibly order a weapon forged for me."  He said carefully.

The smile Ozpin wore on his face was... almost like he was reading Jaune's mind.

"Mr. Arc, remove that sheet over on that desk please."  Indicating the side with one of his hands.

Jaune looked confused, followed the outstretched arm, and saw the desk in question.  He stood, and walked to the covered piece of furniture.  Then removed the white cloth covering it.

He gasped.

Looked back at Ozpin, Ozpin nodded.

He looked forward again, and marveled at the weapon before him.

It was a sheathed sword, very similar to the family heirloom he was familiar with.  The sheath and weapon handle were white, with red and silver highlights giving a detailed image of image of a warm fire near the top of the handle.  He realized he was looking at the back end of the weapon and turned it over.  He gasped again.  On the front of the sheath was Pyrrha's symbol.  A red circle with a spear crossing both edges of the circle, with white contrasts that looked natural on the weapon near the center of the sheath, the top continued the warm fire image.  He also found a white armored bracer, again with Pyrrha's symbol present on it on the top.  It had an intricate detailing matching the sheath of a gentle flame in red and silver.  Under the armored exterior was a leather interior which spanned the length of the bracer and ended in a glove.  The sword was lighter than the weapon he was more familiar with and came with 2 straps.  He was unsure what to make of the weapon beyond its beauty.

Ozpin interrupted his thoughts.  "I had this weapon commissioned for you when I heard the Arcs meant to take away Crocea Mors from you.  As I told your teammates, we invest in our students, which of course includes you.  You are meant to wear that weapon on your back.  Go ahead and put it on."  He gave another warm smile to his student.

Jaune was struggling to get it on correctly as it seemed to be made for a left handed person.  It was currently worn along his back draping down from his shoulder all the way to the edge of his torso diagonally across it.  As if reading his thoughts Ozpin again spoke.

"No, you have it right Mr. Arc, that weapon is indeed placed on your back in that manner.  You draw it with your left hand.  Go ahead."

Jaune hesitantly reach up, grasped the hilt then drew the weapon.  He instantly figured out why it is designed to be drawn left handed.  As his left hand gripped the hilt and pulled, he realized it wasn't, in fact, a hilt.  A shield formed up along his left arm.  As he brought his arm down in front of his body, he saw the shield had taken a shape very similar to the shield he had trained with beyond being curved compared to the angled lines of Crocea Mors.  On the backside of the shield he saw another sheath and realized this would actually be the sword.  With his right hand he drew the sword out from his shield.  He saw Pyrrha's symbol once again on the hilt of the weapon, it was etched in an otherwise white cut gem, given a red color by dust with the same red and silver flame pattern making up the hilt.  The sword looked and felt like a Gladius, a short thick heavy blade roughly the same length that Crocea Mors had been.  The shield and sword both felt perfect, as if the weapon was built specifically for him.

Ozpin spoke on.  "This weapon is made out of newer stronger, and lighter materials than what you were previously using.  The shield is about half the weight of the heirloom you are familiar with, yet it is about 3x more resilient to damage.  The Sword is made out of the same material.  The shield itself has 3 settings.  What it is in now is its base state 'Kite' form.  Extend your aura into the shield."  Jaune did.   "Now will it to-" 

He was cut off by the sound of the shield following its masters will, and it expanded out into a 'Tower' shield.  Large enough to fill a doorway with a small slit to see through though, there was an odd curve on its right edge along with a hand grip for... what purpose Jaune wasn't yet sure. 

"Excellent.  It has one more mode."  Jaune was already triggering the third mode and it attached itself to his arm abandoning the shield form, and instead ran up his arm to his shoulder without impeding his range of motion, appearing to be plate armor but for a piece he could grab on near his hand to reform it back into a shield.

"The sword also has two modes, the short 'Gladius' mode, it is in now, and-"  Jaune, learning how this works, triggered the sword to shift.  The hilt of the sword extended down, doubling in length, the guard extended with the hilt.  The blade grew to near 3 times in length, the thickness shrunk slightly appearing to be a more natural size for that type of weapon, appearing here as a long sword.  With room enough for two hands if he needed to use them, the third mode of the shield now being obvious.

Ozpin was smiling at him again as he spoke "That second mode is its long sword mode named 'Claymore'.  Finally that bracer is meant to be worn on your right arm.  It will function as a bracer against attacks, but it doubles as a gun.  You will need to practice it, you trigger it like you would your weapon otherwise.  It doesn't have many shots until you will need to reload it.  However I thought you might appreciate being able to fight from ranged now to some extent." 

Jaune was struggling mightily, he willed himself not to cry at the Headmasters generosity.  He spun the sword back into Gladius form, sheathed it in the shield after moving the shield back to standard mode, then stowed the weapon on his back.  He gripped the bracer and slid his arm inside, the interior felt natural and wasn't overly tight.  The metal covering started at his wrist covered moved all the way to his elbow.  With a thought the gun module expanded with a large barrel along the right side of his right arm with an adjustable aiming sight on its center, then condensed again.  Realizing now why the tower shield mode had the curvature on its right side.

He felt he should say something.  "Sir, I cannot thank you enough, does the weapon have a name?"

"No, I have left it unnamed, I felt that should be your job."  He replied

"Why Pyrrha's symbols Sir?"  He asked, still mostly speechless.

"Well, back when you first learned of your family's plan to remove Crocea Mors from your possession, she came to me and asked if I could stop it.  I told her I had no control over the matter.  I did however mention I might have a weapon forged for you.  I asked that if I did, if I could use her symbol for your weapon.  She said yes.  Given how close you two have become, I felt it the right decision."  He explained.

Jaune could think of nothing more to do than take the few steps needed to close to the headmaster and hug him, still struggling not to cry.  Ozpin chuckled at the action and returned the hug, before breaking apart after a few seconds.

"Mr. Arc there is one more matter we need to speak about."  He said still smiling at his pupil.

Jaune looked at him expectantly, still struggling to hold back tears over the headmasters unexpected kindness.

"Ms. Goodwitch is waiting for you.  Ms. Nikos has done a truly remarkable job tutoring you.  I expect that to continue as your studies here continue.  However you still need to work on your skills, as such she will give you additional lessons over the summer.  Starting today.  Your gear has already been moved to the year 2 and 3 advance combat class dormitory.  Its location has been sent to your scroll, you are right across from Team RWBY again.  Part of the benefit of being selected for the advanced combat course is each team is moved to different dorm.  Each team will have a common room, though we don't have the space for a private bed room, at least not till year 4.  In the rare cases where 2 teams are selected for the advanced courses we move them together, so your team and RWBY will share a joint commons room.   Also there is a private practice, training and workout area for you both teams to employ.  Your friend Velvet and her team are also part of the advanced combat courses, though she is a year ahead of you, so you can ask her if you have questions about the advanced combat program."

As he spoke Ozpin guided Jaune to the balcony and they had a great view of the noon time view of the Beacon Grounds.

"I am excited to see how you and your friends grow Mr. Arc, almost as much as I am to see how you adapt to a landing strategy on the fly."

"Landing strategy sir?"  Ozpin then pushed him off the balcony.

Oh what the HELLLLLLLL.  Jaune thought, and focused on how the hell he was going to emerge from this without breaking a leg, his legs, or well, every bone in his body.  He reached for his semblance and channeled his power into his legs, trying to level himself out to the ground even as his semblance enveloped him.  He closed his eyes as the ground approached and felt the impact tremors travel through his body, his legs flexing to ease the pressure.  The air parted in a quick burst as the invader landed in a puff of dust.  Nearby students and Beacon personnel looked surprised at the appearance of Jaune, cloaked in his semblance.

Jaune opened his eyes and realized... that he wasn't hurt.  His semblance absorbed the fall, and his aura reserve barely took a hit.  His scroll beeped, a message from Ozpin.

"Well done.  Never doubt yourself, Mr. Arc.  You have earned the respect of this old man, that of your team, and that of your friends.  Keep working hard.  Remember, I asked you for 100% effort.  That has not stopped nor will it stop in your life.  That is what is asked of all Hunters and Huntresses.  The newspaper, cards and other items you left here will be transported to your new room.  For now, Ms. Goodwitch is waiting for you.  Congratulations on a successful term Mr. Arc, and please enjoy your summer here at Beacon."  It concluded with a grinning thumbs up smilie, with the left hand holding a coffee mug, very much like the headmaster himself.

Smiling with pent up energy he didn't realize he had, and overjoyed at finally having something he never really had, his health.  Jaune sprinted to the training area indicated on his scroll, laughing happily to himself that the experience didn't instantly reduce him to painful gasps for breath.  As he approached the outdoor training arena he found Ms. Goodwitch waiting for him, an odd, almost smile on her face.  As he was walking down to the training floor he looked forward to seeing his friends, and girlfriend soon, along with the start of the fall term.


	2. Year 2 Fall Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JNPR and RWBY return to Beacon for the start of their second year, eager to see their Blond haired friend and the resumption of their studies as huntsmen in training.

Ch 2.1

Pyrrha was staring at her scroll, she couldn't get it out of its place in her clothes fast enough.  Unfortunately she was a smidgeon disappointed with the message she received.

"Hey Pyrrha, sorry I have been hard to contact.  I've been working hard at Beacon.  They have been keeping me busy, but I can't wait to see you.  Congratulations again on the Vytal Festival victory. Love -J"

It was the second message she had received from him on the summer, she spent agonizing hours waiting for word that he had survived his operation.  She only really found out later from Ozpin himself when he sent the message providing Jaune's apparently new scroll ID.  She then messaged Jaune, and this was the second reply she had received.  She... pledged, to herself that she and her Boyfriend, however much she love him, will have words over the lack of messages she has received this summer.  She might even enjoy the chance, she thought with a sly grin.  Remembering the blond goof always put a smile on her face, and her annoyance couldn't stay for long.  With that she went back to what she was doing.  Finishing off the first of Jaune's art books on the bullhead to Beacon for the start of their second year.

She had precious few new pages to look through, thankfully she found she could look at some of her favorites from earlier and they always managed to put a smile on her face.  She had ripped out the page reminding her of his family and their claiming of Crocea Mors.  That image only ever darkened her mood.  Thankfully there was plenty in it which gave her all the warm fuzzy feelings she needed. 

Today was the last 3 pages remaining in the book.  The first was of her, the title was named "Too Perfect", and she felt it was going to be a good day already.  She was shown on the picture in her various clothing setups.  She was shown stretching in her t-shirt and shorts, reminding her of that moment they shared in their dorm room when he offered to give her all the back rubs she wanted.  She had to admit, she felt herself looking at the images of herself a bit too much, they were simply drawn too well.  She almost didn't think that she could look THAT good in the otherwise modest clothing she was depicted in.  Yet, his book made it so, and as she looked to the right that feeling of giddiness only intensified.  As she was shown in various posses in her battle attire, her school outfit, her pajama's and finally the dress she wore to the winter dance last year.  They weren't as detailed as some of the others she had seen in this book, they couldn't be with all the posses and images he managed to cram into the page.  However his heart was made clear on the page, and she was able to read it.  No matter what she wore, no matter what she was doing.  He found her 'perfect'  She could think of no greater praise than that.

Her face contained a blush she didn't know she had as she turned the page.  Unfortunately her blush was tamed a bit at the image she was now viewing.  It took her several minutes of studying the image until she understood what he was trying to say with his art.  It was a picture of Jaune sitting on a bed, with a cloud like structure above his head.  Inside the cloud was the question "How can I ask her?".  With hastily put together images of she and him training, eating, laughing and even going so far as being a team together.  Yet it was all wrong.  When realization dawned, she gasped.  This wasn't a page devoted to his joys or loves.  This was something that terrified him.  He wanted to ask me out she realized.  Judging by the images on the page he had wanted to for weeks, maybe even months.  Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it as he was terrified of the cost if I had turned him down.  He would have lost his best friend potentially.  He might have lost his trainer and tutor, thereby all but damning his chances of remaining at Beacon.  He might have even lost his team if she had gone to Ozpin and requested that she be moved off JNPR.  Suddenly her heart swelled as she realized something else.  These must have been his thoughts as he answered her truth or dare from the previous year.  He knew at least in his mind, what the risks were.  He could have passed, the safe thing to do was pass.  Yet he did not.  She did not think she could have loved Jaune anymore, but in that moment, she thought she proved herself wrong.  Another realization struck her.  She had been doing that the entire time she had known him.  Overcoming thresholds that she didn't even know were put into place.  She hoped it was a trend which would continue forever.

Feeling a curiosity for the last image she turned the page to the final page left in the book.  The image was simple, yet, it instantly ranked amongst the her favorite pictures in the book.  This image was named "Thank you Pyrrha" and it simply showed both herself and him in their school outfit on the rooftop.  She had just helped him off the ground with what would trigger to be their nightly training.  They were holding hands in a handshake, and were looking at each other's eyes.  One of the rare times he had written in words being spoken in the images, "Let's try that again" was being said by her.  She wasn't sure if this image was left specifically for her, as if he predicted she would look through his art book or what.  It was however a nice enough drawing of them sharing one of the first moments they would share as friends.

She smiled contently to herself at having finished up the first book, and was almost looking forward to stealing...confiscating... liberating!!  Yes.  Liberating another book from Jaune once she saw him again.  Her time spent looking through them she discovered, she cherished.  She wasn't working out, or training or, exercising.  Activates she did enjoy and that was even more so true with Jaune was with her.  However looking through these images almost made her feel a normal person. Like her time at Sanctum was a distant memory, and she was eternally grateful for being where she was at her life at this point in time.

Pulling her attention out of the book and finding that there were tears of happiness in her eyes she scanned the room.  The bullhead was filled up of the RWBY and JNPR members returning to Beacon.  They had waited for each other, and took the same craft back.  Nora and Ren were sitting down.  Ren appeared to be trying to meditate, and Nora seemed determined not to let him.  She wasn't sure what was up with them, she always assumed they were dating.  However it seems that just wasn't the case.  Every time she or anybody else broached the subject they would both answer 'we are just friends, good friends, but still just friends'.  Nobody ever seemed to challenge it either.  They basically looked identical to the last time she saw them.  Nora might be perhaps a bit more muscular, and Ren it seems had longer hair, but they otherwise were unchanged.

A loud sound drew her attention to her far left.

"Ruby!" a voice said.

Ruby soon exited the room and turned right towards the rest of them near the seating area.  It took her a few seconds to remember that she and Weiss had gone into the room just before she got the message from Jaune.  Ruby had truly grown up over the summer break.  The girl she said goodbye too was practically gone.  Her hair was grown out now cupping her face down to her shoulders.  She appeared to have gained about 5 inches in height and she was starting to resemble Yang a bit more in other departments.  It was obvious she had stayed active on the break as she now cut a very athletic figure, though she still moved with the happiness and awkward streaks that she was known for.  Beyond the physical changes she wore nearly identical clothing to what she did when she met her initially, the black and red overtones and a cape down to her ankles.

Following Ruby was Weiss.  Weiss hasn't changed much over the break.  Being 18 now her figure was filled out somewhat, but she hasn't changed anywhere near as much as Ruby has.  Her attention was stolen by the Heiress calling after her partner, she turned in Ruby's direction.

"Ruby come on I didn't mean that!"  The Heiress stated without an undue amount of strain on her voice.  When Ruby didn't turn around however Weiss seemed a bit dazed.  Eventually she recovered enough to turn and reentered the room.  This was surprising for Pyrrha as Ruby always was quick to do basically anything Weiss said in an effort to please her partner.  She had never known Ruby to get mad and walk away like that.  The Reaper walked straight to her older sister, Yang was quick to start trying to cheer up the younger girl. 

Pyrrha finally spotted Blake, sitting down in the area near Yang happily reading a book, as she had been for the last 2 hours of the bullheads flight.  Blake seemed, very different as a person, more so perhaps than anybody.  She had stayed with the sisters on her team, not having a home to go back too.  She was never very good at reading the Faunus's mood, but she would have sworn she seemed… happy.  Her hair had grown out on the sides, though the top of her head was still free to allow her the use of her cat ears.

Pyrrha pulled her attention to the room where Weiss entered and she couldn't help but wonder what was said to cause Ruby to run off like that.

She would have contemplated more but was distracted by a sound coming from two people she recognized from Beacon the previous year.  They were two of the people who had annoyed her tremendously over the course of the last year, and last term especially.  She tried her best to ignore their conversation.  It reminded her too much of the constant talk behind her back which she found herself the victim of back at Sanctum.  It was highly tiresome to listen to the chatter about both her and Jaune, something she would need to talk to him about at some point.  Though she still was hardly adept at speaking about her feelings, she was getting better at it.  While she realized it was foolish to think everybody would accept her at Beacon.  She once harbored a fear that Beacon would be no better than her previous schooling, thanks to Jaune, that wasn't the case.  However that didn't stop the words like 'masculine' , 'intimidated' or 'threatening' to be any less painful to hear.

She decided to walk away from her solitary corner. She gathered her supplies and walked over to Ruby and Yang.  At least the distance would silence the hurtful words for some time.  However before she got out of range she heard 2 things which hurt her perhaps more than anything else in her life 'Why hasn't Jaune left her yet?', 'Look at her, he is obviously scared of the Amazon girl'.

Yang was the first to include her in their conversation noticing her mood once she reached the sisters "Hey P-Money looking good girl.  You just get more gorgeous each day"  She said.

Pyrrha couldn't help but blush at those words, she knew Yang was just being friendly, not flirtatious with her.  Honest praise however, wasn't anything to be ashamed about.  Looking at her reflection in the glass window she didn't think she had changed all that much from the previous time she had seen her friends.  Her body she knew, was in superb shape already and there wasn't much to improve.  Same feminine curves, same slim and graceful body with a very athletic build capable of power.  Though it is possible she might have added a touch more muscle on her thighs than when she left Beacon last year.  That and her hair was currently a mess.  She had tried to put it in her mother's style Mistralian braid before receiving the text from Jaune, it is one of the rare times she was without her normal pony tail.  While talking to Yang and Ruby she decided to try and get it back in her customary style.

"Thank you Yang"  She responded back, conversation was easier for her after her time with Jaune, but it still was a chore at times to just pass the time without a clear goal in mind to talk about.  "You look great yourself."

"Oh I haven't changed a bit, which I suppose is a good thing, kinda.  Any more top heavy and Weiss would throw a hissy fit, never mind that I might not be able to walk."  the Brawler replied with a wink at her sister before turning back to Pyrrha and just seemed to notice her hair being a mess.  Pyrrha personally thought she was a bit more top heavy… though she wasn't exactly an expert on Yang's bust.

"What happened to your hair?  I've never seen it all messed up before."  Yang continued.

Pyrrha had an obvious look of embarrassment on her face as she answered.  "I thought I could put it in my mother's style braid, I suppose I over estimated how easy it would be."

"Why not go with your pony tail?"  Blake asked without tearing her eyes away from her book.

"It's a… tradition."  The Spartan tried to answer.

"What kind of tradition?"  Blake asked as she pressed the issue, a habit she must have picked up from Yang.

"The braid… it symbolizes something, it is spiritual."  She tried again.

"Pyrrha, it would be easier if you just say it, we aren't going to judge you."  Yang pushed.

"But, it's embarrassing!" Pyrrha complained.

"Pyrrha, I mean it.  Nobody is going to hold anything against you, but I won't make you talk about something if you don’t want to."  the Brawler said earnestly.

Pyrrha blushed heavily, but decided they are right, they wouldn't judge her… and this is something she choose to do it isn't anything to be ashamed about… even if it does reveal some private information.  "Ok.  Well… You all know how I am always wearing my Tiara, right?"  Yang and Blake nodded, Ruby appeared to not be paying attention.  "Well… in Mistral, if you… pledged to stay… pure, until marriage.  You wear the Tiara, the braid is something those girls put their hair in at some point during the week of their birthdays up until they are married."

Yang suddenly felt like she was at a buffet, all this blackmail and teasing material!  Yet, she also realized it was a showing of trust on Pyrrha's part, it would feel like a betrayal of that trust if she used it against her.  Though she remembered that Jaune claimed to be good at hair care, maybe he could get it into the braid for her.  He didn't need to know about the meaning of the braid, just that she was trying to put her hair in it and it is important to Pyrrha… She might even coax a backrub out of him for giving him the info to help his girlfriend, amazing idea!

"Pyrrha I had no idea you were such a romantic!"  She said to try and keep her reputation as a jokester front and center, Pyrrha didn’t need to know her plans about telling Jaune.

"It is more of a spiritual thing, but it is important to me…  It isn't like if I can't do it my vows are somehow forfeit but I am trying to abide by them as best as I can."  Pyrrha finished.

"In all honesty Pyrrha that isn't anything to be ashamed about.  It is a great thing to preserve some things until it is the proper time.  That is a rare pledge though in Mistral isn't it?  I hear Mistrali people are very… outgoing and forwards with their relationships."  Yang queried.

"Many are yes… I've chosen to follow my mother in this way."  She was relieved it was easier to say than she expected.

"Why was that so hard to say?"  Blake asked.

"I don't know, its, just a highly personal topic."  She answered.

"Pyrrha, choosing to wait isn't a bad thing or anything to embarrassed about.  I sometimes wish I chose to wait, to share it with somebody special you know?"  Yang admitted.

Ruby was clearly still mad about something and interjected from seemingly nowhere. "I cannot **stand** that Princess right now" her pout had evidently been replaced with an annoyed half smile in the time she had left Beacon, Pyrrha didn’t think she had heard the conversation at all.  Then again maybe she did hear the conversation and just felt no desire to listen to Yang as she talked about her love life.

"Princess?"  Pyrrha asked.  "Oh you mean Weiss, do you want to talk about it?"  She didn't mind the fact that they had moved on from the previous subject at all.

Ruby gave her a sidelong glance and responded "Thank you Pyrrha but no.  I want to go back in that room and kick her in her tiny-perfect-little butt.  However I won't do that, we just had an argument happens all the time."  Pyrrha couldn't tell if she meant that literally or not.

"I'm just glad to be back at Beacon.  I've wanted to see Jaune all summer!"  Pyrrha said with supreme happiness on her face, her previous embarrassment forgotten.

"Oh don't even get me started on Boy Wonder."  Yang said "We asked him to tell us what is going on, he didn't get a single message through until last week!  Honestly I just want to punch him."  A coy grin took root in the brawlers face as she said that.

"I am a bit disappointed that he didn't send us more information over the summer I admit.  I am sure he has a good reason though.  He considers us his true family he wouldn't deliberately ignore us." The Spartan advised in caution.

Yang and Ruby shared a look.  "What do you mean by that Pyrrha?"  Yang asked with obvious confusion on her face.

"Yang, you saw the picture, you looked through his art book.  You know what I mean"  The Spartan replied.

"Actually I didn't get all the way through, I got to the doubled up image of you and stopped"  She clarified.

"What are you two talking about?"  Ruby asked.  It never occurred to Pyrrha that the rest of the group never knew about Jaune's art book.

"Jaune keeps, well, kept an art book where he drew several things.  Here take a look."  At that Pyrrha pulled out the book and handed it to Ruby.  Ruby spent a good few minutes looking through the images.  She was obviously still mad at Weiss and instantly skipped over any image which involved her and finally made comments when she saw the pictures of herself or others.  When she got to "My Warrior Goddess" she took a sharp breath and her eyes became huge.

"Wow, Jaune is actually really good at drawing huh.  I am a bit jelly at his picture of you here Pyrrha.  Nobody has ever taken the time to do something like that for me before.  Almost makes me want to ask him to."  The infamous Ruby pout was almost present on her face when she said that.  She turned the page and it ended up on 'My Family'.  Pyrrha had the immense satisfaction of seeing both Yang and Ruby's jaw hit the floor as they started to scan over the image.

"Blake you need to see this"  Ruby said.

Blake seemed annoyed that she was being asked to pull away from her book but obliged, and soon she had the same expression on her face.

"He cannot be serious"  Yang managed to say.

"Uh, I think he is, why don't you Yang?"  Pyrrha asked.

"I don't have a particular reason, I just find it hard to believe he views us as his true family."  The brawler did her best to voice her thoughts.

"I don't know, this was drawn with great care."  Blake admitted.  "He even managed to make Zwei look adorable to me in that picture.  Cats aren't suppose to like dogs"  She continued saying.

Yang found that comment highly humorous and just started laughing.  An act which caused Blake to sigh, then just sit down and go back to reading her book.

"I'm excited to see our new dorm room."  Ruby said, and continued "It is suppose to be something special since both of our teams were selected for the advanced combat class."

"What exactly does that mean?"  Blake asked.

"It means we have combat class like we did first year, but we also have an additional class which is designed to be exceptionally challenging."  Ruby responded.

"Yeah that's right, they only have that class once a week.  Sometimes even a month as they don't normally have set schedules with that course.  It might mean we have a mission as a team to accomplish too.  Basically it can mean a lot of things.  They are said to be highly intense or abnormal affairs."  Yang advised.

"It will be nice to be challenged, and I am also interested in seeing our new dorm room."  They turned to see Weiss had left the room to join the gathering.

Weiss settled in next to Ruby, and an uneasy silence continued between the two of them leaving Pyrrha very confused.

"I hear it is suppose to be awesome, each team gets its own common's area and we as sibling teams get a join commons room.  Plus we get a separate private training area, and kitchen."  Blake said... uncharacteristically energetic in her wording.... As if she was just trying to move the conversation on.

"Our own private kitchen, just think of all the cookies we could make Ruby"  Yang said.

Ruby despite her mood, couldn't help but smile at that.  Suddenly like a light turning on in a dark room.  It was like all was normal with RWBY and JNPR again... with the exception of their absent goofball Blond Knight.

"So, we arrive at Beacon around noon, have the weekend and then classes start on Monday, what is everybody going to do over the weekend?  I hope Jaune and I can get some training in over the weekend!"  She couldn't believe the first thing she wanted to do with her boyfriend is train with him, but it was honest.

Yang had a smirk on her face as Pyrrha said that, in good humor responded "Honestly Pyrrha, I have to admit I am curious to see him too, but I am serious when I said I want to punch him for how little he has sent to Ruby and I over the summer break after what we went through given his condition.  So please don't be too mad if I give him a new bruise or 12."  Yang couldn't help but smile despite herself.

"Well, I'm sure he will have a good reason for his silence, if not, I might just join you in those punches" Pyrrha responded sharing the same smirk as Yang.

"Nora wants to break his legs"  Ren said suddenly, nobody noticed him approach.

"Yes Nora does!"  The Hammer-wielder shouted still on the other side of the room in confirmation.

"No broken bones guys we need him able to walk right?" Pyrrha said.

"Pfft with his aura he could heal broken bones over a weekend, he needs to learn to be more forthcoming with information."  Nora said as she walked to the group.

"Can't we all agree to a light bruising?  I don't want a months' worth of detention for breaking another students legs on the first day we are back."  Weiss said massaging her temple.

"Why are we assuming he will require somebody hitting him at all?"  Blake said smiling despite not looking away from her book.

"Cause... it is more fun that way?"  Nora supplied.

From then on they laughed and chatted like friends who hadn't seen each other in many long months could, and took turns looking through the art book Pyrrha had stolen... taken... liberated!!

Ch 2.2

The bullhead landed at the Beacon Ground a touch ahead of schedule, slightly after 11:30.  They descended the ramp to a familiar sight, Beacon in the middle of summer.  They saw the Beacon staff moving the luggage of various students to their respective dorms, and the obvious first years who still had to carry their stuff with them to their initiation.  The group was all carrying their weapons wearing their typical combat gear, the remainder of their luggage being transported to their dorm room as well as new school uniforms and lounge shirts and shorts being sent to their respective rooms.  The staff officer did a triple take at all the boxes of dust Weiss was bringing along, and had to order another crew to assist them in getting it back to their room safely.

"At least this time Ruby won't blow up half my dust like last year."  The Heiress said with a humored smirk on her face.

Ruby just rolled her eyes and looked around, then moved on.

"Looks lively doesn't it" Pyrrha asked scanning the surroundings similar to Ruby.

"Yeah, this year Beacon was used to help serve as a summer home for orphans and under privileged children.  I would wager that is what Jaune has been helping with." the Reaper said.

"The summer camp is also used to help provide additional training for students to find their way into a combat school to eventually be taught as a Huntsmen.  Normally the school helped off site but this year they decided they needed to use school grounds."  Weiss stated as if she were reading it from a book.

They continued to talk amongst themselves but Pyrrha had a mind to look for her boyfriend, she halfway expected him to greet them as they landed, and was disappointed in that hope.

They moved off the central path, keen to avoid the large crowd of first years arriving with their families, and instead moved around the outer grounds, near the outer training areas.  It seems they saw everybody they could possibly see, except the one she wanted to see.  They saw team CRDL, team SSSN and even team CFVY go about their business, yet the blond haired knight eluded them.

"Where could he be I wonder?"  Pyrrha asked, a frown appearing on her face.

"Like I said Pyrrha, its punching time when we meet him" the Brawler said with a smirk.

As they walked along the grounds they eventually came to one of the outside training area's and found a small crowd had gathered.  In particular many girls she recognized from the previous year were staring open mouthed at the proceedings below.  When Pyrrha looked around she realized she had fallen slightly behind her friends.  Yang was walking at the head of the pack, she reached the opening to the walkway down and soon she had the same expression on her face as the other girls who had annoyed her so.

"Holy... Crap!"  Yang managed to state in disbelief.  She looked like Ruby would if she saw a cookie as big as the Beacon Tower.

The rest of the group reached Yang at this point and turned to watch the proceedings and their collective eyes went big, jaws open.  Even the stoic Ren was looking in utter confusion at the scene below.

"Pyrrha, you are going to want to see this"  He said very matter of fact like.

Curiosity overwhelming her she walked up to Yang then turned to her right... and she then understood the gaping mouthed looks on her friends.

In the arena below was a blond male with his shirt off in hand to hand combat with 2 others.  The two were young, obviously either orphans or pre combat students trying to get some combat experience in, but she couldn't help but feel a tremendous heat on her face as she blushed.  The young man looked so different from Jaune that she at first, didn't believe it was him.  Skinny didn't do Jaune justice, he worked hard and was able to gain a fair amount of muscle towards the later end of the second term.  Even so the differences were so much, she struggled connecting how they could be the same person.  Until he turned as she saw his ocean blue eyes, and the same friendly look on his face though at present it was concentrating heavily on defending himself. While he hasn't yet seen his friends, it was obvious she was looking at her Boyfriend.  He had his hair cut short, it wasn't scraggily and all over the place, and in the time since she saw him last he had started accumulating a bit of a beard.  Suddenly reminded that Jaune turned 18 like the rest of them, only now with a clean bill of health.  It shouldn't surprise her that he looked so much stronger than the last time she had seen him if he continued to work like he had been the last she saw him.

A part of her mind was counting off details regarding his fighting, improved stance, but still with many areas to improve, better movement and balance, still with more points he can improve on.  The list went through its completion and she admitted that he still had a tremendous amount of growth left in him, but still, the level of change was very welcome sight for the Spartan.  The other part of her mind was trying to contemplate how one person could change that much over just a summer break, and failing to come to a solid conclusion.  The sheer amount of muscle he had gained was staggering.  He wasn't bulky by any means, he still carried an athletic build akin to a boxers or a swimmers, however she couldn't help but stare at him.

"That cannot be Arc."  Weiss mumbled more to herself than anything.

"It seems the boy we knew has become a man."  Ren said.

"Musta been eating different cookies than I do... did...do"  Ruby complained.

"Wow, he looks yummy... Sorry Pyrrha"  Yang said wistfully.

Pyrrha was too much in a daze to comprehend that, and she was too happy to see him to make any action at all anyway.  Both sides of her brain still rattling off details about both him and his fighting style, being filed away for future references.

Jaune was backpedaling smoothly while using a basic fighters stance identical to the one she had taught him, and the two people were struggling to land a hit.  She saw several openings he could have attacked back and was curious why he didn't as she was certain he saw them himself.  Until she realized that Ms. Goodwitch was also present, and then recognized the nature of the lesson.  One person would do nothing but defend, the other 2 would try and work as a team to beat the guard on a person who wasn't making any attempt on attacking back.

"Move your feet Simmons!  You won't catch anybody if you are still so flatfooted"  Goodwitch instructed.

Astute advise Pyrrha thought.

"Ok that's it, now I really want to punch him.  Goofball knights aren't allowed to grow up this quick especially when I am not around to witness it."  The Brawler repeated tapping her finger against her elbow as she stood watching the proceedings with her arms crossed.

"You know Yang, that right there is why people think you are crazy."  Ruby couldn't help but tease her sister.

"That sounds like a their problem to me sis."  The Brawler responded with a grin and a wink.

"I bet he is overjoyed to have his health" Ren put forth.

"Ms. Goodwitch seems to have kept him busy over the summer"  Nora observed.

"That might be an understatement, he looks like he has gained 30 lbs over the summer, and a couple inches taller"  Blake observed.

Pyrrha couldn't work up the nerve to speak it, but she would have guessed 35 lbs herself.  The scraggily boy was almost completely gone at this point, yet the kind gentle awkward boy somehow remained, the result was something between adorable, cute and some other word she couldn't place, but wagered Yang would know.

The match continued for 4 more minutes, at which point the 2 younger fighters bent over gasping for breath.  Jaune was breathing noticeably, but his breaths didn't seem to pain him, and he maintained his posture.  He succeeded in avoiding their assault without taking a shot.

"Excellent work Mr. Arc, It is rewarding to see your efforts pay off"  Goodwitch issued a rare compliment.  Jaune seemed to utter a reply but it was cut off by the Brawler declaring:

"That's it, I'm punching him."  Yang said as she pulled out her scroll, and quickly sent a message to Ms. Goodwitch 'Hey, can I punch him now? -YXL'

"How did you get Ms. Goodwitch's scroll ID?"  Weiss asked.

"She is an old friend of our dad, Taiyang."  Ruby answered seeing Yang stretch a bit in excitement.

Almost immediately from the time Yang sent the message Goodwitch looked at her scroll. A rare and obvious smile appeared.  She looked back at the crowd, spotted Yang.  Then sent something via her scroll.  Yang looked at her scroll to see the message 'Fine, but no weapons'.

Yang should not look that happy at the prospect of beating up my boyfriend, Pyrrha couldn't help but think.  However she was curious on two different levels.  As somebody attracted to Jaune she had to admit she wanted to see him fight more, a lot more.  As his mentor and partner she was curious about how he would do against somebody more in line with who he would be facing regularly.... she didn't really know which one was more in charge between the two.

"Nora give me a hand here."  Yang said with a smirk after finishing her stretches.

Catching on quick Nora armed her hammer, reared back, Yang jumped, landed on her hammer, then was sent flying towards the ring.

'BANNNNNZAIIIIIII!"  Was all the Brawler could shout in exhilaration as she flew towards her target.

***

Jaune was happy, aside from when he was with Pyrrha, the happiest he had ever been.  He had worked tremendously hard to catch up with his studies having missed 4 years of combat school, and with his skills under Ms. Goodwitch.  He wasn't so arrogant as to think he was where he would have been if he attended combat school, but he didn't feel like he was sinking into a sea of his own ineptitude anymore.  Without that Vampire in him, he was suddenly feeling free. 

He knew he still wasn't a match for his partner Pyrrha, he knew he might never be a match for her.  While he was night and day to the person he was when he started his studies here, he had no illusions about how truly mighty his partner is.  If anything he had a tendency to lowball her as he sometimes had difficulty grasping mentally the limits of her skill with her weapon, endurance, athletic ability and natural grace.  He none the less hoped she wouldn't have to hold back so much now when they practiced this year.  Something he hoped they would do a great deal of.

He noticed Ms. Goodwitch appear distracted.  When she looked back at him on the lower level she gave him a leveled look and simply said:

"It seems you have a challenger Mr. Arc." There was no way even he could miss the smile on her face as she said that.

"BANNNNNNZAIIIII!!!"

He heard from.. above?  He looked, and saw a familiar face... and a fist on a collision course with his nose.

"MEEP!"  Was about the only thing he could utter as he ducked down and dove to his side.  There was an audible -thunk- as her fist hit the ground.  Jaune continued with his roll then jumped when his feet had friction to the ground and got a few feet away from... his friend, self-adopted sister, and ally Yang Xiao Long.  Who for reasons he couldn't explain, was trying to kill him.

"Uh Hello Yang" He said tentatively... Then ducked as she didn't seem interested in speaking, at least, not with her voice.

Her face didn't appear angry, she just had the same happy face she always wore when she was sparring with a friend, which was oddly comforting as he really didn't want to face an angry Yang when he was weaponless.  Regardless of the fact that she wasn't using her bracelets against him.

***

"Well, he dodged that one"  Ruby said with cheer.

"I expected that to hit, his reaction times have improved"  Blake said.

Pyrrha was all excitement and felt like cheering, but she held back and merely watched with eager eyes.

***

Yang was ever the aggressor in the contest, firing off combo into combo.  While Jaune kept retreating intelligently.  Blocking punch after punch, combo after combo.

Yang landed the first hit, a punch to his core.  She couldn't land more than one hit though as he quickly closed his guard and threatened to trap her arm in an arm bar.  She almost thought he took the hit on purpose to try it.  She quickly retracted her arm and kicked to force him into a defensive posture again to resumed her attacks.  He ducked under the kick instead of blocking and countered with a punch surprising her.  She was able to elude the punch but she was forced momentarily on the defensive.

Taking his chance to attack he threw out his own quick combo of punches.  Yang dodged and avoided his counter strikes, backpedaling a moment, then came at him again once his 5 punch chain ended.

***

"He is doing very well all things considered"  Weiss said.

Pyrrha still couldn't speak, loving all too much what she was seeing.  He got hit yes, but Yang was actually working at it.  Sure, she could bring it up another gear or two, sure she could be doing a lot of things different if she were actually trying to hurt him.  However the days when he would get bulled over instantly it seems, were long gone.  The level of happiness that brought to her face was difficult to quantify.

"What do you think Pyrrha?" Nora asked shooting a knowing smile at her teammate.

"I don't think she can hear you Nora"  Ren said with a rare chuckle.

"Why doesn't he use his semblance I wonder?"  Ruby asked.

"My guess?  Because Yang hasn't used hers."  The Heiress responded.  Secretly she was wondering just how eerily Pyrrha's predictions have come true, she was always one to preach about Jaune's potential.  It seemed the Spartan has been proven correct again, as it was obvious Jaune still had a great deal to grow, he was already light-years ahead of when they last saw him.  The list of people who can stand against Yang in hand to hand combat was short, yet it seems that list now included the previously incompetent Jaune, who was suddenly looking much less incompetent.

***

Yang could not help but be impressed with Jaune.  She knew he was taught extremely well by Pyrrha, and if the Spartan had her way she would spend a great deal of time with him again this year.   She also knew however Jaune never was very adept at hand to hand combat.  Even so, she sparred with Pyrrha enough to recognize Pyrrha's style, the way she goes about her battles.  While Jaune still had a great deal to grow, she couldn't help but feel like she faced a shadow of his mentor, granted in a manner she wasn't treating tremendously seriously.

They shared the same defensive foundation to their combat stance, yet Jaune had his own unique presence as well.  She didn't know if it was because he didn't think he really could match her in a fight, or if it was really just how he fought.  His movements and defense sequences were minimalistic in the extreme, no wasted movement.  It gave him a very solid defense to work with, true it put him at a disadvantage when attacking as the minimalistic movements made it easier to predict where he was going to strike.  Still, less than 2 years of fighting education he was doing admittedly, very well.

-THUD-

The punch she just threw at him connected again.  His aura continued to hold against her attacks, but she was growing increasingly frustrated that she couldn't get in more than an off hit here or there.

She landed another punch, then another, and another.  He was able to force her back with a kick aimed at her midsection.  She thought she was starting to see the pattern to his defense, thinking it was time to put down the Knight she opened up the playbook.

That was when he surprised her. 

As she was ducking in for her attack he leapt forward and his knee connected with her forehead.  It was an attack right out of Pyrrha's arsenal.  Something the Spartan had caught her with several times.  Suddenly she was on the defensive.

***

"Wow, he is doing really well" Ren praised his team leader.

Pyrrha still hadn't regained the use of her voice and couldn't respond.

Ruby looked at Pyrrha with an immensely amused look on her face.  "Hey look Pyrrha, all you can eat chocolate, just over there."  The Reaper joked.

Pyrrha responded by... staring at the fight below.

"Nothing?"  Ruby exclaimed.

"Wow, Jaune has her hypnotized."  Blake joked.

Pyrrha had taken to walking closer so she could put her hands on the guard rail while she watched them go at it.  The rest of the group walked up and joined her.

"Whoa, I wonder whose stuff that is?"  Ruby asked, looking at a weapon and bracer on a table off to the side nearby, also noting the shirt, water bottle and towel nearby.

"Not sure, I haven't seen that before" Ren admitted.

They looked back down on the fight taking place.  Jaune had taken to the attacking side for the first time, and it didn't last long.  Yang contorted gracefully, leapt over a punch from Jaune, then connected with a powerful hammerblow halting his attack, sending him back a few steps.  Sensing blood in the water Yang opened up with ferocious attack sequence... and ended up on the ground as Jaune caught her arm, spun around, and threw her over his hip.  He held on for dear life to her arm as he tried to get her in an arm bar.

Brute force matched with determined resolve as they tried to gain the superior position.  Yang learned that, while he was much stronger than he previously was, she still had the advantage.  They struggled on the ground with Yang fighting to get a leverage advantage.  Jaune was pulling with all he had, when suddenly a whistle blew, signaling the end of the match.

They were both breathing hard when Goodwitch addressed them.  "As much fun as I am having watching you two beat each other senseless I have another group of people who need access to the arena."  With that she turned on her heel and moved to the next group of students who were waiting.

Both Jaune and Yang picked themselves off the ground at the same time.  Jaune offered her a handshake on a good match, Yang grabbed his hand and pull him into a hug.

They shared a sibling moment together in their hug, when they broke apart Yang added in.

"I give you fair warning, more punches are coming unless you can answer our questions well Jaune."  Her voice was friendly and manner was joking.

"Uh, our?"  He asked looking around the arena.

It then he noticed a certain gorgeous redhead on the upper level with her vivid green eyes locked on him, a wicked grin on her face, excitement oozing off of her.

"You guys are early!  I didn't expect you for another hour!" he said making sure his voice carried to the top.

"JAUNE!!"  His friends called to him from above, Ruby and Nora waving at him.

"Come on, let's go meet the psyche ward"  Yang advised.

His friends waited until he reached the upper level, and then, he was swarmed.

Pyrrha was in his arms very quickly and embraced him with all the strength she could bring to bear, it felt like that anyway.  She didn't seem to care that he was sweaty.

"Pyrrha!!!  I missed you"  He said with an oddly sweet tone to his voice.

"Me too" Was all she could say before her lips surged forward, they shared a kiss.  He didn't press her for more, as she still wasn't all that used to public displays of affection.  Though even he sensed she wanted more, just not at the moment surrounded by strangers.

"I missed you guys." he said, his ever present friendly smile on his face.

They exchanged greetings with each other.  As they were talking he didn't notice the odd looks they were giving him as he moved over to the table Ruby had previously mentioned grabbed the towel, and dried himself off, then tossed the towel into the used bin near the arena stair.  Grabbed the shirt, put it on.  Something which assisted Pyrrha in focusing and removing the blush from her face.  But there was no mistaking the looks he received when he picked up the weapon and bracer.  He grabbed the water bottle, took a healthy drink from it, and attached it to the strap around his waist which anchored his weapon in place.  Otherwise the Bracer went on his right arm, the sword he strapped on over his shirt, hilt on his left shoulder, weapon extending all the way to his right hip.

"Jaune, why do you have a weapon?"  Ruby asked.

"Why does that stuff have Pyrrha's symbol on it?" Weiss asked.

"Where did you get that weapon!?"  Ruby asked again.

"Ah ok ok one at a time please.  Let's get out of the arena, Goodwitch is going to start another class and we are taking up space."  He was starting to understand Yang's warning about questions.

They followed him out of the public arena.  He didn't even notice the whispers from the group of girls from before.  But Pyrrha heard them, as did Weiss and Yang, Pyrrha unfortunately, was started to get tired of hearing those type of things being said about her and Jaune.

"Ok Jaune, spill it.  Weapon.  Explain.  Now."  Ruby asked/demanded/threatened.  She always had a bit of a sweet tooth for new weapons.

"Uh, it was a gift from Ozpin."  The knight answered.

"Why didn't you tell me you got a new weapon!"  Ruby said angrily.

At the same time Weiss asked.

"Why does that weapon have Pyrrha's symbol?"

"Uh Ozpin thought it would be good-"  He started answering her.

"Jaune why did you wait so long to message us?  We only got your first messages last week."  Pyrrha asked.

At the same time Ruby re-asked her question.

"My scroll got damaged, and I didn't have your ID numbers anymore"  Jaune started to explain.

"Why didn't you get them off the student directory?"  Ren asked.

Ruby and Weiss asked their questions again, sounding increasingly annoyed.

"Guys please, one at a time!"  Jaune pleaded.

"Ren... I'm sorry, I didn't think to do that."  He answered his friend.

"JAUNE ARC!!!  Why didn't you tell me you received this weapon!!!  What can it do!"  Ruby demanded.

"JAUNE ARC!!! Why is Pyrrha's symbol on that weapon and bracer!" Weiss put forth again.

"Jaune we were worried about you, that procedure was dangerous, you might have died."  Pyrrha said with total concern for her Boyfriend.

"JAUNE-y you need to show me your semblance!!"  Nora said energetically.

"JAUNE when did you get so YUMMY!?"  Yang asked... silencing the other questions, possibly on purpose.

"Guys I'm sorry, I can explain all your questions... I just, I had a lot going on you know.  Let's talk about it over lunch"  He turned around and started walking.

"Nope!  Jaune, I think we need answers **_now_**!."  Ruby said literally putting her foot sternly into the ground.

"I've waited months to hear from you Jaune, as your girlfriend I need some answers!"  Pyrrha's voice cut through the other sounds, she was beginning to get a hungry gleam on her face.

"Can you please tell me why her symbol is on your gear!"  Weiss repeated.

"And where you got it from!"  Ruby added.

"Also what it can do!"  She added again.

He sighed. 

Evidently that was the wrong thing to do.  He heard the what suspiciously sounded like Ruby arming Crescent Rose, Yang arming Ember Celica and Pyrrha spinning Milo into spear form.  He didn't realize they had stopped moving for several steps.

He turned around nervously.  "Guys…" he tentatively said.... then went silent, as all of his friends had pulled out their weapons and were looking at him menacingly.

Ren spoke, the only one who didn't have his weapon armed.  "Jaune, as your friend, and brother you never had.  Let me give you some advise."  He said.

"Uh, yes?"  Jaune asked cautiously.

Ren pulled out Storm flower, and they formed up into their customary shape.  With an audible *click* they were armed.

Ren answered "Run."

Ch 2.3

Jaune looked across the line of friends assembled in front of him gauging their mood then said "Uh, guys?"

"5" was all Pyrrha said.

"Uh... Pyrrha?"

"4" she counted down

"Jaune, I repeat, run."  Ren re-advised with a smirk.

"Threeeeeee" Pyrrha's voice had taken on an odd musical aspect.

Jaune gulped, turned, and ran uttering a loud:

"WWAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

His friends shared a look,

Ruby repeated the phrase "Light bruising?"

They all nodded.  Then pursued their target with a smile on their face and a laugh in the air.

***

Headmaster Ozpin felt like he had accomplished something special last term.  Jaune had grown tremendously, and he had pulled his teammates and friends along with him even as they pulled him.  He very much was assured that his investment in the boy would prove fruitful.

He had decided to take some time to admire the view as he so infrequently had the chance too, strolling along the lower levels of the beacon tower with a fresh cup of coffee in his hands when his morning was interrupted.

"WWAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

He looked down and saw the aforementioned young man being chased by his team, and that of RWBY. 

_Oh dear, I did say he needed to send them more messages.  Oh well, this year should prove nothing if not entertaining_. 

He settled in to his position and watched the chase unfold.

***

_Gotta run gotta run gotta run._

What the most complete thought Jaune could think of.  He ran straight for the Beacon tower, just behind where they were sitting at the top of the long flight of stairs where he and Ruby were first introduced.  Beyond the stairs would be the fountain famous for welcoming new students to the grounds, and in the case of a certain blond boy, the promise of safety.

A whistling in the air caught his attention and just in time, he ducked.  Milo flew right over his head and embedded itself in the wall leading to the upper level.

"Pyrrha!!  What the..." he started, then realized she was far too close for comfort.  She was trying to bind him against the wall he knew.  What he didn't know is why she didn't just grab him with her semblance... but decided he couldn't put too much thought into it.

He activated his semblance for a greater amount of speed lighting the area up white briefly, then sprinted to the stairs.  Off to his right he saw that Pyrrha had summoned back her spear, and was somehow managing to keep up with him...

_Of course she can keep up with me, she is Pyrrha, and she looked to be jogging, not sprinting... wonderful._

The thought not being amazingly comforting at the moment, but he did know he would get to the stairs first.  Unfortunately before he actually began to climb they iced over via an ice dust glyph.

_WEISS?!  Seriously even Weiss is chasing me down?_

He knew Pyrrha was off to his right, and had no faith in his ability to escape her.  So, he moved to his left.  Maybe I can jump over this thing.  He thought.  Channeling even more power into his legs he jumped onto the outer step of the lower engravings and leapt up with all he could manage.  As he was in the air he heard the sounds of dust shells firing.  Ok so Yang is following me, and using Ember Celica.  Nora likely as well.  He glanced to his right and Pyrrha kept pace with him, cutting through the air shield first.  He was unsure how she could to that, until he realized her semblance, she was using her semblance to propel her shield forwards.

Contrary to his expectations he actually cleared the jump and landed.  He had no time to move however as he heard.

"aaahhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHH   SSMMMMAAASSSHHHHHHH!!!!" and looked up to see Nora had planned on where he would land, a swing already descending.

He rolled to his side and succeeded in getting about a foots separation between the hammer's connection point and his body.  The force of the impact sent him skidding along the ground several feet.  Thankfully it had another positive effect.  As he spun on the ground he saw Blake running along the wall of the tower take aim with Gambol Shroud.  She fired the grapple hook function at... his left?

Ren caught the Weapon and proceeded to try and tangle him in the line by sprinting at Jaune.  Jaune could think of no other options than to duck, and as he heard the whistle of Milo flying at him again, roll forwards.  Milo missed him by inches, at which point he sprinted towards the door leading to the Beacon Tower.

He was within a few steps of reaching the door when it suddenly burst open and Yang appeared in the doorway.  He realized, she didn't fire the weapon to chase me she used it to get ahead of me... _that's cheating_.

Turning slightly to his right to continue the circular path around the Beacon tower he saw an opening, which quickly closed as Ruby appeared in it via her semblance, looking ready for a fight, though she had a smile on her face.  Thinking he had a better chance against Ruby, than the Spartan further along the tree line to the right, he ran right at the Reaper.  Ruby prepared to face Jaune, when a bunny girl collided with her from her side emerging from the tree line.  Jaune recognized the newcomer as Velvet.

Lengthening his stride he said.

"Hey Vel, gotta go!" as he jumped over the two girls on the ground.

***

Pyrrha despite herself, was smiling.  She never actually intended to hurt Jaune, even if he didn't dodge those tosses, they wouldn't have hurt him.  Even so, she was happy seeing him elude them as well as he had.  As the group repositioned to get ahead of him on the other side of the Tower, she had other plans.  She entered the open door which Yang first appeared out of, and was thinking about the logical way to go from here.

"Ms. Nikos"

She turned, as was surprised to see  Headmaster Ozpin looking at her, with a warm friendly smile on his face.

"It seems that Jaune is in trouble." he stated simply.

"Yes, it does."  She agreed.

"And you don't move to help him?"  He asked, still not losing that smile on his face.

"Well, I will help him, in my own way."  She said with a grin and a twinkle in her eye.

"Uh huh, in that case Ms. Nikos."  He started, and pushed a seemingly random stone, a moment later a doorway opened up.  He continued "I think you will find this, to be the best way to go to accomplish your goal"  With that he took another slurp from his ever present coffee mug, and moved down through the door well, probably to inspect the damage done thus far in their pursuit of Jaune.

With A smirk appearing on her face, she took the headmasters advise, and proceeded up the stairwell.  When she got to the top, she believed she knew why Ozpin lead her here.  She ducked down and stayed out of sight, while she waited for her prey to appear with a nice... surprise for him.

***

_Great, Pyrrha is out of the chase, at least I don't see, her, but Velvet took her place.  Not sure if that is a gain or not._

Jaune thought to himself as he sprinted along the Beacon tower back fortifications.  A wall of ice appeared in front of him suddenly and he skidded to a stop.  Thankfully he was able to get far enough that the stairwell he really wanted to get too was within jumping distance when assisted by his semblance.  Leaping again with all his strength he managed to catch the edge of the spiraling stairwell, pull himself up, then continue upwards.  He reached the door leading to his escape when once again, it burst open.  Yang was waiting for him, a cocky smile on her face.  Stifling a curse under his breath he jumped off the stairs to an open ledge, found the spare foot space in a window, and pushed upwards from the ledge in a jump.  He had to repeat this process jumping from window to window gaining height until he was within a leap of the round circular area which was his goal.

Finally reaching the midpoint of the Beacon Tower.  He didn't see or know of any real way to get up here unless they used their dust shells to propel them, which of course, they could do.  He none the less thought he had a few moments to at least catch his breath.  Letting his semblance fade he jogged along the outer rim of the balcony, and too late heard the:

TAP TAP TAP

Of on rushing footsteps.  He turned and was hit square in the chest, with a mane of gorgeous red hair in his face covering his field of vision.  Pyrrha had shoulder checked him off the balcony.

She looked at him with a triumphant smile on her face as she rested her chin on his chest.  The Knight was supremely happy to see her smile at him.  He had wanted to see her all summer, and was afraid that this chase would conclude in a different result than a smile from her when they finally met face to face.  He felt her slow them down using her semblance via both her shield and his weapon, on their respective backs and it wasn't long until she sat them down gently on the grass.

When he tried to move however he realized that while he was distracted looking at her face, she had maneuvered both of his arms behind his head, and with one arm, she restrained both of his.  She had used something to bind them together, then noticed the red sash she wore around her waist was missing.  Her legs locked one of his between them, essentially taking away 3 of his 4 available limbs.  With her spare hand she rhythmically moved her fingers up and down along his chest.  He might be able to break free of the cloth sash, but figured this was just her way of making a point.  They needed to talk.

They stared at each other for some time, seconds, minutes, it could have been hours.  All they looked at was each other.  He realized that she was waiting for him to speak first.

"Hello Pyrrha.  I really am happy to see you."  He took the first leap nervously.

"Jaune, what have you learned from this exercise?"  She was still smiling at him, but her eyes became somewhat sad.

"Uh, not to try to beat you in a footrace?"  She looked very disappointed at his answer.  He gulped.

"Jaune, do you not realize we didn't know if you survived your operation?  We only found out from Ozpin 3 weeks, I emphasis WEEKS after the operation."  She said.

His mouth fell open in a daze, he completely understood her feelings.  Jaune was visibly struggling with what he could say to make things right.  She seemed to understand that, and gave him time to organize his thoughts.  All the while they just stared at each other.

Finally he put together a full thought. "Pyrrha, I had no idea my life was in danger.  Really I am sorry, so very sorry.  If I had any idea it was life threatening I would have, I don't know I wouldn't have made you worry."  His eyes spoke of -nearly bled- honest intent, and her annoyance could not stay on her face.

"Why didn't you read the medical report?  Ozpin said he gave you a copy."  She asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure if I want to read it.  I'm trying to move on from my family, not keep dwelling about it."  He replied.  Her sad look dimmed somewhat, replaced by... something akin to hunger.

She leaned in and kissed him.  Once, twice, three times.  They were fairly quick kisses, each only taking a few seconds.  Her lips were not just hot against his, they were scorching, and carried a great deal of feelings and passion from her.  She stated "It's a new tradition, whoever wins a bout, gets to kiss the other."

"Why 3 then?"  He asked, not really upset with the results.

"I figure I am owed some interest.  A great amount of interest, and believe me Jaune Arc.  I **will** get what I am owed before long."  She gave him a radiant and playful smile then kissed him again this one lasted significantly longer.  Once she believed she made her feelings known on the matter she settled in on his chest.  Then just hugged him.  After a brief period of time she released his arms, and he wrapped them around her.  She started to hum a tune to herself.

They were content to hold each other and at first didn't notice the footsteps in the grass.  Appearing in one's and two's the remaining friends appeared around their forms on the ground.

"There you are."  Ruby sang.

The 6 of them shared a glance at each other, then laughed.

"Figures that Pyrrha would be the one to catch him."  Blake said.

"You still have questions to answer Arc."  Weiss demanded.

"So, what are you going to do to make this up to us Jaune?" Nora asked, with a musical melody.

"Dinner!"

"Pancakes!"

"2 Dinners!"

"Backrubs!"

"Cookies!"

Various suggestion continued to be put forth, much to the amusement of the pair laying in the grass.  She looked at him with a 'I told you so' expression while he tried to look back with 'I'm sorry'.

Jaune kissed his girlfriend, and they stood holding hands.

"Ok, line up, and I will answer whatever questions you have, one at a time.  I promise I will make it up to you."  He said diplomatically.  Pyrrha moved in front of him and looked at him expectantly.  He gripped her by her shoulders, and moved in for a kiss.  He broke away after a minute and couldn’t help a grin appearing on his face at her content expression.

"Trust me, I will make it up to you, ok?"  She reached in and initiated a kiss, then grabbed his hand again.

Pyrrha replied back "I will hold you to that" and stood at his side.  A very happy expression on her face and she didn't even try to hide her blush.  She's wasn't anywhere near as embarrassed about kissing Jaune around her friends, compared to strangers.

Ren appeared at the front of the line, given that he was closest to Jaune when he made the proclamation.

"How are you feeling?"  He asked.

"You know how you guys feel every day?  Like that, it's a first for me... I really can't put it into words how amazing it is having my health."  Pyrrha squeezed his hand, and leaned against his shoulder after kissing his cheek.

Ren moved forward, he and Jaune embraced as brothers, then parted.  Weiss was next.

"Why is Pyrrha's symbol on your gear?"  She asked.

"Ozpin decided that as close as we had grown, it seemed right."  He answered.

"That, and I gave my permission for him too as well"  Pyrrha added.

Weiss acknowledged the answer, dipped her head politely, and moved to stand next to Ren.

Nora was up next.

"Show me your semblance!"  She commanded extending an arm to the sky with the other on her hip excitedly.

It was still difficult for Jaune to call upon his semblance, especially when he wasn't in a fight or otherwise in an emotional struggle, the added pressure assisted him in using it.  He none the less closed his eyes, and reached for his semblance.

Several seconds past when his friends gasped.  A burst of white light filled the area, then starting with his chest the semblance spread through his limbs.  When he opened his eyes again the compassionate blue light they were giving off was mesmerizing to his friends, with the heat from the flame like light itself being comforting.

"Wow, so pretty."  Nora said.

"That really looks impressive Jaune"  Pyrrha said from his side.

His friends agreed with their assessments, and after a few moments he let his semblance fade.

Nora skipped over to the line and took a spot next to Ren, leaning against him the way Pyrrha was Jaune.

Yang stepped up next.

"Jaune, what happened to you over the summer?"  She asked.

Jaune laughed.  "Well, I was working really hard with Ms. Goodwitch she had me help with the kids here multiple times a day.  I kept doing the workouts Pyrrha taught me, hopefully I will be able to better keep up with her now."

"Don't count on it Vomit Boy"

"Don't count on it Jaune"  The two girls said simultaneously.  Both of them with a sly grin on their faces.

"Well, I will try at least." He said and squeezed her hand.  Pyrrha shot him an amused look.  _Keep up with me he thinks eh?  Well, we shall have to put that to the test._

Ruby was the only one left with any questions, evidently Blake was satisfied with everything asked previously.

Ruby stood before him and simply said.

"Weapon. Spill. Now."  He looked at him with a cute, but stern expression.

Jaune looked at Pyrrha, she detached from him and moved a few steps away.  He reached up, and grasped the hilt with his left hand.

Ruby had an adorable look in her eyes as he pulled and demonstrated the multiple forms of the weapon.  Pyrrha's gaze was nearly as strong, as she eyed the weapon she would be helping him master.  Though, Jaune had to admit, she was likely an expert with it already.  The show and tell ended with him demoing the gun module in his bracer.

"Wow that's awesome!! What's it called?"  Ruby asked, her expression was so puppy like it could have been on a dog.

"I don't know, Ozpin didn't name it already, and I haven't thought of a good one yet."  Jaune admitted.

"Well, you are just going to have to think harder, I'll help!"  Ruby exclaimed.

Jaune and the rest of the group smiled at her youthful energy.

"So if that's all the questions, I think we should get some lunch, right?"  Jaune asked.

"Not so fast.  There is one thing that you haven't answered yet."  Blake warned.

"Uh, what's that?" 

"You know what it is." she pressed.

"Why I didn't send more messages?"  Jaune suggested.

She nodded.

"I told you I broke my scroll, I didn't have your ID's and I didn't think to check the directory-"

"Jaune"  Blake interrupted.  "We are familiar enough with you by now to know when you are happy, or in pain.   If I can tell that, then you better bet that Pyrrha can sense it as well."

Pyrrha looked at him knowingly, then nodded.

"Why?"  The Shadow pressed.

Jaune let his shoulders slouch slightly and sighed, the first time they had heard his sad/resigned sigh in a very long time.  He did not answer right away, but their unrelenting gazes eventually caused him to lower his own.

"I broke my scroll, because I was angry.  I was angry because.... Over the summer... My family both disowned, and disinherited me.  Technically, I am no longer an Arc."  He didn't tear up or cry, but there could be no mistaking the pain in his voice.

Weiss actually gasped loudly and covered her mouth with her hands.

The group stared at him in stunned silence for several minutes.

"Why, would they do that?"  Pyrrha demanded with a edge to her voice so sharp it could cut, disbelief in her eyes.

"Pyrrha, I do not know.  I was served papers.  Was told that these were the copies I will be given.  I have had no further contact with my family.  Headmaster Ozpin has put out contacts to try and get a response from my family... my former family.  They haven't responded, I expected at least to hear from my youngest sister or mother… but it just hasn't happened yet."  He paused here and the group got the feeling that specific point was a sour issue with him.  "Really I am truly sorry for troubling you all and I promise I will make it up to you.  Anyway I have been training all morning and I am hungry.  So.  I'm going to get some food you are all are free to join me if you wish, but I need to eat something."  He then walked away, towards the promise of lunch.

The 7 remaining friends shared glances with each other, some of them had tears in their eyes.  Others, like Pyrrha, just seethed.

"And to think we just chased him halfway across campus cause we were upset he didn’t message us more when he was going through that.  Am I the only one who regrets doing that now?"  A sad Reaper put forth… looks of agreement came from the remaining friends.

"Why does this always happen with his family?  Can somebody explain to me why they treat him like dirt?"  An angry brawler vented, again with looks of agreement being directed her way.

"I just do not understand his family.  He has done nothing to earn this treatment from them."  Pyrrha said, rage in her green eyes.  The group got the feeling she could have and wanted to say more, but years of self control began to reaffirm itself as she lost some of the rage in her posture.

"I can't even imagine what that must feel like…"  Weiss whispered, she appeared utterly shocked.

"I wonder why he specifically mentioned his mother and youngest sister?"  Nora voiced, rarely did she speculate on such things.

"He had to have allies at home, he just had too."  Yang put forth, though there was enough doubt in her face that she wasn't sure she was right.

"We just need to be there for him, that's all we can do."  Ruby said.  They didn't notice that Pyrrha had already sprinted off to catch up with Jaune, and quickly pulled him into a tight hug.  They could not hear what she said to him, if she even said anything.

"Sometimes I think not knowing my family is a blessing, seeing him go through this… is hard."  Blake whispered to them.  The remaining friends shared an uneasy look, all too familiar with how much his family has hurt Jaune in the past.

They couldn't think of anything more to say, so they just walked up to where Pyrrha was embracing her boyfriend.  They didn't see tears on his face, they assumed whatever tears he had in him were long sense dried out.  As a group they walked to get some lunch.  Roughly halfway there, the normal sounds of friends were heard again, laughter and jokes once again dominated the air.

 _______________

**Doing something different this time.  I had enough feedback asking for smaller sections.  So I Am giving this a try.  I will post smaller chunks as I deem them ready.  As ever I am more than happy to have any feedback regarding this reading and would love to bounce idea's back and forth.  I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it.**


	3. Year 2 Fall Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group finally reunited decide to enjoy a lunch and move to see their new dorm room. However an encounter they did not desire threatens to foul the groups mood while Jaune has plans to make up for his lack of information shared with his friends.

2.4

The group decided to have lunch in the standard cafeteria.  They were not sure if their dorms kitchen would be stocked yet and besides they wanted to say hello to Velvet and their other friends to start the year off.

They saw Velvet sitting with her team, and would have sat next to them but there was no space available at that table, instead they chose an unoccupied one after going through the line.

They went about eating but Pyrrha was worried for her partner.  What Blake said was true, she could tell when Jaune was in pain, and she was grateful for Blake showing an interest.  However what she sensed, wasn't pain, it was... regret.  She supposed he had all summer to deal with his feelings about it.  Never the less she mourned not being there for her boyfriend.  On the walk over she heard more of the murmurings about herself and Jaune as a couple, it was starting to hurt her hearing those whisperings here, at the place where she has found so much happiness with her life.  Despite that she found herself utterly at peace again.  She was sitting next to her boyfriend who she loved dearly, surrounded by friends, something she would have sworn was impossible a mere year ago.  She was distracted as people started finishing up their lunch meals and began to converse more with their friends.

"Hopefully there is something for me to work with at our own kitchen.  I was serious when I said I would make dinner for you guys tonight."  A remorseful Knight stated.

"And tomorrow!"  Ruby said... trying to press the issue Pyrrha thought.

"Well, we will see."  He replied.  Jaune remembered he wanted to talk to Weiss about something remembering the encounter he had with her sister Winter at the end of last term.

"Weiss, I had a question for you."  He started, she looked at him expectantly.  "Last term, I ran into your sister, Winter, she said that I had caused you, and your father grief, what was she talking about?"

"Oh, well it caused my father more trouble that it did me, but it concerned the Arcadian Dust Company."  Weiss said proudly, remembering the conversation she had with the Arc Patriarch the previous term.

Jaune looked around the table cautiously.  "Could you elaborate on that?"

"Well after your dad did… well you know."  He nodded, he certainly hadn't forgotten that point.  Weiss continued "I had the contract dropped between the ADC and the SDC.  It took my father about a month to arrange a replacement as we did need to secure the heater units for the fringe villages after all, but all in all it ended up doing well for us in the end."

Jaune let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.  It was wrong of him to assume the worst.  Weiss had several flaws, but she would not make a business decision involving the lives of several others without knowing the ins and out of a deal.  He should have expected she had already done her homework on the matter.

"I am relieved to be honest, I feared those people would go without the appliances they needed when your sister first told me.  I'm glad that turned out not to be the case."  He smiled briefly before continuing.  "So what did you all do over the summer?"

"Blake-y stayed with dad Rubes and I.  Zwei made a new best friend isn't that right Blake?"  Yang was grinning her idiot grin as she said that.

Blake responded with what would have been a hiss if the table could actually have heard it over their own chuckling.  They all knew how much Zwei irritated the cat eared girl.

"In all seriousness it was fun having you there Blake.  We all got lots of practice in and it was nice not being the only person who got mad at Yang.  I guess she only had 2 boyfriends over the summer which was down quite a bit from her previous-"  Ruby would have continued by Weiss pinched her lips.

"We do not need to encourage your sister Ruby"  Ruby's eyes narrowed into what would have been a pout  had her lips not be scrunched up together.

"She's right Rubes, nobody needs to encourage me to have fun"  The Brawler replied with a wink.

"Besides we only walked in on her the one time Ruby, not like those tits were burned into my mind at all"  Blake mentioned with a smile hidden behind her book.

"You know you liked the view Kitty cat"  Yang stated playfully.

It took a death glare from Weiss and several minutes for the chuckling to eventually come to a close.

"Life for Nora and I was the normal quiet affair.  Not much happens in my village anyway to be fair."  Ren shared once the laughter died down.

"Just admit it Ren, you missed your pals didn’t you?"  Nora claimed smugly.

"I have no problem admitting I wanted to see my friends over the summer break.  Seriously Jaune if you ever get hurt like that again you better not make us wait like that."  More than just one glare bored into his face with that declaration.

"Yikes guys I said I was sorry alright?"  The knight pleaded, the looks didn’t really lesson until Pyrrha added.

"Just don’t do it again.  As for me I had a couple tournaments to compete in over the summer.  I didn't have to do any cereal appearances now that your fathers company was dropped as a sponsor of mine."  Pyrrha put in.

"I didn’t realize you had done that, though I can't say I blame you."  He replied.  "I assume you did well in the tournaments?"  He felt the need to ask though he was sure of the answers.

"They were just for charity, yes I did win but it was only one fight anyway."  She responded.

"What about you Weiss?"  Jaune asked.

"Oh, I just worked with the Schnee dust company a bit.  My dad was insistent I help out given my involvement with the ADC contract and all."  Ruby gave her an annoyed glance, which Jaune did indeed pick up on, almost like Ruby wondered why Weiss didn’t say more about … something.  In the end he decided it really wasn't any of his business, if she wasn't ready or didn’t want to talk about… whatever it was.  It wasn't his place to force it.

"Jaune we do regret chasing you like that, really if you don’t want to make dinner tonight you don’t have too"  Pyrrha put forth, which surprisingly nobody challenged.

"No it is fine.  You are right I should have said more and if I had it might have been easier for me too.  So in the end we all learned something important."  He said with a smile.

It was so like Jaune to take a sour point in his life and try to turn it positive.  How he got through his summer relatively unhurt was becoming clear for Pyrrha.  Of course he must be used to his family hurting him.  His life must have been every bit as miserable as mine when he was home given how his family has treated him thus far.  Pyrrha was nearly at the edge of her patience with Arc's who were not Jaune.  He might be willing to give them a free pass in time, but she doubted she ever would.

***

Conversation was about the norm for the group as they finished their lunch then as a group decided to move towards their new dorm room.  They had a chance to speak to Velvet and the Bunny-girl gave Jaune her own lecture about the lack of messages over the summer, the subject just kept coming up continually it seemed regardless of if it was intended to or not.  The group reached the main walkway of Beacon and heard a conversation already taking place.

"I'm telling you Headmaster this is for the good of your students, last year this stuff nearly wounded two of them, it needs to be inspected for the safety of the school"

The friends shared a glance and found the source of the commotion.  Ozpin was standing with his ever present coffee mug in his hand looking at the scene as if he was forced into it.  They saw familiar looking luggage crates and packages as Vale Security was rummaging through the groups luggage, taking special attention to the dust containers Weiss brought with her.

"What in the … What are they doing what's going on?"  The Heiress whispered to herself more than anything.

"I suppose we should go see" Yang advised.

Jaune for one, really did not want to do this, he recognized the mane of blond hair which had directed that statement to Ozpin and another encounter with its owner was not something he wanted to be subjected too.  However he none the less refused to let his friends face him alone and moved up behind the group with them.

Weiss was the first to reach the investigation team and demanded. "Headmaster, could you please explain to me what this is?"

Ozpin made to answer but was cut off by Mr. Arc.

"Oh yes, Ms. Schnee.  I am merely investigating some claims from students that last year unsafe dust was smuggled into this school and I felt the need to notify security that more could be smuggled in this year."  The sadistic grin he wore on his face was enough to make the group sick.

He continued "So of course naturally once we found some dust we had to search all of the luggage that RWBY and JNPR had brought in, dust that explodes randomly might harm its students after all."

"You call this a bra?  This looks like it is designed for a boy not a woman!"  A voice declared near the open luggage containers.

When they identified the source of the voice Jaune being was flooded by a myriad of emotions none of which he wanted to feel at that moment.  Looking through Weiss' luggage was his former sister and current owner of Crocea Mors, Jewel Arc.  Not only wearing the sword strapped to her waist, but wearing the armor that he himself wore not months ago.

"Ah I see it isn't just Ms. Schnee but the entire group"  Noting the rest of them had joined the Heiress.  "How nice of you to join us.  My daughter was just assisting these good people in their investigations, they do after all have so much to look through and so little time."  That smile he wore just kept growing in size.

"There is no cause for this search or this invasion of privacy!"  Weiss growled sounding like a much larger person.

"Yes this is a pointless search I was responsible for that explosion anyway, the headmaster knows all this I did report it to him."  Ruby admitted with a furious look on her face.

"Oh dear girl I'm sure that’s only what Ms. Schnee wanted you to think, being 15 is a very impressionable age."  Mr. Arc just did not know when to quit.

Ruby made to say more but before she could continue, the Senior Arc spoke on.

"Besides lets be fair we aren’t just searching Ms. Schnee for illegal dust, we have had to look through JNPR's  belongings as well.  Can somebody explain to me why there would be cases of various grenade shells present in a school."

Jaune nearly had convinced himself to intervene and face his father, when Nora surprised him.

"I can show you if you like"  She stated bringing out her weapon in launcher form aimed right at him.  "They keep annoying people away from me, in fact they are so experimental they can just fire accidently, that would be such a shame, wouldn't it Ren?"

"Yeah it would be, besides you might miss if it accidently fired before you wanted it too.  Isn't that car marked with the Arc symbol?  It would be a shame if it were to accidently discharge and destroy it.  You do understand this is a school after all accidents are liable to happen"  The stoic hunter said while his eyes burned.

"You people really do not know your place don’t you?"  Mr. Arc bristled.

"Dad is this really necessary?" Another voice inquired as another mane of blond hair became visible.  Jaune recognized another of his former siblings, Crystal Arc.  "We have looked for over an hour I don’t think we will find anything"

James Arc was less than pleased at this statement by his daughter.

"I think she makes a fair point James, you have had your search and found nothing illegal.  I think it is time for you to leave and for your daughters to proceed with their day." Ozpin had stepped forward and motioned for Mr. Arc to leave.

Mr. Arc just started moving forward when he decided it seemed, to say what he really came here to say.

He looked to his side and directed his gaze at Jaune.  "Well, if it isn't my disappointment of a former son, tell me… boy.  Why are you still here?  Not done making a fool of yourself?  It seems to be the only talent you have."

Jaune felt a strong grip on his upper arm and did not need to look to his side to know who was responsible.  The grip vanished as the redhead responsible moved forwards.

"Well, if it isn't officially the worst person I ever had the displeasure of meeting.  Tell me"  -she said something in a language they didn't recognize- "why are you here?  You seem to have dedicated a great deal of time and resources into something which you no longer have control over, you disowned our friend I think it is time for you to leave."

"Yes, I quite agree."  While it was clear Mr. Arc felt he had more to say, Ozpin had gripped him by his arm and was forcibly moving him down the steps to the leave the school.

Pyrrha looked back at her boyfriend and as she predicted, the encounter with his father had not done any favors for his psyche, he had nearly the same lifeless look in his eyes as the day he surrendered his weapon.  Before she could move to try and help him her teammate interrupted her thoughts.

"What was that language Pyrrha?"  Ren asked.

"That was Mistralian Renny."  Nora surprised them all by answering.

"I didn't know you understood Mistralian Nora"  Pyrrha had turned back to look at her and couldn’t contain a smile momentarily stopping her march towards Jaune.

"Oh I don’t, I just understand cursing." Her ever present smile just would not go away.

Unfortunately for the group, The encounter with the Arc's was not over yet.

"Hello Brother."  The group didn't recognize the speaker.  She stood as tall as Jewel did, and like her sister had blond hair extending below her shoulders.  "Fancy meeting you here."  She didn’t sound like she was trying to hurt him, which surprised the group.  Acid dripped from his father as he spoke, this… was not that.

It was obvious Jaune did not want this encounter, and did not wish to converse with her.  With visible effort forced himself to look at his former sister.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"I wanted to say hello-"  She started.

"She wanted to say hello, I wanted to ask if this armor looks good on me.  Personally I think if makes my shoulders look to broad and it is a bit tight on the chest, but otherwise it is fitting, don’t you think sister?"  Jewel had moved up to her sister at that point.

The other Arc looked at her, and hesitated, but finally answered.  "Yes, I believe you are right."

"It was so nice of you brother to take such good care of it for me.  The sword is a bit old but…."  Jewel obviously tried to speak more, but was struck utterly speechless at the glare Jaune had just unleashed on her.  His glare was something he used so infrequently the group nearly forgot he was capable of it.  However upon its use not only were the two sisters intimidated to the point of silence they both seemed to recoil from him a step or two.

"I will say this one time, and one time only.  We are not family.  We are not friends.  I have no desire to listen to what you have to say.  I think it is time for us to go our separate ways."  The knight stated, it was so uncharacteristic of him to say that, his friends almost didn’t believe he said it.  Yet he moved beyond his sisters towards their dorm.

"Desire or no I think it is best you hear what I have to say.  I mean it isn't like any of your precious defenders have listened to you or spoken to you recently.  What say you to that?  Where are they?  Why haven't they sent word?  Like it not we are here **_brother_** _,_ and we are not going away."  Jewel put force maliciously.

Jaune stopped moving, and very visibly shuttered as both of his hands clenched tight.  After a few seconds delay he continued his slow, if forced movements back to his dorm.

Jewel made to pursue him, but a whistling in the air and a spear embedding itself in the wall in front of her put that to a haste forced halt.  She turned, and for the first time in the conversation seemed to realize just how outnumbered she was.  The Spartan had a furious look in her face as she marched towards her and summoned her spear back to her.  She had every appearance in her eyes and body language as somebody who was fully prepared to fight.  The rest of their group had pulled out and armed their weapons.  Her face portrayed none of the arrogance they had come to expect from her even as she made to speak again.

"You haven't known him as long as we have, if you depend on him, he will let you down.  The sooner you accept and understand this the better it will be for you.  We tried to do you all a favor last year, you will realize that in time."

If anything, the looks on his friends became even more furious, they would have acted, if not for Ozpin returning.

"Jewel Arc, I think it is time for me to escort you to your new dormitory."  The arrogant smile on Jewel's face returned as she knew nobody would take action with the headmaster present.  Ozpin did a double take when he noticed the hole in the wall, then gripped her by her arm and moved her along the central walkway deeper into the school.

With Jewel out of their reach, they turned to the other Arc family member.  They still did not know her name, and they were actually somewhat surprised by the look on her face.  Regret, is what they would name it if they had too.

Pyrrha still felt ready to battle as she moved directly in front of the blond girl, and demanded "Why are you here Arc?  I think your family has done enough to my partner."  The rest of the bunch formed up around Pyrrha and did not move to put their weapons away.

The Arc girl looked like she could give a great deal of information as she seemed to think about what exactly to say, in the end decided on the simplest truth.  "We are here to finish our schooling as huntsman."

The glares of his friends, demanded more information.

"We are here as a joint education program between the Hunter schools, my sister and I were brought here from Atlas-."  She answered.

"Oh and I am sure that your father had nothing to do with it."  Sarcasm was dripping from the Spartan as she declared that.

"I am not privy to the dealings of the decision making process-"

"Stay away from him."  Ruby simply demanded.

"I have no intention of-"

"You should have every intention of staying away.   Assuming you understand self preservation at all."  Yang advised the blond girl.

"You have no idea how badly I wanted to break the legs of your sister and father last year."  Nora threatened.

"Ms. Arc."  Ozpin stated in interruption.  "Join your sister and I, please"

As the group looked beyond him they saw Jewel further on down the walkway, Ozpin evidently thought it best to bring both siblings with him at the same time.

As she moved to the headmaster she advised one last thing "We were brought here to join in the combat and advanced combat classes this year, I feel you should know that."  With that she moved up to the headmaster and walked away from the group.

Pyrrha was livid.  The encounter with Mr. Arc and Jewel appearing not only with the sword and armor, but taunting Jaune with it.  The knowledge that Jaune will need to see his sister wearing what he himself wore, it stunk of malicious intent and it took all the self control she possess not to shake as her anger over the situation flowed through her body.

She was too angry to noticed that Weiss had moved over to her luggage and was trying to repackage everything.  More Beacon staff emerged to help her get the packages moved into their dorm rooms.

"If somebody would have told me that Jaune was related to Mr. Arc I am not sure I would have believed him.  It is as if there is nothing of his father in him at all."  Ren said, his eyes flashed uncharacteristically angry matching Pyrrha's.

"Next time I see them it is leg breaking time."  Nora cheerfully stated to accompanied nods by Yang Ruby and Blake.  "You should have let me fire on his car Renny."

"I never said you couldn't Nora"  Many chuckles were heard because of that.

"I suppose we should help the Princess get everything back in order so the staff can do their jobs."  The Reaper said as she moved towards her partner.

It was a messy and embarrassing affair.  The security Mr. Arc brought forth was very thorough, clothing was searched and was left in messy piles along the walkway.  Weiss was the definition of furious not just at the invasion of privacy but at the comments about her figure.  She did not mind being small, but comparing her body to that of a boy really hurt her.  With everybody helping however the job was over soon and the Beacon staff assured them they would get it moved as soon as they could.

They reached the door which would lead them to their private joint rooms, when Weiss decided to speak.

"If Jaune ever learns to keep his heart behind his rib cage he would realize he wouldn't get hurt so bad every time something happens like today.  I'm sorry he keeps getting hurt by his family but at some point he needs to learn that lesson."

They stopped moving when Ruby responded.

"Sorry Weiss, but you are wrong."  She had a very sad look on her face, as her eyes watered up.

They looked at her.  It took Weiss a moment before she realized that Ruby was doing something she almost never did, contradict somebody.  Especially so her.

"Ruby it is a fact, if he didn't leave himself as open, he wouldn't be so easily hurt."

"Yes, Weiss.  That part is true.  However, if he did that, he wouldn't be the one that we came to respect.  Or be the one that Pyrrha loves."

That was oddly touching for the group, and Pyrrha felt her eyes water up.  Ruby wasn't done.

"Jaune puts himself out there, so people can use his Heart.  We lean on it, when we need too.  We use it for warmth when we are cold.  We cry on it, when we are sad.  We laugh with it, when we are happy.  We all have done that over our time with him.  That's why we are so close.  It isn't his fault people keep attacking that open heart instead of treasuring it."

The group was looking at her, wondering where does all this wisdom came from.  None more so than Pyrrha.

"I wonder who else here gets hurt by walking heart first?"  She said at last giving Weiss A very odd but deliberate and measured look.  A look which Weiss could not match, and looked away from Ruby's gaze.  Following that, Ruby entered the room.

Pyrrha was left feeling that comment wasn't just about Jaune, it seemed too personal.  She was concerned for her boyfriend, but what Ruby said didn’t seem restricted to just him.  She crossed her arms and stood deep in thought as the rest of the group filed into the joint room.  She knew that Ruby and Weiss were close.  She knew that Ruby always liked and looked up to Weiss, really from the time that they started at Beacon.  She also knew that Weiss didn't always respect Ruby as a huntress or as a team leader.  Thinking her too young to rash and too inexperienced for the task.  Ruby had grown, similarly to how Jaune had grown as a person.  She knew all this, but she was certain that the outburst from Ruby was more than just concern for her friend and fellow team leader.

Once she had settled her thoughts enough she moved through the door to get her first glimpse of their home for the next 2 years.  The setting was similar in some ways to what they had last year.  A hallway ran straight to the joint commons room at the end of the corridor.  A door to the left lead to the RWBY dorm room, directly across the hall was the door to the JNPR room.  As she moved down the walkway she noticed the stairwells down on either side which would give them access to the private workout, training and sparring areas.  The level of comfort was a step up previously from their first year.  They knew the advanced course was more strenuous and there was much more room to relax and lounge around in their joint commons room.  Sofas and chairs were all arrayed in a circle around a square table with a fireplace in the middle.  Behind the joint room was the kitchen with all the appliances anybody could need. 

Already Ruby and Yang were at work preparing the first round of cookies, making sure the oven was up to Ruby's evidently high standards.  Weiss was sitting in one of the lounge chairs furiously texting and calling away, probably in response to Mr. Arc's antics earlier.  Nora was running in circles up and down the lower area of their joint space excited to see all this new stuff dragging Ren along for the ride.  She heard a door open/close behind her and half turned to see Blake emerge from the RWBY dorm room.  Pyrrha was never good at reading the Faunus, she tried, really tried, but she just was not good at it.  Even so, she could tell that they had mirrored looks on their faces following the encounter with the Arc's.

Blake moved up to Pyrrha's side and stood next to the Spartan.  They stood in silence for several minutes measured only by how long it took Nora to finish a lap with Ren in tow.

"We share the same confusion about Jaune and his family."  She simply said to break the silence.

"I'm not sure I follow Blake."  Pyrrha admitted.

Blake turned fully to looked at Pyrrha standing with one leg back holding her weight, and a second of delay prompted the Spartan to turn as well.

"Pyrrha, Jaune has never once told us about his lineage as an Arc.  He never once brought it up, even when he was asked about it he would always find a way out of the question without really answering it."  She stated simply.

"I remember yes."  Pyrrha answered expecting more.

"It is common knowledge that the Arc's are an ancient family with an illustrious history.  Many of the first hunters in Remnant were Arc's and it is safe to say that the world would be a very different place without their efforts.  Beacon would not exist without several members of the Arc families efforts.  There are more than enough stories about them it would be impossible not to hear about it, even for a Faunus like me."

"Again Blake I know all this, where are you going with it?"  She wasn't upset or short of temper, just unsure where of the point.

Blake looked at her dead in the eye, hard, then answered "Pyrrha, Jaune has said he is the only male out of 8 children, he has said he has 7 sisters.  It makes no sense what so ever for an ancient, possibly noble house, to disown their only male heir.  Makes no sense at all… what's more is Jaune clearly had some allies amongst his family, he hinted as much today.  His sister knew that he has had no contact with them and made a deliberate point of it.  That fact obviously hurt Jaune a lot, and his sister knew when where and how to say it."

"So then what your telling me is…" Pyrrha asked starting to get it.

"Yes, why are you here looking at our kitchen and not with Jaune?"  Blake advised with a smile.

With that, Pyrrha understood her point.  Wonder later, talk to hurting boyfriend now.   Behind them was Nora making another lap over the area.

"Nora!  Is Jaune down below?"  She asked ensuring she was loud enough to be heard by the energetic hammer-wielder.

Nora skidded to a stop with Ren crashing into her from behind only to fall himself to the floor as she thought about it.

"Uh, I don’t think I saw h-COOKIES!!!-"  She stated seeing the first batch of cookies being complete.

"I think those are for Ruby Nora"  Ren warned in vane as he stood up again.  He sighed as Nora had already moved off towards the smell of freshly baked cookies.

Pyrrha decided she would leave in search of her boyfriend before the battle for cookies overwhelmed the kitchen.   The entire area was enclosed, which was good.  It would make workouts in the winter months much easier not having to go through the campus grounds and contend with the snow.  Thoughts she contemplated as she began to move around the upper edge with each wing giving a top down view of the corresponding room and found Jaune with his hands on the rails onside the sparring room.

She moved cautiously towards him, she didn’t think he was as distraught as the last time she went in search of him after an encounter with his father, but even so she wasn't sure.  He seemed to guess who it was.

"You must think me pathetic right now."  He voiced quietly.

She knew confidence was something he continued to work on but it is like any encounter with his father or sisters just sapped whatever strength of will he had in him.  The knowledge both saddened and infuriated her, but she felt the need to act overwhelm her.

"Of course not Jaune, you have persevered through a lot.  You shouldn't think so down on yourself.  I don’t think anybody can fault you for feeling sad but you mustn't be so hard on yourself."  She had reached him by this point and while her first instinct was to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder she felt that wouldn't be enough to convey her feelings.

She slipped her arms under his and they came together in his upper chest.  She pressed her chest up against his back and rested her head against his neck.  With her arms she could feel the movements of his body, he was trying to calm himself she knew that, should could feel it in her being.  Relief flooded her when she felt his hands grasp her own.

Speaking of feelings was not something she was good at.  She did not know where the sudden inspiration to speak came from.  However she was grateful for having something to say.

"Jaune I want you to remember this.  No matter what you go through or what you encounter, I will always be behind you.  You are not alone and you will not face difficulties alone again."  She was used to giving him pointers following sparring contests, to lift his spirits as he didn’t do as well as he wanted to.  Cheering him up in relation to his family was new to her, yet she felt she did a good job with the resulting action he took.

He spun around and grasped her in a hug.  She was about to start humming contently to herself when she realized he wasn't done.  He drew away from her slightly, grasped her shoulders firmly and planted an affection filled kiss on her lips.  Her eyes opened up in surprised before she closed them again and leaned into the kiss deepening it.  As she felt him pull her closer to continue the kiss she let her arms reach around his neck.  Once he was satisfied he pulled out of the kiss and rested his head against hers.

"I love you Pyrrha, thank you for everything"  He said earnestly.

She had the distinct impression that this was totally unfair.  She was just starting to get comfortable with the kiss and she certainly wasn't ready for it to end.  With a forward surge she initiated another one.  Smiling against his lips she worded "And I, you" before losing herself in the kiss with her arms once again locked behind his neck.

Neither one of them cared to keep track of time.  It had lost its meaning to them.  Once the moment had ended they were content to just hold each other reminisced of the moment they shared outside their dorm room the prior year.  His hands on her waist, her behind his back.  Both heads nuzzled in the others neck.

A sound drew Jaune's attention enough to open his eyes and he spotted the rest of their group in the doorway looking at them.  Nora and Ruby had an odd… smear over their faces and glared at each other from the opposite ends of the line.

"Guys, you need to learn to stop sneaking up on us like that"  Jaune joked.  As he spoke Pyrrha detached from his embrace and stood next to him holding hands.

"Jaune, those two... Women."  Yang started obviously curious about something.

"The Arc's?"  he asked.

"Yes, who were they?  Aside from your sisters I mean." she continued.

"Not sisters, Yang.  You all are my brothers and sisters, not them."  Yang dipped her head in a nod, but didn't respond.  "They are Jewel whom you should recognize from last year and Crystal Arc.  Older than me by two years in their final year of training at Atlas.  They are Triplets.  Miyas, the third of the group, didn't wish to be a huntress, and instead was studying to take over the family businesses."

"Do you think they were serious about joining us in classes?  It is most irregular to have 4th years join in with second years."  Ruby asked trying to clean off the marks on her face and hands even as she spoke.

"I don't care to be honest.  We are in the advanced combat class, and it is rare for 2 teams to be chosen for it.  For all I know part of the reason it is so challenging is because we are pitted against people with more experience." he admitted.

"I struggle to understand your father, why would he make such a point of targeting us?" The Reaper asked.

Jaune obviously did not want to talk about his family, but felt his friends were owed some explanation.  "Well.  He is used to getting his way.  I bet he didn’t like you all standing up to him.  Especially Weiss, what she did cost him a lot of prestige and money."  He answered, that much they at least could understand somewhat.

"Yeah, I informed the SDC of the incident and I think some pressure will be applied back because of this affair."  Weiss looked very irate over the entire event.  The group knew that Weiss as small, but was not one to back down from anybody or anything except for perhaps Pyrrha in the truth or dare last winter.  She continued "Jaune, I would like to play against you in Chess, I have been practicing over the summer."  Weiss said.  Though the group suspected this was her way of trying to help him.

"Well, I guess we have some time to burn before Dinner, I'm sure Pyrrha wants to get in fair amount of time tonight, so, sure, we can play." Pyrrha nodded in agreement at her desire to spend a good deal of time practicing with him.  So it was that they moved back to the common room for the most recent rematch of Jaune and Weiss.

Contrary to the previous times they played chess the rest of the group didn't watch them play.  Pyrrha sat in a sofa nearby and looked through a book she liberated from their dorm room.  Blake and Yang went to practice a bit.  Ruby stayed in the common room and pulled out Crescent Rose, wanting to work on it a bit.

Jaune could sense that Weiss was a more competent player.  She didn't leave herself as open as she previously did, and was more leery of his traps.  He still managed to win fairly easily in their first game.  They played a total of 3.  They were not over as quickly as they were the prior year as it was obvious Weiss was a better player now.  Even so Jaune beat her in each of the games.

"I just do not understand how you keep beating me."  Weiss said as she was fixing up the board again.

"Sometime losing is how we grow Weiss, you never learn to pick yourself up if you never fall over after all."  He replied Weiss looked at him amused.

"Jaune, who taught you to play?"  She asked curiously.

Jaune contrary to her expectations didn't answer right away and in fact looked away.  Pyrrha noticed this action and gave her attention to her boyfriend.

"I picked it up over time, but my mother is the one who taught me.  I would prefer not to say more about it"  He said.

That was the first time anybody had heard him mention his mother beyond saying that she and 2 of his sisters were his allies.  It was obvious he was recalling what Jewel said to him about not having word from any of his family even those who treated him well.  Pyrrha was starting to understand the nature of the attack from earlier.  It wasn't just the words.  His memories of those people were some of his most cherished, and they were under threat.  Words unfortunately failed her with what she could do to help, Weiss might have picked up on this, and continued.

"Jaune, I wanted to say, my family has not been the kindest to me either.  It was common for one to use another against me to get what they wanted.  You shouldn't take what they said at face value.  Maybe they know something you don’t, maybe they don’t.  Either way you shouldn't care overmuch about what was said today, they obviously said it to hurt you, and I wouldn’t put it past them to make something up or have it based on a half truth to accomplish their goals." She said, an odd intensity to her look.

It was not the first time his friends had come to his aid when he needed it, but this might have been the first time Weiss did.  He decided to press onward with his information about their chess match.

"Weiss, this is going to sound out of character.  So don't freeze me, but just listen.  You have a good heart in you.  Despite the outlook you put forth for others and your own frozen exterior you have a lot of good in you a great deal of love.  You just need to listen to that side of you more often.  Maybe once you are more honest with yourself, you will understand yourself more.  Once you have that, you will be able to strategize more adeptly."  Jaune said earnestly.

Pyrrha would have kissed him if she was within range, so she settled with just smiling happily at the pair, an action both Jaune and Ruby noticed.  She didn't want to get involved in the chess lessons, but she knew there was a certain truth to Jaune's advise.  It mirrored what she was taught from an early age when she was being instructed in how to fight as well as she eventually learned how and how she would continue to train her partner.  You must be honest with yourself.  You might be the better fighter, but that does not mean you will not have something which the other party can't take advantage of.  If you aren't being honest with yourself, you won't be able to see those possible weak points.  Knowing how you can be attacked, knowing how you are vulnerable can help you better defend yourself.  She couldn't help but wonder at the similarities in the lesson.  It was obvious that while he was never taught how to fight, despite how much raw potential she knew he had which the others were starting to pick up on.  What he was taught by his family was done extremely well.

"Weiss, I think you and Ruby should play Chess.  You two know each other quite well.  It might be educational for both of you."  Jaune suggested.

Ruby looked surprised, but when Weiss spun the game board so they could play.  They looked at each other full of competitive edge and desire to win.  Pyrrha sunk further into her chair and observed the game.

Ruby, to the surprise of everybody present, won the first game.  An event which caused Weiss to look completely out of sorts.  She did manage to beat Ruby in the second game they shared.  As they were preparing the board for their third game she moved over to her boyfriend and leaned against him as they observed the third game.

When Ruby won the third game Pyrrha could swear she saw smoke come out of Weiss' ears and nose.  In the fourth game Weiss tied it up 2 and 2.  Jaune decided he would leave to start preparing the dinner he promised his friends.  He and Pyrrha shared a kiss as he moved away to the kitchen.  The 3 remaining girls took turns playing each other while they waited for their promised meal to be prepared. 

Ch 2.5

A quick cursory glance at the fridge revealed that Jaune could do almost anything he wanted for the dinner he had promised his friends, and decided on one of his favorites.  He had prepared the main course and let the burner do its thing while he moved towards the side entrees.  He had placed bread on a pan open when he noticed that Pyrrha had entered the kitchen.

He continued to work while he spoke.

"Curious about what I was doing?"  He asked.

"Kind of.  It is a blessing that you can cook as well as you can, I just wished it was a skill you were more happy to use."  She sounded sad as she said that.

"Well, it isn't that I am not proud of the skills, I just wished it was a happier memory.  It is a good thing you are here, we need to talk about something."  She looked at him a bit surprised.

"I don’t know if you are familiar with the rumors about us, but we should talk about them."  He was focusing on his work so he couldn’t see her reaction, but it was one of shock.

It seemed insane to her now, but she thought he had no idea about the rumors.  Believing them to be something he never picked up on.  It seemed obvious now but they had spent so much time together the previous term he had to have heard about it.  Not to mention that he might even have heard them over the summer.

"Jaune it is such a small thing to worry about I don't know why we need to talk about it."  She said, embarrassed at letting something like simple rumors hurt her.

"We need to talk about it, because it bothers and hurts you."  He replied, sounding oddly stern.

"Jaune, if you know the rumors then you should know they say you are only with me because you are too afraid of me to leave me.  I look at you know, especially seeing the reaction of the other women to the match earlier.  Yes it bothers me.  You could have said something about it, why didn't you?"  She didn't feel as though she was talking on something which would be hard for her yet, but it still was a new experience for her to discuss this with him.

"I didn’t because I thought, I realize now, foolishly; that you either didn't hear them, or you simply didn’t let it bother you.  After today I… saw I felt how you moved differently as we moved past people whispering about it and I knew I had to bring it up.  Was it like this for you at Sanctum?"

She looked at him and eventually laughed.  A bird like happy sound that he was not expecting.

"We both thought the other didn’t hear it and we both didn't bring it up because of that.  However yes it was similar to what happened to me at Sanctum."  She said while laughing.

"Sounds an awful lot like before I asked you out?  Everybody else knew we liked each other we just didn’t realize that was true.  Ironic."  He smiled at her.

"I guess we are both idiots"  She returned the smile.

Jaune had his typical happy expression on his face as he responded.  "I'm glad this wasn't an issue for us, I will say something next time I hear them or I encounter somebody who has been saying them.  I'm not going to leave you Pyr, you should know that."  He said earnestly before returning his focus to working on dinner.

She was glad they had this quick talk, she wanted to say more.  How very glad she was that he had his health and how much he had obviously grown.  It took a moment to realize it was silly, she was always alienated because of her fighting ability coupled with her looks.  She was lonely in her life and had been for as long as she could remember prior to enrolling at Beacon.  Thinking that Jaune could suddenly realize he could get almost anybody he wanted did scare her.  One of her few insecurities is that being so good in the many different thing she undeniably is has intimidated men before.  Previously she never cared as she never met somebody she wanted to be intimate with before the blond haired man in front of her.  However dating was a new area for her, now that she had something she genuinely did not want to give up It was a first for her.

Worrying that Jaune would find a more "girlie" person was something she was concerned about as she left for her summer break leaving him behind.  Thinking about this now she should give him more credit.  Jaune never gave her any reason to believe he was anything less than devoted to her short of sending her more messages over the summer.  True her first guess was that he was busy with another girl, that fear now was shattered into many pieces on the ground the moment he shared the true reason for his silence.  The two of them found each other.  They complement each other so well and she meant fully what she said to him last year.  She had never been happier in her life than from the moment Jaune entered it.  They won't be leaving each other anytime soon.  She would have acted on these thoughts had an Angry Bellow not echoed through the room.

"!!!!!!PYRRHA NIKOS!!!!!!" resounded through the room.

"Uh, you should see what that is about Pyr"  He said as he pecked her cheek before focusing back to the meal he was preparing.

***

"Where is Ms. Nikos?"  A voice demanded as Pyrrha left the kitchen to move towards the entryway door.  As she rounded the corner she saw it was Ms. Goodwitch who was responsible.

"Like I said she is around here somewhere"  Weiss stated.

Pyrrha had come into view by now and the professor addressed her.

"Ms. Nikos, can you please explain to me why you felt the need to put 3 holes and 1 crater into the campus grounds today?" The teacher did not appear happy with this predicament at all.

She thought about the events the combat instructor was referencing and it took a moment for her to collect herself… Ms. Goodwitch almost never came to a dorm room, she preferred to call the student in question into her office.  She could think of no reason why she would make this a special case just yet. "Crater? I did nothing to cause a crater.  I did however likely cause 3 holes."

Nora had appeared in the entryway and joined Weiss and Pyrrha.  "Yeah I probably caused that big hole.  You can blame Jaune though, if he didn’t dodge you wouldn't have a hole to fix."  She said smiling.

Ms. Goodwitch moved to massage her temples at that while her face twitched.  "Ms. Nikos, the orifices in the walls I needed to repair?"  She repeated her question while her eyebrow continued to twitch.

Pyrrha went on to explain the chase involving Jaune earlier which made clear where 2 of them and the crater in the ground came into play.  Before she could get into an explanation following the encounter with the Arc's she was overcome by the smells coming from the kitchen and lost her focus.

"I knew all of that already Ms. Nikos and I am not happy about it, what I do not understand is why when I was on my way here to ask you about those 2 I found another hole!  I am not thrilled with spending my time repairing the campus following this groups escapades!  Can you give me an overly compelling argument why you should not be given a great deal of detentions for wasting my time this afternoon?"  She demanded.

Pyrrha was seriously trying to put together the best argument she could, but it seems that Jaune took care of that for her.

"What on earth is that smell?"  Goodwitch asked.

"That-"  Weiss started, then a grin appeared on her face  "-is Jaune cooking us dinner as his way of apologizing for the lack of information he gave us over the summer."  The Heiress put forth in answer, happy to assist the Spartan if she could.

"Yeah I'm sure you could join us, Jaune tends to make more than we need most of the time"  Nora supplied connecting the dots Weiss put forth.

Ms. Goodwitch let her shoulders drop in a slouch and she let out a sigh.

"Why was there a third hole off the main corridor?"  She forced herself to ask.

This time they answered.

The three of them could tell that the combat professor was deep in thought as she contemplated this information.

"Very well, you acted to defend a teammate, which is what we teach students to do.  I will let it slide this time, provided I can join in today.  The cook was possessed to make ham and cheese sandwiches which just does not sound good to me right now.  Do not take it upon yourselves to damage school property again.  I will discuss this situation with the headmaster, I will not allow this to become a regular incident at this school."  She hung her crop/whip on a hook near the door, took off her cape put it on the same hook and moved to the dinner table where the rest of the group was waiting for the meal and found their seats.

The group took a few minutes to acclimatize to a teacher joining them at a table but the truth was that Ms. Goodwitch was an attractive woman of around 30.  Older than the students she sat with sure, but not completely outside their age range.  It was fairly easy to include her in the lighthearted conversation they normally employed at meals.  Pyrrha just could not get the feeling out of her head that the professor came here for a reason, and that belief hit its head when she deliberately steered the conversation in a very specific direction.

"Jaune told you all that he was disowned, right?"  She asked.

Nobody answered her, but she could tell that the answer was yes by their body language.

"I do not know why Eve would do that…"  She said under her breath.

Pyrrha looked on at her combat professor with a baffled expression, granted she was not used to spending time with her after working hours but confusion or compassion is something she so rarely showed it was odd witnessing it come from her lips.

"Who is Eve, Ms. Goodwitch?"  Ruby asked.

Her question seemed to pull Goodwitch out of her daze.  She looked around and if Pyrrha didn't know better she would swear there was a tear falling from her eye.

"This information is private, understand?  Jaune already knows what I am about to tell you but this does not leave this room, am I clear?"  With that request the entire room was stunned in silenced, but she succeeded in acquiring the attention of the entire room.

"Eve is short for Evangeline his eldest sister.  I am an old friend of his family.  Jaune's mother was the combat instructor here prior to her brothers passing.  Everybody here was sad to see her go, she was widely regarded as the fiercest warrior of her time as well as a superb instructor in all manners of being a huntsman, her loss hit the school hard.  I had enormous shoes to fill when I took the position following her retirement.  My link to his family is through his mother as my teacher and predecessor in addition to her oldest daughter as my team leader while I was a student at Beacon."

She seemed to remember something she wanted to say on the topic directly to Pyrrha.  "I want to point out one thing specifically on the topic of his mother and the enormous benefit she was to this school in her time here.  Pyrrha earned an S last year in her combat class.  I am sure you all remember that."  They nodded at her.

"That grade was invented for her, something which was only matched 40 plus years later with what I saw Ms. Nikos do.  When I say she was a superb fighter, I want you all to understand -exactly- what I am trying to say.  She was an equally talented teacher and the students she instructed literally are who are passing on skills the current generation, not just at Beacon, but across all of the hunting schools."  The group looked from Ms. Goodwitch to Pyrrha and back again.

Pyrrha didn’t expect that, from what she saw of the Arc family it had only produced one decent human being, that of course being her partner.  This information about his mother being a contributor to society was… not expected.  The news about his mother being a superb fighter was not all that surprising for Pyrrha, she always knew of his potential, now she just knew it came from his mother.  The more she learned about his family, the more she realized how much he must have admired and looked up to his mom.  Little did he realize, aside from being a male, he was almost a direct copy of his mother, at least from what she was beginning to picture her as. 

Ms. Goodwitch continued speaking "As a teacher I need to keep myself detached from my students.  However I see my team leader in Jaune, it was not easy seeing him hurt by his family.  I still don’t know what possessed Eve to do that."

"Professor can you tell us more about what happened over the summer?  It was not easy for Jaune to share what little he has."  Ren asked.

Ms. Goodwitch looked at the magenta eyed student for several seconds struggling internally with how much she could, or should put forth.

"Try as I might to remain a neutral party to all students it was hard not having a soft spot for your friend.  He reminded me so much of my teacher and his elder sister.  He took the news of his disownment hard.  Even so he never took time away from his duties, despite my urging him too"  She spoke quietly, and with obvious sorrow on the matter.

Pyrrha for her part wanted to sprint to the kitchen and hug her boyfriend again at this news, but decided against it.  She had a rare opportunity to learn more about her teacher, and Jaune's family.  She could always hug him later, and felt that Ms. Goodwitch would give more information which might prove important.

"Ms. Goodwitch, Jaune said that Ozpin put out contacts to try and establish contact with his family, can you elaborate on that?"  The Heiress asked.

The professor looked at the Heiress for several moments tapping her finger on the table as she mulled the situation over.  "I shouldn't, but I will tell you what I can.  The Arc's are a very old family and wealthy family.  They carry a great deal of political power abroad.  His father is not the head of the household.  He was never even an Arc in truth."  She took a sip of water.

Pyrrha could not will the professor to put the drink down and continue faster than she currently was.

"His mother held the last name of Arc, when his father James married into the family he took the last name.  He acts on his wife's authority.  His word as such carries a great deal of pull in certain circles, even here at Beacon, his family traditionally is one of our top boosters.  Believe me when I say he was not happy with the investment Ozpin made when he took Jaune in and even went as far as to forge a weapon for him.  The teachers here aren't blind or ignorant they know why his sisters were sent here.  The Headmaster wanted a way to defuse the situation without alienating somebody whose contributions allow for a great deal of good here at the school.  Getting his mother involved is a way to solve the situation most simply.  I will leave it up to Jaune to disclose more information on that specific matter."

The group shared glances around the room and directed their attention back to their guest.

" The point about the contacts being sent out is that his mother is somebody who is historically very hard to get hold of.  She is the one who Ozpin was trying to get word too.  More than this Jaune will have to tell you.  Eve was, and hopefully still is my friend, this was very out of character for her to do.  Jaune will have to give you more insight about his family it really is not my place to say."  She took another drink here.

Pyrrha was conflicted.  She wanted to press her for more information as she felt she could say more.  However she also did not want to betray her trust.  Ms. Goodwitch did not need to say any of that.  She did not need to come here at all.  The Spartan suspected that she was going to say that all along and the damage she had to repair was just an excuse to see to it in person.  The prospect of a meal likely was a bonus.

While Pyrrha was sorting through the day's events Jaune emerged from the kitchen with their food.  He had made a meaty spaghetti with garlic bread.  Once everybody had grabbed a plate full and began eating conversation resumed across the table.

"Jaune one day you will have to explain how you can do this.  When I do this with the same ingredients I get… very different results."  The Brawler stated.

"Like that time you managed to mess up Easy Mac right sis?"  Ruby put forth maliciously.

"How in the world did you mess up Easy Mac?  That stuff is designed to be mess-up-proof, even Nora hasn't managed to screw that up."  Ren asked bewildered.

"Even Nora?!"  The pink wearing friend objected.

"Well it is true Nora you don’t normally have the patience to cook." Jaune spoke entering the conversation, probably to defend Ren.

 Nora looked amused, took a bite of food then glanced at Pyrrha.

"That was a mean thing you said to Mr. Arc by the way Pyrrha"  She said.

The group looked at Nora, then at Pyrrha awaiting her answer.

"I thought you said you didn't understand Mistralian Nora?"  She couldn’t help but feeling a touch confused.

"I didn’t at the time, I decided I wanted to learn a bit while we waited for dinner.  It wasn't particularly hard to learn, but it has some fascinating swear words like what you called Mr. Arc"  She stated very cheerfully.  Pyrrha had no idea Nora had such a proclivity for languages, the fact she even identified what she said as an insult spoke that she did not take the literal translation, she understood the nature of the insult.

"What exactly did you say Pyrrha."  Yang asked in obvious curiosity.

"You insulted Mr. Arc?" Ms. Goodwitch asked.

"He insulted my partner and I have had enough of his attitude, yes I insulted him.  Frankly he is lucky I didn’t punch him to go with it."  She stated with steel in her voice.

"Again, what did you say to him?"  Blake asked for her partner, seeing Yang had a full mouth of spaghetti.

"I called him 'Dead-Sand'"  She answered.

Many looks were shared across the table, but Ms. Goodwitch just face palmed.

"What… does that mean Pyrrha?"  Ruby asked.

Nora answered for her.  "It is basically the most… potent and direct way a Mistralian can insult somebody."  The group turned their attention to Pyrrha as they waited for more information.

"In Mistral, fighting and training is a treated more seriously than it is in other parts of the world.  Helping somebody up after a match is not something one does out of kindness.  You do it out of respect, out of basic human decency.  Caring for your partner or training mate is a old near sacred tradition for us.  Calling somebody 'Dead-Sand' is the equivalent of saying I would sooner kill you than help you up after a match.  To a Mistralian there is no greater insult than to leave your sparing mate on the ground.  I… could say more but it is a very private topic.  Once a partner is chosen they typical stay for life in Mistral, otherwise they don’t become partners…"  She was going to speak more but as if she suddenly remembered what she was talking about she went silent.  Obvious embarrassment and a horrible blush was visible on her being.

"So wait, let me get this straight.  Every time you volunteered to train Jaune and the time you were sparing and helping him, that was your way of flirting with him?"  Yang stated incredulously.

"Yup!  It is a way of bonding in Mistral.  You can spar and practice with somebody but the moment they become your partner, it becomes more personal and intimate isn't that right Pyrrha?"  Nora stated with glee.

Pyrrha was unsure how she was conned into talking about this topic while Jaune looked like he wanted to disappear into the ground.  The echoing laughter of the room was deafening.

"I could hear more about this, speak on Nora!"  Yang stated with glee.

Pyrrha and Jaune shrunk in their seats even more.

"I would have to study more give me an hour or two after the meal Yangy."  Nora answered happily.

"Yangy?  That… doesn’t sound right."  Blake said.

"Yanes?"  Ruby tried.

"Rubes I warn you…"  The brawler threatened.

"Yanay?" a voice suggested, it was later identified as Ms. Goodwitch.

"Yanay I love it!"  Ruby squealed.

"That fits Perfectly!"

"Yeah that is so Yang!"

"That settles it!  Yanay it is!"

Yang could not remember face palming harder than she ever did before at that moment as the table erupted in laughter.

Once the meal we done Ms. Goodwitch excused herself politely as the remainder of the group let the meal set.  After a period of time, Pyrrha and Jaune decided to head to the roof for their evening session as Ruby and Weiss wanted to use the private sparring room.

***

To Pyrrha sparing and practice is not just a way to spend time with somebody she loved.  It time she had come to cherish.  During her time at Sanctum part of the reason she survived the years of isolation was the comfort she found in practice.  She always loved working out.  The feeling of pushing your body with physical exertion.  Pressing your limits constantly and the satisfaction of surpassing them.  It helps that she was blessed like few others, yet even the post workout buzz she had come to find sanctuary in paled compared to her spending time with Jaune as they trained and practiced. 

When she met Jaune and he agreed to be coached by her it was possibly the single most happy moment in her life leading up to that moment.  Seeing Jaune move and fight Yang earlier that day was one of the most gratifying things she had ever experienced.  He moved better, he had greater stamina and strength.  Possibly the biggest change was with his mind, like he didn't feel unworthy of it all anymore.  He did not beat her, but the improvement was obvious in her.  Moreover, it was like he could finally feel himself improve, and that knowledge helped steady him even as he did not manage to beat his red headed girlfriend and partner.  It was like that now he had his health, he was more willing to accept that he was capable of fighting.  She knew he never really considered himself worthy of her as a man.  She felt that he might be slowly overcoming his feelings on that matter as well. 

She sensed a change in him last year that night before he fought Cardin.  She was unable to spend enough time to really come to terms with the effect it had on him.  Finally meeting him again after the summer break she could begin to make a tally of what her words and the realization that he was helping her did for him.  She remembered his words clearly 'I don’t think you can understand how much what you just said means to me'.  That is fair, she might not.  He lived in a household full of individuals who thought less of him than dirt.  However she understood and related to it more than he likely thought possible. 

She never knew the meaning of love, or real happiness or maybe even acceptance prior to meeting him.  They gave each other a future.  Initially he thought he was just soaking up goodwill from this person who in his eyes, was getting nothing in return.  The knowledge that was just not true did seem to cause a change in him for the better.  Seeing how much he had changed and how much better he was as a fighter seem like a blessing.

Their sparring matches always were intense.  She had to hold back a great deal with their sparing sessions the previous term.  He was not her match in terms of skill yet, physically in terms of physical power they were not so different, she was certain in time he would be physically stronger.  Being physically stronger than her was not all that impossible 2 members of their group already were stronger.  As she trained and molded him, she was determined to keep building him up to what she knew he could become. 

She could tell, each time their swords clashed, each time he deflected an attack, each time she beat him.  He got better.  She did not know how he would stack up against her in time.  The knowledge that his mother in particular was a superb fighter did spur her somewhat at bringing out that potential she knew he had.  Each time he stood up everytime she helped him up, he did -something- better on the next attempt. 

That was the ever important lesson she instilled on him that night.  To keep working, to keep improving.  She had him work with his new weapon for several hours until she decided that they had worked enough that night.  They would resume their morning and night workouts, and who knows with him being healthier now they might even do something mid day in between classes.  They had no need to tear each other up like she sometimes did him last term in an effort to help him enough to pass his combat final.

The first thing that attracted her to him, was his heart.  She had some concern over the issue of his health.  That now he shared its benefit, he wouldn't feel the need to push himself to his fullest extent.  She was relieved when that proved not to be the case.  All that she contemplated as they walked back to their dorm.  It was a longer trip than it previously was, but it wasn't a burden to either as they thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.

"I'm glad that you still try as hard as you can Jaune, complacency and arrogance has been the end of several people as they improve"  Her bright smile brought a similar one to his face.

"Arrogance?  I have nothing to be arrogant about Pyrrha."  He sounded somewhat shocked.

That came out differently than she intended.  She tried again.  "I mean that you keep working hard is a good sign, that’s all I meant"

"I want to defend people Pyr, you know that.  You keep improving and you never stop trying.  I knew that already.  It might be easier for me to fight now but that doesn’t mean I can suddenly try less."  He said answering her thought with a shrug.

"That, Jaune.  Is exactly what I wanted to hear."  She could not keep her smile from her face even if she tried.

Pyrrha was still smiling to herself several minutes later feeling a level of happiness border lying on bliss.  It was incredibly gratifying for her to realize.  That Jaune, was still Jaune.  He had not changed following the removal of his weapon, following his disownment, or the fact that he had his health.  He was still that kind boy willing to keep running, kept working until his body fell over from exhaustion.

"You never did tell me why you cut your hair short Jaune"  She asked out of curiosity.

"Why do you ask?  Did you like it longer?"  He asked back.

Pyrrha got the impression he was avoiding the question, but answered.  "Yeah, I kind of preferred it that way.  Men in Mistral wear their hair longer than in Vale normally."

"Ok, well then I will grow mine out again"  He said with a smile.

"Jaune…"  The Spartan said sternly.  When he stopped moving she stopped and turned to him.

"Pyrrha, all of my family.  Every one you have seen.  Has all had long hair my father included.  You ever think about why?"  He did not sound pleased to discuss this but he still wore his ever present smile as he spoke.

"No, not really to be honest I didn't think about it.  It is common for women to have longer hair."  His reluctance to answer her, sparked some alarm, diminished as it was by his ever present smile.

"Arc's are proud of their lineage Pyrrha, our… their blond hair is part of that lineage as distinctive as we historically are as warriors it is always a blond haired person mentioned with flowing hair.  When I was disowned I stopped being an Arc, so I cut it short.  However if you like it longer it is no burden to me I will gladly grow it out again for you."  At that he took her hand and began moving back to the dorm again.

She moved with him for several minutes and decided it was not worth speaking more about his hair.  He did not appear bothered by it.  It was not until they had nearly reached the door that she felt sure he was not upset about her questions to move on to another topic.

"You also never did tell me what you are going to do to make up for the lack of messages Jaune."  Her playful side showing up once again.

A silly grin appeared on his face "And I won't tell you what I will do."  She gave him a hard look.  He continued "I will however tell you when.  Tomorrow, after our morning workout.  I think you will agree I have made it up to you at that point."

Following that they moved back into their dorm to relax and get ready for their morning session, though Pyrrha would struggle to sleep as she was strangely anxious for what he had in mind.

Ch 2.6

Pyrrha tried to pry out of Jaune what he intended.  She tried duplicitous tactics too.  Even trying to use a Ruby style pout, all to no avail, Jaune was determined and nothing she could think of would relinquish the information he was obviously holding onto.

The timing was rather deliberate, after their morning session.  He even -required- the first shower.  He NEVER required the first shower.  Sure he might take the first shower, but in 90% of situations he was the gentleman and let the lady go first.  If anything his insistence only increased Pyrrha's excitement over what he had planned.  She was in the shower following their morning session, and recalled their morning workout.

She had pushed him as she always did very very hard.  He did keep up with weight training and cardio work, though she intended to crank up the intensity several notches.  Part out of desire to see him sweat, she wouldn't deny.  Also to see just how much she can push him in the future.  She had figured out his limits to a fairly exact degree when he was ill, now that he had his health she would need to figure it out again.  The fact that the sight of her crush now turned love interest and boyfriend caused her to blush was a bonus.

Jaune, she had to admit, was filling out a wonderfully attractive physical form.  His pure-unfiltered-raw-potential in combat was something she hoped to open his eyes too.  She always spoke of his potential, even before when he was ill.  Now that he was free of that parasite, his growth was even more apparent to her and the rest of her collective friends.  He at times reminded her of molten metal, it is the smiths job to shape it into a form which will be most beneficial.  With him not having to rely heavily on his aura, his body is moving along at a remarkable pace.  His total faith in her to guide him physically was something which made her heart flutter.  She had to confess, it is not all that different from her willingness to let him guide her in matters of emotions and attachments.  

She did blush as she thought her boyfriend.  She absolutely loved him for his heart.  She had fought many males in her time.  With the exception of Jaune, and to a lesser extend Ren.  They all looked up at her with disdain, loathing or worse emotions as she beat them.  Jaune, it seemed, didn't care that he was getting beaten by a girl, like it did to so many other people.  He always just looked back at her and smiled.  Happy to spend time with her and happy to be and feel himself improving.

She thought about her lectures to him in the past, he was learning faster now.  He was steadily, becoming a formidable opponent.  The pace he was picking up her lessons was impressive.  He always gave all the praise and credit back on her for being an excellent teacher, which again is something she admired him for.  One day, she would ensure he would realize the truth.  That he is learning faster than she could teach, at some point they will get the point when he knows everything she can teach him.  At which point experience will be all he needs.  One day, months or years from now he will accomplish something where he can't pin the praise on somebody else, she longed to see his face then.  She didn't know when he wouldn't feel like he was the weak link in the teams chain.  She did however vow that she would make him see he was the one that made the chain possible.  That he made every link of that chain stronger just by being himself.

She knew just how good she was in battle, and she knew the odds were low that Jaune would be somebody who could beat her consistently the way she bests him.  Yet one of the things that made her love Jaune so badly, is that it didn't matter if he could or couldn't.  He can do things she can't, she can do things he can't.  Through it all, they are partners.  A team made so deliberately to overcome the weaknesses of the other.  That they bonded so strongly was a good thing, as is the fact that they needed each other.

Smiling she decided something.  If it was left up to her, they would be partners forever.  In her home partners take care of each other both on the battlefield and off.  When ill or not ill, they were always side by side.  They did not have the numbers of other nations, so their warriors had to be stronger individually and work better in groups.  She just knew, that she and Jaune shared an immensely strong bond.  She did not know when she would have the confidence to ask him to proceed in a more Mistralian fashion the act of being partners, but she was looking forward to feeling that the moment was right.

***

Her shower now complete, she couldn't help giggling like the girl she was with excitement as she exited and moved towards the bedroom where Jaune waited for her.  The Spartan saw something that she was not expecting.

"What, is this?"  She asked, confusion evident on her face.

"This, is part of what I am doing for you.  First, I am going to wash your hair.  Yang told me about the Mistralian Braid your mother wears.  I am going to put your hair in it."  She started to blush -heavily- at this, he went through that much effort to figure out what he could do for her?

"After I am going to give you a massage.  If you are still awake, I will give you the final pieces, if not, you will find them in a chair near your bed when you wake up."  Nervous excitement was practically gushing off her, but she sat down in the improvised salon chair.

The effect Jaune's hands had on her neck and shoulders was... electrifying for her.  Filling her body with tingling feelings and excitement.  She had no idea that a simple touch, could affect her like this.  She kept her eyes closed as his hands moved along her scalp relaxing her body utterly.  When he hands moved down to her neck she flinched unwillingly and her blush just would not leave her face.  She had no way to understand how this made her feel... so alive, yet utterly calm and relaxed.  His hands moved tenderly along her neck and behind her ears as he washed her hair with as much affection and care he possibly could manage.

She started to hum to herself at feeling so relaxed.

Too soon he announced he was done with her the washing of her hair, and started drying it.  The effect he had on her was something she never experienced before.  It excited her, it, relaxed her.  Yet for all she tried, she couldn't bring herself to speak to him and distract him, she wanted him to focus on his task.  Feeling like all the nerves in her body are at once awake and on edge, yet completely and utterly relaxed was confounding to Pyrrha.  However the sensation was unlike anything she had experienced before, she treasured every moment and second it lasted.

Once her hair was appropriately dry he began to tie the braid.  He had obviously not done this recently.  She had known him for a year.  He, to the best of her knowledge, had not utilized his knowledge of hair care in that time.  Yet it was with practiced fingers he deftly moved her hair around and into the braid which her mother wore, which she was trying to put it into just yesterday.  She was lost to time, worry or even thought as she just let herself be pampered.  When he was finished and she looked at herself in the mirror, she gasped.  He had used no expensive lotions, conditioners or anything.  Yet the end result was... She had no idea her hair could look this attractive.

"I hope you are pleased."  He said, honest work evident on his face.

Her blush magnified as she smiled at him via the mirror with glee on her face.  This was exactly what she wanted for her hair.  It was perfect.  The fact that he went outside the normal steps to figure out that she wanted it... it just made her heart sing.  He had to remind her that he still intended to give her a massage several times before she heard him speak in spite of looking at him via the mirror.  She still was carrying that happy expression on her face she laid down on her bed face down.

Using skills which could only be described as heavenly or maybe sinful, he worked his way through her body.  Her arms, he lovingly caressed and worked out tension she didn't even know she carried.  They did primarily did legs core and cardio that morning.  Her neck and shoulders were already rather loose from the hair work he did for her, yet he still happily did it all over again.  Using skills that would make most people jealous in the extreme he made her moan, groan, sigh and gasp in contentment as tension was eased out of her body.

"Jaune, it is absolutely sinful how good you are at this."  She praised, an enormous smile on her face and blush on her cheeks.  This was first time she was able to make a complete thought though one of the many backrubs he had given her.  Which, following this experience, she could see herself playing the tired girlfriend card more often to obtain more.  His touch was both strong and forceful as he moved along her body, and soft and gentle.  Somehow all at the same time.  She had received backrubs before in her time as a tournament fighter.  They all paled in comparison to this.  Maybe it was Jaune's natural skill with his hands.  In truth?  She didn’t care, it was a joyous experience for her.

By the time he started on her legs, she felt herself falling off into a happy slumber.  Part of her mind was screaming at her to fight these feelings, as she didn't want to wait until she woke up for the rest of what he had planned.  But as before, she was powerless to stay awake, and blissfully entered into a dreamlike state, wearing a silly adorable content smile on her face.

***

Jaune finished his work, looked back over his shoulder and observed her sleeping form, then turned the lights off and left the room.  He left the remaining gifts he had for Pyrrha on a chair by her bed, and decided he would go about his day.

He exited the JNPR dorm room in his typical shorts and T-shirt his weapon across his back along with his bracer.  Though as the honest work he has been doing continued to push against the fabric, it was starting to look a touch too small for him.  With a grumble he decided he would need to order more through the school soon.

As he exited he ran into Weiss and Blake.

"There you are Arc, have you given what you said you would to Pyrrha?"  Weiss demanded.

He was slightly put off balance by the manner she was speaking, but recovered quickly.

"Yes Weiss, she is currently sleeping."  He looked them over.  "Were you two going somewhere?"

"Yeah the two of us were going into town, I have some books to get.  Weiss was going to buy... I forget what she was going to buy."  The black haired girl answered.  "Where were you going?"

"I was going to the gun range, I still need to practice with this thing"  He said holding up his right arm.   As he looked back at his friends, he noticed the looks they were giving him.

"Arc, it is raining terribly hard, are you going in that?"  The Heiress asked... somewhat mortified.

"Uh, yes?  Is that a problem?"  The knight responded... unsure what the issue is.

"Why aren't you wearing a hoodie?  Or something more than just that?"  Blake asked.

Jaune sighed, but answered "Guys remember, I am disowned?  When my family did that they took everything I had with the Arc symbol, the clothing they gave me included."  He answered.  "So yes, I'm going in just this."

An exasperated sigh exited the Heiress as he explained, but when she spoke on there was an intense look in her eyes.  "Arc, that will not do, I'm sorry but gun practice will have to wait, you are coming into town with us, and I am going to buy you some clothes."  Her tone of voice made it clear there would be no arguing with her, and it would have been lethal to try.

Blake looked on very unhappy at that declaration, normally she was as mellow as somebody could be, here, she didn't need to speak to put her intension forth.

Under the glare of these two women, self-adopted sisters, he relented.  Despite the motion sickness he suffered from when on airships, and accepted the trip into down for the Saturday activity.

____________________

While walking around the town Jaune couldn't help but feel a touch out of place.  Weiss was dressed lavishly carrying a bag wearing a dress, high heel boots and umbrella.  Any one piece potentially costing more than Jaune had ever carried in his entire lifetime.  Whereas Blake was dressed in her typical gear, and looked right at home on the streets.  He couldn't help but feel happy for her.  She worked hard over the last year to get to the point she could go out in public with her cat ears on display.  She decided that now more than ever, people needed to see faunus doing the right thing.  There was a transitionary period, but she now appeared completely at ease, either that or it was just a front.  He couldn't tell.

Arriving at the first stop for the day Weiss declared:

"Ok so here is a clothing store for me.  I had some stuff ordered, I won't be long."  With that the Heiress walked into the designer store, something neither Blake nor Jaune felt the need to do as they would feel both out of place and well out of their price range.  They waited for her standing under the large canvass outside the store.

Jaune felt as though Blake wanted to speak to him.  He wouldn't mind getting to know the Faunus better himself.  He had known her for a year and counted her as an ally, even considered her a sister.  Yet they so rarely had a chance to speak person to person.  His intuition was correct as Blake started the conversation.

"Jaune, I am sorry about your family.  Really I am."  She said, not able to look at him.

Jaune knew that Blake had no family and to say it was difficult to speak about family for her would be an understatement.  If anything she had an even more difficult time in family matters than Pyrrha did.

"I am too."  He replied simply.

"I don't understand how you can be this... calm about it."  She gave him an odd look.

"I wasn't calm about it Blake, I hurt me, a lot.  Thinking of you all as my family made it substantially easier though." He smiled shyly at her.

"I wonder what is easier, learning to not love your family.  Or never knowing them in the first place."  She replied curiously.

"You are putting too much stock on the word, family Blake.  Blood isn't everything."

She just looked at him.

Jaune had to recollect his thoughts.  To Faunus, blood was so important.  To abandon a child or a family member is an inconceivable thing to them, more so than it is in humans.  Made so by years of mistrust and misdeeds across both people.  He knew it was a sore spot for Blake to not know her parents, he would need to tread carefully with this topic to avoid insulting her.

"I am not related to any of you, yet I consider you family.  Family is whoever you decide for yourself it is.  You DO have a family.  Ruby, Weiss, Yang, the rest of us, they are your family Blake."

***

Blake could not understand how he... effortlessly navigated these emotional minefields.  She knew what he said was true, yet the way he said it... just compelled belief.  It was like he knew exactly what she would think of as they approached this subject and knew exactly the route to take so as to not insult her.  She was quiet for a time, but as the silence dragged on she felt the need to talk more.

"You never did tell me what you did for Pyrrha." She stated earnestly.

"No, I didn't" He replied with a smile.

"And I suppose you won't tell me at all?"  She continued.

"You will find out soon enough when we get back Blake."  He reminded her.

"This better make things right Arc, I mean that.  She was in a bad sorts when you were in the infirmary."  She warned.

"No." He replied

Her look implied... be very careful with what you say next, you might be in mortal peril.

"Not Arc." He concluded as if reading her mind.

She seemed saddened by this, but nodded.

"This will make it as right as I can make it Blake, if it doesn't do it, I will of course keep trying.  Having said that, I think she will be happy."  The knight said with honest evident in the air.

"What books do you intend to pickup?"  He asked.

"Are you sure you want to know Jaune?"  She asked coyly.

"I don't see how the knowledge can hurt me."  He responded, somewhat alarmed.

"Two Ninja's of Love books, do I need to elaborate?" Her smile was obvious even to him.

"I figured as much…"  He stared off as if reminded of something.

"What?"

"Nothing, just some old memories."  This time he answered without his smile and looked away.

"Do you want to talk about it?"  She surprised herself by asking the question.

"You share the same taste as one of my former sisters, that’s all"  He said still looking away.

Blake seemed to accept that and seemed content to wait for Weiss to return though she could sense an unease to him.

***

From the clothing store they walked to the bookstore for Blake to pick up her literature.

Weiss looked to speak but Jaune interrupted her.

"If you are going to warn me about needing to make it up to Pyrrha, you needn't bother."  He put forward hiding a grin.

"I but I was... I was not!" She claimed stamping her foot for emphasis.

He looked at her sideways.  Prompting the Heiress to speak more after a sigh.

"Jaune, we were all very worried for you, you should have seen the looks on her face when she went to you while you were unconscious."  The... caring side of Weiss, that she so rarely showed, was slowly starting to emerge.

"I understand Weiss.  Believe me, I will do everything I can to make her happy, I am confident that what I did will right any wrongs she holds for me over it."  He responded earnestly.

"And you won't tell me what you had planned?"  She demanded/asked/questioned.

"Weiss, what I did for her I was working on all summer.  It will be everything I can.  I'm sorry for what I caused everybody, I know I should have looked through that medical report but.  The truth is I just don’t care.  What has happened has happened, I cannot go back and undo it.  My only grievance is that I worried you all.  I hope what I have done will cover for that.  I guess I just need to grow up."

While she wanted to interrogate the Knight further, she decided not to pry.  She did not want to admit it, but she didn’t feel like Jaune needed to grow up.  His dorky goofy side was initially a source of aggravation for her, but it ultimately is what helped bring the group together.  However she didn’t feel like she could say anything on the matter further.

Blake emerged shortly carrying only one book, it seems they were sold out of one of the two she really wanted.  Nothing they could do about it, but unfortunate.

The trio decided to head to lunch noticing the time and the fact that it stopped raining.  It was, however a debate for where to go.  They knew that Weiss had to pay and as such she wanted to go to a fancy place.  However neither Jaune or Blake wanted to go to one of those places given their current state of dress.  Blake insisted on a place to get more of her beloved fish, and Jaune would be happy if they just carried their own merchandize.  Service as a pack mule wasn't his ideal career choice.  He found a bench he could sit down at and wait for the two girls to settle the debate for themselves.

***

Yang finished her weight training for the day.  She had seen the work Jaune was doing, and was hell bent on not falling behind the Blond Goof.  It was while she was moving back to her dorm when she heard what sounded like crying from the JNPR dorm room.  She found the door already open.

If Jaune screwed up his apology, smile or no, I will give him several bruises for this.  She swore to herself.  Upon entering she saw Pyrrha on the ground with an absolutely gorgeous braid done on her hair hugging her knees as she looked up at her bed which was now adorned with 2 pictures cradling another smaller one on her chest.

"Pyrrha what's wrong?"  she asked out of concern.  Yet the look she got in return, was not one of sadness, it would be one of Joy.  Pyrrha was literally so happy, she was sobbing uncontrollably.  Yang had never seen this before.  As she moved up to hug her redheaded friend she caught sight of the images which put the Spartan into this state.  The two images on the bed were an impressive enough sight.  However it was the small one that was in Pyrrha's hands which made her do a triple take in disbelief.

"JAUNE ARC!" She yelled, not out of anger, but out of praise.

The shout of course drew the attention of the remaining members of JNPR and Ruby, who soon piled into the room and stared at the images in awe.

***

The three friends in town slowly worked through their meal and fully intended to give it time to set before they left town.  They all knew that Jaune suffered from motion sickness and they had no desire for any unpleasant surprises on the way back to Beacon.

"Jaune I should tell you that I ordered clothing for you from the designer store I visited.  It should be delivered directly to your dorm once it is ready.  I came to the conclusion that should be my favor I owned you from the previous year."  The Heiress announced.

Jaune had practically forgotten that wager and had long sense given up thinking about what he would cash it in for, but clothing seemed as good a thing as any.  "Uh, how did you know my size Weiss?"  He asked.

"Jaune, are you really going to have a conversation about clothing with me? I think I know how to figure out what manner of clothes to order for you."  The old Weiss Schnee mannerisms from the previous year was threatening to emerge on this topic, he very wisely let it drop.

They were silent for a time as they just enjoyed the outdoors with good company until the need to speak overwhelmed them again.

"Hey Jaune?"  Weiss asked.

"Yes?"  He said evenly.

"Could I ask you about your family?  Specifically its history?" 

Jaune, as Weiss predicted, appeared less than thrilled about the question.

"What do you want to know?"  He was able to say as he finished off his meal.

"Your semblance is… unique.  The fact that they are passed down generations isn't all that odd.  My own semblance is passed in my family.  Both myself and my sister have the same one.  However the Arc family is huge.  You have 7 sisters, it is a far larger family than my own."

Jaune looked at Weiss following along and noticed that Blake observed the conversation, maybe they both wanted to ask me about this?  He couldn’t help but wonder at that.

"Many bloodlines have married into the Arc family.  However it seems like the only one passed on is what you possess.  There is very little variance considering that.  I was hoping you could explain why."  She genuinely appeared curious.

Jaune took good few minutes to collect his thoughts.  He was never trained to fight and his family did not tell him about his semblance because of that.  It is likely that overall, Weiss knew more about his semblance than he himself did.  However he was smart enough to realize what Weiss wanted to know.  In many cases what gets put into history books it not the full truth.  He doubted he even knew the full truth given that all he knew was what he overheard other members of his family saying.  However he would try to give Weiss the best answer he could.

"Weiss I don’t know everything and I cannot say if what I know is the whole truth.  I can however say, that you are not entirely correct.  Yes our ability to channel aura into our bodies is a consistent part.  However we are not all equal.  My semblance is white/blue when I use it.  My sisters are different than I am.  Eve for example is silver/orange, Crystal is light blue/green.  When Pyrrha spoke to me about helping me unlock my semblance last year she was not wrong.  Some of my family could do beyond the standard Aid, having inherited a full or partial semblance from an outsider who married in.  I know enough to realize it isn't unheard of, but I cannot say with certainty that it is common or if I even have the same thing.  I've only had my semblance a matter of months I cannot say I am an expert in its knowledge or use.  As I am sure you know with semblances that stay in bloodlines it is up to the family to instruct their children in its use to use it to its full potential.  I have obviously not had that instruction so… it largely remains a mystery to me."  He spoke both earnestly and detached as he answered the question.

Weiss for her part knew there was a certain amount of truth to what Jaune said.  She was indeed taught by her family to use her semblance and they will continue to teach her its finer points.  She could only imagine how hard it must be to be given vague hints about how to use his semblance from an outsider and try to piece the pieces together for himself.  She also knew the basic quote of aura 'Aura is a reflection of the human soul' ergo the color of a person's semblance will of course change even if the semblance is the same.  At least for those semblances who manifest a color.  She knew that Winter and She were similar, yet the way it was used was not identical.  She had more of a proclivity for area altering and her sister generally was superior at summoning.

Suddenly she felt the way Ms. Goodwitch must feel when she tried to coach somebody in the finer uses of their semblance or how Pyrrha had to feel last year as she desperately and diligently worked with Jaune to help him unlock and learn to control his semblance.  It is one thing to understand basically how glyphs work.  It is quite another to be able to mold dust into glyphs made from your mind to perform functions yet undiscovered.  She had to feel like a fish would in teaching a bird to swim.  Sure technically birds are capable of swimming but isn't exactly what they are known for.  That she succeeded at all proved the Spartan was exceptional at yet another thing… teaching.  Weiss was pulled out of her thoughts as Blake picked up the conversation.

"Jewel?"  She asked.

"What about her?"  He responded, then figured out what Blake wanted to know.  "Oh her color?  She is deep purple/dark red as I remember."

Blake did want to know that, but that actually was not what she wanted to know.  "I meant why did your dad give her Crocea Mors?  Why not another sister of yours?"

"On that note, you would have to ask her, I do not know."  He responded fidgeting nervously.

"If I asked you to guess?"  She pressed.

"If I had to guess, I would say it was simply because I wanted it.  Jewel was and is the sister I got along with the absolute worst.  My family is well known for its warriors and generals.  A sick child was an unbearable dishonor in my father and her eyes.  When I claimed the weapon she was incensed by that.  If you are forcing me to guess, I would say that my dad wanted to take the weapon away for a very long time.  With her being a willing recipient of it they decided to do it at that time.  Though they screwed up the inheritance quote."  He sounded angry as he recalled this.

Blake and Weiss looked at each other.

"Huh?"  Weiss asked.

Jaune looked at her and visibly hesitated as he realized he had no desire to go into this subject.  However he knew of course… that he did bring it up, and couldn’t in good faith just drop the topic. 

He continued by saying "In the Arc family when you pass on a weapon to another there is a saying you tend to quote.  When I said 'Thank you for the use of your weapon'  It was a more ritualized response.  My dad did not speak the other half for a variety of reasons I don't intend to go into moreover you both could likely guess why he wouldn’t give me that small honor.  I don’t know what he said when he gave the weapon to Jewel but she should have been the one to speak first by saying 'In my hands this weapon will hopefully fulfill its purpose.' to which he would have responded 'May it keep you and yours safe'.  I know few of the Arc rituals regarding the passing on of equipment and battle gear but even I was taught that.  The fact that he deliberately didn’t go about that was more of an insult to me than either of you likely understand.  Please can we not discuss this further?"

Neither Blake nor Weiss had their curiosity sated on the matter, but decided they could ask him about it later if they felt the need.  Neither wanted to cause their friend more duress than what had been done to him and as such, they let the matter fade into silence.

They could not help but wonder, Jaune always deflected talk of his family.  They had asked him about his famous surname in the past especially before they realized it was not a happy topic for him.  They could not help but wonder that he was willing, at least in part to discuss it now.  Either he was more willing to talk because now he was not an Arc and had little reason to hold his silence on their customs or what, but neither the girl in white, or the girl in black, were happy with the knowledge they had just learned.

Once they had finished their meals they took the bullhead back to Beacon, both mulling over what Jaune had said regarding his family.  Blake in particular was beginning to feel a certain kinship with the blond knight.  She never knew her family and the only person she could regard as family turned out to be a cruel individual though he did teach her a lot about fighting.  Jaune did know his and was obviously close to some of them.  However, that he would be willing to give up his ancestral heritage and try to build from scratch was a very faunus like attitude for children who knew of no family.  She was sorry that it took such a sad event for her to realize that Jaune was somebody she could, and should rely on, but that he had more in common with her than she was previously willing to admit.  She suspected the same was true for the Heiress, but for different reasons.

***

The trio arrived back at their dorm with Jaune being back first, he went to the joint commons area to work on his art book which he left previously from the prior evening.

Several minutes later Weiss and Blake entered the RWBY dorm room, and found it empty.

"Where is everybody?"  Blake asked.  A sound from the JNPR dorm drew their attention and the door flew open, to reveal Ruby with a puppy like smile on her face.

"Ruby, what has happened."  Weiss asked... cautiously.  Ruby continued to tug and pull the two of them into their sister teams dorm room.

After crossing the doorway they saw Pyrrha, with the most ridiculously happy look on her face anybody had ever seen with tears of equally happy feelings streaming down her face.  Looking at 3 picture frames which were sitting on her bed.

Pyrrha noticed the pair enter the room and was able to piece together that must mean that Jaune was back.

"Jaune is in the commons room right?  I need to go thank him."  The Spartan then quickly left the room with her hair billowing behind her.

Weiss noticed her leave and moved towards the group and found a seat along with Blake.

"I don't know when he did this or where he keeps hiding all this talent he somehow has.  I have never seen Pyrrha this happy, I have to admit, I am a bit jealous of her, you need to look at these pictures." Was all Yang could say.

They all had seen the pictures from his art book on the way to Beacon.  Even so, they could not suppress the gasp they were holding upon seeing the professionally made pictures he had given Pyrrha.

The first was somewhat familiar to them.  It was the familiar "My Warrior Goddess" picture from his book.  Except it was now in color, perfect real life accurate color.  He added in another half of the picture though, and now there was another image of Pyrrha present.  This time in her school clothes, standing in the pose that has come to be the standard position for her.  Leaning slightly on her back foot smiling forwards with a bright energetic look on her face.  However the picture, now in formal and professional titling, was simply "My Goddess".

The entire gathering of people were struck dumb by him at this point already.  Then they saw the second picture.  Which was again, a retelling of a previous image.  "My Family"  was once again on display.  However it like the previous one, was done in perfect lifelike color.  With an added detail.  The Beacon Tower was now shown.  Along with both Headmaster Ozpin. and Ms. Goodwitch along its upper balcony.

My family, My home, My parents.  They thought with disbelieving eyes.  Weiss and Blake, not being the first to see this image, were... speechless.  Even Yang or Ruby, who had been here for some time were... still mostly numb at seeing the image. 

Then they saw the third.  Which was new to them.

It was titled "I Promise."  While it was also in color, it was smaller than the others, though, it might have been the one with the most emotional attachment.  This was simply a picture of Jaune, being pressed up against the hallway wall outside their year one dorms.  They were kissing, with tears flowing down Pyrrha's face.  They never knew of this, but they could guess this was the night before the combat final exam from the previous year.

"His family better not ruin this year for Jaune.  That boy... that man works to hard.  He deserves a win"  Yang said, which garnered a round of supportive murmurings from the group.

"I'm pretty sure he considers that fact that Pyrrha was willing to speak to him a win.  If he does consider us his family, believe me Yang, I'm sure he thinks he already got the jackpot."  Ren said with a sad look in his eye.

"It does make you wonder what things would be like if he actually came from a place where he was appreciated."  Ruby said.

"Or one that actually took him to a doctor to get that Grimm out of his chest.  It is obvious he is talented, was naturally born with it.  Nobody knew that as they never gave him a chance."  Blake put forth.

Weiss cringed at her teammates words.  She came from a place where she had everything she wanted, at least in terms of physical items.  She was given one of, if not the best educations that money can buy.  Taught to fight and how multiple topics and subjects of interest.  Yet the one thing she wants now more than ever, she had been forbidden to have.  Not by any one party, but by herself.  Her desire to please her family was similar to Jaune's.  Unlike him though, she didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel.  She wanted to be normal, like Pyrrha had so longed for that.  Yet she knew, it just wasn't in the cards for her.

***

Jaune, he wasn't ashamed to admit, was slightly concerned about how Pyrrha would take his attempt at apologizing for a lack of information over the summer, especially so given that Weiss and Blake kept bringing it up.  Odds are they spoke, or at least remained in contact over the summer.  Never mind that they had the Vytal tournament to contend with and Pyrrha not only won, but she won in flying colors.  Thinking back now it seemed silly, but the strength of his partner just continually astonished him.  If she were in the hospital under situations where she might not live.  He doubted he would be able to function.  Pyrrha not only functioned but she excelled.   He wished now he had read that report, it might have prompted him to message her sooner.  The idea of her worrying over him was incredibly painful for him and he vowed to himself to never put her through that again be it in his power to do it.  Yes he knew that he was in no shape to read it following his disownment, but ignoring it proved not only damaging to him, but to her and their shared friends.

When Pyrrha walked up to him appearing like she was about a twenty out of ten on the happy scale he somehow knew he had righted any wrongs which remained.  He truly had never seen Pyrrha happier, which being who is he, gave him the same feeling.  What started as the deepest most loving kiss she and he ever shared had ended.  He had no idea how long it had run, but she had to come up for air multiple times and it only resumed with a greater fervor each time.   Right now, she was simply hugging him even as he was her.  She was straddling one of his legs between hers, and pressed herself against him as she nuzzled his neck.

"Well, how'd I do?"  He asked.

She contemplated how best to answer him for several seconds and ended up just kissing him deeply again.  Once that ended she stared at him as he continued.

"How about the interest I owed you?" A playful grin began to appear on his face.

She continued to look into his eyes as she answered. "I think, I might owe you interest now."  She could not remember feeling more happy in her life as she moved in to kiss him again.  In time her fervor knocked him off balance and she ended up on top of him as they continued in their kiss.

Their friends decided not to interrupt this time.  Be it out of curiosity at the images now displayed or just in their own way to allow the couple a win.  Jaune and Pyrrha finally had the time they wanted to kiss and hold each other without interruption they desired.  Once they could no longer speak with kissing they resolved to just hold and cuddle, and did so until it was time for their evening meal which followed by their nightly practice.

The remainder of their weekend passed happily for them, training consistently with Pyrrha brought back the sense of normalcy that he missed over the summer, and they looked forward to the start of the new term on Monday.  Though they could not help but wonder at what their next encounter with the Arc family would bring.

 _______________________________________________

 

**Trying the same thing this time with a smaller segment of chapters.  I am eager to learn what people think of these chapters.  I think I struggled with them, but I am my own worst critic.  So who knows.  Leave a comment and let me know.  As ever I am fully willing to discuss this or any ideas people have for how it can continue.**


	4. Year 2 Fall Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of classes resume and the group is eager for classes, but anxious for the next encounter with the Arc family. Ruby and Yang are concerned over a development at their home, and Jaune makes his thoughts on meeting his family known.

2.7

That weekend and the Monday which followed Pyrrha was still all smiles following the antics of her boyfriend and Jaune was trying not to stare at his lovely girlfriend who still wore her hair in the Braid he had done for her.  He observed her tracing the braid around her head like a crown resting just above the Tiara she always wore until it came together and fell down her back in a tight coil leaving plenty of her flowing hair outside of the braid.  Maybe it was the smile that she constantly wore now, but Jaune proved himself false in his belief that his partner could not be more attractive.  The moment she saw herself in the braid she seemed to carry herself in a different yet undetectable way and it gave her another point in the unbelievably attractive scale.  She never did tell him about the meaning of the braid, and he didn’t feel the need to ask.  It was important to her, that’s as far as it needed to go as far as he was concerned.  He did ponder the idea of just asking Pyrrha or trying to find out for himself.  In the end, he decided there was a reason Pyrrha had not already told him.  If his hunch was right, it was something she would tell him in time, when she was ready.  He felt absolutely zero desire to rush her.  He would know when he needed to know.

Jaune and Pyrrha joined their friends after their morning workout following their shower and sat down to enjoy a breakfast before classes.  Conversation was already a frenzy which was typical when they joined in following their morning workout, what was not normal was how quickly they were included in the table conversation.

"Jaune I wanted to ask you something"  Ruby started.

"Sure Rubes, what's on your mind?"  The knight responded slightly put off, he didn’t think they were waiting for him to arrive but she wasted absolutely no time in asking that question.

"At home, did you have any allies?"  She asked.

Jaune felt he thought he knew what Ruby was trying to ask and did not want to talk about this subject, at all.  Yet, his friends have helped him cope with his family far better than he dared dream they would, as such, he didn't feel he couldn't speak about this, but hoped Ruby was going somewhere else.

"Can you elaborate Ruby?"  He supplied not really answering the question.

Ruby gave him a calculated look, which made her seem older than she actually was, but voiced. "Your family, we have seen Jewel, Crystal, your... father James, and another sister from last year.  Were any of them on your side?"  She tried to sound cheerful.

Jaune felt the glares of his friends, and gave a hearty sigh.  He had hoped that his talk from his previous time mentioning his family would have made it clear that he did have some friendly faces amongst his family even as those same talks made it clear he wanted to not talk about it and move on.  He did not realize beforehand that Ms. Goodwitch would speak of some of the topics they discussed over summer.  He did not object to his friends learning more about his former family but their insistence on not letting the subject go was… troubling for him.  Even so he trusted them enough to answer.

"At home, the only ones to really treat me poorly was my dad and admittedly Jewel.  My sisters mostly followed his and her lead.  However... that isn't what you want to know.  My mother was my biggest ally, she, my oldest, and my youngest sisters, are the ones I felt closest too.  Unfortunately... I don't even want to see them now"  He sounded justifiably sad as  he said that.

"Why… don't you even want to see them?"  She continued very deliberately.

Ruby, Jaune knew, at least on some points, was still unbearably naïve.  Yet here, he thought she was leading him in a specific direction.

"Is it so hard to grasp why I don't want to see them or talk about this?  The signatures of both my parents and my eldest sister -who was the heir apparent as next head of the family- was needed to ratify my disownment.  What I am getting at here is it isn't just a singular decision, my.... father... could not have done it on his own."  To his friends he sounded like he was nearing the limit of his patience for this topic.

Ruby shared a look with Ren and Yang.  He couldn't help but think that they knew something he didn't.  He had half a mind to open Pandora's Box and ask just what that shared look meant, maybe they wanted him too.  Instead he went another direction.

"Why do you ask?" Not sure if he wanted to know their answer.

"Oh, no reason"  Ruby and Yang both answered very quickly and in the same tone of voice.  They, even to his eyes, really, really tried to convince him.  Yet even he knew they were lying.

He gave each of them a calculated look, but decided he didn't wish to discuss it any further and let the matter drop. 

Ren picked up the conversation.  "Ruby have you heard from your father?  You are from Patch as I recall"

Jaune could finally focus on his breakfast with the topic being moved off him, something his girlfriend noticed and seemed to follow suit.

"Uh.  No I haven't heard from him, why do you ask?" Ruby asked not overly stressed about the question.

"Because It was attacked a few days ago."  Ren stated flatly.

It went deathly quiet across the table as they looked at each other then directed their attention back to Ren.

"Ren, please tell me you know more than that or you are kidding?"  Yang demanded.

"All I know is that Patch was attacked by a large pack of various Grimm.  It was rumored to be hundreds if not thousands of Grimm.  The news article indicated the town is still standing but I was wondering if you knew anymore."  the Gunslinger advised.

"No… I haven't heard anything at all.  I know that dad had to leave on a hunting assignment and he normally arranged another hunter look over the town while he was away.  He was going to be gone for at least a couple weeks.  Oh I hope nobody we know got hurt Yang."  The Reaper stated honestly though her eyes spoke of how truly nervous she was over the situation.

"Well the strange part is that the town evidently was helped by a pair of hunters who arrived during the attack.  They were able to fight off the pack.  However the article says they declined being identified."  Nora advised this point seeing Ren was focusing on his breakfast.

If anything it became even more quiet momentarily as the team sisters looked at each other highly confused.  Both Ruby and Yang resolved to look into the attack on their home more.  It isn't unheard of for Grimm to appear in the outlying area where they live, yet for a pack big enough to threaten the town itself was nearly unheard of.  Two hunters who could drive such a pack back would be undeniably formidable.  However this being their first days of classes they had to focus on getting prepared and finish their meal.  They could do nothing about the situation from where they are, and would look into it later. 

The group left shortly thereafter having finished their breakfast.

On the way to class they ran into team SSSN( Sun ), of which of course Sun and Neptune were a part of and the group was happy to discover that they had formally transferred to Beacon having found themselves becoming friends with JNPR and RWBY.  They were glad to see familiar faces but both groups did not want to be late to their first classes of the term and hurried along after saying hello.

_________________________________

The first day of combat classes began with Ms. Goodwitch pulling out several people to fight, this being the first day of the term not everybody had a chance, but there was time at the end for a couple requests.

While the current pair of combatants was on their way out of the combat floor Jaune heard Pyrrha ask a question to Ruby and whoever else was standing near her.

"I wonder what happened to our least favorite blond haired friends.  Following yesterday's investigation and their declaration of being present at our combat classes I was sure they would be here.  I wouldn't mind calling them out to put them to the test.  I cannot help but wonder at their absence."

Jaune… was equally confused.  They had told him of what Crystal shared.  He expected to be constantly surrounded by his former sisters.  Yet, he had not even seen a wisp of them.  Not even in the background.  If he didn't know better, he would have guessed they are doing exactly the opposite of what they said they would do.  Namely stay away.  He knew Ruby advised/threatened Crystal to stay away from him, he just never expected either to actually follow through with the request.  Crystal he knew, was more of a neutral party, and after hearing the conversation which took place he couldn't help but think that his friends were a bit harsh towards her as, it seems, they didn’t even give her a chance to speak.  He did not blame them as they had no idea of knowing that her personality would be so different from Jewel's, but even so it would take a great deal more than a warning for Jewel to stay back.  Either she had something planned, something far more than just the threat is keeping her away, or both.

"I have a request" A rich voice boomed out, the group identified it as Cardin's.

"Yes, Mr. Winchester?"  Goodwitch replied in a neutral tone.

"My team would like to face her again"  He said, pointing to Pyrrha.

Goodwitch looked very disappointed at this.  "You are challenging one person to fight your entire team Mr. Winchester?"

"We want to avenge our defeat from last year."  He replied... somewhat honestly.

Ms. Goodwitch clearly didn't like the idea of a 4v1 battle but had to admit that the Spartan thrashed them last time, and would give her the decision on the matter.

"Ms. Nikos?"

Trying not to grin too wide, Pyrrha responded "I would be happy to oblige."  She had wanted to fight a certain blond haired woman this morning, but would settle in letting her frustrations out on a group of people who gave her partner troubles last year given that her ideal match was a no show.

The match didn't end with Pyrrha pile driving Cardin down 20 feet into the ground like the last time, but it was still amusing to watch.  Pyrrha had a very satisfied smug look on her face as she walked back to her spot and gave her boyfriend a quick hug, having not gotten hit again.

"Well, it seems you should think more carefully next time Mr. Winchester"  Goodwitch responded in an abnormally cheerful tone.

A groan was all she received in reply as the beaten team dragged their bodies out of the combat floor.

"Well it seems we have time for one more match, any volunteers?"  Goodwitch asked again.

"I have a request" a far-too-happy voice declared.

"Hmm, ok, Ms. Xiao Long, let us find you a-" Goodwitch started

"Actually I would like to finish my match from the other day Professor."  Yang said... not trying to grin to heavily.

"You are asking to fight Jaune?"  Goodwitch stated evenly adjusting her glasses, she had caught on to the fact he no longer wished to be referred to as his more famous surname Arc.

"Like I said I wish to finish our match." Yang repeated with a smile.

Ms. Goodwitch looked at Jaune.

"Well I suppose I can do that, training is training after all."  He answered, not sure why Yang wanted to go through with this.  It is not uncommon for the request period of combat classes being used to settle old scores or resolve grudges but he didn’t think Yang felt anything of the sort with him.  Why she felt the need to finish a friendly match was unknowing to him.  Wanting to finish a match yes was a very Yang thing to do he admitted but… oh well he did agree so no use dwelling about it.

With that Yang moved to the left to walk down the left most walkway, Jaune his right, to move down the central path.  While he was walking he made sure to do a thorough scan of the room.  He wanted to see if he could spot the blond haired women he was looking for, his former family members.  He didn't want them to know he had unlocked his semblance yet, for as long as he was able.  He knew he would need to face them in the arena at some point and the less they knew of what he had learned the better.

As he got to the base of the stairs he caught the looks of encouragement from Pyrrha, he smiled at her, and was interrupted in his thoughts.

"Oi Jauney!"  He turned in the direction of the voice, and spotted Yang.

Yang was standing with her hands above her head.  She spun around revealing that she wasn't wearing her arm bracelets.  She carried the same happy looks she had when she was about to do some sparing.

Huh, ok that's what she means by finish her earlier match.  Well, ok.  If Yang wants to play, I can give her a game.   A grin appeared on his face, then he focused, and the world slowed down as he moved to the center of the arena after removing his gear.

***

Pyrrha watched as her boyfriend, partner and pupil removed his weapons and moved to stand in the center area.  She could sense... something was off in him.  It only took a couple seconds to realize.  Nothing was wrong.  For the first time in his life, when he stepped into the arena, he didn't feel like something was standing over him.  He looked ready to do his best and compete with his classmates as they had never seen from him before, as an equal.  She realized it would take time until he truly was on their level with combat skills however quickly he was gaining on them.  She knew his great trump card was that he did have a tactical mind, that might be enough to even the edge.

"Do his eyes seem... bright to you Pyrrha?"  Ren asked.

Now that he mentioned it, they did.

"I wonder if he is just in a good mood?"  She voiced, not entirely sure what was causing that.

***

"So, Semblances or no?"  Yang asked, still grinning widely.

"Up to you, I don't want to show my family it until I have too"  He responded.

She dipped her head to the side, responded "Your call"  Then kicked off at him.

Yang started off the battle very similar to the previous time, ever the aggressor.  Yet astonishingly.  Several minutes in, she still could not land a punch.

***

They battled across the room with a surprised look on the faces of the friends observing the fight. Yang was visibly trying, yet, she could not hit him. 

The baffled state of their collective wits increased when they let out an astonished gasp, as Jaune was the one who first landed a blow.  A clean hit across her face.  Not only hitting her, but evading her repose.

"Pyrrha, what have you been doing to Jaune?  Can you give me some?"  Ruby asked perplexed.

Pyrrha, as happy as this scene presenting below her made her feel, wasn't sure where this newfound skill came from either.

"I am, unsure as well Ruby."  Was all she could say, with a tremendous grin on her face as she watched her boyfriend fight well against one of the best fighters in the class.

***

Yang was many things.  She was strong, she was confident, and she was a good fighter.  Right now, she was also confused.

_Ok.  What. Gives.  It's like he knows what I am going to do before I do it._

She thought to herself.  He was reacting so much quicker than before.  I don't get it.  Her confusion increased when once again, she was hit, this time on her core before Jaune danced away and dodged her counterstrike.

***

Minutes later they both were starting to wear obvious proof of their exertion as they started to both sweat and breath harder.  They were tiring at about the same rate.  Though getting tired or no they did not slow down.

The two were going at it pretty heavily, Yang had started to land some blows, but then again, so did Jaune.  What's more, while Yang's hits did more damage, Jaune had more aura to rely on, so he actually started to win in the aura readouts.  Something which was astonishing for the group.

The Brawler was clearly focusing now.  Fighting nearly as hard as she could.  Granted she wasn't using her bracelets which would allow her greater speed and closing ability.  She was amazed that Jaune was doing this well. 

***

As happy as Pyrrha was that Jaune was doing as good as he is, she was also a little confused.  She didn't believe Yang was intimidated by him. Yet, she was struggling to understand where this newfound skill was coming from.

"Oh Jaune, my friend.  When did you get so sneaky?"  Ren whispered with evident pride at his team leader.

The group couldn't help themselves, they looked at him not understanding this newfound knowledge.

"What did you discover Ren?"  Pyrrha asked.

"Jaune's semblance, he has been using it the entire fight." he said with a rare and huge smile on his face.

A collection of gasps brought them back to observing the fight.

"That odd glow in his eyes!"  Pyrrha exclaimed.  Suddenly she understood.  He didn't cloak himself with it, he was only using it to increase his perception.  So he processes information faster and gave himself more time to react.

The rest of the group came to the same conclusion.

"Son… of… a… Nevermore"  Ruby managed to say.

"Where did he learn to do that I wonder?"  Weiss voiced.

"I am not sure... but I am so proud of him"  Pyrrha probably didn’t need to say that, the fact that Jaune is using his semblance both tactically and partially is hard to do, yet she could not have been prouder and more happy for her pupil and partner.

"Yang is going to be furious when she figures it out"  Blake cautioned.

***

The match ended in a draw.  Yang eventually figured out what Jaune was doing, with expected results.  Namely red eyes, flaming hair and an eruption of golden energy around her.  As soon as she engaged her semblance Jaune fully immersed himself in his lighting up the area white.  As Yang got more of her aura claimed by Jaune's tactical attacks the more her physical power increased.  It wasn't long before her blows were taking huge chunks of his aura each time they connected.  Yet in the end they hit each other at the same time, and dropped each other into the red.  Though Yang technically had more aura left over when all was said and done, therefore if it were a tournament setting she would have won.  As far as the class is concerned it was a draw.

"That will be all class, see you next time"  Ms. Goodwitch said as a dismissal. 

Jaune picked himself off the ground as Yang was still standing, then moved over to where he had stowed his gear feeling a touch both stiff and sore following his match.  In a few moments he had it all back in their proper place.

RWBY and JNPR ran down to the arena floor to congratulate their teammates.  Nora dove over the guardrail and surprised the knight with a bear hug knocking him to the ground in celebration.  Sensing the hammer-wielders strong embrace was causing as much damage to Jaune as the fight just did Ren peeled his friend off their team leader.

Pyrrha was quick to embrace her boyfriend as he stood and give him praise. "Jaune I am so proud of you that was great."  While she gripped him in a tight hug.

JNPR crowded around their team leader and was issuing similar compliments, where as RWBY just looked dazed.  They were happy for their friend.  However this shouldn't have happened.  Yang is one of the elite fighters in the school, Jaune's combat skills were... better, but not yet a match for her.  They were unsure how to console the Brawler however, Yang normally bounced back from things quickly and they expected her normally cheerful self to reappear.  She wasn't undefeated in combat classes after all but to her a tie with Jaune was as good as a defeat.  At least, that was what it felt like to her.

"Ok, so mental note, Yang?  Still stronger than me.... OW"  Jaune said as he was massaging his impact points.  He didn't have much aura left, and was trying to ease the healing process.  When he looked over and saw how down Yang looked, she appeared more than a little dejected.  With a deep breath to steady himself he walked over to her.  His friends parted as he moved towards his target.

"Yang, sorry for tricking you.  I won't make any excuses.  Good match?"  He said/apologized while extending a hand to her.

Yang looked at the hand for a second, then took it and pulled him into a hug, reminiscent of the last time they sparred.

"Jaune I said I wouldn't underestimate you again, it seems I made that mistake once again.  Besides I can't blame you for being tactical, it is what you do best."  She paused for a few moments looking at him oddly.  "When did you become so crafty anyway?"  As she asked the question she pulled back from her hug.

"Being around you all of course.  Though I owe almost everything I know to the best partner anybody can ask for."  He responded, always quick to give credit to everybody else but himself.

He felt himself get pulled into a hug from behind and recognized his girlfriends arms around his torso with her chin on his shoulder.

"Jaune, I taught you nothing about using your semblance partially.  That's all you"  The Spartan replied pointedly, eager to both praise him and make him see that he can't always shift credit to others.

"True, but you did teach that many fights are decided before you actually fight due to your mind."  He had placed his hands on hers.

She kissed his neck in response earning a collection of looks from their friends.

"You two look like happy fools you know that right?  Ruby cheerfully put forth.  The two only looked at each other and smiled.

With that they moved on with their other classes for the day.

_____________________________________

It wasn't until they were finished with classes and they were walking back to their dorm that a familiar shape appeared.

"Winter!"  A voice exclaimed, it took them some time to realize it was Weiss who spoke.

Weiss ran up to her sister, but at the strong look in her sister's eyes, refrained from hugging her.  It took her a few moments to get back in the typical Schnee mannerisms but she did accomplish it.

"I am pleased to see you Winter.  How are you doing?"  She asked very formally.

"I am doing well Weiss, thank you for asking." She replied just as formally.

The friends were at a loss seeing this, Winter was the only family member Weiss really spoke about fondly, yet here, they acted nearly like strangers.

"Can I inquire something with you Sister?"  Weiss asked.

"Yes, you may"

"What are you trying to accomplish by being at Beacon?"  The Heiress asked.

Winter nearly smiled at the question.  "Well, the transfer students for the cross platform training came from atlas.  Ozpin requested I be one of the instructors in that course."

"Have your plans changed then regarding the Atlas Military?  I was under the impression you were going to enlist."  Her friends could tell she was confused, but tried not to make it that obvious to her sister.

"I did consider that yes, but I decided I don't like following orders.  So, as surprised as I am sure you are.  I choose to help train new hunters."  With that Winter moved away.

"You decided to accept a teaching position then?"  Weiss responded.

"Yes, I found it more suited to my needs.  Ozpin offered me the position as advanced combat instructor for this year.  Though Glynda will likely be at a few sessions… there has been a development and I need to alter our class agenda, I cannot go into it.  So I'm sorry but I need to get moving so I can arrange replacements." She responded over her shoulder.  It took a few seconds for the group to remember that Glynda meant Ms. Goodwitch.

"Why the long face Weiss?"  Ruby asked with her typical cheer.

Weiss just looked at her with a sad expression on her face, and walked away.

With a touch of melancholy they walked back to their dorms.

__________________

Training that night was the typical rough affair for Jaune, Pyrrha was absolutely relentless in her coaching of him.  As utterly demanding as she was, she was still the kind and helpful person Jaune came to respect.  However the knowledge that she had not been wrong in thinking Jaune had tremendous potential coupled with the fact that as he got better and more importantly could see those improvements.  He was more willing to accept that he was worth the time she was giving him.  To the point he would take it upon himself to try things beyond just what she pushes him to do which reminded her of what she wanted to discuss.  Made her continue to press the envelope of what she could do with their training.

"That reminds me, today against Yang, you partially used your semblance, when did you learn to do that?"  She asked.

"Well, to be honest I didn't know if I could do it.  I knew if I fought as I did previously she would have won.  It might have been an underhanded thing to do but I felt it was justified if I want to win, which I of course do." He looked and sounded a bit embarrassed by his duplicity.

She could understand feeling dishonorable after doing what he did, but from a tactical perspective what he tried was genius in her mind.  "I thought it was a brilliant thing to do.  Yang might not approve of it but that's her fault for not treating the match seriously from the start.  They are just going to have to learn to do that.  That they have to treat you seriously from now on Jaune.  Learn that they can't treat you as a pushover anymore."  She had every impression of being absolutely serious as she said that.

"Pyrrha really I appreciate that but I still know I am the weakest of our group.  Sure my semblance gives me a fair amount of power but it isn't like I earned it.  Not like you or the others have."  He shrank back from her slightly as her gaze hardened to a dangerous level.  She just could not understand why he refuses to give himself credit or see what he is becoming despite evidence to the contrary right in front of his eyes.  He knows he is improving he can feel it I certainly can, why….

She continued to ponder why even as she spoke on.

"Jaune, I don't know when, but one day you will realize, that just isn't true.  We would not be as strong as we are if we did not have you wish us.  You push us go grow, even as I am pushing you to improve.  I know exactly how good I was before I came to Beacon.  More importantly I am familiar with the rate I was improving.  When you came into my life those ratios changed.  They changed so much I still haven't figured it out yet.  YOU make everybody around you stronger Jaune.  You inspire us all to grow beyond our limits and yes YOU are becoming a damn fine hunter.  The sooner you accept this the happier you will be.  Your combat skills might be the lowest, and I emphasis _might_ be for the time being.  You are improving rapidly despite somehow being unaware of it.  Even if somewhere or somehow you know better.  I told you last year to keep your mind open.  That is the same thing I must repeat now.  Keep your mind open and in the game, ok?"  Her gaze became deadly powerful as she spoke.  To him she appeared genuinely upset.  Like she almost wanted to grip him by his shoulders and shake him to emphasis her point.

He tried, really tried to meet her gaze and took several deep breaths to try and steady himself.  Jaune truly tried think about her words and sighed, but forced himself to look at his girlfriend.  After a few moments the … uncertainty began to leave his eyes though it didn’t completely.

"It's hard for me Pyrrha, most of my life was spent with people telling me I was worth nothing like… even allowing me to sleep in the same building was a burden on them.  It is not easy to overcome that feeling, but I swear to you I will try."  He was still trying to abide by his promise to himself, to never let her down.  She seemed to realize that as he passed that information on.

That… she did not consider.  The presence of his family at Beacon, where he had come to think of as home.  The presence of his sisters must be a destabilizing force for him.  Meeting his father over the weekend stole nearly all the will from his being, she had seen that firsthand.  Knowing he could encounter his sister who had taken his weapon and armor could not be easy.  Finally Pyrrha seemed to understand the battle that he must be fighting internally, possibly even without him being aware of it.  His sisters tell him he is worthless, and for years he believed them.  Suddenly they appear at his school as students and that voice in his head keeps squeaking the same things.  This was absolutely not the time to shout at him she determined.

She dropped her weapons from her arms and moved with purpose to hug him practically forcing the air out of him with the strength of her embrace.  Jaune was stunned, never has Pyrrha done this midsession.  He was so stunned that while the hug lasted several seconds, he was unable to respond.  Before he could return the hug she broke away with a solitary tear falling from her face, she gripped him by his shirt as she glared at him with an unearthly intensity in her eyes.

"Jaune, I know it won't be easy, but you NEED to stop thinking like you are some unworthy person soaking up goodwill.  You aren't worthless, you never were sick, and you certainly aren't dirt.  If that is all you are to your sisters then all the more fool they are, but don’t you dare take stock in those words.   Alright?"  She looked almost like the picture he drew of her namesake.  The look in her eyes continued to strengthen until it was so fiery he almost wished that she would stop looking at him that intensely.

A small smile appeared in his face, and he responded "I will do the very best I can for you Pyr."  He failed, but he tried to make his voice sound confident.

Her look changed to a slight smile, as she summoned her weapons back to her arms breaking away from him.  With that they finished off their nightly session.  That night they spent time with both features of his weapon including the long sword mode.  Thankfully following the talk they had the rest of their training went smoothly and they were able to make some headway with the new style weapon.

 

2.8

The next morning both of them woke up feeling ready for the day.  Jaune was reminded of his promise to his partner to never let her down, he never truly forgot it.  However a gentle reminder did a lot for his determination which over the last couple days has taken a bit of a beating.  It was as Jaune and Pyrrha were walking back to their dorm after their morning session that they saw something out of place.  Namely Weiss standing at the joint entry way to their dorm signing for something to be delivered.

"What, do you think is going on?"  Pyrrha asked him.

"I don't know, I doubt it is anything school related."  He replied.

"Well, It appears to be clothes."  She said scrutinizing the boxes best as she could see.

"Clothes... oh, I wonder if the clothing she ordered for me arrived."  He could practically feel the glare of his girlfriend against his face.

"Why didn't you tell me she ordered clothes for you?  If you needed clothes you should have just asked me to buy you some."  He wasn't sure the tone, but her voice had a very playful tone near teasing.

"Because I didn't plan on her doing it..."  He replied uneasily.

"And?"  She seemed to sense there was more to the story than what he said.

"And, the topic always seems to make you mad, I didn't want that."  he stated with honesty on his face.

"Jaune, what is the matter?"  Yang interjected into the conversation, astonishingly, nobody noticed her behind them despite an elephant having more natural stealth than Yang did most days.

"Jaune was just telling me about his lack of clothing and how Weiss had to buy him some.  Strange you would think I would remember him and a lack of clothing."  Pyrrha seemed to sense the free chance to embarrass her boyfriend.

"Weiss didn't have to do anything she practically forced the issue with me"  He objected.

"I will not have you running around in your quickly-getting-too-small t-shirt and shorts year round."  They looked back to the door, evidently Weiss was now in the conversation.

"Besides it isn't like this is a great deal of money."  She finished her thought.

Jaune looked at the receipt she carried.

"Weiss, each of these is worth several thousand Lien..."  The Knight stated slightly in shock.

"Yeah, it isn't designer level stuff but it should be adequate."  She stated, not quite understanding the problem.

"This is CHEAP clothes to you?"  He asked incredulously.

"Well, I could have got you upper tier but you don't seem the sort to wear it."  As she said that she gently touched the combat skirt she was currently wearing.

"Weiss this is more expensive than anything I have ever owned."

"That still doesn't explain why she bought you clothes Jaune."  Pyrrha asked again, obvious amusement on her face.

"Jaune was about to go out in the rain with just his t-shirt and shorts"  The Heiress advised.

"What's wrong with that?"  Yang asked... not quite following the problem.

"Look I don't need to explain myself to you all, I wanted to buy him clothes and I did."  The Heiress advised crossing him arms and stomping her foot, her eye even slightly began to twitch.

"Why haven't you bought me clothes Weiss?"  Ruby said from behind them.

That time the twitch was very visible to all.

Several things were said in quick succession at that point, and Blake even managed to enter the mix.  Jaune and Pyrrha shared a glance, and moved forward to let RWBY sort out their clothing concerns.

It took them several minutes to get them all into the room, Weiss had bought him an outfit for seemingly every situation.  Plenty of clothes for normal use.  It was oddly touching as this was her attempt at being nice.  Most of it was in the same white, red and silver combinations of his sword and bracer.  One pack was identified as combat suit.  It wasn't anything he had not seen before, but he had to admit that his t-shirt was getting used up quickly with it being his only real clothing he could wear.  She had got him a glove for his left hand, a heavy reinforced shirt and pants to take the place of his typical hoodie setup he had the previous year.  She also saw fit to include a matching coat in case of cold weather.

"That is a good thought, I would freeze in this t-shirt if I had to fight in snow."  Jaune admitted.

"I might have to emulate that idea, my corset would make me freeze even before you I think."  His girlfriend replied indicating her bare shoulders still wearing that playful smile on her face.

It was a different side of Pyrrha than what many people see.  The professional script reading was something she put out in public and it was the only thing most people saw.  Jaune was starting to see the fiery, assertive, passionate Pyrrha.  Known to those lucky enough to be given the privilege, as Pyrrha Nikos.  Which is very different than the Invincible Girl which most people saw.  He saw glimpses of it as she spent time with him, it was something he was aware of in the back of his head.  Moreover it was something he loved about her.  He had to admit, as much as he tried to keep his pride in check.  The fact that she was comfortable enough with him to show him this side of so easily now given her struggles with dealing with feelings, meant a great deal to him.  He might be the only person to see this side of her regularly.

"What is your impression of Winter?"  He asked.

"Do you mean as a person, or as an instructor?" She asked playfully with an odd look in her eye.

He turned away and removed his sword and bracer, placing them in his pack as he answered.  He heard the sound of Pyrrha doing... something similar he thought.

"Well, It is hard to say.  I suppose we will learn about her as an instructor today, we do after all have our first advanced combat course.  They haven't scheduled a next class but we could assume it is next week.  As far as a person, I admit I don't know enough...to... to........ t …………."  He finished his statement as he turned around and saw that Pyrrha had moved right up next to him.  She had removed her armored greaves, weapons and both of her gloves, looking at him with an exceptionally strong glean to her eyes with a smirk on her face.

"Uh, Pyr?" 

She answered him by talking the needed steps to press up against him.  Wrap her arms around his neck, and kiss him.

_________________

The 8 friends had proceeded through classes and met in the area selected for the advanced combat class.

"Anybody have an idea of what to expect?"  Ruby asked.

"Not a clue"  Was the general consensus.  They had asked Velvet what to expect, and the bunny faunus was really only able to confirm that it couldn't be predicted.  In many cases it was just a lecture concerning a new type of tech that hunters might encounter in the field.  It might be a secondary combat class similar to what they go through already.  They were really unable to prepare for it.

"I think, the point is, we don't know what to expect, so we are forced to adapt to things on the fly."  Jaune voiced.

"That, makes a certain amount of sense.  You show up to combat class expecting to fight.  It makes it somewhat predictable.  With such a variety in what we can encounter it would make it difficult to prepare for"  Blake advised.

"Yeah, that is where I was going with it." Jaune confirmed.  "Though, I do wonder about what Jewel and Crystal said.  They made it seem like they would be involved sometimes."  He wasn't exactly upset that they had stayed away from him thus far.

"Yeah it is odd, they haven't so much as said hello or even really appeared in front of us."  Yang put forth.

"Just one step at a time, it's all anybody can do"  Pyrrha advised, showing some of that infinite wisdom they had come to expect from her.

Jaune, despite himself, couldn't help but think about the presence of his former sisters at the school.  He knew his friends had asked them to stay away.  He never actually expected them too.  It was a mystery he decided he would try to solve another time, for now, he was with his friends and would face the evenings challenge together with them.

Out of curiosity he tested the door, and it opened for him.  Unable to think of an overly compelling reason for them to not file in and find a seat they shuffled into the room and found a seat in the typical classroom.

The room's clock displayed it was time for the class to begin, and not even a minute passed when Winter appeared behind them and declared:

"I have decided to have this lesson outside, please follow me"  was all she said before taking off at a jog.  The group took off after her and was able to keep up without overmuch difficulty.

When they arrived at their destination they found a playground like area setup waiting for them.

"This is an obstacle course.  You will run it individually several times tonight."  Winter they decided, was not one for long winded explanations.

The course itself wasn't all that difficult, but it was something, Jaune discovered, that was testing each of them.  There was a section for climbing, for running on tracks to cover sufficient amount of distance, and other sorts.  It was large enough that 3 of them could be in the course at the same time.  As the time moved on, they discovered that the course was getting progressively more difficult.  They had to run longer, the area they had to climb grew taller.  A pattern soon emerged.  Despite being breathless, those not on the course cheered for those who were.  Those cheers might not have been as enthusiastic as it was at the start of the night, but they continued throughout the entire session.

In the end, all 8 of them Pyrrha included, was reduced to a sweaty breathless mess, though the redhead did recover the fastest.  With that Winter lead them back at a jog to the classroom they started at.  It was difficult keeping up with the older Schnee Heiress.  She was in good shape herself having been trained as a huntress and she lead them at an aggressive pace.

Once they were back in the room and in their seating, Winter began her lesson.

"My name is Winter Schnee.  I will be your advanced combat instructor for this year.  I am not one for long introductions, but know that I am a graduate from the Atlas Hunters Academy as a licensed huntress.  I believe that is all you should need know for us to proceed."

Weiss couldn't help but smirk at the formality she was putting forth.  She was grateful that with the friends she had made, she didn't behave like that many times to date.

"Can anybody tell me the purpose of what we just did?"

"To gauge our levels of fitness?"  Pyrrha put forth.

When nobody else had a suggestion readily available Winter had more to say.

"Nobody else has another suggestion?" she challenged

"You wanted to make sure everybody could complete the course?"  Yang answered, still a bit breathless.

"You wanted to test our endurance to see how we progress as things got more challenging?"  Blake claimed.

"Those two are fairly similar to the first suggestion, do you not think?"  Winter scolded.

"You wanted to see how we behaved as a team, as a group.  You wanted to ensure we were able to cheer for each other, even as we competed against them."

The group turned to Jaune.

Pyrrha could not help but smile at him for being the first to grasp the point.

Winter seemed to smile, almost.

"Well done Mr. Arc-"

"Not Arc, please Ma'am."  He corrected interrupting her.

Winter seemed annoyed at being interrupted, but accepted it.

"Very well, Jaune.  Yes that was the point of the lesson.  While the teams assigned here are not done at random, mistakes have been made in the past.  Today was the prove that those selected are capable of being stressed physically against each other.  While still being capable of teamwork in a limited setting."

"Don't we do that in our regular combat courses Professor?"  Ruby asked.

This time the question did bring a smile to her face.

"Yes to a degree, it is common for teammates to fight in the normal combat class.  You will find that we will do more team based activities here focused on team building.  You can plan for that much in the future.  One thing to keep in mind is that this class isn't designed to give you an unfair edge.  All who graduate become hunters.  In that all are equal.  However some teams bond closer, and we try to bring out that bonds strength in this class.  We will not meet often, but when we do, come with your best efforts, or you will not be invited back."  She strode out in a line walking back and forth as she said that looking each student up and down.

"That will be all for the days lessons, I will advise you next when we will meet when the appropriate time is through your scrolls.  See you next time."  At that she turned around in a very Weiss fashion in an obvious move to signal their departures are to occur now.

_______

As tired as the group was they were all still awake even after Pyrrha and Jaune finished their nights session.  They found the 6 others in the joint commons room talking together.

"I have to admit this has been a long first week of classes." Ruby complained.

"Winter, was not what I expected"  Weiss admitted.

"Uh, She seemed a great deal like you, why should that surprise you?"  Ruby questioned her partner.

That, was not what the Heiress wanted to hear.

"That is my sister you are referring to Ruby!"  She sounded unexpectedly angry.

Jaune was a smidgeon confused about that outburst and shared a look with the redhead to his side.

"Jeez relax Princess, I thought it would be a compliment.  Always acting so prim and proper."  They weren't sure if Ruby was serious or not.  Weiss settled back in her chair, only slightly unhappy.

Pyrrha just could not figure Ruby out sometimes.  The use of Princess was similar to the nickname Weiss hated, Ice Queen.  Ruby seemed to use it affectionately, yet it always had the opposite effect on Weiss.

Yang seemed eager to change the subject.  "How was training Pyrrha?"

"Fun, as always"  she answered with a playful smile on her face.

"Jaune do you share her enthusiasm"  Yang almost had her joking smile on her face.

"Oh he has plenty of enthusiasm"  Pyrrha answered.  Earning a round of laughs from her friends and one surprised look from her boyfriend.  He couldn't even find his voice to say anything triggering another round of snickering.

"Please we don't need this conversation further into Yang's direction."  Weiss complained.

"Who is to say it's only Yang's directions?"  Blake interjected.  Earning a hearty laugh from her partner.

"Besides isn't it Yanay now?"  Nora couldn't help herself.

"HEY!"  Yang never did like her assigned nickname from Ms. Goodwitch.  When the group noticed that her eyes began to turn slightly red nobody picked up on the teasing.

"In all seriousness Jaune, How was training?"  Ruby asked, possibly trying protect her sister's dignity.

"Well, I'm tired, I'm sore, and I got a good workout.  Plus I got to spend time with the most attractive girl on the planet, what's not to enjoy."  He answered her.

A blush quickly taking over her face she took her boyfriends hand and leaned against his shoulder.  She directed him to a sofa and they sat down together to join their friends.

"So you are getting used to the new weapon more?"  Ruby queried again.

"Yes, it feels more natural than Crocea Mors did, I really do owe Ozpin for forging it."

He really, really did.  It was very unexpected for Ozpin to take notice of a single student with all of those he has under his care.  Maybe it was the fact that Pyrrha brought it to his attention specifically, but he couldn't help but wonder why.  For that matter he still was unsure why he would allow an untaught student knowingly into Beacon.  This school was regarded as the best and it was a reputation it earned through multiple classes of some of the finest hunters Remnant has seen.  He risked a lot letting Jaune join knowing he was untried.  It was a mystery he would look into another day.

"Have you thought much more about your family Jaune?"  Ren asked.

Jaune very visibly sighed but answered.  "It is very hard not to."  Not exactly wanting to talk about this.

"I'm just saying, you will meet your family, either in classes or beyond at some point.  It is best to understand what you intend to do" For all he was considered stoic, Jaune got the distinct impression that Ren could say more than what he did.

"Ren, it is too early for me to know the answer to that." He replied earnestly

Pyrrha couldn't help but think, that there was a reason why Jaune's family was continually brought up.

"Jaune I wanted to ask you something"  Yang said bluntly as she interrupted them.

He gave her a look she translated into go ahead.

"I want you to tell me what you see when you look at me."  Yang had a very odd look on her face as she made her request.

"Now?  It is kind of late."  Jaune complained.

"He still have an hour before curfew."  Ruby put forth in aid of her sister.

Jaune looked around the room and based on the glances he received indicated they wanted him to answer her question.  A part of his mind said he should try to tease the Brawler a bit first.

"Tell you what Yang, if you can beat Nora in an arm wrestling match, I will answer your question."  He knew full well Nora would perk up instantly at the thought of the challenge, his belief was validated when Nora declared.

"You ready to go down Blonde!"  she said with gusto.

"But what if Nora wins?"  Weiss couldn't help but ask.

"Yes what if Nora wins?"  The hammer-wielder asked.

"Ren makes pancakes tomorrow?"  Jaune suggested.

"Seems fair"  Nora said, much to the chagrin of her long time friend.

"Do I not get a say in this?"  Ren complained.

"To be fair Ren, you normally make pancakes in the morning anyway"  Pyrrha stated gleefully.

"Hey this isn't even fair, I just worked out my upper body!"  Yang claimed.

"Well hey, if you aren't up for it..."  Jaune stated playfully.

"Dust to that Vomit Boy!  Ok Nora let's do this!"  Yang seemed to have her groove back as she said that.

Jaune settled deeper into the sofa to watch the match, Pyrrha pulled herself into a hug against his body.

"You two are adorable you know that?"  Ruby couldn't help herself.  The two of them just smiled.  With that the group turned their attention to the arm wrestling contest.

"Why didn't you ask her to arm wrestle me Jaune?"  Pyrrha asked him quietly if a touch playfully.

"I didn't want a repeat of the sleepover last year.  You and she took quite a bit out of me last time on your back rubs."  She squeezed him in response to this and kissed him on his cheek.

"That can still happen you know" She reminded him.

"You realize you don't need to wager on something to get a massage, just ask me, and you got it"  He reminded her.  Prompting another kiss.

Yang and Nora were still struggling with obvious effort being put forth on both sides.  Their arms were locked evenly for several minutes shaking with the effort of both girls.  Yet ever so slowly, the contest went against the brawler.

"Must.... Win... For... Pancakes!!!"  Nora kept repeating to herself.

Yang didn't seem to have a battle cry and though she struggled mightily, she ended up losing the match.

As the match ended in Nora's favor, Ren, looking somewhat disappointed that he had to make pancakes in the morning, dragged his long time friend back to the JNPR dorm even as she celebrated smugly.

"Knew I shouldn't have done arms again."  Yang complained.

"Yang"  Jaune simply said.

She looked at him.

"How detailed did you want me to go?"  He asked.

Pyrrha smiled and couldn't hold back a chuckle.

Weiss, the first to figure it out aside from Pyrrha stated. "Wait a moment you were going to do as she asked regardless!  Why go through the arm wrestling charade?"  She asked.

"Call it sibling affection" He responded.

"So it is true that you view us as your family Jaune?"  Blake surprised him by asking,

"I assume you all have seen the picture I made for Pyrrha.  I am not one to joke about such things.  Yes, yes I do." He said earnestly.

Jaune could almost understand her confusion.  She is a faunus, himself a human.  How they could consider each other to be family was a concept she still had difficulty understanding.

Yang didn't notice the fact that he was thinking about Blake's question and had moved back to her seat, then said "I want you to be as detailed as you would if you described Pyrrha".

"Yang, some of the things I say, might not make you happy."  Jaune warned.

This drew obvious looks from Pyrrha and the rest of them.

"I just want you to be honest Jaune, but you can skip the physical, I don't need half an hour of you describing my boobs."  Yang finally stated, earning a few snickers from the rest of her team and a glare from Weiss.

He gave her a hard look, took a moment to collect his thoughts, then began.

"You have earned a reputation as a party girl, and you self admittedly are very open about that.  I am unsure if this is due to being more carefree and open, or you just being a thrill seeker.  You have a maturity to you that compels you to watch over your friends, even as the same nature compels you to turn as much as you can into a joke.  I can't claim to understand why you feel a need to apply a nickname to everything, or how you can switch between being the team mom and the team prankster in a matter of seconds."  He paused to take a breath and collect his thoughts.

The girls surrounding him had their glares practically glued to him.  Yet Yang, seemed oddly nervous, as if she was questioning the wisdom of putting forth this request. 

"Your reputation as a gambler indicates you tend to accept a degree of risk in what you do and you like a high-risk-high-reward situation.  Yet those same principles seem, conflicted whenever your family is concerned."  She seemed surprised here.

"What do you mean by that?"  she asked.

"Yang, this is the part that might make you want to punch me.  Are you sure you want me to go here?"  He asked bluntly.  He received a nervous nod in answer after a few moments of delay.

"You carry an obvious love for your family.  That much is clear in your treatment of Ruby.  You shelter her from as much as you can.  Yet, that does not appear to be something you do naturally.  I believe this is a reaction to your own life and your own circumstances.  I do not know of your parentage.  I do however know that you and Ruby are half-sisters, with the similar parent being your dad.  I also know that your mother is not somebody you speak of, at all.  When I look at you Yang, I see a very positive, if forced exterior.  Yet, inside, you are hurting.  Is it your family?  Specifically your mom?  I do not know.  Is this why you seem to be eager to meet people and have a reputation as being the party girl?  I do not know, but I suspect yes.  That is, I think, the best I can do."

Pyrrha had observed the gathering and while she was impressed by Jaune's perception of Yang.  She could not help but be surprised at how much of that he was able to piece together.  She and he spent so much time together, it is easy to understand if he had some in depth perceptions of her.  Yet Yang, as good of a friend as she had been.  Didn't share that same advantage.  Judging by Yang's reaction, hugging her knees close to her chest.  He hit it pretty close to the mark, if not dead center.

"Guys I still need to shower, so, I'm going to head back to our dorm."  With that he gave Pyrrha a nice kiss, and moved away.

They watched him walk down the hall and into the JNPR room, when Ruby spoke.

"I just do not know how he got so much just by looking at you Yang."  She admitted.

"He, does seem to be perceptive, at least about some things."  Blake said with a smirk, obviously referencing how terrible he was at picking up Pyrrha's initial interest in him.

"I still don't understand how his perceptions help him beat me a chess so easily."  the Heiress admitted with a pout.

"It has to be his natural empathy."  Pyrrha put forth.

"He does have that trait."  Yang added, speaking for the first time.  "But empathy wouldn't clue him in on my mom."

"No, but paying attention might, we have mentioned our dad around him.  Even just yesterday when we spoke about Patch.  He just has been paying attention when we talk."  Ruby claimed.  An uneasy silence filled the air following that.

"I do wonder about our mom's Yang, I wish Dad was more forthcoming."  Ruby continued.

"I'm not so sure we would want to know the truth Rubes."  Her sister replied sadly.

"I think I would rather know, no matter how bad.  It has to be better then feeling they were ashamed of us."  The Reaper claimed.  Silence took hold of the room.

"Weiss did you ever figure out that glyph you were working on last year?" Pyrrha asked to try and end the stalemate, though by the still present scar on the Heiress' face, the obvious answer would be no.

"No, it just, it's a more complex task that I deemed possible.  I am continuing to work on it, but it is slow going.  I even asked Winter if she would look at it, and she turned me down."  A rare groan exited her as she said that.

"What exactly is the problem?  I thought glyphs were easy for your family?"  Yang asked.

Weiss had to think several seconds how best to explain.  "Yang, it is kind of like navigating a uncharted area based only off of vague landmarks drawn by another person's hand hundreds of years ago.  One wrong turn can lead you lost for years.  Except in this case lost for years translates to an unknown effect in the glyph.  Say instead of healing skin, it sets it on fire or ages it rapidly.  Healing glyphs are some of the most complex type of glyphs in existence and what I am trying to do has never been attempted.  I am learning how to do it as I am moving along."

Yang nodded at least understanding the core problem, in theory at least.

"How did the Patch situation turn out?"  Pyrrha asked the sisters.

"I don’t have much more to say.  I got in touch with a neighbor and they confirmed that while several were wounded nobody died.  She confirmed that a pair of strangers showed up and was able to disperse the pack, but was unable… or unwilling to say who it was."  Ruby claimed.

"Why would they not want anybody to know who they are?  Fending off a pack of 100's or thousands of Grimm would be a fantastic way to advertise for yourself to get new contracts."  Weiss stated.

"I don’t know"  Ruby admitted.

The group stayed in their contemplative thoughts for several moments, though nobody made to speak further until Blake advised.

"Guy's its late and it is now past curfew, I think we should head back and get some rest."  This prompted them all to stand if unwillingly and slowly work their way back to their team rooms looking forwards to classes the next day.

 

2.9

As they worked their way through their term and the midway break came closer the weather began to chill with it.  It wasn't a blizzard or snowstorm outside, yet the weather had dipped near freezing.  Despite the fact that Ren and Nora, the group's 2 biggest pancake enthusiasts were going to go home for the break, they still wanted to stock up on the rich maple syrup from Forever Fall's trees while it was still tolerable outside.  Jaune knew all of this.  Which is why he didn't object to several of his friends making a trip into the forest to gather materials after their morning workout.  What he was less than pleased with was when he was called into the school infirmary because something happened to Pyrrha.  He supposed he should have suspected something was wrong given how long they had been gone, even with Nora's infamous sweet tooth they would run out of materials to harvest after more than a few hours in the forest.

"So, explain to me once more, how exactly did this happen?"  He asked.

As such the explanation, more or less went as follows.  Nora wanted to grab as much of the syrup bottles as they can, so when a filled bottle bounced along the ground she went after it.

"And that was when you bumped into Pyrrha's back?"  Jaune confirmed.

"Yes, *SNEEZE!* that's w-w-w-w-hen my Tiara fell in the river."  Pyrrha claimed.

"I did say I was sorry Pyrrha, but at least I saved the bottle!"  The Hammer-Wielder admitted again... an obvious and rare pout on her face despite trying to joke.

"So I get you wanting to get it back.  I think, I know you are attached to it.  What I don't understand is why you didn't just use your semblance to pull it out of the river?"  Jaune asked.

"A very good question Jaune."  The nurse pressed.

"I uh... c-c-c-c-couldn't.  The Tiara is made out of none-magnetic metals."

"So naturally without thinking of the consequences you swam down 40 feet in near freezing cold water to grab this head ornament and got yourself sick."  The nurse was just laying on heavy at this point.  She turned to address Jaune.

"Mr. Arc, as team leader you are responsible for ensuring she takes her medication.  Perfect physical health and fitness will not save Ms. Nikos from this one.  She is running a fever, she has an infection, and will require care over the weekend."  She went on to explain how often she needs to take the medicine and how she will still need to eat, despite not likely being very hungry.  Pyrrha's mood continued to deteriorate as she listened.  She hated missing even one practice session, much less an entire weekends.  The nurse rant went on for several minutes punctuated only by her stopping for a breath, all the while she continued to shrink further into her seat as she listened becoming gloomier by the moment.

And that, is more or less, how Jaune learned he had to take care of a sick and cranky Spartan over a weekend before the midterm break started on Monday.  Jaune couldn't ask for help from his team either as both Nora and Ren took the time to leave Friday after the visitation to the nurses office citing that they had a flight to catch.  They seemed to come to the conclusion quickly when they learned Pyrrha was sick.  He wasn't at all happy about it.  It had taken the 'away' team nearly until dinner time to collect all of the syrup they required for the year it was nearly dark out when Pyrrha submitted herself to the nurses office.

***

It was a unique experience for Pyrrha.  She had the rare cold growing up.  But sickness, illness.  This was something she never experienced before.  Her level of physical well being prevented anything over the course of her life.  She found it very... illuminating not being able to move.  Despite that the fact that the love of her life had taken to carrying her all the way from the nurses office to their dorm by himself yet another of the things to notch up in the list of reasons why she loves Jaune Arc.

"I, am not used to this"  She said with obviously stuffed sinuses, trying to enjoy the free taxi as she was carried cradling his neck.

"Well, there is a first time for everything."  Jaune replied with a hint of melancholy in his voice.

It took Pyrrha several minutes to understand why, a delay she attributed to the fever.  Jaune's childhood.  He constantly found himself sick.  Days when he wasn't ill must have been a blessing.  Suddenly Pyrrha thought she wasn't going to get much in the way of sympathy or empathy from her partner and boyfriend.  She knew she needed to sleep, she just... didn't feel like she could sleep right now.  He has laid her down on her bed even going as far as making she that she had something to drink readily at hand.  Though try as might, she just could not sleep.  As the time drew on Jaune who was staying up working on his art book to look over her took notice.

"Pyrrha it is late, and you need to rest."  He said simply.

"Sleeping will be hard for me tonight, I think."  She responded, still sounding completely stuffed.

He gave her a calculated look.  Pyrrha almost thought she saw empathy in those eyes, which shouldn't be the natural reaction.  Looking away she tried to relax enough to sleep.  She felt miserable, the medicine she was administered did lower her temperature.  However this just wasn't a sensation she was used to dealing with.  At that moment, Jaune proved, he could still surprise her.

"Roll over onto your stomach."  He instructed.

She gave him an odd, weird look. "Why?"

"Because, I know of one way to get you to sleep.  I'm going to give you a massage.  You've taken your meds right?"  He received an oddly excited series of nods in reply.

Despite the feelings in her chest at the moment, she felt her heart flutter.  While she did feel miserable, she knew his touch, his massages, always put her to sleep no matter her mood.  This time was no exception.

____________

Despite falling asleep, she could not stay asleep.  She woke up, not overheating due to fever, but freezing.  She just could not keep enough body heat.  The Spartan was determined to grunt it out.  It was something she always wanted.  Some semblance of a normal life, well getting sick was normal.  She will get through it, even as she shivered and tried to pull her limbs closer.  Her shivering must have attracted the attention of her boyfriend as he noticed the vibrations of her body.

"Pyrrha?  Are you ok?"  She was surprised, he was still awake.  Has he been watching over me all night?  She thought to herself.

"Pyrrha?"  He repeated, his command tone entered his voice.

"Cold.... I'm c-c-c-old"  She managed to say.

She heard the sounds of blankets ruffling, a few soft footsteps on the room, then a warm hand on her shoulder.

"You are cold... Alright"  She heard him say.  She could hear the concern in his voice.  What she did not expect was what he did next.

The hem of her blanket lifted, and she felt his weight settle in on the bed.  Then he slid his chest up against her back, his legs up against her thighs.

"Jaune!  I'll get you sick!"  She cautioned him in a weak voice.

"Then I will deal with it.  Right now.  I'm dealing with you"  his command tone was used again sounding only stronger, this was extremely important to him it seemed.

Her efforts to caution him could not stay in her mind.  Her body temperature rose up considerably with him being pressed against her back.  A trend which only increased as one arm slid under her neck, weaved across her chest, while his other arm settled in around her waist.

"Jaune you don't need to do this I don't want you to get sick."  Her words escaped her mouth unwillingly.  She certainly didn't want him to leave, but she didn't like feeling vulnerable.

"I am more used to it than you are.  Unless you're telling me to get out now, I will stay here."  She didn't have the willpower to say yes, moreover she really didn't want too.  Him hugging her always brought a warmth to her heart that she never wanted to give up.  That he was doing this for her out of concern, made it all the more special and cherished.

Once they had ceased moving around and settled into the bed, Pyrrha truly began to appreciate what Jaune committed himself too.  She began to feel every inch, every pinprick of heat from his body.  From the contours of his chest, to his arms to even his stomach and legs.  He seemed to be weaving a flame around her body.  Not just around her body she realized, but it flowed through her being as well.  It was relaxing, comforting, calming and seemed to energize her body in a way that she didn't understand.  It reminded her of the backrubs he gave her last year, what exactly tipped her off she wouldn’t quite name.  However it was the comparison that came to mind.

As she was feeling herself start to drift off into sleep, she felt she needed to do something to impart how much this means to her.  Pyrrha leaned her head down, and applied the best kiss she could on his arm laying across her chest.  She made sure it lasted long enough to imply what she was trying to impart.  She wondered if he knew what she did, that how much despite her words, she absolutely loved him for doing this.  The kiss she received on the nape of her neck, implied a yes.  The 3 that followed, which seemed to dispel all of the grumblings in her body, were just gravy.

It was hard for Pyrrha to accept this help from Jaune, yet, she loved him for it. 

____________

That morning Jaune woke up at the time Pyrrha normally woke up him for morning workouts and found her sound asleep.  Morning seemed to come painfully quick, he felt as though he didn’t sleep at all.  He didn't want to wake her, but felt he should do something which resembled their morning workout and bring her back some breakfast.  Getting her to eat it might be a challenge in and of itself, but she needed it, therefore he would find a way to do it.

He returned back to the room after doing a workout of his own and showering.  He brought breakfast for both himself and her, insistent that she eat something.

Turns out he didn't need to insist.  She was actually hungry, in fact aside from feeling a bit drowsy, she felt perfect.  Jaune was struck dumb at this.  He finished his meal quickly, she seemed to take her time as if thinking about something.  Pyrrha knew her body was strong, she knew she had a strong immune system but this was more than strong.  She pondered the situation while she ate, eventually a smile appeared on her face. 

 _Yes, yes, that makes sense_. 

She found herself blushing at the thought when she noticed Jaune speaking.

"I, envy you really.  I knew you were strong... I just, never fathomed you were this strong.  I wish I recovered as quickly as you just did"  He even sounded a touch jealous.  She had never known him to even be capable of feeling jealous. 

"I really don't think this was me making myself heal this quick Jaune"  She appeared to Jaune like she just solved a riddle.

"Uh, Pyrrha, clue us mortals in?"  He joked.

"I think, I just figured out the obvious."  An adorable in-love smile appeared on her face.  "Jaune, you remember about the backrubs last year?  How I said I always seemed to have more energy after one?"  She asked.

"Uh, yes?"  Unsure where she was going with this.

"'Aura, is a reflection of your soul.'  Your semblance is known as Aid, something that is often overlooked is how efficient it is at healing and helping, either yourself or others.  I think as you gave me those backrubs you drew from your aura.  Your... desire to do well transferred to me some of your aura's power.  Last night, your… need to see me healthy, to keep me warm.  I think it literally did as you wanted it too."  As she spoke, she moved to her desk to look at her scroll.

"Yes, I am sure of it now.  Look, your aura is taxed quite heavily.  You didn't do combat training this morning right?"  He nodded.  "Right, you lifted, you ran, you stretched.  That wouldn't drain your aura like this.  I didn't heal this quick Jaune, you quite literally did it for me.  I thought I felt something odd as you held me and kissed me last night."  Adoration was in her eyes as she said that.

He thought back, giving her those backrubs always did seem to drain him.  "Then, I am sorry" He said surprising her.

"Sorry?  You saved me days of bed rest, why would you be sorry?"  She sounded confused.

"Because I could have saved you hours of discomfort."  He smiled at her.

She smiled happily back at him and blushed a dark crimson, she should have known that would have been his attitude. 

"That is something to consider, I've never even tried to do that before.  Maybe I should practice it some more sometime."  He appeared in thought as he voiced them.

"Yes, I think you should, it is important we use all of the aspects of our semblances, even those we aren't particularly good at.  Healing could prove very important someday."  One of her radiant-playful smiles appeared on her face as she said this.

"Say Jaune, what do you say you and I look through your art book together?  We have never done that."  She asked, suddenly remembering how long it has been sense she looked through a book of his.

"Uh, sure, just don't expect a great number of images.  I spent most of my spare time during the summer making you those color pictures."  He looked around after picking up his book and saw the playful smile Pyrrha had on her face just kept growing in size.

"Jaune, you keep reminding me of memories that make me feel so happy I could tackle you."  The playful turned to mischievous.  "I have an idea."

She hummed a happy melody as she went around the room and grabbed the pillows off the beds of her team always keeping a playful eye on him as she moved.  Placed them up against the corner of their room, and grabbed a blanket off of her bed.

"Sit in the corner."  She instructed pointing at said corner, her look demanded no arguments.

He took his book then slowly shuffled over to the corner, and sat down.  She moved between his legs, pressed her back up against his chest, and took the book from his hands.  Before she opened the book she leaned around and gave him a quick and playful but painfully passionate kiss.  Trying to impart fully just how incredibly happy she was at this moment.  He responded by wrapping her in his arms and leaning his head against her shoulder.

As she began to page through his book she realized this started in the summer.  At the start he was giving pieces of info about the drawings.  However as Pyrrha became more and more enthralled in the images, the less she paid attention to his tidbits.

The first that stood out was how utterly happy he was that Ozpin gave him a weapon and him learning he has his health.  Jaune was literally walking into the elevator up to his study with a moon on his shoulders, and as he spoke to the headmaster, that gradually lifted.  She could only imagine how it must have felt to realize that he would be healthy for the first time in his life.  The image had his usual taste for detail, yet.  Something seemed off with his art.  She couldn't quite place it.  It wasn't until several pages down in the book that she got her answer.  She thought it was his desire to name the weapon, his confusion that he didn't have an answer yet that was the cause, but she disregarded that.  It seemed like a more powerful emotion than that.

She wasn't the only one who seemed to realize the fact that his drawings were off.  He himself was searching for the answer.  She found a doubled up picture, and nearly wanted to round on her boyfriend and start assaulting him with kisses when she realized what she was seeing.  It was initially a drawing of himself.  Yet, it was dark, it was sad, and more to the point, it was lonely.  On the other half of the page to complete the doubled up image, it was back to normal with his art.  He had found his answer.  Jaune drew himself in the same pose from the previous page, but this time he was all smiles, with happy looks on his face.  It was the why which made Pyrrha feel as she did.  The rest of their group was drawn in the image, in one manner or another.  Blake was resting her head against Yang's leg, as she was reading a book laying down, with Yang stroking her hair and ears.  Weiss and Ruby were back to back sitting down, using each other for a back rest, their hair draped over each other.  Nora and Ren were drawn in playing chess on the floor next to Jaune.  She couldn't figure out why he choose to make them play chess, maybe he knew something she didn't.  Yet it was once again him putting herself in the image, which made her heart flutter and sing.  She was behind him, embracing him in a hug.  Her pony tail off to the side, her chin resting on his shoulder.  The most touching, adorable, loveable detail was that She, was the source of all light in the room.  As enthralled as she was in the image, she knew she was crying tears of supreme happiness when she came to this realization.

She stared open mouthed at what the image once she understood what he was trying to say.  The message was simple.  She was his light in the darkness.  When she was not around, he had trouble functioning.  He attributed his ability to draw, to put so much clarity and effort into his work, to her.  Where he got this idea?  She wasn't sure.  All that she knew, was that at that moment, she felt like she could literally fly.

"Jaune you just amaze me with these pictures, they make me feel so happy."  She was expecting some type of response.

What she got was a snore.

She snapped her head to the side, and sure enough, he was resting his head against her back shoulder snoring.

Despite a strong desire to kiss him running through her body, she smiled contently.  It was likely his unwitting use of aura to heal her, which tired him out as much as it did.  When he started to shiver she knew exactly how they would spend the next few hours.  Taking care not to wake him she moved his body out of the corner, and laid him down against one of the pillows.  She then climbed in next to him and laid her body on top of him.  Once she was comfortable she put the book in a safe spot away from them, and pulled the blanket over both of their figures.

She couldn't help herself, she kissed his neck, his jaw and his cheek, then settled down for a nap.  Before long his shivering was under control.  He held her all night, probably stayed up all night watching over her too.  Through his intense need, he literally cured her of an illness.  Sure technically it is part of his semblance, but he wasn't a master in its use yet.  This was a more instinctive reaction.  That made it mean so much more to her because of that fact.  The least she could do was lay with him, and ensure he was comfortable for a few hours as he recovered from the ordeal.  It wasn't long before both of them was sleeping soundly, enjoying the first day of their 2 week break.

***

<OUTSIDERS PERSPECTIVE NOT OF THE GROUP, WRITTEN IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NEWCOMER TO STORY>

It was the designated day, not quite the designated time, but at least, it was the day that she had been dreading and wishing would arrive.  It had been rough going for a few weeks.  Her traveling companion and mother, who also happened to be her teacher was in a rough state once they returned from their many month's long trek through the wilderness.

Her mother preferred being a hunter in the truest sense of the word.  Not to wait for big contracts to come up to earn a name for themselves, no plans to get rich.  No.  She spent her time in the deep wilds, in the rural farm land away from cities.  Helping people who would not otherwise have the funding to afford a professional hunter or hunters for what might threaten them.  They only returned when they heard rumors, rumors that could not be true.  They were however worried by them enough to head back to civilization at least temporarily.

To say they were not happy with what they learned would be an understatement, potentially the biggest understatement of all time.  She knew her mother had 2 ways of going about things.  First, she doesn’t.  Or two, she does to the point of obsession.  When she choose to follow her mother's footsteps she knew what she was signing up for.  Her mother was one of the fiercest warriors ever to live, and she was a relentless but exceptional teacher.  Unfortunately what she was not, was suited to court life.  Her parents knew that from an early age.  She was never meant to inherit the title her family had ownership of.  When her brother died tragically she was forced into a life she didn’t exactly want.  While she did her duty as best she could, she hated every moment of it and relished the chances to get back out and hunt again.

Unfortunately the most recent time she tried to do that, was the moment she would likely come to regret for the rest of her life.  Her husband had disowned and disinherited their only son, for reasons nobody really understood.  When she and her mother learned that fact, it was all she could do to prevent the warrior from taking the first flight back to Cadia; the hometown of the Arc family, and start swinging her weapon until she got her answers.  While that would have been a great stress reliever and made her feel better, it would not help her son.  As such, they have tried to make the life of their loved one easier, at least as much as they could.  It was not easy getting his teammate Lie Ren to agree to this meeting, but they were determined to make the most of the opportunity.  They had wanted an hour to discuss it over a meal.  In the end they felt they were lucky to settle for a 15 minute talk before he grabbed a flight home over the break. 

The damage that her father and sisters had done made what they were trying to do seem impossible.  Yet she knew that her brother would make the attempt were their positions reversed.  She owed it to him to make things as right as she could.  So it was that they arrived for their meeting, both wearing cloaks with hoods to conceal themselves and under their typical traveling leathers and supply packs.  They did not want to attract attention and appearing to be hunters on a job was a good way to do that.

"Mom?"  She asked to try and start the conversation.  It took several steps before she realized that she wasn't heard.  She understood the dilemma.  She knew her mother felt guilty over the entire event, but right now they both needed to have their wits about them.  The 15 minute talk they were promised would be over very quickly, they could not afford to be distracted or feeling sorry for themselves.

"MOM!"  This time she grabbed the older woman's arm… and wished she didn’t have to do that.  The burning intense gaze of her mother was enough warrant sunscreen for most people.  Her, she was more used to it, but that didn’t make it any less intimidating.

"Remember what we spoke about?"  She asked.

"Of course I remember Katherine, I just hope they show up.  What were their names again?"  Her mother asked.

Katherine didn’t think she needed to cover this ground again, she was certain her mother knew this already, but guessed this was just her way of passing the time.

"We have two members of team JNPR, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren.  They are childhood friends it seems and likely will be used to working as a pair as they are also partners on the team."  She said in response.  They had plenty of time to review the notes provided to them by Headmaster Ozpin.  Ozpin was willing to help them… to a certain extent.  Several topics of interest he refused to touch on quoting they would have to get Jaune to tell them while at the same time not helping them get directly in contact with him.  It was an infuriating sentiment given their intension of helping him, but at least it was their own attitude, to give him the choice.  None the less the little information Ozpin provided proved to be invaluable. 

He had made an investment in her brother, and wanted that investment to pay dividends down the line.  Helping Jaune overcome his family difficulties and close that chapter on his life would assist him in focusing on his studies as a huntsman, but he did make it clear he would tolerate no as he said 'blatant disregard for human decency a second time from the Arc family'.  That of course being the route of the problem.  Nobody, not his team, not the headmaster, not even the teachers at the school who stayed in contact with her mother was willing to help more than Ozpin had.  All of them citing that trust needs to be re-earned.  She could only wonder at what her father did when he reclaimed Crocea Mors from her brother.  What little she heard about the situation was bad enough.  Yet when she learned that was only the beginning… well let's just say she was not a happy sister or daughter.

"I agree with your suggestion that we be direct with them.  I don’t think they care about the political situation of our family right now, their focus will be on their friend."  Mrs. Arc said.

"You realize we still don’t have an acceptable answer for most of their questions right?  'Sorry we were out of town' just will not cut it here Mother."

"Yes dear I realize that, but being honest is the only option we have."

It was an unhappy discussion they had when they decided to come to Vale instead of their home.  The two Arc's were Jaune's most earnest allies at home with the inclusion of the oldest Arc sibling Eve.  Who for additional reasons nobody understands agreed to sign the disownment papers which of course prompted this entire affair.  Katherine was not happy about that bit either.  She could understand the reasoning for her mother's signature given her first hand knowledge of how she in fact did not sign, but she knew of no explanations for why Eve's was present.

She could only imagine how it must feel to go through what he has gone through and not to have received word from a single one of his closest family members.  Knowing her brother as well as she did she suspected he had began to think of his team as his family, they certainly treated him better than his birth family did.  Thinking like this is a mistake she realized, she had a feeling she would regret not having stayed behind with him instead of leave with her mother on their hunting trips… but she wanted to go.  It was her dream to be a huntress like her mother not follow the aspirations of her father whose was more accurately trying to take advantage of her looks.  Moreover her mom was willing to accept her as an apprentice, she only had so long to accept one before a school would have to put in an official offer to prospective students, it was take it or leave it.  She decided to take it.

Obviously looking back now is foolish to dwell on the past.  The decisions made put him where he is now, which aside from his family, he it seems is very happy with.  He is dating a wonderful girl, and they seem made for each other.  The downside is that girl happens to be Pyrrha Nikos.  How that happened is anybody's guess as she would consider Pyrrha, based off what she knew of her well outside the range of what her sickly brother was capable of achieving.  Maybe that was the point, he always did treat people as individuals, from the commoners he encountered as servants in their home, to the visiting dignitaries he met.  They were all the same in his eyes. 

_Either way, way to get the attention of arguably the most sought after and gorgeous woman on the planet bro._

She couldn’t be happier for him if it was indeed true however that also provided a good share of the problems they faced.  It wasn't just Pyrrha Nikos.  It was the famous, intelligent, beautiful and most of all deadly Pyrrha Nikos.  She would be the final guardian, almost like a sphinx which would need to be convinced of their intentions before this could happen.  With a shake of her head she decided to leave tomorrows battles for tomorrow.  Right now she had a battle and it must be won, or else any chance of meeting her brother on favorable terms, or at least terms with him being a willing party might never come to fruition.

So it was that Katherine and her mother moved along to their meeting point with each other in a silent march, filled with equal parts dread, terror, and hope.

***

Ren did not like to lie.  It was in fact one of his most hated things to do, something which rang especially true for his friends and team.  He was returning home for the midterm break with Nora.  He did need to leave a catch a flight.  However, that was only half of the truth.  The entire fall term he had received some anonymous messages from a source.  He was with Ruby and Yang when he received the first of them.  He felt zero desire to investigate the matter, they asked him too, for Jaune's sake.  Arriving at the Vale Airport at the time specified he began questioning, once again, the wisdom which lead him here.

_"Ren, I think you need to do it."  Ruby advised him._

_"What harm could it cause?  It just means you have to take a later flight home, if you don't like what they have to say you don’t have to act on it further."  Yang further pressed him._

_"They are right Renny."_

It was his longtime friend saying that which ultimately convinced him to follow through with the request.  Nora had the reputation of being a brute, the truth was she was actually highly intelligent.  Every bit as bright as Weiss or Pyrrha.  She just had an amazingly difficult time focusing.  Another lesser known fact is that while he was considered to be very calm and composed, some situations totally stole any ability he had to think rationally from his being.  In those times, it was always Nora who was the calmer clearer head. 

He considered Jaune a brother.  Seeing him go through what he had gone through was heart wrenching for him.  He did not want to open those same wounds.  Yet, he could practically feel the hemorrhaging heart in his team leaders chest when the subject of his family was brought up.  If it helped him heal, he would give whoever this mysterious person was the 15 minute conversation they begged him for.

"I agreed to come here Nora, that doesn't mean I have to like it."  He grumbled advising his traveling companion.

"Ren, this will be easier with a smile on your face."  It was a very Nora thing to say, yet… it was also true.  Being happy or sad could be a choice.  He should try to view this as a chance to heal old wounds, not reopen them.

"I said I would listen, but I repeat if I don’t like what they have to say you have my permission to break some legs."  Nora could only smile at her friend.

***

As Katherine rounded the corner she and her mother stopped moving to take in the scenery.  In this square of the airport should be the two people they are seeking.  One male standing nearly as tall as she did… 5'10 dressed in green and black with hair to match, the other a girl around 5'5 with orange hair wearing white and pink.

She felt a grip on her shoulder as her mother seemed to find the pair first.  A subtle hand motion pointed them out, along the right side on the back wall near a corner which otherwise would not be traversed.  It was oddly trusting of them, they didn’t leave a way to escape if the situation turned dangerous.  While neither she nor her mom wanted the situation to go that way, she understood it in their minds.  They did not know the two Arc women or the people desired to meet them, and their only other interactions with the Arc family has been near incidents each time.

She looked to her right and saw her mother staring at her, with a deep breath and a nod, they moved towards the two JNPR teammates.

As they closed the descriptions of the two were solid.  Ren wearing his green shirt, black pants with a strip of hair dyed a magenta to match his eyes.  Nora with Orange hair in a pink and white mixed top and matching pants.  Both carried their weapons at the ready even as the leaned cross armed against the back corner of the square.  As she approached she saw them tense up and study both herself and her mother.  They stopped more than a respectful distance away, and it was here that Katherine had a flash of insight.  She reached up and unclasped the binding of her weapon holster with her right arm, and with her left she lowered it to the ground behind her.  It took a moment's hesitation but her mother followed suit.  She could think of no better way to give a better first impression.  Disarming yourself in front of two people who wanted to break the legs of your sisters not months before.  She could tell that their willingness to do that at least earned them a point or two.  Good, they would need everything they could get to accomplish their goal.

"15 minutes, starting now, go"  Ren said without preamble.  Katherine saw his friend give his shoulder a subtle squeeze.  Once again she cursed to herself.  Her job was hard enough as is, it did not need the added complexity of both of them not being comfortable within speaking distance of herself and her mother.  Was the Arc name reduced to the point that they could no longer talk to people out of fear that they might attack them?

She shared a look with her mother and they decided to continue with the plan they set.  Katherine was better suited to talk to strangers in most cases, and that was especially true now.  Her mother wanted to arm her weapon and take practice swings at her husband right now, not practice diplomacy.  So it was decided that she should be the one to start things off.  She reached up and lowered her hood revealing her face and tried to put forth a friendly expression.

She was used to men treating her strangely because of her looks.  She didn't consider herself a great beauty, but according to her mother, she evidently was.  She knew she could have been a model, she had the offers growing up, but that wasn't the life she wanted.  She had the ability to fight and be a hunter, and that was what she wanted for herself.  The look she received from Ren was heroically concealed, probably the least reaction she ever received when she was first seen by anybody really.  Nora didn’t even try to conceal her surprise.  It was something she was used too, people see a pretty face and that is often where people stop contemplating her.  If people cared to look below the skin, they would see toned muscle and a very lean graceful athletic body.  She had trained very hard to be as good of a fighter as she was, and she worked as hard as she possibly could to continually improve. Something she shared with her brother.

It was ironic really that she never wanted to use her looks in a professional sense, yet here she almost felt she had more of a chance charming the young man to her side based off of her previous success than through talk.  She was never the best at dealing with people, unlike her brother though she was far from bad at it.  She could charm people far better than he could.  She was promiscuous enough in her life, something her mother constantly lectured her about.  She wisely knew better than to try that here.  These people were not thinking about an attractive person, they were thinking about their friend and team leader, and the flight home which they were delayed in taking because of this talk.  She just wished they had more to go off of than good intentions, hopefully the two JNPR members would give them a way they didn't think about to earn their trust in the talk they are about to share.

Having taken enough time to settle her wits and gather her courage she decided to start the conversation.

"My name is Katherine Arc."  She said simply, and extended a hand .  When neither of them moved or even acknowledged the extended hand she pulled it back.  She didn’t think it was a futile thing to try when she did it.  However it said something that they weren't even willing to take her hand, that they distrusted the Arc family enough that they weren't even willing to shake hands.  The enormity of the task at hand just kept getting bigger it seems.  She even began to think it might be impossible.

She heard her mother draw down her hood and she noticed the expressions on the faces of the two friends.  Most people quailed under the gaze of her mother especially when she was angry like she is now.  Yet, these two just looked like they were reminded of something.  Maybe her dad looked at them similarly… great, not the best way to start on the best footing if that was the case.  Then again… maybe she reminded them of Jaune, that would be most ideal.  He did have a similar glare he could use though he so rarely had cause to employ it.

"I want you to give me a chance to see my Son"  Her mother simply said.

_Ugh… way to go mom, when we decided on direct I don’t think we meant THAT direct.  Oh well._

She had to admit though, the statement had an effect.  She realized they were expecting two more of Jaune's siblings, they didn't expect to meet his mother.  However… what she didn’t know was if Jaune had spoken about his lineage, she rather doubted it given how his family had treated him.  She wasn't sure if the knowledge that they were talking to a Duchess and her daughter would have any effect, odds are they simply wouldn't care, ergo, they made no mention of it.

"I fail to see the wisdom in that.  Jaune is trying to heal from his families actions, I don’t see how helping you meet him would help anybody but you.  The rest of his family hasn’t done much to inspire trust."  She heard Ren say.

"We promised you 15 minutes, I suggest you make the most of it"  His teammate advised.  As they expected, these two are well suited to working together in a conversational setting.  An advantage she and her mother did not share.  They were used to hunting, reading each other's movements, reacting to situations as they developed in a physical sense.  Not the subtle actions of word play.

She felt her mother look at her and returned the look.  She knew that Mom was questioning the plan.  Mom felt it best to go into the ins and outs of the politics that embroiled the Arc family right now.  Katherine knew it best to leave all that out.  These two didn't care, and talking about it would just be a waste of time.  It seems this time her look outweighed her mother's as she was the first one to look away.

"We had nothing to do with what transpired against him.  I want to see my boy."  She heard Mom put forth again, she was nothing if not persistent.  The two friends remained unimpressed.

"Your signature was on his disownment papers" The stoic one responded.  Katherine's spirit fell at that, so they not only knew about the disownment but had likely seen the papers, or maybe Jaune just told them.

"His father signed my name through a power of attorney.  I would never have agreed to do that."  Mom responded.

_Oh!  I didn't think of mentioning that, nice thinking ma._

"This all happened some time ago, you had plenty of time to send Jaune a message."  Ren continued.

_… @%*$._

Katherine looked over at her Mom and saw she was visibly shaking, worse, her semblance was threatening to emerge.  It has emerged several times in fact over the course of dealing with this and each time it has happened it was awkward.  This situation with Jaune really has her distraught.  So was she for that matter but she at least seemed capable of rational thought still.  She moved and touched her arm, a silent communication; a plea; to try and relax, we need you with a clear head.

She decided that honesty remained the best tool they have and said.  "My mother and I have been in the wilderness for many months at a time, we do not often get a chance to catch up on news from the outside.  I have chosen to follow the hunters path without attending a school.  My mother is my teacher.  We did not know about what happened to him until we got back and by then we could not stop it.  We did not know about his disownment until weeks ago.  I... We, knew that his father never was fond of his son, but we never expected he would do this.  Please, we have been doing everything we can to help him since we learned of the situation."  Her voice came across as weak, a quiet whisper.  She didn't exactly want to broadcast this to the entire airport, but she hoped she could at least sound confident, right now even her confidence is failing.

"Like what?"  Nora asked pointedly, her curiosity didn’t appear at all forced.

_OK, that’s one point we could make for our side._

"Like ensuring that his sisters sent to Beacon left him alone, contrary to their fathers intentions"  Her mother answered again.  For all she claims to not be good in a political situations she seems to do fine whenever they came up…

_Exactly._

"Why can't they just do the right thing and leave him alone by themselves?"  She heard Nora ask again, Ren seemed like he wanted to put it… shall we say in a stronger way.

_… Annnnnnnnd we just lost whatever we had just gained, the fact they even had to ask that question puts their mindset in full view.  That this is a waste of time._

Her mother seemed to lose some steam at the question, but was able to answer "Because I was gone for extended periods of time as a Hunter and teacher, they are used to following his instructions without arguing.  I know it doesn’t make what they did right, but they did what they believed to be right."

For the first time sense the conversation started it seemed like Ren was starting to take the pair seriously.  Like he was taking what has been said and comparing it up against what he already knows looking for any inconsistency he could.  Nora for her part kept looking at and studying the two Arc's.  Katherine had heard she preferred action to strategy, but she could tell she was not speaking to a fool or idiot.  In fact she had every impression that Nora was highly intelligent.  She just had no idea why the Orange haired girl would put up a facade of being a brute unless she wanted too.

"None of that tells me I should help you.  I'm waiting for a why.  You made your decisions to leave him in the hands of somebody who ultimately wanted him gone.  With you away he was able to do as he wished.  Try as you might to convince yourselves otherwise you do share responsibility in what happened to him."  He appeared like a guardian stone here with his impassive and unmoving form.  Nora at least moved side to side in her nervous energy, talking to Ren was like talking to a statue, it was impossible to read the man.

Katherine could tell it was not easy for him to talk to herself and her mother, it was even more difficult for them to hear that.  Yes it might have been unfair to Jaune to leave him at home with the remainder of his family who didn't like him.  But they were still family.  What had been done was impossible in their eyes.  She lowered her eyes to the ground, not really having any counter point to that.  She couldn't even say that Jaune told her to go, in fact he pleaded with her to stay and she left anyway.  She might have cried as she did leave, but she couldn't stay and take care of him all her life, she had her own life to live.  He understood that though he did not want to lose his closest friend and family member. 

To her side she could see her mother start to shake, violently.  The struggle to keep her semblance in check was getting very difficult.  She knew enough to about her family semblance to know that under heavy emotional duress it can emerge, which pretty much summarizes the situation they are currently in, though she has a better handle on it than her mother.

"Jaune has a scroll, you could have SHOULD have called it well before now"  Ren it seems was unconvinced of anything they had said.  Both he and his friend remained in their impassive and unmoving positions.

_Ouch…_

She had to say something, anything.  These questions these argument or debate points going unchallenged are literally destroying whatever shreds of hope they have to succeed.

"You have been getting our messages for weeks because we have tried to contact him.  Our calls haven't been reaching him, I think he got a new Id."  Katherine answered in a whisper.  Her memories of the last time she saw her brother fresh in her mind, she knew her eyes were beginning to water.  She like her mother HATED crying in front of anybody, but she wouldn’t be surprised if she had a tear or two rolling down her cheek at this point.

Strangely enough he didn’t look back with distrust, in fact it was almost like he believed her when she said that.  Like he knew something about the situation they didn't.  She decided to keep going, honest seemed to be working.

"My brother was hurt, badly.  I am trying to help him.  The fact that our family was responsible makes my job more difficult, but it does not mean I should not try."   His look didn't change all that much.  Though Nora did seem to relax her eyes a touch.

"I have always been more of a Hunter than a politician. I have been out of touch for a long time, too long even.  I will try to make it right, but I cannot do it when he will not speak to me.  I asked to speak to you because I felt you would be the most unbiased.  Please, I need your help Mr. Lie."  Mom put forth, Katherine could tell she was still looking at the ground. 

_Yup, knew it, crying and couldn't bring herself to face them._

"You could just go to Beacon and ask the headmaster to see him"  Nora put forth.  Her eternally in place smile was getting irritating for Katherine, but … she didn’t believe Nora found the situation happy.  She… just always tried to stay positive. 

_Maybe I could learn something about that._

"We want him to agree to see us, could we force it upon him?  Yes, but we are trying to give him the choice, something he has had few enough of in his life."  Katherine answered. 

She knew full well that the first real decision he made for himself was when he left home, around the same time she left on her apprenticeship with their mother.  In the time prior he made almost no decisions.  Not that he didn’t want too, they just felt that he couldn’t do what he wanted to do.  He was so sickly and weak as a child that she wasn't even sure if he would survive till adulthood.  Even so he wanted to train and learn to fight despite rarely having the strength to move.  That he made it into Beacon was a miracle.  That he got through his first year, met his girlfriend Pyrrha, was selected as leader of JNPR, and that very same team is now part of the advanced combat course is more than a miracle.  That was an act of… some divine power.  Her brother was never all that lucky in life, and yet he seemed to hit the proverbial jackpot the moment he entered Beacon.

She saw Ren pinch the bridge of his nose as if lost in thought.

"What do you hope to accomplish even if I agreed to help you?  What good would it possibly cause?  I fail to see any good that could come about this.  He is disowned, he has already lost his family.  As such he has tried to move on.  Seeing him might help you two, but I do not see how it would help him at all."  He managed to say, this earned a look from his friend, though she did not speak.

She had a flash of insight and responded "Being isolated will not help him.  You must know how much A hand on your shoulder can help you.  I want to help my brother, what exactly can I do to prove it to you?  Blood oath sacrifice?  You trusted us enough to meet us, all we want is an introduction."  That point right there was about the only definitive argument she could come up with on the journey over here to help promote a workable bridge to gain trust.

"Your family has a horrendous track record at inspiring confidence or earning my trust.  Jaune has earned it.  You have not.  You would need more than words based on your sisters alone." 

_Not enough of a point apparently…_

Katherine saw Ren look towards the clock, and realized he was literally counting the minutes, maybe the seconds until he could fulfill his end of the bargain and walk away.  What could she do?  She had no brilliant strategies or clever ideas to put forth here, and they weren't giving them any real headway in terms of the conversation.  Inside her mind, she started to panic a bit.

"Let's try this.  My name is Nora Valkyrie, this is Lie Ren.  You are Katherine Arc.  What is your name?"

_Oh thank you Nora… at least you are trying to be reasonable._

She heard Mom take in a deep breath and relax as much as she could, after lifting her gaze up to meet the pair she answered "My name is Deborah."

"Mrs. Arc, you have one pitch to convince me.  I think Ren is a lost cause.  Why should I help you?"  She asked. 

_Well this is it… the only point Mom came up with and it is literally the last option we have._

Her mom squared her shoulders, and in an even, if stressed voice answered.

"Jaune must have spoken about us at some point.  He HAD to have advised that not all of his family treated him poorly.  He likely mentioned his mother, his youngest, and possibly his oldest sisters.  I am obviously his mother, and Katherine is his youngest sister.  If you trust Jaune, then trust him here.  We have always been on his side."

Katherine felt the need to play her pity card and put forth.

"Please my brother is sick, he has always been sick.  I want to see him."

A fire entered Ren's eyes.

_Uh… Wrong thing to say?_

"No."  He said, anger dripping off him.

_No?  That’s it!  Just no?!_

"Not sick, infected.  Specifically with a parasite.  The act of removing it nearly killed him."  Ren for the first time, looked absolutely livid.

_INFECTED?!? Not sick?!  WHAT!?!_

The knowledge hit both Katherine and Deborah like a punch in the stomach.  They literally hunched over, she saw her mother clutch at her chest.

"Infected?  By what?"  She looked to her daughter like she could fall apart at any moment.

"A Grimm-"

_A Grimm parasite, never heard of one?  Are they serious?_

"A Vampire!!?"  Her mother said, she didn’t need to be able to see her face to know that she was running on emotions right now.

_Vampire?  Wait what Mom knows something about this?  That’s…. really…. %@_$##.... not good._

Looking across the room to the two friends both of them had the same emotionally detached look in their body language, but they couldn't keep it out of their faces, they had reached a topic which hit too close to home it seemed.

"Yes a Vampire, I find it impossible that no doctor a child would have been taken to would fail to notice it inside him."  Katherine could barely meet him in the eye as he confirmed her mother's suspicions.

Katherine was a wreck, the entire time her brother was thought to be a sick child.  The entire reason for his treatment by the family members who held it against him was a damned lie.  She did not even want to consider the fact that her parents might have known about it and treated him that way anyway.  She knew her mother was incapable of treating people, much less her own children with cruelty.  However she could think of no reasons for how her children could have been infected with a parasite and her to NOT know about it.  They would have to have another unpleasant talk about this later.  Right now, she could barely maintain her balance or her breathing cycle.

In that moment her life began to crumble.  She was fairly good at determining when she was being lied too.  The look in Ren's face was absolute, she didn’t think he could lie about this, and she got no impression he was lying.  She didn’t think she could feel any worse about how her brother had been treated in his life, and yet with this information she proved herself incorrect.  It made it hard to breath and impossible to think about anything else.

However she was pulled out of her depressing thoughts by a howl of anguish.  Her mother had fallen to her knees and let out a chilling scream, not capable of caring that they are in a public airport at all.  She didn’t even try not to cry with her.  When her semblance erupted from her body it wasn't all that surprising for her.  It was not the first time this had happened, and she knew from personal experience all she could do was console her and try to calm her down.  She ignored the pure white light she was emitting as well as the blue glow from her eyes and knelt down to hold her shoulder.

After a period of time, she did not know how long, she remembered what she and her mother were trying to do.  She felt as though it was now hopeless, that the only method they had remaining was to force the meeting upon him.  To treat him as everybody else has throughout his life.  Even so she forced herself to look up fully expecting the two friends to have turned around and left.  She was surprised.

The two had an astonished, bewildered, static filled look to them.  They were looking in utter confusion at the scene before them.  Jaws hanging open as far it could extend, eyes huge and body language filled with disbelief.  They looked at each other as if trying to confirm what they were seeing.  She knew her mind was not fully in control of itself right now but she could think of no reason for that to be their reaction.  If some woman lost control of her semblance and summoned it mid conversation confusion would not be my natural reaction she knew.  Yet here, no she must be seeing things, it was almost like… empathy entered their eyes as they began to speak to each other.  Did I go crazy and imagine all this to happen following the news of my brothers infection?

They appeared to be whispering to each other.  She couldn’t look at them any longer, and pulled back to her mom.  She still hadn't regained control of her semblance and continued to rain tears down on the floor below them.  At least the yelling at this point had stopped.  Out of the corner of her eye she… she saw Nora kneel down next to her.

"Ok, we will give you an introduction, no more, the rest is up to you."  she said as she gripped her mother's shoulder.

_Excuse me?  Did I hear that right?  What convinced you what did we do?_

Her mother was the first to recover mentally, she saw her arm rise up and gripped the others shoulder in the same manner Nora did.  Katherine was still the definition of confused as she observed the other JNPR teammate.  Ren watched the scene like somebody who just went all-in in a poker game who only had a pair of cards and was not at all confident of the outcome, but he moved up to his friend and partner none the less.

By the time she noticed this her mother had gained back control enough to phase out of her semblance.  She looked happier and more relieved than Katherine could ever remember seeing her.

Ren had reached the three of them at that point and stood beside his friend.  She would have paid a fair penny to know what was swirling around in his head.

"I give you fair warning.  If this ends up hurting him, there is nowhere you will be able to hide to escape from his partner.  She will not respond well to us doing this for you.  We have some equity built up with her, you do not."  He cautioned.

_Yeah… about that… no best leave that till later._

She and her mother knew just how good they were in combat.  Katherine was no professional, but she had learned a lot.  She might be forced to enroll at a school if this scenario continued to devolve and mom had to head back to Cadia to deal with the situation there.  They had thought so little about the next step that they were actually unsure how to proceed at this point.  The odds of this happening was so minuscule that they almost didn’t believe it could be done.  However they knew eventually they will need to face Ms. Nikos, she very much hoped it would be face her with a handshake and some kind words than with weapons.  As confident as her mother was in battle she was aging, she had given birth to 8 children and was well outside of her prime.  She could not say that she was confident in her ability to defeat the Mistralian in combat.  Maybe the two of them could manage it, maybe.  But if it was her plus any of her friends or teammates, the odds are basically zero.  They had to settle with this diplomacy, they could not bull over the door guard to do what they wanted.  Never mind that act would instantly put any chance they had of making peace with Jaune set to unobtainable.

Katherine stood, looked at Ren and asked  "When is the soonest we could see him?"  She did not try to keep the hope she was feeling outside of her eyes.

Katherine could practically feel the gears in his head churning as he thought how best to answer her question.

"The 2 weeks during winter break, will be the earliest this can happen."  He answered, then continued "I will help you meet your brother, no more.  We have details to work out so let's get to it, Nora and I have a plane to catch."

She almost did not believe her ears.  They had done it.  They had won the first battle in what should surely become many.  They could not count on much help from the two friends.  They said they would help but she was aware that she and her mother would need to be prepared to convince all of the individuals they might encounter to their side.  They could not leave anything to chance.  How they could do this she had not a clue.  It was all they could manage to put together just this conversation and seemed to barely get the job done.  She had no idea what else they could add, for that matter she still had no idea what it was that actually convinced them.  She doubted it was something they said, but had to admit she was clueless as to what it could be.

Relief was flooding her mind and she felt the need to say thank you.  Somehow that didn't seem like a strong enough reaction.  If her suspicions were correct, and Jaune thought of these people as his family, the reverse might be true.  If true, they had witnessed the Arc family rip the heart out of their adopted brother, and more of that same family wanted to meet him.  These two just said they would help make that happen.  No, just saying so would not be a good enough reaction.  She took a half step and wondered if this was wise.  Then decided it made the most sense to her mind.  She closed the distance to Ren and gave him a gentle but very much heartfelt hug.

"Not just brother, my twin.  Thank you for giving us a chance."  She said with as much confidence and gratitude she could manage.

***

Surprise evident on their faces, they overcame it however.  With that the two friends with the 2 family members set out a plan on winter break they would meet and be given a chance to see Jaune, something both Ren and Nora would think about during their flight home for the midterm break.  They sent messages to Ruby explaining the situation.  Yang and her sister convinced Ren to do this, they could at least get a head start on getting the word out amongst their friends.

 

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**Phew, that was a big chapter.  Leave a comment/review let me know what you think.  My work schedule has increased so updates will be coming slower from here, but I am determined to finish this story.  The more feedback I am given about what people like or want to see will help me in finishing it.  As ever I will happily read anything sent my way and will answer any questions people have about the story.  Thank you for reading this story and enjoy your evening.**

 


	5. Year 2 Fall Final section Part 1 of 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the unknown messenger identified Ren follows through with his promise and does his part to convince the remainder of the group to assist in convincing Jaune to meet with his twin and mother. Ruby receives Ren's message, but is in her own contest at the moment.

2.10

It was an old fashioned western standoff the likes of which are best left to the movies of the utmost caliber.  The contestants staring each other down with the best glares they possessed.  Observers were sheltering the eyes of young children even as they argued and fought to get a better view, in time their determination would win out and they would be allowed to watch the proceeding.  The area was that of the CFVY dorm filled with its team, that of team SSSN, and its challenger's demanding the attention as they glared at each other across the dinner table.

"GO!" Coco declared brightly.

CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP both of them went across the cookie pan munching down cookies with as much speed as both could manage.

_Chocolate chocolate chocolate chocolate good good good … ! ..._

COUGH COUGH HACK HACK

_RAISONS!!!!!  TRICKERY!!!  DECIEPT!!!  BLASTPHEMY!!!_

"RAISONS!!!!!!  No fair no fair!"  Ruby declared with an angry but somehow still adorable pout even as she tried to get back into the cookie eating spree.

Her hesitation and outrage over a raison cookie allowed her bunny eared challenger to sweep up the last of the cookies on the tray and claim a well fought victory.  She finally took a moment to chew and swallow the cookies as she raised her hands up in celebration.

"Velvet you cheater I thought more of you than this!"  An angry reaper declared.

"Sis you were awesome!" another bunny girl stated as she moved to hug her victorious sister.

 _Lavender, right gotta remember her name. Oh Right!  Your ANGRY RUBY right now!!_ Ruby thought as she put her scowl back on her face.

"Gotta admit Ruby you are good, but you can't challenge my bunny rabbit"  a proud CFVY team leader bragged.

"You cheated!  You put a raison cookie on my side!" Silver eyes blazing angrily

"I never said ALL cookies are chocolate, just that they are mostly chocolate, sugar or peanut butter."  She preened her uniform as she only slightly mocked the younger girl.

"It's ok Ruby you can't win them all"  Velvet declared happily with a smile.

"I will get my rematch tomorrow count on it!  Rest assured I will not rest until I retake my crown and this time all cookies with contain the proper materials!"  Ruby tried to be angry, but the truth is she just couldn’t be.  These were her friends and they were having a good time on break.

The cookie eating combatants of which Ruby was a part of included all of team CFVY, SSSN member Sun and Neptune, Velvets younger sister and freshman at Beacon Lavender, and of course Velvet with Ruby as well.  Ruby had half a mind to demand a rematch, and would have likely acted on those feelings had her scroll not beeped, or more accurate whined in a very Zwei like fashion.  Detaching herself from the table she moved away slightly to read the message.

Huh, a message from Ren… this better be good.

She got about 2 sentences in when she decided that no, this was most definitely NOT good.  Not necessarily bad, but definitely not good.  2 more sentences in she determined that a RWBY team meeting would be required.  They might not be happy about this but, well they just might not be happy about it.  Ren had obviously taken a couple days from the time he left to message them the details of his and Nora's meeting with the anonymous messenger.  Now it was no longer an unknown factor, and she needed to do her part.

"Coco I'm going to have to leave a bit early tonight, I might be back but I have to see my team for something right away."  The Reaper advised.

"Is there a problem Rubes?"  Velvet asked with her sister still draped over her in celebration.

"Hopefully not, but it is something that I need to look into right away."  She replied.

"Ok snookums, just remember, Velvet is the queen of the cookies at Beacon until you unseat her."  Coco put forth earning a pout and a vengeful glare from Ruby, before it broke into a smile and she left the room.

Switching her scroll to text mode she sent a quick message to her team while walking back to her dorm, not noticing a suspicious shadow above her.

To B/Y/W: OK TEAM RWBY!!! TIME FOR A SURPISE TEAM MEETING IN OUR DORM! EVERYBODY HEAD OVER AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LET PYRRHA SUSPECT WE HAVE A MEETING.  BLAME YANG'S BAD SNORING IF YOU HAVE TOO.

Y:  I DO NOT SNORE! >.<

Yang's response was remarkably quick.

W: I HAVE THE RECORDING TO PROVE IT ^.^

Y:  : (

B:  I WILL BE A FEW HOURS, AM CURRENTLY CHASING THIS BOOKSTORE CLERK.  BONES MIGHT BE BROKEN @.@

R:  BLAKE THIS IS IMPORTANT! -_-

B:  SO IS MY BOOK THAT THIS IDIOT SOLD WITHOUT MY GO AHEAD TO ANOTHER PERSON!  THIS IS THE SECOND TIME MY PRECIOUS NINJA'S OF LOVE BOOK WAS SOLD OUT!

Y:  WOW SOUNDS SERIOUS,  I SUGGEST BREAKING LEGS, OR JUST STABBING HIM.  STABBING NORMALLY WORKS : )

R:  YANG!!! NOT HELPING!

B:  RELAX I'M NOT GOING TO KILL HIM… QUICKLY *evil grinning smilie*

R:  BLAKE IF YOU GIVE UP YOUR CHASE AND COME BACK THIS INSTANT I WILL MAKE SURE JAUNE MAKES YOU FISH FOR SUPPER ONE DAY JUST GET BACK HERE AND DON’T GET IN TROUBLE!

The message had barely left her scroll when a -thump- was heard off to her side.  As Blake leapt down from the rafters to land next to her team leader.

"Ok consider the chase given up.  Fish tonight sounds wonderful"  The cat eared girl bragged smugly.

"But!  I … You… GRRRRR!  You tricked me!!!"  Rare annoyance flashed in the Reapers eyes and Blake took no time in making a graceful and timely exit before Ruby could do more than grumble to herself.

W: OH FISH BY JAUNE FOR DINNER SOUNDS GREAT, PLEASE DON’T DO SOMETHING SILLY BLAKE J

Neither Ruby nor Blake saw the message as Ruby took off at a sprint chasing her tricky teammate.  Around the Beacon grounds they went, running over 2 team CRDL members, spilling Dr. Ooblecks coffee mug, nearly getting snow on a deflating Ms. Goodwitch, and earning a smirk from the observing Headmaster Ozpin.

Blake was the slightly more athletic of the two, and took every chance she could get to turn the contest into one of climbing to take advantage of that and lesson the speed advantage Ruby had.  They were careful to avoid the area where Jaune and Pyrrha were currently training as again the whole point was the NOT clue them in on something happening.  At least initially.  When Blake realized her trickery would not be easily outran she enjoyed taking advantage of her climbing as she ascended back up to the rafters which prompted this chase and expertly leapt beam to beam gaining speed on the chasing Reaper.  Who really did not want to alert the Spartan and Knight that something fishy was afoot.

Seeing Blake continue to gain on her Ruby had enough of playing both nice and with Faunus's rules for one evening.  She activated her semblance and speed right by the Red and Blond haired friends zooming over the edge of the rooftop down on the courtyard below.  She eyed Blake rounding the corner and continued to gain on her as her semblance allowed her to move at such astounding speeds.  Right as her arms wrapped around Blake in triumph, she realized she had been chasing a mirror image… and it vanished from view.

Now trying to skid to a sudden stop she continued to slide in a forward direction until a not-quite-welcome sight stopped her movement rather violently… as they collided.  More accurately the Blond haired girl set her footing, and the smaller Ruby failed in knocking her over.  Only ending up herself on the ground, looking up at an amused member of the Arc family, Crystal Arc.

"Uh, sorry for that"  Ruby started to say.  When she made eye contact with the Arc girl she noticed that the amusement quickly left her face replaced with… a neutral emotionless mask.

"It happens"  She responded as she, to Ruby's surprise, extended an arm to assist her with standing.

Ruby dusted herself off as and noticed Crystal giving her a weird glance, though she portrayed no emotion at all in her face.  Ruby is not friends with this girl, she might not be enemies.  It was not in Ruby's nature to just walk away from somebody who clearly was feeling… off.

"Can I ask you something Crystal?"  She started.

Crystal responded with some life coming back to her eyes and looked at the Reaper.

"You, don't appear normal, are you ok?"  Ruby genuinely was surprised by the response she got.

It was a light, humorless, forced laugh.

"I wouldn't think that you would care about me Ms. Rose"  She responded.

"It… isn't that I care or don't care.  You are a huntsman in training.  Like I am."  She hoped she wouldn't have to elaborate further.

"I don’t think you would understand you are very young."  She said honestly.

Ruby's eye nearly twitched.  "I am 17 I will have you know" she stated somewhat indignantly.

"You were 15 last year"  she reminded.

"I was 15 at the START of last year.  I turned 16 in late summer, just like I turned 17 not long ago." She announced a touch proudly.

"Ok, so you aren't very young, just young.  I still don’t know if you will understand." she still kept that neutral mask on her face.

The smile that Ruby portrayed was not forced at all as she declared.  "Try me"

Crystal took a good few seconds scrutinizing Ruby before she answered.

"It is not a matter of happiness Ms. Rose, it is a matter of duty.  You do it regardless of if you enjoy it or not.  Regardless of if you want to or not.  That is the point of being a huntsman."  She stated, again looking completely numb in the face.

"Many people find that they enjoy doing their duty."  Ruby stated to keep her speaking.

Crystal almost smiled.  "You are very young, and when you are young things are simple.  When you get older you begin to think that things which used to be simple… are no longer so.  You do what you believe to be right at the time, and later they might not seem so right as you get older…."  She dropped her gaze to the ground and went silent.

Ruby still didn't count Crystal as a friend, but walking away from somebody like this is not in her nature.  Showing some of that maturity she has which is beyond her years she did something the blond haired girl did not expect.

"As a kid, I used to kill ants outside my house."  She stated.

Now Crystal did wear a smile on her face.

"An odd thing to share."  She said.

Ruby smiled.   "It is one of the only memories I have of my mother.  People tell me I am a great deal like her.  I guess that is a compliment or something.  But all I really remember of her is that she lectured me in my favorite way to past time as a young child, and that she eventually left me with dad and my sister."

Crystal continued to watch Ruby as she … did whatever it was that Ruby was doing.

"The lecture I remember, is this.  'In life you will get your hands dirty, your face dirty, your clothes dirty.  In time all of that can be fixed.  The only thing I wish you to keep clean, is your conscious.  A dirty conscious can be crippling.'  That lecture of course coming from the person who left me with my dad as if I were an unwanted child."

That almost got a response out of Crystal as her face started to shift out of numb into something else.

"I don’t have many memories of her, but, for some reason I try to keep that saying close to me.  I am trying to remember my mother as people tell me she was, not as my toddler mind does.  Those ants did nothing to me.  At the time I wondered why she lectured me about it.  They are after all just ants.  In time, I learned that life is to precious, it is too short, and one should not place yourself above another.  Which I think is what my mother wanted me to take from that saying."  Ruby paused to issue a slight smile.

"Ms. Arc,  I don’t know what it is about your duty that makes you question it.  If I am too young for you then maybe consider something that the headmaster has said: 'Anybody can learn to use a sword effectively, it takes a more pure true heart to use that sword in the right way.  Not what is the proper way, rather the morally correct way.'  If you are questioning your duty then I would say you are doing what a huntsman should.  We are not soldiers Crystal.  We are defenders of the public, not a military.  I think… you should remember that with whatever problem you are having."  She concluded trying to smile at her.

Crystal for her part, completely ducked her gaze to the ground, and did not respond.  Ruby stood where she was until she noticed a buzzing in her pocket, and remembered the team meeting she was missing… which of course she herself called.

W: RUBY WE ARE WAITING

"Nice talking to you Crystal, but I need to go."  Ruby advised nervously as she moved through the array of messages on her scroll.  She didn't notice the older girls weak nod as she moved away.

About 2 minutes after this was received another came in.

W:  RUBY YOU DOLT WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU!

A few more minutes past until that came in.

W:  **QUEEN OF DOLT'S YOU GET HERE THIS INSTANT!!!**

Y:  RUBES IS EVERYTHING OK?

30 seconds ago those messages were received.

Y:  BLAKE JUST ADVISED THAT WE GET FISH TONIGHT, THAT’S A GOOD THING RIGHT? : )

W:  **RUBY ROSE!!!  YOU DO NOT CALL A TEAM MEETING AND THEN NOT SHOW UP TO IT!!! *insert steaming head smilie***

R :  SORRY! I JUST GOT HELD UP ON MY WAY NOW. : (

W:  TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!!! >.<

With a sigh Ruby made her way to the RWBY dorm room after sending her message.

Entering her dorm room Ruby found the rest of her team.  Yang had evidently finished working out and was drying her hair following her shower.  Blake was trying, and failing not to look to pleased with herself following her antics.  Weiss for her part was not even trying to avoid looking highly annoyed over a meeting called on break with of course the caller being late to it.

"Ruby Rose you will tell us what this about this instant!"  The Heiress growled.

Yang and Ruby shared a look, and Yang was brought to high alert as she translated the look from her sister.  Blake merely put down her book noticing the body language of her partner.  Weiss seemed to guess this was more serious than just a way to torment her team with more of Ruby's never ending list of idea's for how they could spend their free time together.  She with reluctance gave her attention to her team leader.

"I got a message from Ren… I thought you all should be here to hear it."  With those words, she had captured the attention of the room.  Yang had long ago told Weiss and Blake of the messages Ren had received and they were aware of the meeting the JNPR team members had just a couple days prior.

"It seems it took him some time to organize his thoughts, but the short version, is that he thinks we should help them.  He wants us to help convince Pyrrha it is a good idea."  Weiss looked at Ruby thinking that she might be a Grimm in disguise while both Blake and Yang were more neutral about it.

Ruby then set the message to play, and they all listened to his description of the encounter.

He was brief, but accurate in his summation.  He described the two Arc's, both tall in good shape and with blond hair and blue eyes to match Jaune.  He explained the encounter including his learning that it was Mrs. Arc who had been keeping her two daughters away from Jaune somehow leveraging something against them.  When they got to the subject of the Vampire Parasite which had been plaguing Jaune throughout his life he seemed completely convinced that the two newcomers, Deborah and Katherine were genuine in their desire to help him.

"I'm telling you Ruby, Jaune and his mothers semblances were too similar too identical.  We know Jaune is incapable of treating people poorly, his mother has to be the same way to carry the same semblance.  I think we should help them meet.  I'd like you to get a head start on the others and then maybe we could work together to try and convince Pyrrha."

His message concluded leaving the girls in the room slightly baffled and were incapable of speaking for several minutes.  Ruby kept her silence and just let them work through their thoughts until her partner blurted out.

"Deborah Arc… Deborah Arrrrrrrrc……! Wait wait WAIT a moment!"  The Heiress declared.  She continued "I could just freeze him…"  A very Weiss like scowl appeared on her face.

The other RWBY team members looked at each other confused and directed their attention back to Weiss.

"Weiss, what's wrong?"  Ruby asked.

"I'm just -very- annoyed at Jaune.  I knew that the Arc family was huge and it had multiple branches.  I just never expected that Jaune would be part of the main branch.  He is, well was practically a Prince."  She declared.

"Weiss what are you talking about?"  Yang asked.

"The Arc's used to be royalty, they used to rule a large portion of Atlas where my family is from.   Centuries ago they gave up their sovereignty to take the title of Duke though how things operate in their home remains largely unchanged.  It supposedly was a way to avoid a war which their kingdom would not have had the manpower to win.  I never expected that Jaune was a of the nobility.  My father has been trying to buy his way into that circle for years.  I had no idea that such a goofball would be a part of that circle, his mother obviously carries the title of Duchess."  She ranted clearly annoyed.

"He obviously never cared about it Weiss, is this relevant?"  Blake asked.

"It might be relevant."  She whined.  She could tell that the rest of the group was rather dubious of the relevancy, despite its obvious merits in the minds of a certain Heiress.

"Seems to me this should be Jaune's decision not mine.  I don’t know why Ren even asked us to be honest."  Blake stated clearly doubting the need to discuss his families titles.

"Pyrrha wont view it as that simple Blake you know that.  She all but swore to impale the next blond haired Arc that tried to get near Jaune you know that."  Ruby reminded calmly obviously sharing Blake's opinion.

"Still is not our or even her decision Ruby."  Blake repeated sternly.

"I think we should do it."  Yang advised.

"Why and how would you be for this?"  Weiss asked sounding very surprised.

"Because I want… no.  I have to believe that Jaune can come to terms with his family.  Maybe if he can there is hope for Ruby and I."  The Brawler stated flatly.

"Yang…"  Weiss started… but could not finish or voice her thoughts.

Blake looked at her partner with a… oddly calculating look, but did not speak.

"Yang, I want to figure out the situation with our mom's too.  But-"

"But you don’t want to hold out hope for it yes I know. I still believe we should do this.  Jaune not hearing from his family hurt him.  Even if it doesn’t turn out great he should have the option to move on.  He obviously cannot do that if he is never given the chance."  Yang it seems, was back in team mom mode, not prankster mode for the moment.

"For what it worth, I agree with my sister.  I think we should help this happen.  Maybe it is naïve of me… but I have to think that this can still turn out good for Jaune."  Ruby claimed honestly.

"I can be not against it.  I don’t believe I can say I agree with him doing this… but, I think I can not actively work against it happening."  Weiss put forth.

"I guess I can commit to the same, I just have no idea how we are going to convince Pyrrha to allow it."  Blake advised in caution.

The sound of a door closing startled the group and brought their attention to the entryway of the RWBY dorm room.  They went collectively pale at the sight.  It seems when Ruby arrived, she did not get the door all the way shut.

"You don’t need to convince me.  I would welcome to chance to meet more of his family."  The Spartan declared with an intense expression on her face.

"Pyrrha, you heard that?  How long have you been standing there?  Jaune didn't hear that did he?"  Ruby asked slightly scared at this turn of events.

"I heard enough, long enough, and no he hasn't heard it."  She stated coldly.

"Pyrrha you need to understand, they convinced Ren it was a good idea."  Ruby put forth again appearing to be more than a touch nervous.

"Like I said Ruby, I think it is a good idea."  She turned to leave but spoke on turning her head to face her friends again  "After all, if this turns out to be a bad idea, that means I will have 2 members of the Arc family in spear range."  At that, the Spartan turned on her heel, and left the group.

The RWBY team members shared a nervous glance with each other.

"Well, that could have gone better."  Ruby stated with a slight frown on her face.

"At least she knows that Jaune had nothing to do with it, so he should be ok."  Yang happily stated.

It was then a voice was heard though the walls of the room muffled, but still clear.

"Pyrrha! but we just finished training!"  They identified Jaune as the speaker.

"I decided we need to do more endurance work while we are on break.  Come on you've had some time to recover and I think you aren't appropriately tired yet so snap to it Mister!"  And the Spartan was heard with that.

"Then again… maybe not."  Blake advised.

The girls later spoke to Pyrrha about it.  The Spartan was willing to meet them, though she swore that she would keep herself armed at all times.  They might be willing to trust them based off the word of Ren and Nora she claimed.  However she was not, and would require some actions to speak louder than words before trust would be given.

It was better than Ruby and Yang had hoped for, and was substantially easier to convince the group to let the meeting happen than his twin and mother likely planned on.  None the less, they had yet to take the conversation to Jaune himself.  That however would be a battle for another day.  Tomorrow Ruby had a date with destiny to reclaim her crown as the cookie eating champion… and she still needed to convince Jaune somehow to cook fish for dinner sometime over break.

 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**As a reminder I will try to keep updates consistently, but they will be in smaller sizes now.  I hope to get one out every few days but really it comes down to how much I can put into my writing after work.  So we will see.  As always I am eager and hungry for whatever feedback I can be given.  I will happily discuss any aspect of the story you would like and welcome ideas for how the story can proceed.  I hope you enjoyed the reading.**


	6. Year 2 Fall Final section Part 2 of 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night before the Winter Dance arrives and JNPR is trying to enjoy a lighthearted night of fun before the party the next evening. However it seems that tensions are boiling over on team RWBY, and something which has been kept secret for to long is becoming a problem for the team.

2.11

The year advanced to week of the winter dance moving fairly smooth for the group.  Against expectations the group still had yet to have an incident in their combat or advanced combat classes with the Arc Sisters, something they were very grateful for.  Pyrrha would not likely admit to it, but she almost hoped that Jewel or Crystal would prove a nuisance if for no other reason than she would be able to hold that against the two Arc's when they would meet.  It was easier for her to think of them as hostile rather than friendly.

The group attended classes as a team, and the 8 of them was beginning to develop a very impressive win ratio in the combat classes.  Jaune self admittedly was the lowest of them though it was by a slim margin.  However given his relative lack of experience it was becoming clear he was capable of taking almost anybody out if they did not treat him seriously.  The next time he faced Yang in the combat classes she beat him fairly soundly, taking him as she said 'Pyrrha level seriously' and it showed.  Even so previously he was never able to beat a member of the JNPR/RWBY group.  Now he had a few hard fought victories he proudly claimed.  In the prior year he was easily in the lower tier on the combat class.  Now, he was -at worst- mid tier, and improving consistently thanks to his friends and partner.  With their supporting him he constantly worked to catch up on his studies and skills.  He felt that the gap in terms of both was nearly closed.

All things Jaune considered as he enjoyed a poker game with his friends on the night before the Winter Dance, of which of course is followed by 2 weeks off prior to the resumption of classes.

"I'll take 2"  Ren stated giving himself 2 cards.

"1" Nora simply said.

"3" Pyrrha advised.

5 card draw poker with 2 table cards had been an intense yet friendly affair thus far.  Jaune himself was not even winning.  However the moment he got his hand, he knew he was about to force somebody out of their shirt.  Instead of playing for money, they are removing clothing, otherwise known as strip poker.  He was hardly as expert card player, however he was smart enough to know that Royal Straight Flush's were basically never encountered.  So when he was straight up dealt one, he knew he had to play it coyly or let the opportunity pass him by.

He realized they were looking at him waiting for his answer, and indicated a zero as shouting outside the door room was heard.

"I don’t need any, but I do wonder what that is about?"  He said.

"I hope it isn't anything important, probably isn't anything special honestly."  Ren put forth.

As they just went around again for the final time people were obviously anxious.  It was getting near to curfew and they doubted they could play another hand before it was time to shut things down.

"I think you two boys are trying to delay the inevitable, it is time to put down our cards and accept your defeat with grace."  Pyrrha declared looking very into the game.

Like most competitions it brought out the championship fighter in her and she always did everything she could to win.  This was not a game normally in her expertise but she proved to be a capable deceiver, having won many hands simple because she was able to fool her friends.  She was also the only person Jaune could not identify a tell for.

Before Ren could put down his cards another shout was heard outside their dorm room, this time accompanied by a door opening, then slamming shut.

"That does not sound… normal."  Nora advised.  "Oh well if they need us they will ask, let's play!"

Ren put down his cards, 2 pairs.  Ren did not even put on a smile as Nora had a similar, but sadly weaker double pair.  Following Nora's defeat Ren managed to put a slight smile on his face, which vanished as Pyrrha revealed her hand, 3 of a kind utilizing one card from the table.

The three of his friends turned to him awaiting on his cards.  Pyrrha had her typical 'I dare you' look on her face whenever she got competitive, he almost smiled as he made to move.

"You know I hate to do this to you guys as you are my friends…"

"Enough delay blonde show us your cards!"  Nora demanded.

Jaune wore a smirk as he reached down to grab his cards, but before he could flip them over the RWBY dorm door opened up again before being slammed shut, and a powerful knock was delivered to the JNPR dorm room door.

"JAUNE ARE YOU IN THERE?"

It was Yang's voice, muffled as it was by the door, but still clear.

"JAUNE IT IS IMPORTANT CAN I COME IN?"

"It's open Yang"  Pyrrha answered.

The JNPR door was practically blasted open by Yang's push, as she entered the room all members of the group turned to her and was put on alarm, as her eyes were red. 

Jaune had to admit the first thought that came to his mind was of the self preservation kind, he could think of no cause for Yang to be seeking him out at night before curfew went into effect angry enough for her eyes to turn red.

"Jaune I need your help"  She stated plainly.

"You are going to need to be more specific Yang"  Jaune stated eager to try and get back to the card game so he could play his hand.

"It's, hard to talk about Jaune…"  Clearly this was something abnormal, Yang had almost no troubles speaking… except about family.  Did this involve her mother somehow?

"Yang can this wait until morning?"  He asked.

"No!  No Jaune it cannot wait until morning!  By then it might be too late."  At this point Yang had the attention of the room, but for some reason could not elaborate on the problem.

"Yang, I you need to calm down and tell me ever-"

"Ruby is about to transfer out of Beacon ok?"  Yang's voice was loud and powerful, and it caused the exact opposite to follow in its wake.

"I need your help Jaune."  She sounded almost like she was begging, Yang NEVER begged for anything.

"Yang, how long will this take to explain?"  He asked.

"At least a few minutes…I'm not sure how to start." She admitted, though slightly confused by his question.

Jaune had taken the time to stand up, and was trying to reawaken that part of his mind that let him think, it was not easy.  It was nearly curfew and that meant sleeping time.  For his adopted family however, he would make the attempt.  He stood motionless for several moments trying to come up with a plan of action.

_Ok, if it involved Ruby, it is safe to say that cookies might be involved as the solution.  I don’t know enough to go beyond that though, Agh._

"Yang, where is Ruby now?"  He asked still thinking to himself.

"She is in the joint commons room with Blake, last I saw she was crying her eyes out.  It will take some time to explain so let me-"  Yang started to say.

"Stop."  Jaune instructed, the beginnings of a plan coming into his mind.  "Ren, Nora I need your help."

Both of them looked more than a touch alarmed at his words, unsure what he had in mind.  Even so they both stood ready to help however they could.

"What do you need Jaune?"  Ren asked.

Jaune looked at the clock… barely enough time to get a batch of cookies out before curfew.  They might be able to stretch beyond a few minutes as technically this is the last night of the term before the dance tomorrow, but he saw no reason to press the envelope.

"I need you to get to the kitchen as quick as you can and get the oven ready preheated for cookies.  I'll send Nora along in a few minutes once I know more."  Ren acknowledged this with a brief nod before he took off out of the room and down the hall.

Jaune continued to think on various topics, getting hit with news of a possible transfer from Ruby was starting to sink in.  It made it somewhat difficult to focus given the time of night.  Something about the situation brought a part of him out, Yang coming to him for help with family spoke a lot of how truly desperate she was and how much she truly was in dire need of assistance.  He drew from that feeling and it steadied his mind.

"Nora get to the kitchen with Ren, make some coffee, real stuff now not the decaf that Ren makes you drink.  I will need it.  Help Ren as best you can and make as many batches as possible."  Nora gave a jaunty salute, then took off after her friend.

"Why the cookies Jaune?  I doubt anybody is hungry for them right now."  Yang asked.

"No but they might be enough to bribe your sister into coming into this room.  It is almost curfew and we don’t need us all getting detentions because of this.  Now, tell me what is going on but be brief.  I still need to convince Ruby to come here so I can talk to her."  He said.

"Actually, I don’t need you to talk to Ruby, I need you to talk to Weiss."

That sat for a few seconds and Jaune was pretty sure his head was clunking clutch less at that information.

Ruby is in the joint room crying… and Yang wanted me to talk to Weiss?  What?

"Yang, info, explain, now."  Pyrrha prompted seeing that Jaune was a touch confused.

"I don’t know what all I can say it would take too much time to explain it all."  Yang sounded very desperate as she continued to think on the situation.

"Then be direct and to the point Yang we do not have much time.  Tell me what is going on.  You came to me and got me involved.  What is the matter?"  Jaune demanded, trying to get his command tone in his voice hoping it would focus Yang a bit.

It seemed to do the trick.

"Jaune, it would take too long to tell you everything.  Last year when you answered Pyrrha's truth or dare Ruby took it to heart.  Especially that bit about placing those you care about above yourself.  When Weiss broke up with Neptune she spoke to her and asked if they could try to be a couple stating that she had always liked Weiss.  Weiss essentially told her that she did not want anything serious and initially turned Ruby down.  Several weeks later however Ruby asked again, this time Weiss agreed.  However over the summer something happened and Ruby told me that she feels very strongly for Weiss.  At first I told her she wasn't old enough to understand what she is trying to say but, well she was serious."

"Ruby always was very mature about some things as I recall."  Pyrrha stated while Jaune was focused intently on Yang's words though he was still unsure what exactly Yang wanted him to do.

"I guess it comes down to that over the summer Weiss broke it off, and refused to talk about it with Ruby.  Every time Ruby would try to bring it up, Weiss would blow her off or state that she was into guys.  Which for all I know could be true.  However tonight Weiss told her to stop asking her, to leave her alone and Ruby just had a meltdown.  Right now she is in the common room filling out paperwork to transfer out of Beacon."  The Brawler spoke clearly but with obvious emotion and care for her sister on the matter.

"Yang, I'm very sorry to hear of this but I still don’t know what you want me to do that you couldn’t."  This was the crux of the matter that Jaune needed to know.

"Jaune, if I am being honest.  I don’t know what I expect you to do.  Look I can do right by me, I can go back to the RWBY dorm room and give the Princess a few bruises.  For all I know that is right by Weiss or anybody else for that matter too.  What I cannot do, is do right by Ruby.  Ruby wants Weiss to be happy.  I cannot figure out a solution to this that keeps my sister where she is also happy.  You are always so good at dealing with people, please would you do whatever you can?"  Yang actually started a cry a bit at this.

Jaune let out a hearty sigh.  Ruby leaving Beacon would be a horrible blow to his adopted family.  He continued to think with the foundation of a plan coming into his mind even as he started to speak again.

"So you need me to go talk to Weiss, and try to do what?  Smooth things over with her and Ruby?"

Yang nodded weakly.

Jaune directed his gaze to Pyrrha "Pyrrha I need your help."  Pyrrha all but leapt to her feet ready to do her part to help moving as if she was full of energy.

"I need you to stay here."

She almost looked at him a touch cross because of that as her eyes narrowed.  "Excuse me?"  She asked incredulously.

"I need you to keep her"  pointing at Yang "in this room.  She is likely going to hear things that makes her angry and want to punch somebody or make a mess.  You are the only person I can trust to keep her here.  Use your semblance, surround her in metal if you need to.  Just do not let her leave this room, ok?"  He advised.

That put a bit of an excited glean back into the redheads face as she moved in front of Yang and advised her via nonverbal communication not to try anything even as she pointed to a spot on the ground.

Jaune left the room at a quick walk and noted that there was barely 15 minutes until curfew.  He did not have much time to get everybody back in the JNPR dorm room.  If his plan was to have any chance of success -not that he thought it would as he still had no idea what he would say to Weiss- it would need to start soon.  He moved right by Ruby placing a temporary hand on her shoulder and moved into the kitchen.

Nora proudly presented him with a cup of coffee, Jaune, trying to be as quick as possible downed the entire cup in one gulp.  He only slightly regretted his decision as the hot coffee might have actually caused some burn damage to him were it not for his aura.

"Nora I need you to bring one pot into the JNPR dorm room, and get another ready as quick as you can.  I will need it brought to the RWBY room.  Once that is done make sure you get yourself back in our dorm before curfew ok?  We do not have much time"  Jaune instructed.

"Yes sir capt'n"  She advised with a happy salute.

"Ren how are we looking?"  He asked.

"A few more minutes, we are cutting it close.  We should have plenty of batches made but I still don’t know what you intend to do with them."  Ren asked.

"I intend to bribe Ruby into our dorm room with them, just make sure a plate gets brought to the RWBY dorm room then get yourself in our room ok?  We don’t need anybody getting detention for breaking curfew."

Jaune looked at the clock, 10 minutes.  Oh boy this is gona be close.  With that he walked up to Ruby who was still crying over a piece of paper even as she tried to fill it out.  Blake was hovering nearby.  Jaune made a movement with his head and she moved away from Ruby briefly.

"I will take care of Ruby, for now please get to our dorm, alright?"  He asked the cat girl.

Jaune could tell that something about what Jaune had asked really struck Blake the wrong way.  She was not one to leave a teammate when they needed her.  However, when Blake gave him a curt nod, he realized he must have built up some degree of trust with her as she moved away back towards the JNPR dorm room.

With only one person needing his attention before he set off on his own assignment for the night he looked over the Reaper.  Ruby had been a tremendous friend for him.  She helped him when Cardin was bullying him, helped cheer him up when he needed it, and continually supported him even when he didn’t feel he was giving anything back in return.  He knew she would deny it, but he felt he owed her more than a few favors.  Tonight was as good of night as any to pay one of those back.  He moved and sat down next to her, and put a hand over one of hers temporarily stopping the form being filled out.

"Jaune, please don't stop me I need to do this."  She sounded so… not Ruby that he was beginning to understand how distraught she was even so he kept his focus.

"I am not trying to stop you."  She looked at him at that.

"Then what are you trying to do?"  She asked.

"I am trying to help you, but to do that.  I need you to do me a favor, ok?"  She looked at him amused… almost at his turn of phrase.  She did not however speak on.

"Yang has asked me to talk to Weiss."  Ruby looked alarmed.

"Relax I'm not going to yell at her or try to hurt her, but please I need you to trust me.  Ok?"  Ruby continued to look at him, and just blinked slowly.

"I need you to call my scroll, then I need you to mute yours and go back to the JNPR dorm room.  That way you can hear everything Weiss and I say so you know I'm not being mean to her ok?  Ren will have cookies soon."  This was the heart of the matter, if Ruby didn’t agree to call, or agree to go back to his dorm, he had no plan.

"Why, what is the point?  She doesn’t want to be around me,  I am trying to do what she wants."  It was obvious Ruby could barely speak.

"Ruby, I think you should let Weiss tell you what she wants you to do.  OK?  That is what I am going to try and arrange.  If you give me that piece of paper and still want to use it tomorrow I will give it back to you.  Please as a favor to me, just humor me here.  Ok?"  Jaune looked at the clock, not long until curfew.

Ruby looked at him, and with reluctance did as Jaune asked.  She called his scroll and muted hers. Without a word she stood and moved down the hallway to the JNPR dorm.

Jaune answered her call, turned off the screen so it appeared fully off but for an orange light indicating an active call and hid it in his pocket.  As Jaune stood Nora moved the coffee she had worked on into the JNPR dorm room after dropping off 2 cups near Jaune as Ren took the stack of cookies with him leaving one plateful for Jaune as he requested.  Before leaving the table he grabbed the incomplete transfer sheet and folded it gently placing it in his pocket.

Taking the two cups of coffee and plate of cookies he moved down to the RWBY dorm room.  He wasn’t sure what he was expected to hear, he thought maybe the sound of keys being pushed down as she texted something.  Maybe the sound of crying, or possibly even the sound of a pen as Weiss started to write something for extra homework as she sometimes did.  Instead what he heard, was nothing.  Utter silence.

He knocked on the door.

"GO AWAY!"  came the immediate reply.  He took a step back, and tested the JNPR door, ensuring it was closed all the way.

"Weiss I just want to talk."  He said after moving back up to the door.

"Jaune?  What do you want?"  She asked obviously confused about something.

"Like I said I just want to talk, can I come in?"  He repeated.

Weiss' hesitation was obvious as she questioned his motives for the request, however he had evidently earned up some trust with her, as he heard the door unlock via a scroll code.

Working some balancing act with his hand Jaune was able to open the door as he was still carrying treats, and cautiously entered the room.  With a gentle kick he shut the door behind him.

He can't claim to know everything there is to know about Weiss Schnee.  He thought he understood her fairly well, but know a great deal about her?  No, that he could no claim.  And he definitely could not claim to have seen her on the ground, hugging her knees, with her snow white hair out of its pony tail completely covering her face as she wore on of her night gowns.  She looked up at him as if she expected some type of duplicity as he moved forward and set the plate of cookies on a desk next to her as well as the two cups of coffee finally freeing his hands.

"Why are you here Jaune?  I would think you would want to talk to Ruby not me."  She asked.

"I figured Ruby has enough people talking to her, you could use somebody too."  He replied as he looked for a place to stow his scroll.  He spotted Ruby's charger with the covering pictures he would need.

"I need to charge my scroll, it is nearly out of juice."  He stated openly, not getting a verbal response from the Heiress.  He moved over, put his scroll on the charger.  Made sure the call was still live, it was.  Then maneuvered the pictures on the desk cleverly so the signs of the scroll having an active call was kept hidden.

He turned around and realized that while Weiss did not make a verbal response, she was scrutinizing his actions with a startling degree of intensity.  Putting on his best game face he grabbed his cup of coffee and moved a chair over next to where he placed his scroll.

He sat down and just sipped his coffee as he looked at her trying to get an accurate reading of her.

"For coming in here to talk to me you aren't saying a great deal."  She stated flatly.

He shrugged casually "Sometimes when you are trying to help somebody, you don’t need to say anything.  Just being there is often enough." 

For what it is worth, he had to admit she had a point.  He came here on Yang's request, he was not really sure about what he was going to say or what he could say to try and get the conversation started.

"Why don't you tell me what happened?  It is always nice to hear things from two perspectives."  He stated.

"There is nothing to say Jaune, I turned her down.  She couldn’t accept that."  Weiss stated after dropping her gaze to the ground.

"Turned her down for what?"  he asked to try and keep her talking.

"The dance, being a couple, everything."  She answered quietly.

"Weiss, what do you think Ruby is doing right now?"  He asked.

"Probably enjoying those cookies I smell."  She guessed.

"Honestly?  I doubt it Weiss.  Ren made those cookies, we both know when cookies are being baked Ruby just magically appears in the kitchen to eat them.  She didn’t even notice them this time."

That, noticeably got a reaction out of the Heiress.  Much of her face was still covered by her hair, but even so her jaw hanging open was obvious however brief it existed for.

Jaune pretended to study the RWBY dorm room while Weiss was lost seemingly in thought.

"Jaune"  She started to say, but as he turned to face her, she faltered in her request.

Weiss moved her hair behind her face, but otherwise let it hang free.  When she did not say anything further Jaune turned his attention away from her.  After a few moments she did manage to speak again.

"Jaune, would you tell me about the first fight that you and Pyrrha had?"  She asked quietly.

Our first fight?  We never really fought or had a fight… unless… oh.  That was a fight?  Why would she want me to tell her about that?

"Weiss, we never really had a fight."  He asked trying to get her to clarify.

"The one time with Velvet, from earlier in the year.  You know what I mean."  She insisted.

"Weiss seriously that was a misunderstanding it didn’t even cause a problem."  He pushed back.

"Jaune, just tell me about it please?"  For the first time sense he had known her, Weiss appeared completely herself.  No Schnee baggage no Heiress pressure.  She looked like herself, this person looked very very vulnerable.

"Well ok, it started with Velvet asking me a simple question…"

Jaune went on to describe the situation that Weiss had asked him about.  Jaune was in the library looking through a thesaurus, Velvet being curious about what her friend was doing came over and asked him to describe what he was doing.  When Jaune started answering his friends question he did not realize that Pyrrha was following her and unfortunately it was that fact which is the cause of the problem they encountered that day.  Jaune advised Velvet that he was looking for a word to describe what he was feeling for Pyrrha.  He no longer felt that the word 'love' applied.  All Pyrrha heard was '…..I don’t love her' thereby completely missed the entire front of that sentence.  Thankfully Velvet intervened for him and advised that she was misinterpreting what he was trying to say it did not become an issue.

"You essentially said that you don’t just love her, right?"  The Heiress asked.

"Essentially, yes."  He answered.

When Weiss made an hand motion for him to continue, he elaborated.

"I love her hair Weiss.  I love her eyes, her smile, you can pick almost anything about her and I could say that I love it.  The problem I had is when you put all of that together, somehow the word love didn't apply anymore.  As I said, it was a misunderstanding and it was not a problem at all.  I might have been scared that I ruined something for a handful of seconds while Velvet ran after her and explained the situation and I am sure that Pyrrha was scared that she made a mistake as she overreacted.  But the point is that we both learned a lesson.  I learned not to say what I don't mean, and she learned to hear the full situation before coming to a conclusion."  Jaune concluded his story and gave Weiss some privacy as he looked away.  He needed to consider more why Weiss wanted to know this… or at least to explain it again.  He was fairly confident that Velvet had advised everybody about it over the time sense the event if not from Pyrrha or himself as they had to regale the situation on more than one occasion.  He could not help that Weiss wanted to know something very specific, yet he couldn’t quite place it just yet.

"Ok my turn.  Why don’t you tell me what happened tonight with Ruby?"  He asked.

Instead of answering him, maybe she felt she had said all she needed to say on the topic she moved it in another direction.

"Tell you what.  If you want to ask me questions I will answer one of yours, for every one of mine that you answer for me.  Do we have a deal?"  She to his ears, sounded like the Weiss Schnee from his first week at Beacon, laced with arrogance and superior attitude.  Though, he had learned to read Weiss fairly well from his time playing chess with her, enough to know when she was putting up an act for being substantially less confident than what she was putting forth.

"I get 2 questions to your one, I am trying to help you contrary to what you are thinking.  If getting you to ask me things assists with that fine.  I will answer your questions, but each one of your questions are worth 2 of mine.  I would agree to that."  He put forth.

It was after he said that he had a stroke of genius.  He moved to Yang's closet and pulled out the orb used in the previous year during their truth or dare game.  The one that would shock you if you lied.  He had no idea if the contraption still worked, but figured even if it didn’t it would imply that he means business with Weiss.

Weiss for her part observed Jaune get the orb setup in the middle of the room and activate the dust charge.  A part of her psyche took it as a challenge, a direct challenge.  The other part of her was curious what he had in mind.  None the less she was annoyed at him, annoyed at him to the point she wanted to know things he did not likely wish to talk about.  If answering his questions got her curiosity sated, then she would accept it.

"Fine, but I will pull no punches with my questions, I warn you."  She stated maliciously and even took the time to get her hair in her customary off center pony tail.  She knew that the group would need to tomorrow ask him if he was willing to meet his twin and mother, the subject was suppose to be brought up following the winter dance tomorrow.  However given the situation they found themselves in, Weiss decided that she would take the pleasure of asking the question when she deemed the moment right.

He simply nodded and sipped his coffee.

"I have no idea how many times I or somebody asked you about your family, and you never once indicated that you were of the primary Arc line.  Why?"  She asked.

Judging by the size Jaune's eyes became, she thought she made a mistake.  A few seconds later she realized she had made a mistake, as she dropped a hint at the situation before she truly wanted to go into it.  It is true that was the question which irritated her to no end, but she had hoped to drop that particular bomb at a better time to take him off whatever path he wanted to go down.  She just resolved to be more careful in the future.  This situation was similar to the business deal negotiations she found herself an expert in thus far and was determined to beat Jaune in this setting.

Jaune had to admit the question touched a part of his being he did not want to talk about.  It took him to remember his promise and friendship to Ruby to steel himself.  If that was what Weiss started her interrogation with, he could only wonder and what she had in mind for him later in the night.  He decided instead of doing what she expected, like apologize, he could answer her question honestly, yet not really tell her anything.

"The title of noble is meaningless Weiss.  Not just to me, it isn't like it stands for anything.  It is just a way to divide the populous, as such I never considered myself one despite being born into it."  He answered, and did not get zapped.  He could tell that was not what she wanted to hear.

Smiling he moved to ask the first of his questions and again, decided on something she likely did not expect.

"How goes your work on your glyph?"  He asked.

Yup, she did not expect that, not at all.

"Progress is slow, painfully slow, but I did not expect inventing something would be quick." Weiss turned her head in a way she never did, she showed her scar to him as she answered his question.  Now normally that would be something he skimmed over.  However he knew, beyond any shadow of doubt, that she hated her scar and wished more than anything in the world for it to be gone from her being.  Her putting it in his view must mean that something else is bothering her to the point that she no longer cared about her scar.

Suddenly he was struck by a flash of insight.  She HAD to have known about the situation about he and Pyrrha.  Now that he had some time to think back about the situation he remembered that Velvet deliberately mentioned it to her.  She knew about it already.  So that begs the question.  Why did she ask him to tell it to her personally?  What does she take to learn from asking him first hand?  Well he told somebody he loved that he didn’t in error, and they ended up stronger for it at the conclusion of the day.

…

…

…

_No!  No … @$#$%@ way!  No way in the world!  You're kidding me Weiss feels the same for Ruby and she has all along she just can't bring herself to admit to it or get into a relationship with her?  Pyrrha told me about how they seemed at odds this term… It had to be something about that.  Damn it this just got more complicated._

 His eyes took on a predatory glean as he looked at Weiss, who in a very un-Weiss-like fashion, recoiled from the obvious challenge found in his eyes.

"My second question then I guess.  What would you say if I told you that Ruby was going to transfer out of Beacon?"

He expected Weiss to do something.  What he did not expect was for Weiss to completely freeze.  After a second she glared at him angrily.

"I would say that you are a liar."  She genuinely appeared angry as she moved to grab a cookie from the plate he placed near her.  When he reached into his pocket and removed the unfinished transfer paper work, which still bore the tear stains from earlier and tossed it at her.  Weiss nearly choked on her cookie as she picked it up and observed the unfinished transfer paperwork.

Jaune now had a smile on his face, if for no other reason he knew it would irritate Weiss that he was wearing it as if the thought of Ruby transferring was a good thing to him.  He knew that she expected more information out of him based on her gaze, and finally an idea for how he could go about the rest of the night came into his mind.

"Your turn"  He simply said as if he was satisfied by her answer knowing full well she wanted him to say more.

Weiss just dropped her jaw in shock.

She could not even continue with her plan as she asked "What do you mean she is transferring out of Beacon?"

Thinking again that the best way to get Weiss to open up is to keep her off balance, give her enough of a truth so as to not get zapped while not telling her at all what she wants to know.

"She told me it was what she needed to do."  Yet again, no zap.

Weiss looked completely unhappy with that answer.

"Are you surprised that Winter became a teacher here Weiss?"

"Yes, what do you mean it is what she needed to do?"

"Not your turn, sorry.  You said that Winter was better at Summoning than you are?  Why do you think that is?"

"She just is better at it naturally now tell me about Ruby!"  She got a sharp zap from the orb which she otherwise ignored even going as far as shutting the contraption off.

"Sorry I guess I get a third question now."

"Jaune you tell me-"  She sounded insistent.

"Sorry Weiss, this is your game you brought it up I am playing by your rules."  Her eyes narrowed in anger.  "Which school do you think Ruby will pick?  She seemed to like it at Bea-"

Weiss finally acted in a way that Jaune wanted her too, physically.  Letting go of the restraints she kept herself in.  She lunged out of her seat across the room and tried to slap him.  Unfortunately… or fortunately depending on your view, anger made her a touch clumsy and Jaune was able to grab her hand and gripped her other arm to try and immobilize her.

"JAUNE ARC YOU WILL TELL ME-"  She all but screamed at him when once again she was cut off.

"Weiss who is the most important person in your life right now."  He used his command tone even as she struggled against him as he held both of her arms.

"Ruby"  She answered instantly.

"Name the next 9"

She counted off the rest of her team, including that of JNPR and several other friends.

"Good give me the next 10"

Once again she answered instantly she ended the statement by saying "… Winter"

At the declaration of her sister he let her catch her breath and took a moment to collect his thoughts.

"Weiss I think it is time for you drop the act.  You just told me that the person most important to you is your partner and she was out in the common room crying her eyes out over you and you just sat here.  It is time to tell me what is going on.  I can only make this right if you tell me."

Weiss looked like she was being held together by the force of Jaune's grip on her arms as she had long ceased struggling.

"Jaune, I was supposed to be perfect.  I was suppose to go to hunting school graduate at the head of the class, meet a prospective husband and further the family business through reputation.  They had very specific qualities I was suppose to look for.  I had already been named as the successor to my father.  I'm trying to make my family happy.  I am sure you would understand that."

Jaune at least related to the pressure of a demanding family easily enough.

"Ok fine so what is the problem?"  He asked.

Weiss shook her head side to side and did not answer right away until he gripped her shoulders slightly harder and repeated his question.

"Jaune… I… This… Ruby… this entire thing started out as a … passing fancy for me.  Ruby asked me and I was single at the time.  I felt that it would just be a childish game for her.  She would say that she had a girlfriend for a few days maybe a week.  Then get bored break up and be the end of it.  It was never suppose to become anything more than that."  Weiss still clearly did not to talk about something.

"Weiss, you have not answered my question."

"I JUST SAID I WAS SUPPOSE TO BE PERFECT!"

"And Ruby would somehow break that?"

"She is a girl, she is immature, she is reckless and she is young!  Obviously it would break from perfection!"  She obviously tried to sound angry as she said that, but it lacked any real power purpose or venom.

"Weiss, perfection is an unreachable dream.  Moreover I still don’t see how that relationship would be a bad thing." He stated stubbornly not giving up his tone or his grip, refusing to let Weiss run from this and kept her looking at him.

"She is a girl for one.  I was never supposed to … like a girl.  My family would never accept her."  She whined.

"You just told me that she was the most important person to you right now."  He finally softened his grip slightly.

She looked at him, but did not answer.

"You sister made the list at number 20."

Again no response from the Heiress.

"Your dad wasn't even on the list."

"Jaune, It would never work."  She started to have tears fall from her face.

"Ok let's talk about how it would never work.  You told me that Ruby isn't perfect and wouldn't meet your families expectations for perfection.  Ok fine, I accept that Ruby isn't perfect.  For that matter NOBODY is perfect."

She nodded.

"But I will say this.  Ruby is one of the most talented and prospective students at Beacon.  She is the best weapon crafter in the school.  She leads the best team that Beacon has to offer, and is an all around superb individual.  If that doesn't meet the expectations of your family then it is your family expectations which are outlandish."  He kept his gaze on her hard, but continued to lessen the grip on her arms.

"But she is a girl!"  Again, no real power of purpose behind her complaint.

"You just told me that she is the most important person in your life!  Your dad is not even in the top 20,  why would you weigh that higher?  I assure you whatever you think would justify it is not worth it."

"She is too young!"

"Does sitting here hiding from her or your feelings sound mature to you?"  She was too out of sorts to even be angry at that.

"She is one year younger than you Weiss, I think you need to come up with more excuses now"  He sounded deliberately cold.

"They are not excuses they are valid reasons!"  She whined

"Then prove my points wrong."  He demanded

She just looked at him and tried to speak but couldn’t.

"Go on I am waiting."

Again could not speak.

"Are you waiting for me to come up with excuses for you Weiss?  I mean I can think of reasons why you should insist on being unhappy all your life if you want as idiotic as they would be.  You can face your problems or you can run away, what do you think Weiss?"  He asked in a deadly serious, but gentler tone.

At this point, Weiss did something he had never seen her do before.  Cry.  Like diamonds falling down her face, she cried.

"Weiss, Ruby will transfer out of Beacon, because she wants to make you happy.  She believes, I hope incorrectly, that you do not want to be around her.  Is that what you want?"

She tried to respond by saying something, but she couldn't, she was too busy sobbing.  Instead she resorted to a furious rapid set of back and forth movements with her head.

"Then why are you letting her tear herself up when you clearly don't want to let her do that.  You too proud to apologize?"

She shook violently at that, but otherwise continued to cry.

"Weiss, life is not about perfection.  It is about the pursuit of perfection.  The acceptance of mistakes and using them to propel you ever forwards as a stronger individual.  I am not going to say that you and Ruby are destined for each other.  I will say that if you do not handle this situation better, very quickly.  It might spiral out of your control in a way that you regret for the rest of your life.  Take time to think carefully.  I will not force you to do anything, but I think you need to have a good look at yourself and decide what is best for you."  At that, Jaune released her arms, and went back to finishing off his now near cold coffee.

Weiss went utterly still and leaned against the desk almost like Jaune himself was even as she continued to cry.  When She resumed speaking it was not about the subject matter he expected.

"Pyrrha is lucky to meet you.  You give her a chance to be normal."  She sounded like that vulnerable girl from the start of the conversation at this.

"I guarantee you Weiss, I am much luckier than she is."  He kept his eyes forward, again trying to force Weiss out of her shell, and he could tell that she was intrigued enough to lean forward to try and look him in the eye.

"Jaune, she did not even have a friend before she met you."

"Ok Weiss, we can debate this if you like.  If she never met me, she would have graduated Beacon about the same as she did the previous school.  She might be lonely, but I like to think that Ruby would have opened up to her.  She would have found friends.  She would just have a different anchor to what we consider normal.  However if I had never met her, I would have flunked out of Beacon.  I would likely still have that parasite in me, and would either be homeless if my father kicked me out, I might be at home suffering whatever punishment my father deemed suitable given my disobedience, or I could be used as a political weapon if I was picked up by another family to use my name against my family for some political game.  It is not unheard of."  As he spoke he turned slightly to the Heiress, she had an even more vulnerable look to her as she looked at her friend.

"She credits me to giving her a normal life.  I suppose that is true Weiss.  She gave me a reason to live in addition to a normal life.  Without her, my situation would not have changed.  Take me out, and hers still might have changed for the better.  Believe me I got the better end of the bargain."

For several minutes they sat in silence as he realized she was deep in thought.

"Arkove"  She said simply.

"What?"  He asked amused.

"That word you have been searching for, a word stronger than love?  I have decided to invent it for you.  You should have used that infamous tactical mind of yours and came to me for it in the first place."  With that, Weiss smiled.  She so rarely smiled, especially so at him he was left expecting a punch line of a joke coming soon.

"Thank you Weiss, I think I will use that word."  His smile was genuine as he thanked her.

"You still owe Ruby a fish dinner one of these days Jaune."  She playfully reminded him.

He chuckled "One day somebody will have to explain to me why Ruby threatened me with a mountain of raison cookies if I didn’t agree to do that."

Weiss smiled again, then frowned and moved her back up against the desk sitting like Jaune was.

"Jaune, what am I going to do?  What can I do?  I hurt her so bad… I almost don’t feel like I deserve her anymore."  Her voice noticeably cracked during the question.

Jaune took time to think, not because he didn't know how to answer her question, but to ensure he said it in the right way.  He did not miss the irony of the situation given his difficulties with Pyrrha in his first year.

"If there is one thing I learned about relationships Weiss, is that it is best to not think like that.  If they want you, then try to keep making yourself better so you ARE worthy of them, at least in your mind.  It is a hard thing to do I admit that.  I've never considered myself worthy of Pyrrha on nearly any level.  I am however trying to be better so I eventually won't feel that way.  She obviously see's something she likes in me.  If Ruby wants to be with you then she obviously sees something in you that is redeemable.  I would say you need to apologize be honest with both her and yourself, and trust Ruby enough to let her decide for herself." 

That sentence had barely left his mouth when he knew he had gotten through to Weiss.  His first hint is that Weiss crawled.  Weiss NEVER crawled anywhere, she would stand, take a step, then sit down again before she crawled anywhere.  The second hint was that she didn’t care at all about keeping her Schnee pride intact.  As she crawled he got a good if unintended view of… well… her.  He moved his eyes away and noticed that she had grabbed a drawing book similar to what he himself owned.  Weiss tried 3 times to grab a pencil missing the first 2 times, when she finally did she moved the two items in front of him.  Placed them in front of him, then smiled as she looked at him expectantly sitting back down.

"Yes?"  He asked, though he might have been able to guess her intent.

"I need your help"  She said simply.

"Ok, with what?"

"I need you to make a picture of a cake.  No maybe Ruby wants a cookie?  A cake and a cookie?  Whatever just draw me something that I can put on something."  She stated happily.

"You want me to draw a picture… for a cake?" He asked incredulously.

"Or a cookie, yes"

"Ok I can do that, but you know what they say about pictures?  They are worth a thousand words.  If you want me to draw you a picture, you need to give me some words."  He asked trying to put forth a friendly expression.

Inside his mind he was praying to every holy entity that existed that Weiss played along.

Weiss took several seconds to think, her eyes watered up, and in a weak voice spoke on.

"Something that says…. That I'm… Sorry for everything.  That I'm a dolt, and a dunce.  That I'm sorry for how I treat you and… I will try to do better in the future.  That-"  Weiss was interrupted.

"HOW THE HELL DID HE DO THAT!?!?!?" A voice declared through the wall

"Jaune… why are you smiling?"  She gave him a piercing look, she also was clearly wondering about the loud voice.

"NO SERIOUSLY CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME HOW HE DID THAT!?!?"  This time he identified the voice as Yang's.

Jaune looked at her… a sigh escaped his body as he realized how tired he was getting.  Then reached up and grabbed his scroll off the charger.  As he pulled it down in front of him she caught sight of the orange light in the upper corner indicating an active call.

"Weiss, believe it or not, you just did a better job than I ever could have." He handed his scroll to Weiss.

Before she accepted it he pushed a button revealing Ruby on the other end of the phone.  Her silver eyes huge in the picture, a solitary tear streaming down her face, as she wore the biggest most idiotically happy 'Ruby-smile' anybody had ever seen.

"Ruby!!"  Weiss stated as she dropped the scroll and brought both of her hands to her face.

Weiss tried to speak, but what came out of her mouth was only gibberish, though her eyes remained locked on the image of her friend in the picture.

"Wha, I, you, Ja… Ruby…. You…. You heard?"  She was able to almost say what she was attempting too.

Ruby did not respond back, she just blinked, slowly, agonizingly slowly with both eyes.

"Ruby…I…"  Weiss started again saying.

Ruby reached up, and ended the call.

The next thing Jaune knew was that the infamous Ice Queen herself, was crying into his shoulder.  A sight he might have wished the world for a year or so ago.  Now, he was merely happy at helping his sisters, both of them, before they made a mistake which would have changed their lives for the worst possibly forever.

***

Across the hall in the JNPR dorm room Ruby had just turned off her scroll and stood carrying the most silly smile anybody had ever seen on her.

Pyrrha watched her, and while she herself was not crying, she would be lying if she said she didn’t have wet eyes for how the situation played out.

"Can anybody in this room tell me how the hell Jaune was able to do that?"  Yang asked incredulously.

Pyrrha smiled, but said nothing.  She observed Ruby move over to Ren.

"Thank you for the cookies!" she said as she hugged him.

"No prob Rubes"  He replied, he would later deny that his eyes were watery too.

The room chuckled, and she moved down a step to Nora.

"Thank you for uh… uh… cookies!  And oh uh… coffee even if mine is…"  She looked at her cup, it was full and cold.

"Uh never mind just thank you!"  She hugged Nora.

Nora just giggled at her.

"I don’t think he intended to do that Yang, he just went in hoping to do his best, and it eventually worked out that way"  Blake put forth.

Pyrrha saw Ruby move in front of herself.

Ruby looked at her for several seconds, then said "I will get back to you." 

Ruby walk/skipped over to Yang, she hugged her sister then said "Thank you for not punching my partner!"

Yang chuckled at that and struggled not to cry in front of her sister, and merely nodded.

Sitting next to Yang was Blake, she was quickly in a hug from Ruby as she said "Thank you for uh… having cute cat ears!"

Blake laughed and ruffled her head a bit.

Ruby turned and looked back at Pyrrha, then moved over to her as happy as ever.

"Thank you for lending me your wonderful partner for tonight!"  She hugged Pyrrha.  Pyrrha returned the hug and rubbed Ruby's back encouragingly.

That hug noticeably lasted longer than the others.

"I thank you for your company this evening but my partner and I have some things to talk about, so I hope that you two would not mind staying here tonight?"  Yang and Blake both smiled and nodded.  "Excellent, if you will excuse me, I am going to ask Weiss to the dance, enjoy the rest of your night or well… morning"

Ruby then left the room bouncing the whole way.

It was very late… or perhaps early.  They were all tired, even so they had to figure out sleeping arrangements.  As they discussed this Jaune reentered the room.

As the door closed he leaned against it, and slid down it to the floor.

"That, was exhausting" he said and closed his eyes appearing just as he described the incident.

As tired as he was mentally he didn’t notice the heavy footsteps on the floor until he was yanked up to his feet by two strong arms as Yang pulled him to his feet.

Yang looked at him with the most un-Yang-like expression he had ever seen as she hugged him very tightly.  As she still embraced him she said.

"Jaune, when I went to you for help I had no idea you would be able to do that.  You did right by Ruby, I still have no idea how, but you have no idea how thankful I am.  And… I owe you an apology."  She stated

He didn’t interrupt, and just looked at her.

"When you said that you considered us family, I never believed you…"  She visibly began to cry.  "I do now… I … Do…. Now.  I'm so sorry I didn’t believe you before."  She buried her face in his shoulder again.  He just returned the hug and observed the room.  Pyrrha looked at him admirably.

Blake smiled knowingly as she said quietly "Blood isn't everything, right?"  He nodded to her.

Ren and Nora both looked just as tired as he felt, even as they smiled at the scene.

"Just a few things to say Yang."  He held up a finger.  "1, ok.  Apology accepted even though I don’t think you need to apologize" he held up another and here his gaze went just a touch dark "Somebody here needs to explain to me what Weiss was talking about, she clearly knew something I don’t."

They didn’t even try to pretend like they didn't know what he was referring too.  Eventually eyes settled on Ren as they decided he needed to be the one to speak.

"Jaune, I have been in contact with some of your family over the term.  They reached out to me.  After meeting them, Nora and I think that you should agree to at least meet them."  Ren stated flatly.

Jaune, predictably, was less than thrilled at the concept.  He scanned the room and the only one who seemed concerned over it was Pyrrha, he knew that she was highly protective of him just as he was of her.  However if the rest of the group all felt he should do it, he couldn’t just reject the idea outright.

"When?"  He asked too tired to be angry about it.

"After the winter dance during the 2 weeks we have off."  Nora answered for Ren.

Jaune extricated himself from Yang's embrace, and moved to the bathroom to try and clear his head.  He was absolutely mentally drained, he couldn’t put up an argument right now if he had too.  Even so he readied himself for getting some rest, tomorrow … today was the winter dance and he was determined to enjoy it with his friends.  Ren obviously knew who wanted to meet him.  He… could guess who they were.  However he didn’t tell him, and as such he truly couldn’t be certain.  It could be Miyas and Eve for example.  He did not know, but he did know he did not have the energy to think about it.  He would have to talk to them about it tomorrow before the dance.

As he exited the bathroom he said "I will meet them, and that is all I will commit myself too"

His friends seemed to understand he was in no shape to discuss it right now, and would need to talk it over later in the day.

He moved to his bed, and realized that it was occupied, both Yang and Blake were settling in on it.  He grabbed a spare blanket from a nearby closet and moved to sleep in a chair in the JNPR common room when he was intercepted by Pyrrha.

"Where are you going Jaune?"  She asked wearing a mischievous smile.

"I was going to sleep in a chair seeing that the beds are occupied."  He stated tiredly.

She smiled "Jaune I am not going to let you sleep in a chair or on the floor."

His tired brain couldn’t quite grasp what she was implying.

"What I am not going to take your bed from you."

The smile Pyrrha wore on her face grew in size until it filled her face.

There was a flash of blond hair in the air, a startled "Ooof" being issued.  Followed the grinding of the mattress flexing to a quick application of weight against it, and finally the sound of Pyrrha dusting her hands off as Jaune landed, more or less exactly where she aimed.  On her bed, with plenty of room for her to slither in and allow both of them space.

His mind finally figured out what she had in mind he grinned sheepishly as Pyrrha settled in on his chest and wrapped an arm around her.  She kissed his neck and whispered something in his ear.

"I Arkove you." followed by another kiss on his neck.

Shutting his eyes to get some much needed rest Jaune found her forehead clumsily and kissed her before replying back "Me too"

At that everybody in the room was out like a light, exhausted, some more than others.  However they were overall happy that they seemed to have grown closer over the entire affair as they all eagerly awaited the dance the day would feature, even as they all were strangely anxious for meeting the infamous Arc's who proved themselves in the eyes of two of their friends in person.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**This might be the single biggest chapter I have ever written.  Holy cow.  In any case it was one I struggled with at times and I hope the end result was entertaining for you all.  The semester finally will be coming once I have had the time to read it.  I want to thank 2 readers who pointed out that my chapter titling was awkward and confused readers into mistaking the timeline.  I have that corrected and hopefully it should be clearer now where they are on the calendar.  As ever I am fully willing to discuss any topic or questions/feedback people have for me on this story.  I hope it was an enjoyable experience for you and I will see you next time.**


	7. Year 2 Fall Final section Part 3 of 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The winter dance has arrived, the group is eager to enjoy the night after what the previous night contained. Will the night end as they hope? Two visitors from the wilds certainly hope so.

2.12

Blake could hardly sleep that night, she did not mind being paired up on the same bed with Yang.  The buxom blond had a pair of soft assets that made it comfortable to cuddle against after all.  However one problem was the eternally in place never ceasing snoring her partner seemed to put out.  To make matters worse, JNPR it seemed had 3 snorers on its team.  Jaune was the quietest of the group.  Ren was about as bad as Yang, unfortunately you would have to multiply both Ren and Yang by a nigh uncomprehending amount to even come close to what Nora was putting out.  It made sleeping with her sensitive ears nigh unbearable, at least were it not for two distinct opportunities.

First, she got 2 very comfy form shifting and warm pillows she could use at her disposal.  Secondly, and possibly most important.  Her scroll had a full charge, and she was not going to let the chance for some blackmail material of the utmost quality to pass her by.  If she had to suffer through a night of lumberjacks plying their trade to the Forever Fall forest the least she could treat herself too was some of life's simple pleasures… like acquiring sufficient blackmail material to last for at least a month or two.

The sun was clearly visible in the sky through the JNPR window.  She could not begrudge her friends… no her family from sleeping in.  Jaune and his team really came through in a pinch.  She felt bad that Jaune could never play that -amazing- hand he had in poker, while Ruby listened to the conversation and Yang worried over her younger sister.  She, Pyrrha Ren and Nora enjoyed some rounds of poker.  She even heard another phrase in Mistralian which Nora swore she would spend time to translate as the Spartan realized that Jaune totally had her beaten that round.  She didn't believe he had anything, yet he literally had everything, the kind of hand that people would boast about all of their lives and be called a liar in most cases.  Her muttering at its discovery was highly amusing for the bunch as she would have been the one to lose her top…. or shirt as it were.

When she could no longer tolerate the noise she left her comfy perch and tip toed to the door.  There was one more piece of blackmail material she wanted to obtain.  A part of her mind warned her that this is a mistake, if Yang caught her… or possibly if she caught Ruby and Weiss in a… foreboding position it would be she who would need all the blackmail in the world to escape from the 'fury of which hell hath no' known as an Angry Yang.  Some part of her Cat Faunus nature overcame that, they did have 9 lives after all, might as well enjoy some time on vacation.  The prospect of acquiring some blackmail material made the temptation all but irresistible.

When she got to the door however, her plan had to change.

"Where you going kitty cat?"  A groggy brawler asked.

Blake froze in place quite literally mid step with a foot still in the air and tried not to look suspicious at all.

Yang managed to open her eyes and scratch the back of her head.  Upon seeing Blake that part of her mind which lets her switch between team mom and team prankster cranked fully into prankster as she seemed to understand what Blake was doing.

"Well don’t look like a cat caught stealing the dogs treats I want some blackmail material too." 

Blake smiled, she always did have a talent for a good trump card.

Unfortunately what Yang did not have… was Blake's talent for stealth.

As Yang tried to gracefully get out of bed it became more of a roll which punctuated a loud -thump- on the ground.

Even a sleepy Yang recognized the danger of the situation, and went silent, hoping that the covering snores in the room would resume.  After hearing it start up again she quite literally crawled over to the door and silently as possible, exited.

A part of Yang's mind was telling her that this was a mistake.  If she walked in on Ruby and her girlfriend in a … compromising situation she would be forced back into angry big sister mode.  Yet, the prospect of ensuring that Weiss could not use the recording of her snoring against her was a tasty treat too juicy to pass up.

It seems they were not the only one with that idea.

The JNPR door opened up again.  Ren appeared in the hallway.

"Great minds think alike, let's do this."

However once the door to the RWBY dorm was opened, just about the only thought going through their minds was.

"awwww"

Ruby and Weiss were sitting down leading against the back wall of the room under the shared window.  Each was leaning their head against the other with a blanket draped over them.  It seems they fell asleep in that position.

The first to take a picture, was Nora.  Appearing from quite literally nowhere.

"Nora!"  she whispered as she took a picture of the two.

The rest of them, not to be outdone, whipped out their scrolls and snapped off pictures before the opportunity passed them by.

Yappy ( get it ) with her picture Yang could not help but smile to herself as she moved to the kitchen to help prepare a breakfast for her friends with the rest of them.  She felt as though Jaune could have demanded steak for breakfast and she would have been willing to traverse the globe to make it happen.  She thought he would settle for pancakes though.

***

Jaune was temporarily awoken from his slumber as he heard a tree fall over in his room, and only later identified it as Yang trying to get out of bed.  However he felt zero desire to move as he currently was entangled with his girlfriend, who was sleeping with a very content look on her face.

"Your goddess does not appreciate interruptions to her sleep schedule"

Huh, maybe she wasn't sleeping after all.

A green eye opened up to glare at him playfully, he realized what tipped her off.  As he woke up he removed his arm from her back.

"Begging your pardons your worship I was mesmerized by your loveliness and momentarily forgot my … my…. m…."  He really tried to focus.  But he just couldn’t when she smiled at him like that at such close proximity.  When she slithered higher on his body for a better angle on his lips he could do no more than watch as this lovely creature brought herself up to eye level and claimed his lips with her own.

They kissed affectionately for a few moments when she broke away to look at him warmly.

"Jaune, I would lecture you about using your goofy charm to convince me to give you the morning off.  But I think you are too tired to remember it.  Your punishment for this offence… is another hour or two of service as my personal pillow."  She leaned down again and embraced him in a hug.

"Really I am sorry for not telling you about Ren meeting some of your family and their desire to meet you.  Are you sure you want to meet them?"  She whispered into his ear.

"No, I am not sure that I want to meet them.  However I am fairly sure I have too.  If it turns out bad, well it won't be the first time that my family has hurt me.  If it turns out good, then a great deal of good can come from it.  But nobody has told me who I would even be meeting, I can't help but be curious about that."  He whispered back.

"He said it was your twin-"  She started

"And my mother…"  He finished.

She brought herself away from his ear so she could look at him more fully, concern evident on her face.

"You knew your mother would be with her?"  She asked carefully.

"Yes, I knew."  He did not sound ready to discuss it.

"Jaune, you don't need to-"  She started.

He pulled her down to his lips as he initiated a kiss this time.

Pyrrha's eyes flew open  and she smiled mischievously into his mouth.

"Your goddess…. does…. not…. appreciate…. interruptions…"  She somehow made it look easy to kiss and talk at the same time.

"Thankfully my goddess is tired, and as such she is more easily swayed by goofballs."  He finished as they broke apart finally.

Despite his smile, Jaune could not look fully confident at the situation when he continued by saying "You will know in time Pyrrha, Some information they will need to tell you.  I do not know all there is to know about the situation.  Moreover there is a very good reason why they were doing what they decided to do.  It is not my place to tell you but my twin's.  I am just going to have to ask you to trust me.  If it becomes necessary for you to learn it.  She or I will tell you."  He stroked her hair affectionately as he spoke, she seemed to instinctively lean her head into his hand.

Pyrrha was for one intrigued that he knew more about the situation than he let on, but she could understand it being a family matter.  She knew he considered her family, but she also understood that some people will have their secrets.  He did not say that he would not tell her, just that she would know when it was important or necessary to know.  In the past his desire to keep his peace on it might have hurt her.  Now, she was just looking forward to another hour or two of sleep.

She kissed his hand near her cheek and stated happily "You have stalled enough, it is time to submit to the service your goddess requires."  At that both of them smiled as Pyrrha once again settled in on his chest for another bit of sleep. 

They decided once they woke up to get an afternoon session in and to finally enjoy the Winter Dance.  The prospect of dancing with Jaune almost made the wait unbearable.  But, she was certain it would be worth it.

_______________________________

Katherine knew she had a Natural talent for stealth, she was naturally quiet and could move without a sound in most situations.  Despite having a very tall body at just shy of 6 feet in height she could move around very much without being noticed.  Unfortunately while she was taught the concepts of stealthy movement by her mother, it seemed that without a weapon in her hand her mom was about as stealthy as a charging Goliath.

Being lead into the Beacon Tower without any students noticing them would have been an amusing thing to watch, something she might have even been willing to pay to watch, if she were not one of the entities being hurried along into the head masters office.  She and her mother had been allowed to sleep there the night having arrived early for their meeting with her brother the day following the winter dance.  It was at her insistence that she take the elevator down to the upper area of the ballroom where the dance was taking place.  They were swore to no actions, loud noises -a special note outlawing explosions- or any other act of which the Arc's were famous for in her mother's time at Beacon.

Both she and her mother were dressed similarly to when they first met with his teammates roughly 2 months prior.  Form fitting leather traveling gear with a covering cloak.  Both wore their weapons, though they were assured they would not need them, she knew her mother had plans for the evening and at least wanted the threat of her terrifying weapon in her arsenal as the night died down.

The dance was in full swing, with the student body enjoying themselves.  It was no secret who both of them were seeking a glance of.  Katherine it seemed, was finding everybody BUT the person she wanted to see the most.  She saw Jewel dancing with somebody she didn’t recognized dressed in the fashion of a student at Atlas.  She saw Crystal dancing with an attractive boy with blue hair.  Several other people she did not know by name, but had read a dossier on from the headmaster.  Like Jaune's friend Velvet and her younger sister Lavender.  Both of them sitting at a table enjoying some drinks. 

"Oh my god, Katherine, look."  Mom said.

She followed her mother's finger…. and realized her problem.  She was looking for a blond male.  Well as it turns out there was A LOT of blond males at Beacon.  It would have been better to look for a red head, which evidently is what her mom did.  She identified the form of Pyrrha Nikos who stood every bit of 6 feet tall dancing with somebody… who really could not be her brother.  Except she realized, it had to be.  He looked… strong.  That was the only way she could describe.  Her tall lanky sickly brother, had filled out to an imposing figure.  Pyrrha was wearing a Red form fitting dress down to her ankles a slit cut to the thigh on her right leg.  Her brother a black suit with white shirt and red tie to match.  Dancing happily looking at each other without a care in the world.

She on some level identified the friends around the pair, his teammates Lie Ren and Nora.  That of RWBY.  A girl with dark hair dancing with a girl with white hair, very happy smiles on both of faces.  Next to them a Cat Faunus with black hair dancing with a blond… who should not be able to walk with a chest that endowed.  I guess she has a strong back. 

While Katherine continued to soak up details from the group, she failed to notice that her mother… was crying until she looked over and saw it firsthand.

"Mom what's wrong?"  she asked.

She knew that her mother hatred crying in front of people if anything more than she herself did.  At first, she couldn’t understand why she was in fact crying now, however after hearing the explanation… it made a certain amount of sense.

"Kate… your brother… is smiling.  He looks happy, he looks healthy, he looks… strong.  Do you have any idea how long I feared that I would never live to see my son appear to be any of those things?"  Despite the tears, mom looked a level of relieved almost nobody ever saw from her.

Yeah… I suppose that would be something I should have considered. 

"Well, I would say look on the bright side but, well…."  She really did not know what to say to that.

"Just be grateful you are here now."  A voice behind them declared.

Katherine turned around and saw an attractive woman in a royal blue dress, though she did not know who this person was.  Behind her was another girl who was strikingly pretty, taller than the blond with white hair.  Though that one moved almost like one of the military while the first woman moved more natural.

"I can't decide if I should slap you or hug you."  The blond declared.

Mom was still looking at the dance below, and seemed to know who it was as a smile appeared on her face.  "As ever you will go with your heart Glynda."  At that, she turned around.

Whatever anger was in Glynda's body evidently vanished as she decided to go with the latter.  She took two sure footed steps forward and ended up in a gentle embrace.

"It is good to have you back with us Professor, you have been sorely missed."  She stated.

After a handful of seconds the two broke away.

"Katherine let me introduce a former pupil of mine.  This is Glynda Goodwitch, combat instructor at Beacon.  Glynda meet Katherine Arc, my youngest daughter, Jaune's twin."  She said with a small amount of pride.

Katherine happily accepted a handshake from her "Good to meet you Ma'am."

"This one has manners too, I confess I am surprised."  She replied back with a smile looking back at her mom.

Katherine would be lying if she claimed to not the least bit intrigued at that.

Ms. Goodwitch seemed to guess that and supplied "Let's just say that when I first met your elder sister Eve, she was not the most… ironed out person you will ever meet."

"Eve always did have trouble grasping the importance of politeness."  She agreed.

"You have been taking remarkable care of my son Glynda, you have my thanks."  Mom stated.

"I have done what I can, but you really should thank his team in particular his partner.  He would not be here were it not for her efforts."  She stated very openly.

"Yes… I intend to thank her once we have the opportunity tomorrow."

Glynda seemed to accept that, and move on to another topic.

"Professor"  Kate needed to take a moment to remember that Professor, meant Mom "This is a colleague of mine, Winter Schnee.  We were discussing the instruction of a student here and we are running into a problem with her.  I suggested that she talk to you, maybe you could help her with what troubles her?"  She asked.

Mom and Winter shook hands and introductions.

"What can I help you with Ms. Schnee?"  Mom asked.

"It is both a matter of the school and a personal one.  It concerns my sister Weiss."  She stated.

"What is the matter?"  Mom asked patiently.

"I understand that you taught my Aunt Pristine in the finer points of her semblance?"  Winter asked.

Mom had to think back, but eventually she seemed to recall the student.

"The only Schnee I ever knew to have black hair, yes I remember her."  She answered.

"Weiss, is struggling with the summoning aspect of her semblance to a very large extent.  I have given her the advise I can.  Unfortunately I am the eldest hunter in my family at the moment and I cannot provide any additional help to her.  I was hoping, provided you have the opportunity.  If you would be willing to assist her in this for me?"  She asked.

Kate did not even need to look at her mom to know that she was smiling to herself.  She knew of her mother's reputation as a superb teacher in all manners of hunting, she just didn’t think she would be asked a favor so quickly upon returning to Beacon.

"I will always help somebody in need in the hunters path, if I have the opportunity I will do whatever I can."

Katherine turned around growing bored with the conversation, she wanted to observe her brother and his friends more.  She found them around a large table talking and enjoying some snacks in between dancing.  It was not until she heard her name again that she spun back around.

"Katherine!"  Mom prodded.

"Yes?  Sorry I wasn't listening."  She admitted.

"Katherine, this is another colleague of mine, the current Headmaster of Beacon and a friend of mine from my stay here.  Headmaster Ozpin, my daughter, Katherine Arc."  She indicated each other.

"Call me Kate"  She stated as she extended a hand.

Ozpin took it with a warm smile.

"Ozpin is fine for informal occasions.  As happy as I am to see you again Deb, I have business with my combat instructor."

Glynda looked intrigued at that.

"Yes?"  She asked.

"I, would ask you to dance, and to follow me down to the ground floor."  He asked with a startling amount of confidence.  Glynda's cheeks took a touch of color on them as she held her hand forward to accept Ozpin's, and together they went down to the lower floor.  Winter moved up to stand next to Katherine.

"This should be good."  She advised hiding a sly smile as she said her goodbyes as she went down to the lower level, looking knowingly at the Arc's as she moved.

***

Down on the dance floor Pyrrha was, almost as happy as she could remember.  She had danced with Jaune in both slow and more freeform dancing and as the last time they did this, it put a grin on her face that she just could not get rid of.  She had almost forgotten that tomorrow would be a big one not just for she and her partner but her shared friends as well.  At this moment however they were more interested in enjoying themselves.

Her thoughts were interrupted by somebody activating a microphone.

"This contraption works?  Yes?  Good."

She noticed it was the Headmaster speaking with Ms. Goodwitch nearby.

"I would like to thank you all for the start of another successful term here at Beacon.  As your Headmaster it fills me with pride knowing that such quality men and women work hard here every day for the promise of a better future.  However, that is not why I have interrupted your night."  He looked over the room, and if she didn’t know better his gaze lingered on the RWBY/JNPR table briefly.

"Last year we had… shall we say a unique experience.  The dance floor was quite literally taken over by a team of at the time first years, and the talk around the school is that they are something special when it comes to dancing.  It occurs to me that, I have something of an objection to that.  Tonight we will have a dance off.  Dr. Oobleck, Professor Port, and Professor Schnee will be judges.  I cannot promise that all of you will have a chance to dance, but rest assured, the title of school Dance Master's will be decided tonight.  On the unlikely event that Ms. Goodwitch and I lose, you will have the knowledge that you have bested somebody who has not danced in about 30 years.  Meaning, nothing.  Ms. Goodwitch, if you would please join me on the dance floor." 

The audience broke into laughter following the Headmasters speech and even Ms. Goodwitch herself was laughing as she moved up to the now raised circular dance area.  Off to the side the 3 judges were sitting in a table with score cards in arms reach.

For all the Headmaster claimed to have not danced in 30 years, he did not look it.  They did not do anything complicated, but they danced competently enough in a more energetic fashion than the slow dancing which they interrupted.

They finished to a steady stream of applause from the group, and earned a final score of 17 from the 3 judges, 5's from Port and Oobleck, with a  7 from Winter.

"Oh C'mon that was no 7!"  Weiss complained.

"I guess she likes more traditional dances."  Ruby put forth happily.  "Where did Blake and Yang go?"  she asked looking around.

"To get food I assume"  Nora supplied.

The next pair to take the stage was Velvet and Sun.  They were dancing the steps to something the group had not seen before including Weiss, which was odd as she was educated quite thoroughly in just about all manners of subjects.

"It is a Vacuo style formal dance."  Jaune advised.

"How, on earth, do you know that?"  Weiss asked slightly impressed.

"I was a noble remember?  We were expected to learn a great deal beyond just fighting.  I might not have been taught to fight, but I was taught a great deal of dances amongst other things.  At least when I was feeling strong enough to perform them."  He answered.

"That reminds me, what did you all make of the nets we saw from those trees on the way in?"  Ren asked.

"I… Don't know" Pyrrha admitted.

The group had seen a series of 3 nets hanging tight in a clusters of trees outside the Beacon tower, but they could think of no reason for why they are present or how they even came to be.

Velvet and Sun's dance came to an end to more applause from the crowd earning a store of 17 from the group to tie the headmaster.

Before another group could volunteer to step up to the dance floor a loud noise echoed through the room.

"GIVE ME THAT FILLET YANG!"  the group turned in the direction of the voice and saw that Yang was running away from Blake carrying a breaded fillet in her hand, evidently one that Blake wanted.

What followed was a, admittedly less hilarious event if you were Blake, but for Yang and the observers it was a marvel of a sight.  Blake followed Yang to the dance floor and either not caring or ignoring the fact that they were surrounded by people, proceeded to leap, claw, scrape and lunge as Yang dodged in nearly the same fashion.  The end result was a highly un-choreographed yet awesome display of something resembling a dance.  Something which became all the more pronounced as desperation to claim that piece of fish from her partner drew Blake to start using her semblance to create a multitude of mirror images forcing Yang to guess which one to dodge as it was almost impossible to dodge all of the Blake's lunging at her.  Finally Blake succeeded claiming that fillet with her mouth as she tackled Yang to the ground before taking off at a sprint out of the circle.

The routine, if it could be called a routine earned a score of 20 from the judges, 10's from a laughing Port and Oobleck, paired with a 0 from a definitely NOT laughing Winter.

Once the room calmed down from the laughing more couples took the stage.  The night drew on and various scores were given out.  Ruby and Weiss earned a 22, which would have been fine if not for the 4 from Winter, something Weiss took very … not well.  However the majority of the drama was stirred up as Crystal and her date who turned out to be none other than Neptune danced earning a high of 28.  The current leader.  That act lead to a raucous cheering and bellowing from the visiting crowd as they would love Beacon losing its own Dance off.  When Ozpin declared they only had time for one more dance, Jaune was apprehensive of the situation.  Until he identified what the crowd was cheering.

"JUNIPER!!!  JUNIPER!!!"  Became louder until everybody was cheering it to a certain extent, Ms. Goodwitch even caught his eye and seemed to shoo him up to the stage.  As usual it was his lovely partner who convinced him.  She stood very energetically smiling brightly as she grabbed both of his hands and tugged him up.

"C'mon Jaune we HAVE to win we cannot let Crystal win this!"  She seemed in championship fighter mode full on at this declaration.

As she continued to drag him along to the dance floor the crowd parted to allow the couple the use of the space.

"What do you suggest we do?"  He asked.

"Well, you’re the dance expert, you tell me"  She stated playfully with a smile.

"You dragged me up here and you didn’t have a routine planned?"  He joked.

"Nope!  That I figured was your job."  She stated happily.

Jaune ignored the crowd's cheering and thought intently on what he could do.  He could dance, he knew that Pyrrha would instinctively follow his steps just like she did last year as he later learned she had no idea of the dance steps they performed in unison.  He had no doubts that her instincts would carry through, but he still needed a strong dance.  Crystal was just as, if not more educated as he was in various dances and the number she and her date performed was a complex one.  He did not know if he could match that.  An idea came into his mind.  He would need an equalizer.  Katherine and he did one number fairly often and it would match the complexity of what Crystal just did, but the onus would be on him to perform the most difficult parts of it.

He pulled out his scroll, selected the appropriate song, and threw it to the DJ.

"Set it to play thanks!"  He shouted.

"Hey none of the others used music!"  Somebody with a Atlasian accent complained.

The judges spoke with each other briefly and eventually Professor Port's baritone voice declared "We have decided this is using his resources not cheating, the song will be allowed."

Various responses from cheering to boo's were delivered because of this.

He turned to Pyrrha and said as the noise in the ballroom died down in a quiet voice "You will need to follow my lead and match my speed, it will change with the song."  He advised.

Pyrrha just wore that joyous grin and nodded happily.

Her instincts took over as she observed Jaune hop slightly with one leg, the other foot was perpendicular to the ground and tapped it in sequence with his hopping, she understood this to mean his tempo.  The music kicked on shortly after, a soft but bright piano number.

The piano melody had Jaune lead Pyrrha in a slow dance esque type step, very close to each other, moving in a large circle around centering the middle of the dance floor.  The piano overtime began to speed up and the steps Jaune took increased with it.  Leading Pyrrha in larger and larger circles.

Until it stopped very abruptly, as the Piano vanished, and an upbeat violin took over.

This was based with dancing around in lines, moving in quick but precise movements, never quite touching each other, as they shuffled and strode around in step with the music.

The couple dancing did not know this, but the crowd had began to clap and cheer to the rhythm.

Then, all hell broke loose as a flute joined with the violin as the piano resumed.  The lack of touching was erased as Jaune spun Pyrrha sometimes in the air holding her waist, other times dipping her to the ground holding up her leg before leading her in a spin away from him.  All the while his footsteps increased in speed and tempo.  As the music was coming to a climax Jaune felt the need to up the ante.  Activating his semblance for additional everything temporarily wowing the crowd as the area was illuminated in white.

The final steps of the dance saw Pyrrha get spun away to full extension, only to be pulled back.  When she reached Jaune, she was hefted up and tossed into the air.  Jaune placed both of his hands on her hips and performed a slight spin to send her flying rotating in a circular manner.  Jaune matched her spinning and deftly caught her gently not losing his steps to the dance and in a smooth motion sent her out rotating away from him.  As he pulled her back he sent her into a dip and let his semblance fade.  The music ended in perfect sync with his dance as the moment Pyrrha was dipped to the ground she instinctively put her arms around his neck, and the cut into silence.

Jaune was left breathing noticeably heavy though he wore a smile on his face as he stared at his partner.  The crowd erupted in cheers.  He did not care to look at the score.  It did not matter to him if he won or lost.  What mattered is his girlfriends reaction.  She squealed and launched herself out of the dip into him gripping him in a crushing hug.  That, however, was not it.  She kissed him.  Full on the lips.  Not caring that they were surrounded by the school.  She did break away after a second or two with a blush darker than that of her hair color, and just went back to hugging him around his neck.  He held her around her waist as their friends moved up to the dance floor to join them.

"A 29 damn nice work Jaune"  Yang advised patting his back roughly.

"Of course Winter wouldn't give him a 10, that clearly deserved a 10" Ruby complained.

"No it didn't, Jaune missed a step as he tossed Pyrrha into the air."  Weiss advised.

"Doesn't matter, it was fun."  Pyrrha stated though she did not stop her hug of Jaune.

The friends crowded around the victors to enjoy the remainder of the night.  When the next song on Jaune's scroll came up.  Shine, their dance number from the previous year.  He let Pyrrha lead him off to the side to enjoy a drink while RWBY performed the goofy dance to the laughs of the crowd around them.

***

Back up on the upper level Katherine was struggling with various emotions.  On one hand, Jaune just performed the dance that signified so much of their time together as siblings.  On the other, she was crying happily to herself following Pyrrha's reaction.  It was while she observed the dance that she realized something.

"Mom, his semblance."  She said.

She looked to her side and mom was crying just like she was.

"What?"  She asked.

"His semblance, that has to be why his friends agreed to help us."  She stated.

"Oh.  Of course you are right that must be it.  It is the same as mine."  She looked full of pride at that realization.  However as the dance was now drawing to a close and the students were going back to their dorms, it was time to start the final duty of the night.

She turned around, and saw her target.

"Katherine, look."  She said.

Kate turned around, and understood her mother's instruction.  They could see through the window of the upper level, walking to the Beacon tower, was none other than her father, James Arc.  Behind him was an employee with mom's two dogs on their leashes.

"I'm still not sure why you wanted Ty and Tec to be brought here." She stated honestly.

"We will be meeting Jaune tomorrow, I figure an ace or in this case two up our sleeves could be a good thing."  She smiled.

"Smart, I suppose.  So I guess this means that our final job for the night is about to start right?  I still say that you should let me do my part first, and forget the whole net charade.  It was a pain getting them in place."  Katherine really knew why they were going to do this, she just objected to having the hard part.

"Well I could come up with reasons but it comes down to I am your senior and I am playing that card this time."  A joke from mom, at this point in the evening?  She must really be looking forwards to coming face to face with her husband.

"Well, I guess I should start with my assignment then.  The students have mostly dispersed at this point."  Katherine put back on her cloak and drew up the hood as she started towards the balcony to gain access to the Tower exterior.

"Ms. Arc."  Mom stated.

Kate turned around and looked at her intently.  "Do what you must to keep your word to your brother.  Once that is done pick up the dogs and bring them up to our rooms.  Under no circumstances are you to be seen.  I mean that, nobody sees you, you do not speak to anybody, you do not display any of that curiosity that drives me crazy at times.  We cannot jeopardize tomorrow, am I clear?"  Mom was not in parent mode now.  She was not in unwilling Duchess mode either.  This was Professor Arc mode, and she knew there was only one acceptable response she could give when she was like this.

"Yes Ma'am."  She said.

Avoid all students, including his group and **ESPECIALLY** a certain tall redhead.  Nothing could damage their meeting tomorrow, but an Arc is bound by their word, both she and her mother had their word to honor seeing that James Arc has arrived on the scene.  A fact which of course Deborah arranged through Ozpin.

Ok Katherine, circle around the Beacon grounds to the other side, avoid all contact, pick up pooches, get back without being seen?  Not easy, but can do, let's do it.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

**I apologize for the cliffhanger.  This being all that happens in the fall term the chapter had to end here.  If you recall the story started with the winter term as the group moved back to their dorm following the winter dance. I had to keep it the same way for this year.**

**As ever I am always eager and happy for any feedback and I will happily discuss any aspect of the story you would like.  I would like to remind whoever reads these sections that there is an alternate chapter section which will have eventual Lemons posted to it ( for Ao3 it will be posted shortly ).  If anybody has a request for a chapter from another perspective let me know via IM, and I will see what I can do.**

**As always I hope you enjoyed my work and look forward to the next post : )  This marks one completed year of the story, 3 more to go with summers now included.  Ho boy…  Let me know what you think, and see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	8. Year 2 Winter A Midnight Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deborah and Katherine Arc finally meet up with their Father, a surprise encounter threatens their plans however.

2.13

Kate took a handful of steps to gain access to the balcony and heard her mother walk away towards the headmasters office for her own assignment of the night.  She thought about the layout of Beacon, she could not claim to be an expert but with access to the rooftop she was confident that she would be able to traverse the grounds unseen.  She had time, and did not need to rush.  Before she made the first few steps to take the first running leap off to begin her journey, a pair of students entered into her view.  Velvet and Lavender.  She might have been able to listen to what they were saying if she was of a mind too.  However she was not, and was more annoyed than anything else.  She had room in the plan for a delay, but not much of one.  For one she did not know how long it would take mom to complete her assignment and she would have a small window following that to complete hers.

When it was clear that the two Bunny Faunus would not be walking away quickly she considered altering the plan.  She knew what Mom would say.

'Just use your semblance Katherine, it is different, but that doesn’t mean you should be ashamed of it'

She could practically hear the words now.  It didn't matter how many times she heard the words.  It never changed how she felt about it.  Her family was remembered as Hero's, defenders of the public.  She… was not that.  Her semblance basically meant that she could never be that.  Shaking her head violently back and forth she refused to run down that path now of all times.  She had time, she just needed to focus.  She knelt down to retie the laces of her boots to try and calm her mind.  Hopefully by the time she was done the two girls down below would be gone so the risk of discovery was lessoned.

***

Up in Ozpin's office, Deb could not help but pace back and forth.  She was anxious.  She had planned out how this would go to a fairly exact degree but that didn't mean nothing could go wrong.  Her plan hinged on James not anticipating her presence until she decided to make it so.  He expected her to arrive in the next coming days and had requested him to bring her dogs with him as she was anxious to see her favored canine friends.  But… she knew not to underestimate him.  If she was the warrior of the family, he was the politician.  Far more well versed in its plays than she was.  Even so, she had a plan.  Provided Jaune agreed to it would see it carried out to perfection given the chance.  It is the one thing James could not stop, cancel or otherwise interfere with.  The one thing she threatened him with which of course got him to keep Crystal and Jewel away from their son.  It was also the one thing that he did not believe she had the courage to do.

Which probably is why he did not fully go through with her instructions.  Likely testing her reaction to it.  Well, we shall play this game of yours James.  You will soon learn why I tend to only take one strike at my enemies or those who threaten my family.

"I still think you made a mistake all those years ago."  Ozpin stated, likely trying to keep her spirits up.

"Once you start questioning the past, everything comes into question.  I cannot do that Ozpin you know that.  Besides, you have obviously done a wonderful job as Headmaster."  She replied.

"Well that is a matter of opinion, I can only do what the people around me are able.  I still think you should have accepted the post and let your family title pass to another."  This was an argument from the last time they saw each other, one she hoped they did not need to repeat.

"We can consider it a mistake or not.  I would not have forgiven myself if I did not carry through with my brother's last wishes for me to take the title.  I wanted to stay at Beacon Ozpin you know that.  I was an Arc before I was a Professor, my choice was a simple, but difficult one."  She replied.

The vroom of the elevator starting indicated that James was on his way up.

Deborah smiled.  Almost time.

"You intend to go through with the plan then?"  He asked.

"Yes, I will stay out of view.  You do your thing.  When the opportunity presents itself I will do my part."

"Just… don't make a mess ok?"  He asked with a smile.

"Nothing Glynda can't repair"  She promised as she moved behind the rear most pillar of the room in the darkest area of the room possible. 

Ozpin could not help but chuckle… his old friends promise amounted to nothing more than a hopefully entertaining night.

The door to the elevator opened up revealing the arrogant smile of James Arc.  Thinking he was called here for a board meeting concerning the expulsion of Jaune Arc.  Naturally, he was not likely going to like what he and Ozpin were about to discuss.

***

Back on the lower balcony, Kate was running out of time.  She had been waiting for 15 minutes for the two girls to leave.  She had more than enough time to not only completely retie her boots, but to perform some stretches to keep limber.  They only walked away when the blond woman from earlier named Glynda shooed them along to their dorms.

Once they were out of sight she felt a surge of adrenaline fill her body.  She needed to move. 

_Ok Kate, relax, deep breath, time to go._

Vaulting over the guardrail she took a running start and leapt off the balcony to the rooftop below landing gracefully.

_One jump out of the way… about 2 dozen left to go.  No time left for patience now, you have to get to the nets before mom does her thing or the chance will pass by._

At that she continued on her circular path.  Sprinting along as quickly as her body will move, she sped along towards her destination.

***

Inside the Beacon dormitory area the 8 friends were walking slowly as a group.  Jaune had given Pyrrha her Jacket as it was of course winter outside, it might not be in a blizzard like last year, but it was still quite cold.

"Jaune you really didn't need to give me your coat, though I do appreciate it."  Pyrrha stated.

"Yeah you c-c-c-c-c-c-c-could have given it to me.  I hate the cold"  Blake complained shivering slightly.

"At least you have your long shirt you remembered to bring.  Weiss and I forgot mine"  Ruby stated as both she and her girlfriend shivered walking side by side hugging each other for warmth.

"Eh, my home is in northern Atlas in the mountains.  This is not all that cold compared to the winters I am used too."  Jaune stated to the glares of the shivering people with him.

The group had just reached their dorm room and its heat was a welcome change from the cold hallway.  Pyrrha gave Jaune back his coat, when she noticed a flash of something outside the window near their shared kitchen. 

A tall girl wearing a cloak hiding herself.  Why would a student need to hide themselves?  The answer is obvious.  That is not a student.  She at this point did not care who this person was, right up until the hood of the person came down as she ran along the rooftop.  Pyrrha was not happy to see long blond hair on the head of the person in question.  She was not the only one to have seen it.  Blake gave her a nudge from the side, and Yang noticed her partners movement.

Pyrrha decided what to do in the next few moments.  She reached into a closet near the doorway and pulled out her coat.  She would have grabbed her weapons from the JNPR room, but did not want to alert Jaune that something was going on.  Pulling on her coat and putting on some shoes she stepped out of their shared dorm, back into the cold hallway.  Thinking about what best to do.

Blake emerged behind her wearing a coat over her dress Yang in tow, both following her example on ditching the high heels.

"Pyrrha I doubt you need to investigate this."  Blake advised.

"It’s a female, they are obviously trying to stay hidden, and they have blond hair.  That means Arc in my book.  Why she was on the rooftop with a sight on our kitchen I do not know but I intend to find out for myself."  The Spartan declared and would have welcomed an argument on the matter to get her blood flowing.

The partners accompanying the redhead decided against arguing, and voted simply to accompany her as she pursued her target.

***

On the rooftop Kate was less than pleased with herself.  She missed a jump and her trajectory took her lower than she wanted.  As such she was at risk of being seen through the windows in the dorm wing.  She realized the odds of somebody looking out the window at the exact moments she could have been seen was low.  Even so, it was a mistake she did not want to make. 

Pausing to catch her breath and remember where exactly she was, she knew she was close to her destination.  Unfortunately for her, the night was about to get more complex.

Off to her right, she observed 3 figures.  The buxom blond from earlier, Yang… something Long if she remembered right.  A Cat Faunus from earlier, Blake.  However it was the angry form of Pyrrha Nikos that was of a concern to her as they all ran in her general direction.

_Crap… I had to get seen not only by his group, but by Pyrrha herself.  At least she didn't bring her weapons but that is a small advantage considering what she could do if this is not handled well._

Forcing herself to relax and slow her heart rate she supposed she had no proof that they were chasing her.  They were after all wearing dresses still, none of them had their weapons.  If they were expecting a fight she would expect them to slip out of the dress at least. 

Or that’s what she thought.  When Blake scaled the wall to look right at her, she knew that she needed to run.

And she did towards her destination, hoping to any divine entity that happened to be paying attention to allow the rest of her night go well.

Deciding quickly to cut the people who could at least see her down to one she choose the left side of a wall.  From the sounds behind her she knew that the Cat Faunus was chasing her.  She did not look behind to see who was faster.  If Kate was right, and she really really hoped she was, she would be able to escape using her semblance as much as she hated having to do that.

She knew that the path she was following was 2 things.  One, in the direction of and therefore taking her close to her destination, that of the other side of the Beacon Tower the top of which she knew, was Ozpin's office and where He and her parents were now located.  Two, she knew it was a dead end.  Something that her pursuer likely knew as well.

Sprinting along the path she hoped her luck would improve she cut to the right most path, and enacted her plan to escape.

***

Blake pursued the tall blond girl as quickly as her dress would allow.  They were of a similar speed, she started a good 20 or so meters behind her.

None the less as she raced after her she could not help but wonder at the wisdom of her target.  The more she thought about it the more she began to believe that this chase was unnecessary.  This person was obviously a visitor to Beacon, sure she took off at a run and did not give the trio a chance to speak to her.  Something which was damning in the eyes of Pyrrha.  None the less she was running as quickly as she can down a path which had no exit.

This seemed like a misunderstanding to Cat Faunus part of her mind, none the less, she chased her around a corner to the right… and was startled to find… nothing.  Not a trace of her.

"Did you get her?"  A voice in her ear asked as she had switched her scroll to comlink mode.

"No, she vanished."  Blake answered her partner.

When she doubled back she caught sight of the girl, running along the ground towards the nets they spotted earlier.

"She is moving to the nets.  I don’t know how she got away if she has mirror images for her semblance like mine but she got away from me."  Blake put into the conversation.

"She will not get away from me"  A gravely calm Pyrrha put forth.

"Pyrrha just be cautious we don’t know the situat-"  Yang began to say.

"I do not need to know the situation.  Catch up with her if you like,  she will not escape me."  Pyrrha still deathly calm stated.

Suddenly at a loss for words, Blake sprinted off in the direction of the blond girl.

***

Kate ignored the feeling of disdain she had in her being as she used her semblance.  It was something about her that she hated.  She would even prefer to have Jewel's semblance over her own in this case.  None the less she ran along towards the nets she put in place earlier.  She saw her perch she was trying to reach, it was where she had decided to wait previously in the day.  However as she closed the distance a flash of red hair covered her vision, a forearm crashed into her upper chest as that same forearm dug slightly into her neck and forced her back into a pillar behind her.

Before she could take a tally of what happened she realized that her arms were above her head and held in place by the other arm of whoever held her in place.  The grip holding her arms in place was strong and sure, the pressure on her chest held her in place.  She did not think she could break free.  Yet it was when she found the eyes of her assailant that she truly felt afraid.  Vivid green eyes blazed in anger as she directed her gaze right at Kate.

"I think it is safe to call you Arc, I do not know who you are but you obviously should not be here.  I think you have some explaining to do."  The Spartan declared.  She did not look satisfied at her catch, she did not look pleased at the situation at all.  She looked angry, she looked ready for a confrontation.

Kate knew of Pyrrha's encounters and desire to face her sisters in their combat class.  She just never knew until this moment how much so.  Her desire to protect her partner was going to prove dangerous unless Katherine was very very careful.  She knew she could use her semblance to get away, or at least out of the grip.  But that would not solve her problem.  This represented a threat to the very goal they had in coming to Beacon.  Now that she was caught, she had to see this out, no matter what happened.

She looked around briefly and realized that she was quite literally surrounded, Blake had appeared to her left, Yang to her right. 

"Well, say something"  Yang put forth.

"I…"  Kate started to say, but found herself unsure what she could say, her mind was completely blank.

***

Up in the Headmasters office Deborah felt a tinge of… something.  She had trusted her instincts on many occasions and right now hers were saying that there was a problem with the plan.  Specifically Kate's part of it.  She could do nothing right now about it, but she was worried.

The meeting between Ozpin and her husband had progressed about as she expected.

"Headmaster I am still unsure why you decided to call me here.  If you are not going to remove Mr. Arc from your school I will have to pull my funding in protest starting in the Winter term."  James stated.

"Yes James, I understand that.  Which I why I decided to tell you in person, that you are no longer a booster of this school."  He stated flatly.

James was obviously confused at that.

"I think you are missing my point, if I am pulling my funding of course I am no longer a booster." He stated with a smile.

"No James, you miss my point.  I mean, you no longer have the authority to act as a booster. I received word that particular right of yours has been rescinded and as such I cannot honor your request."  Ozpin stated trying to hide a smile.

"You received word from my Wife?  I find that hard to believe.  I know you have a soft spot for my former son but that boy is a waste of time your staff would be better served teaching students who had talent." 

Ozpin really wondered what happened to James.  He once considered the man a friend, a trusted confidant even.  When he turned… cruel he did not know.  Maybe it was in him all along and having power just brought it out of him he did not know.  Even so he did not want to respond in the calm way he had too.

"James I can show you the writ if you like."

It was then that Deborah Arc, decided to make her presence known.

"I am indeed here dear husband, and we have some things to discuss."  She stated with a mix of anger, relief, humor, and determination.

James quite literally, went pale.

"I don’t think we have anything to talk about, I am surprised you came back to the world so quickly.  I figured you enjoyed spending time with the uncivilized masses of the world to speak to the upper class.  Headmaster I believe we have nothing to speak about I will take my leave."  He then turned around, and felt substantially less confident at the sight before him.

In front of him was indeed his wife Deborah Arc.  She was not wearing the armor she was famous for as a warrior, even so he recognized that pose.  It meant she was deathly serious.  Her left leg was extended out a great deal as her right leg hunched down ready to leap.  Her left arm was held forward slightly above her left leg.  Her right was behind her body at her waist grasping the hilt of Caladbolg, the family heirloom she owned and has used as an artisan from the moment she learned to use it.

"Dear husband.  I suggest you believe me when I say that we WILL speak tonight.  We can speak with words, or we can speak with weapons.  I think you can guess where I vote.  However I am trying to be ever so humble even when times are hard and I will allow you the right of choosing."  She stated pleasantly though with a cold edge.  "Choose wisely"  She finished sounding very dangerous.

James very visibly gulped, and responded quietly "Words are fine."

Deb smiled and responded moving back to a standing position "Fine, then let us walk over to the balcony, we should enjoy the night air."

***

Back on the ground Kate still found herself pressed up against the wall by an increasingly agitated Pyrrha Nikos.

"You still have not said what you are doing here, why you were trying to get near Jaune."

"I was not trying to get near Jaune"  She replied cautiously.

The girls, clearly did not believe her.

"That is an obvious lie everybody in your entire blasted clan has been trying to get near him to hurt him for some unknown reason."  Pyrrha declared.

"I tell you I was trying to get here near these nets!"  She pressed.

"What were you going to do with them?"  Blake asked.

"I was not going to do anything with the-"  She started

"Then why run here at all if you weren't going to do anything with them?"  Pyrrha asked again.

"I put them up cause-" Kate tried to answer.

"Look if you just admit that you were trying to get near Jaune this will be easier."  Yang stated.

"I am Not trying to get near him!  I am going to see him tomorrow why would I jeopardize that by trying to see him now!"   A note of pleading definitely entered Kate's voice.  She knew that she did not have much time and she could obviously not do her part if she remained pinned to this wall.

That seemed to take a touch of fire out of both Yang and Blake's eyes, Pyrrha just narrowed hers.

"So you are -that- sister of his."  The redhead said.

"Listen to me I will answer as best I can but I do not have much time!"

No sooner did she say that, did the event occur that she had been waiting for.  A white light lit up the area of the top most area of the Beacon tower.  Followed by the glass shattering as somebody was thrown out the window.

"Damn, she didn’t miss."  Kate stated.

Pyrrha Blake and Yang could only look on baffled as they observed the falling form of James Arc.  Screaming as he fell and hit the first net.  The net flexed, slowed his fall, then tore open.  He fell to the next one with even louder screams.  When that net ripped apart they were fairly sure the entire campus could hear the screams he was putting out.  Finally the 3rd net failed and he landed on the ground, painfully.

"You NEED to let me go!"  Kate begged.

Pyrrha's resolve was weakening, but she didn’t let go.

"Listen to me."  The 3 of them bored their eyes into her.  "I swear, on the love I have for my brother.  If you let me go, I will walk in that direction"  she said pointing at her father on the ground "about 80 meters, I will do what I came here to do.  Then I will return to this spot and we can conclude our talk, but you MUST let me go now!  Please!"  Something about the way her blue eyes shown in the night and the tone of her voice compelled Pyrrha to let her go.  If for no other reason if she broke her word, it would be something she could quite easily use against her tomorrow.

"Tell me what you intend to do"  She asked as she eased the pressure off.

"I intend to slap him."  She answered over her shoulder.

The three friends observed her walk over, shortly after starting down the path she removed her weapon, and left it on the ground near the trio.

"Why would she drop her weapon?"  Yang asked.

Nobody really took the steps to answer the question.

Pyrrha was about as conflicted as she could ever remember being in her life.  She did not want to trust Katherine Arc despite the blond girl not actually making a claim to that name.  However, something about her body language, the look in her face, the… honesty bleeding out of her eyes reminded her of Jaune.  She just could not keep her trapped up against that pillar.

While Pyrrha thought… grumbled… contemplated the situation they observed Katherine on the area below where her father had landed.  They were obviously too far away to hear what was being said.  It was obvious, even from this distance, that emotions were running high.  Mr. Arc obviously did not like being thrown out of the window, and Katherine was obviously angry, border lying seething about something as well.  However it wasn't until that she acted that they understood exactly how much so.

She threw off her covering cloak, her right leg began to glow a pretty and deep royal blue.

The resounding roundhouse kick delivered to Mr. Arc's jaw resulted in a -crack- in the air that was heard even where the three of them were.  Mr. Arc was left sprawled out on the ground obviously in pain.

"Holy, look at the body on that girl…"  Blake stated quietly to herself as she began to walk back to the 3 of them carrying the cloak she removed.

Even at distance her torso was obviously heaving as she took deep breaths.

"She does have some long legs ill give her that."  Yang admitted.

Pyrrha was not of a mind to comment on the body of the girl though she had to admit, it was not what she was expecting.  She was almost expecting a pampered youth.  Yet, what she saw, reflected somebody who worked, very, hard.  Her body was athletic, lean and carried a dancers balance to them.  Her legs looked nearly as identical to her own in how it carried both grace and undeniable power.

"It was a nice kick."  Pyrrha admitted.

The 3 of them did not say any more.  All evidently, giving her the chance to keep her word.  She was still breathing in deep huff's as she reached the friends, picked up her weapon on the ground, and continued to try and shed her anger.

Pyrrha looked at the blond girl and tried to take her measure.  She did not appear to be forcing her anger.  Indeed she just kicked her father in the face.  She did not know how long she was prepared to give her to keep her word when Blake evidently was the first to open up to her.

"You will need to explain to me how you were able to get away from me some time."  Her tone was neutral, as if meeting somebody for the first time.

Katherine did not respond she just moved over to the pillar where she was formerly trapped against. She threw her cloak on the ground laid her weapon with its holster on top of it, removed a knife she kept at her waist it quickly joined her other weapon on the ground.  Finally she removed the bracer she wore on her left arm and it also joined her gear on the ground.  What she did next genuinely surprised Pyrrha.

She kept her word.  She moved back to where Pyrrha had pinned her.  Placed her back against the pillar, brought her arms above her head, and closed her eyes.

Blake repeated her question.

Katherine did not open her eyes when she answered "I may have to tell you that.  However if I do, I will say it once, and it will be for the full group.  It will not be tonight."  She said.

"You lied"  Pyrrha said, trying to gauge the girl in front of her.

"I did everything I said I would do."  Katherine still did not open her eyes.

"You said you would slap him."  Pyrrha said again.

"My plan had to change."  She replied simply.

The 3 friends shared a look.  Yang was the next to speak.  "Why were you going to slap him?  Why didn't you?"  She asked.

"I told him when I left on my apprenticeship that if he hurt my brother when I was away I would slap him, at the time he agreed."  She said.

"Ok, so?" Yang prodded.

"So, he said that as Jaune had been disowned, I no longer had a brother, ergo the deal was voided."  Anger dripped off her as she spoke, but otherwise kept her eyes shut as she began to shiver.

Pyrrha eyed her form, but kept her silence.

"So naturally, you kicked him.  Well done"  Yang said with a smile on her face.

"Your mother threw him out of the window?"  Blake asked, trying and failing not to sound amused.

"Yes, you will need to ask her about it."  She replied back.

Pyrrha continued to observe Katherine intently.  It was while she did this, she came to a realization.  Katherine, was not shivering.  She was trembling.  This girl, was scared.  Very scared.  Even so she kept her word.

Pyrrha moved so she was directly in front of the her, and said "Open your eyes."

Pyrrha had learned to read people fairly well.  Faking body language is a common tactic in arena fights.  Something she had to become an expert in as the more it got out that people could not bull her over physically.  They had to try and outsmart her.  In practice some people did manage to strike her feigning various ailments.  She learned that if she could look people straight in the eye, she could see through such deceptions.

Katherine hesitated, but complied.

As the strikingly pretty blue eyes came into picture,  Pyrrha had several thoughts.  This girl, was not lying to her.  There was an honest hope in her gaze that was nearly identical to Jaune when he was trying to prove himself.  In fact the look was similar to the time earlier in the year when they chased him and she caught him.  After she advised him of her disappointment in him that he didn’t advise he was ok, the look he had in his eyes was a weaker version of this.  Under that was grim determination to see this through.  Surrounding it all, was pure terror.  This girl was absolutely scared, and she had to think for nearly a minute until she realized of what.  She was scared… of her.

"You are scared"  Pyrrha stated.

Katherine did not respond.

"You are scared of me" Once again Pyrrha said to prompt a response.

Yet again, Katherine did not respond.

"You aren’t saying much."  The Spartan said once again.

"I have not heard a question Ms. Nikos."  She finally spoke.

So, she does not deny that she is scared.

"Why are you scared of me?"  She asked curiously.

Katherine looked straight at her for several moments before she answered.

"I have no way to win this encounter Ms. Nikos.  You don’t trust me, you don’t want to trust me, and you don’t want to give me a chance.  I cannot outrun you three.  I cannot beat you in a fight much less the 3 of you together.  Even if I was able to do that, it would damn any chance I have of making peace with my brother.  You hold all the power and all the keys to all the doors in this encounter Ms. Nikos.  It would not be hard for you to take any of my weapons over there and convince your partner that I attacked you, I would bet he would believe your word over mine."  She spoke clearly, but with obvious emotion in her voice.

The 3 of them continued to look at her intently.

"This... situation is exactly why I was trying to stay out of sight tonight.  You can demand anything you want from this encounter and I would be forced to give it to you.  You have the ear of my brother.  You could demand to hit me out of the anger you carry for my sisters or father and I would have little choice but to stand here and take it.  I only learned just last night that Jaune agreed to this and even then you only agreed with the decision because it would put me and I quote 'in spear range'.  Knowledge I have thanks to Nora.  I have no way out, no way to escape from this situation but to give you what you want, whatever it is.  So yes Ms. Nikos I am scared of you, you seem to blame me for the actions of others in my family.  Actions I have fought against since I was young...  Do what you will Champion of Mistral."  With that, she closed her eyes again though tremors continued to traverse her body.

Pyrrha at first, only got more angry as she listened to Katherine speak.  However, the more she thought about it, the more she could understand.  She took several deep breaths, but she had to admit, she was projecting the actions of others onto this girl.  The only thing she was guilty of is being seen outside their dorm.  She would be lying to herself… and to Jaune, if she claimed more than that.

She took a breath and said "You will get your meeting tomorrow, but I will keep my weapons with me as I said.  You seem to have a low opinion of me Ms. Arc."  She said.

"I do not know you beyond what the news says.  I try to go by what I learn for myself.  Tonight has not made me think you are the kindest person in Remnant.  Give me a chance, and you will have plenty for yourself."  She replied, probably bravely most would say.  However it was honest.

Pyrrha nearly cracked a smile as she walked away.  Blake and Yang followed suit.

It was as they reached the door that Yang turned around to look back at the scene.  Katherine had slid down the pillar and was hugging her knees very tight to her chest.  She could not explain this feeling if somebody asked her too.  However, Jaune, as far as she was concerned, worked a miracle the night before with Ruby and Weiss.  Seeing his sister on the ground, who by all accounts had stood up for him and tried to do right by him.  Struck a nerve in her that prompted her to act.  She stood out of sight and observed.  After a few minutes Katherine stood and reclaimed her weapons, then walked away.

Yang knew that stealth was not her forte, even so she decided to follow, as sneakily as she could.

***

Back in the headmasters office Ozpin could not help but chuckle over the situation.

"I deliberately asked you not to make a mess."  He said.

"He is lucky I only threw him out a window."  She stated observing her daughter walk back to the tower.  She would be lying if she said she didn’t feel like intervening when she saw her trapped up against that pillar by Ms. Nikos and 2 of her friends.  She knew however that an encounter with them would happen no matter what at some point.  She might as well give her a chance to make a good first impression while she had the chance.  She had to admit she was a touch disappointed that Kate choose to kick instead of slap James, but figured an explanation would be given at some point.  Speaking of her husband, he had only recently stood up and walked, slightly clumsily away.

"I know now why you insisted that I let your daughter put those nets up."  Ozpin said.

Deborah wanted to stay and speak to him, he was an old friend of hers, probably the oldest friend she had.  Right now however duty calls.  She needed to get some rest still, and Kate looked like she could use a few comforting words following that encounter.

"Here, this should cover a new window."  She said as she tossed a Lien chit to Ozpin, then moved towards the elevator.

"Why exactly did you toss him?"  He asked as she walked.

"Believe it or not, it was written into our marriage agreement.  He makes me mad I get to throw him out a window."  She said with a smile.

"You're kidding me."  He said incredulously.

"Nope, it was such a running joke of ours in our youth that we actually put in the agreement.  I doubt he expected me to take advantage of it."  At that, the elevator door opened, and she descended down.

***

The two dogs that Kate sought out following her failure and encounter with the group brought on a sight to warm any heart Yang decided.  The two gorgeous golden dogs were whining happily as the blond girl approached and proceeded to beg for attention belly up.

She knew that she did not have much of a talent for stealth, even so Yang did not realize that she had been seen and or heard until Katherine declared "You really should not try to sneak, it isn't your thing."

Yang grinned, and answered back as she moved forwards.

"Just scoping out the competition."  She stated playfully.

Katherine looked at her quizzically.

"I might have to defend my title of cutest blond at the school soon."  She said with a smile.

If Yang didn't know better, Kate had a slight smile on her face for a moment.

"You win."  She said.

That, Yang did not expect.

"You don’t think yourself attractive?"  She asked.

Katherine had knelt down to play with her dogs again, but answered when Yang arrived next to her to allow the dogs to acclimatize to her.

"You used the term cute.  Frankly I think these two have you beat in cuteness."  She said.

"What if I said hottest or sexiest?"  Yang asked again a touch playfully.

"I still would say you win."  Kate answered not looking at her.

Yang at this point, felt she was hiding something.

"You cannot NOT know how attractive you are.  You admitted as much to Nora and Ren when they met you."  She pressed.

"I did not say I wasn't, you said blond Ms. Long."

"Yang please."  Then realized what she said and froze "But…  you…. you…."  Now, Yang got it.

"You aren't a natural blond?"  She asked shocked.

Katherine looked at her and touched her nose with a finger, then looked back.

"Katherine I believe I deliberately told you not to get seen or talk to anybody"  A familiar voice said coming into view.

The appearance of their owner caused the two pooches to forget who was currently petting them and knocked Deborah to the ground by way to show their affection.

"That was the intent."  Kate admitted.

"Ms. Long-" Katherine started.

"Yang, but if you must its Xiao Long."  she repeated.

"Very well. Yang, meet my mother, Deborah Arc."  Kate said in introduction.

"She appears occupied with those Golden Retrievers"  Yang stated enjoying the scene.

"Not Retrievers."  Kate stated.

"What are they then?"  Yang asked.

"A breed of dog native to Cadia, our home.  Golden Companion.  They live longer and are much more intelligent than the standard canine."  Both dogs turned back to bark happily at Kate as she said that.

"I had heard of that breed, they are said to be very rare and hard to come by."  Yang claimed.

"Well that is a perk of both being a noble and being the ruling party where they are bred.  Mom was given these 2 as a gift.  They tend to bond very strongly with one person.  Once that is done they are highly loyal to that person and their descendants.  A trait which tends to pass on to the pups in future generations.  Don't ask me how that was bred into them I have no idea but that’s what they are known for."  Kate stated looking back at Yang.

"That seems like a very special type of dog.  We have a family pet, Zwei.  I'm not sure how these dogs would be more intelligent."  She stated, both of the dogs looked at each other for a moment.  After a few seconds one went back to licking Deb happily, the other moved in front of Yang.

"Well, try it out.  I think you would be surprised."  Kate stated.

Yang, now amused and intrigued decided to try something.

"My name is Yang, do you understand me?  Bark once if you mean yes."  1 Bark.

"Did you mean no?"  nothing

"Was my name Kang?"  A growl.

"Zang?"  A deeper growl.

"Yang?"  Happy Bark!

"Ok, I might be convincing myself that you are telling me the truth."  Yang admitted.

"I do that quite often, I think you will discover that about me."  Kate stated.

"Katherine-"

"Kate"  Kate interrupted.

Yang just looked at her and smiled.

"Kate-"  This time the dog interrupted her with an insistent whine/growl.

"What, is he doing?"  Yang asked.

Kate looked on at the scene and laughed.  "If I didn't know better, I think he wants to test you."

Am I really being challenged by a dog?  Yang couldn't help but think.

"You know I have a friend who would love you, remind me to introduce you to Blake tomorrow."  Yang said, prompting another happy bark.

"What is his name?" Yang asked.

"Tyrion, we call him Ty.  His twin is Teclis, we call him Tec."  Kate answered.

Ty growled.

Yang looked at him confused.

Kate started to laugh.  "I think he wants you to repeat his name."

Yang was definitely smiling now  "Ok, your name was Farion!"  She nearly jumped at the annoyed growl she got in reply.

Ty jumped and put his paws on Yang's waist almost daring her to tease him again.

"Ok is your name…"  Ty growled.

Yang looked at Kate and laughed.

"Ok I get it, they are highly intelligent.  You are Tyrion?"  Happy Bark!

At that point Tyrion walked back to heap affection on his owner.

Both Kate and Yang were keen to just enjoy the sight until Ms. Goodwitch made her presence known.

"Well I admit I pleased.  We have had more than 5 Arc's at Beacon for more than an hour and nothing has exploded.  We only have one window that needs to be replaced."  She stated sternly, but with a smile.

Deb had taken the time to stand up.  "We did promise you no explosions.  I still don't know where that part of my reputation comes from, I never exploded anything on purpose."  She joked.

Kate definitely did not know that about her mom.

"One day you will need to explain that."  She said playfully.

"One day I might tell you.  As for now.  Ms. Xiao Long it is time to head back.  You are breaking curfew, if you leave right now I will not give you detention."  Yang nodded, and went away to her dorm.

"I cannot give you two detention but I suggest you two get back to your quarters soon.  As I understand it you have a big day tomorrow."  At that Glynda moved away.

Kate found a bench, and sat down.  Teclis moved over to comfort her/get petted more.

"I screwed up.  I know that you know about it.  You don’t need to lecture me."  She stated somewhat depressed.

"You screwed up yes,  I however think you performed excellent."  Deb stated.

"Excuse me?"

"Earning the groups trust will not happen in one sitting.  You encountering Pyrrha I think will do a great deal of good.  I can't claim to know what you said.  However Judging by Yang's actions I think you did well."  She put forth happily.

"That, I suppose is true enough.  I just hope that tomorrow goes well."  Kate claimed.

"While you were talking I got a message from Ms. Valkyrie.  She suggests that tomorrow you meet the group first following Pyrrha and Jaune training.  Once that is done Ren will take Jaune to the target range for some practice so you can talk to the girls together.  When Jaune gets back he said he wants to talk to you alone first while I speak to the group.  From there we will just play it by ear."  Mom said.

"Well… Ok, not much else to do but to get some rest and have good thoughts for tomorrow."

With that the two Arc's moved into the night to get some much needed rest.

___________________________________________________________________

**I don't normally do updates this quick back to back but I hate leaving things at a cliffhanger like the previous chapter.  So, by way to ensure my theoretical apology is sincere, I give you another update.**

**As ever I am hungry for and welcome any feedback readers feel like sharing.  Thank you for your time reading this and as ever I hope you enjoy your weekend.**

**-Sean**


	9. Year 2 Winter:  Meet Katherine Arc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate meets with team RWBY along with part of JNPR prior to meeting her brother, the group eager to discuss topics she likely does not want to talk about might find surprising answers to their questions.

2.14

Kate could barely sleep that night.  It was not the light snoring her mother was guilty of.  No, a year and a half of traveling with her to learn from her long absolved Kate of that particular problem.  It was not the two golden furred dogs who were very happy to see both her and their owner again that cuddled up next to her either.  If anything they brought a welcome sense of comfort to her.  No.  She was simply scared, so much so that when she did manage to calm herself to the point she could get some sleep it was only replaced by a sense of excitement.

Today was the day she would finally come face to face with Jaune.  Being twins they were close as youths, she always took care of him as best she could leading up to the point that she left with their mother.  He was not happy with that decision, but claimed to understand it.  What she was not comfortable with is the fact that to earn the trust of his friends and teammates, she might have to share that information.  Something she was willing to do if it meant regaining her brothers love, but she had always hated why it was necessary.

Too soon the sun announced its presence through the windows of the guest room she was trying to sleep in.  They had no need to sequester themselves in the Headmasters office now that they had made their presence known to the school and more specifically her father.  No doubt right now he was still barking mad over what she and her mother did the night prior.  Though if mom went through with her plan -as insane as it was- that anger might be the only thing he had following the enactment of it.

All thoughts she considered as Yang and Nora came to pick her up as she waited outside the guest room with Ty and Tec.  Mom was going to speak to Ozpin more and likely needed some time to start filling out the mountain of paperwork to enact her plan.  If she heard her right she might even need to ask for assistance from others to ensure it was completed to perfect, A certain Weiss Schnee came to mind. 

Right now Kate was simply in the RWBY sleeping quarters referred to as their dorm room.  The personalities of each of the girls on the team was made clear.  She had read about them as they journeyed back to civilization and the dossiers Ozpin sent them was about the only thing she had to keep her focus as she brooded over the situation.

Kate was left in the room and spent her time looking out the window to observe the view of the Forever Fall forest.  She never really was an outdoorsy person.  She had learned to appreciate it in her time with her mom, but even so, being in the forest, and having a breathtaking view of one, were not the same thing.

The door to the RWBY dorm opened and the two dogs with her turned to see who entered, that of team RWBY itself.  Ruby lead the way, followed by her partner Weiss… who seemed to have some bruises on her neck… huh.

Behind them was Yang, followed by Blake.  Blake, Kate knew, was not a fan of dogs, and she had instructed her dogs not to go and overly antagonize the Cat Faunus.  Thus far both of them just observed the newcomers.

Kate was dressed in her leather gear from the night before.  She was not wearing the covering cloak or her weapons, they were all in her gear pack which the dogs were currently cuddling around.  She tried not to pay too much attention as the girls very openly looked her body over.  She knew it was one of the downsides of the form fitting leather she choose to wear.  This stuff was comfortable on the road, it kept you reasonably warm in the winter, with alterations you could even be comfortable enough in the fall or spring.  Sure summer was brutal but that’s why other clothing existed.

Ironically enough, Weiss was the first to make a move.  She took the dozen or so steps to close to the dogs on the ground, and sat down next to them.  The dogs needed no further encouragement. The pair was soon on their feet sniffing the Heiress and allowing themselves to be petted.

"Dogs always did melt that frozen heart of hers."  Blake joked.

"You are just mad that cats aren't as awesome."  Ruby joked right back.

Despite the jokes, nervous energy was in the air.  Yang seemed to pick up on that.

"Jaune and Pyrrha's morning session is still going.  Unless I miss my guess they might even drag it out longer than normal so we have some time.  Might as well make ourselves comfortable."  The Brawler said.

Kate smiled lightly at that.  The night before showed that the entire group might not be hostile.  Kate was still utterly terrified of Pyrrha, but Yang showed herself to be very open to a friendship with her.  Despite this, Kate could not find her voice.

"Somebody is being very quiet."  Yang put forth again.

Kate fully turned towards the group and responded "Sorry, I did not sleep well at all and I am just nervous."  She admitted.

Weiss looked up at her, and her nose seemed to scrunch up a bit.  "Katherine… you might like to take a quick shower.  We have time and it might settle your nerves."

That and I stink a bit right?  She chucked in her head a bit.  None the less a warm shower sounded amazing right now.  She reached down into her pack, picked out a couple pieces of clothing along with a bottle or two, and moved to the bathroom.

Once she was in the bathroom Kate recognized the setup.  Place your dirty clothes in this thingy, and when you are done with your shower ideally it gives you back clean clothes.  Fancy setup for a school.

She quickly stripped off her clothing and thoroughly enjoyed the hot water streaming down her body.  She decided something in that shower.  If she was going to be honest with them she might as well be completely honest.  She picked up the bottle because she was unsure at the time if she was going to wash her hair, or do plan B.  After a few minutes thought she decided on plan B.

Plan B obviously was going to take longer, and it wouldn't surprise her if she took more time in the shower than the group was expecting her too.  None the less she decided to do this, and carried it out.

After the water cut out she heard conversation through the door, 2 more voices than the original occupants of the room.  She identified Nora's… and Pyrrha's voices.

"So Ren is with Jaune now?"  She thought it was Yang's voice.

"Yes… Jaune has been complaining for awhile about something always coming up when he wants to practice with his bracer-"

_His bracer?  He has a bracer like mine?_

"- and insisted that we can talk to his sis…. twin first without him.  But he does want to meet with her alone after the target practice."  Pyrrha finished speaking.

She took more than one deep breath as she recovered her leather gear, and exited the room.

The 6 friends in the room observed Kate leave the room move across to her gear pack and stow the leather pieces inside.

Feeling nervous again she went back to looking out the window with her arms crossed as she very much tried to settle her nerves and mind.

"You dyed your hair."  Pyrrha said.

"Yes, I do dye my hair."  She responded.

Pyrrha went to speak again, then took the meaning she was trying to impart.

"So this is your natural hair color?"  Pyrrha observed.

"Yes, it is."  Kate again responded simply.  Her hair at its core is not the blond Arc's are known for.  Hers is a shiny midnight black.

"Why, would you dye your hair blond?"  Blake asked perhaps a touch proud and quick to defend her hair color.

So far simple questions, I can do simple questions.

"It became a habit from my youth.  My father insisted that I dye it blond to match our families reputation.  I figured after kicking him last night I earned a few days in my natural color."  Kate stated still looking at the window.

She could not see the reaction of the other girls in the room, but the vast majority were sympathetic towards her, Yang most of all.  Hair was more than a touch sacred to her.

"I wouldn't take you for a dress kind of girl, much less a dress in winter."  Yang stated, though the brawler admitted that the Deep Green dress looked amazing on her.

"After so long wearing form fitting pants?  I figured a chance to … breath would be a good thing."  Kate responded.  She did not know who chuckled but more than one voice did at that.  She knew that she did not normally wear dresses and while what she said was true.  The big motivation is that today she would see her brother, and she wanted to look nice.

An insistent whine drew her attention back to her dogs laying patiently on the ground.  Weiss was joined by Ruby happily playing and petting the two pooches.  Ty was feeling a touch jealous that his brother had both of the girls rubbing a belly not his.  At his vocal complaint each girl brought a hand over to even the tally and the complaints ceased.

"These are gorgeous animals, what are their names?"  Ruby asked.

"The slightly darker gold colored one is Tyrion, the slightly older of the two.  Teclis is the others name."  Kate responded.

"Golden Companion's right?"  Weiss asked.

Kate nodded.

"A very rare breed of dog, these were a gift to your mother right?  Yang informed us last night."  The Heiress stated openly.

"Yes, they were a gift."  She answered.

"A gift for what?"  Nora asked curiously.

"When she accepted the title of Duchess the local breeder gifted them to her along with a couple females.  I understand both of the girls at home were carrying, and as such mom did not ask for them to be taken to Beacon."  Kate answered.  As Kate answered Ruby stood, and did one of the things Ruby was known for.  Be Ruby.

"Ms. Arc."  She started but paused as Kate moved to speak.

"Kate, please."  She responded.

Ruby smiled "Kate, While you were in the shower I looked through the weapons on the outside of your pack."  She admitted.

Kate… was less than pleased to learn that though she did suspect they would do that.  Even so she kept her posture and face as friendly as she could.

Ruby moved over to her bed, and pulled out her weapon still in its condensed form, then brought it in front of Kate.

"This is Crescent Rose, I designed and built her personally.  I figured it is only fair sense I looked through your weapons.  Sorry, I couldn't help myself."  Ruby stated still with a happy expression on her face.

Kate smiled at the girls honesty.  "You don't need to show me your weapon, but thank you for the thought."

"In that case, would you mind telling me about yours?"  Ruby asked a touch to energetically.

Kate smiled again and slowly walked over to her supply pack.  The first thing she picked up was her bracer that looked very similar to her brothers to the eyes of the observers, though it was a dark blue and black to his white and red color.  She put the bracer on her left arm.

"This is Toxo."  She said simply.  Pyrrha recognized the word, Mistralian for Bow.

At a thought the bracer expanded into a crossbow down the middle of her left arm preloaded with an arrow, it seems the ammo is stored in the bracer itself.

"This is its first form, which is fine for most things.  However it is not highly adept at rapid fire in this mode.  As such it has another…"  A thought triggered its next form.  It shifted to the side, and became a longbow.

"This obviously is it's longbow state."  She finished as she began to remove the bracer.

"So that is how you got the nets in place from last night?"  Blake asked curiously.

Kate just nodded as she brought out the weapon holster containing her melee weapon.

"I figured you to fight unarmed based off that kick from last night."  Yang stated.

"My mother is a firm believer in being able to fight with and without your weapon.  She taught me to fight with my legs if I have to fight unarmed."  She stated openly.

Pyrrha nodded respectfully to herself at that.

Kate had removed her weapon from hits holster, and it sprang to life revealing 2 blades which she held reverse grip from each of her hands their handles had more than enough space for a hand each.

"This is Defiance, it is a… gift from my Uncle."  At that she brought both of her arms together and they merged into a single weapon as the blades extended slightly.  "They merge together into a bladed staff as you can see, the grips can extend if necessary."

Ruby's eyes were positively glowing at being introduced to more 'friends' for her to meet.  When Kate was done with her show and tell she moved to set the weapon back in its place outside of her pack.

"What about the knife you carry?"  Pyrrha asked with much less hostility than the previous encounter with her.

"I … don't really consider that a weapon.  I carry a knife because as you travel, it is common to need a knife for various things.  If you are curious it is simply a knife, no special name or transforming purpose."  She stated plainly.

As she was finished stowing her weapons, she noticed a bookshelf and moved over to get a closer look.  Before she got completely up too it, Blake stated with a touch of hostility.

"Yes, they are books, no need to go digging into things."

Kate was left curious, however she got close enough to recognize the books, but began to move away from them as requested.

"I'm sorry I don't mean to pry, but I couldn't help but notice that you seem to be missing one… a book in the series."  She stated trying to hold back the chuckle.

Blake's eye twitched very openly as she said "Yes, I have tried 2 times now to get that particular book and each time it is sold out, I am quite annoyed by it."

Kate could not hold back the smile from her face even if she wanted to as she walked back to her pack.  The group eyed her very carefully as she dug through its various compartments until she pulled out what she was looking for.

Blake looked on expecting a trap as Kate appeared in front of her.  "Here, it doesn't really heat up until chapter 3, and make sure you are alone when you read chapter 17."  She said happily.

Blake was almost too shocked to act.  "You!  You are the sister he mentioned that shared my taste in literature!"  She stood off the bed she was sitting on to accept the book as she said that.

Before she could claim it however Yang grabbed the book out of Kate's hands.  Kate just shrugged and took a few steps back.

"Ninja's of Love: Magnum edition!?!"  She said hysterically.

At the mention of the book Blake launched herself at her partner with such velocity that even Yang was surprised to the point she could not dodge.  The struggle for the book was brief, but Blake triumphed and quickly zoomed back to her bed cradling the book like a child.

"I struggle to believe that you-"  Weiss stated indicating Kate "-would read that type of literature."  Weiss had a clear impression of surprise on her face.

"A girl has to read, I spent a great deal of time on the road, books are a blessing."  She turned to Blake "You can keep that, I can just request another copy be sent to me from home easily enough."  Blake purred, she actually purred at that.  Thinking that a cat was in the room caused the two dogs to stand up, though they sat back down upon seeing the source of the noise remembering the instruction to keep their distance from Blake.

"How can you just request another copy get mailed to you if it is sold out in some areas of the world?"  Weiss asked.

"My family owns the company which prints them… it is fairly easy to request another copy."  She stated with a shrug.

Yang looked on the scene with a look of joy.  She was starting to think that Katherine Arc was ok.  She knew of one way to test it.  Good old fashioned embarrassment.

Ok Yang, Kate is a noble, is on the road a lot, probably has not met many guys… huh ok.  Salvo one incoming!

"Ok ok ok, listen.  Books are completely fine in theory but nothing beats practical experience.  So Kate if you still feel like answering questions, I have one for you."  Yang stated with a very eager expression on her face.

Kate had walked over to a chair, but did not sit down just yet.  She looked back and simply said "Fire away."  Almost as if she sensed the type of question about to be asked.

"Describe the … shall we say biggest male you have slept with in detail please."  She asked very openly in a Yang like manner.  Weiss' face took a slight green color to it while Ruby, Nora and Pyrrha all had a startling blush on their face, Blake was the only one who didn’t overly react openly.

Kate needed to take a second before she realized, that Yang really did just ask that question.  She needed to consider for a moment why.  She knows I am a noble… She knows I was with my mother traveling.   Huh, ok she thinks I'm inexperienced, that I haven't slept with anybody before. 

She smiled.

Ok Ms. Xiao Long, so you're trying to embarrass me?  Some type of initiation ritual is it?  Well two can play that game.

The smile turned devilish on her face as she sat down straight backed.  "Ok Yang, Do you want it in yards-"  She crossed her legs very lady like "-or meters?" She blinked her eyes innocently a few times.

Yang actually coughed at the question.

"Because I can get fairly exact if you want…."  Kate went on to describe in excruciating detail using her hands to display and demonstrate as often as she could.  The entire room knew she was lying, or at least exaggerating.  Even so it accomplished exactly what she was trying to do.

"OK OK LALALALALALALALALALALA that’s enough ok ok ok forget I asked."  Yang begged to a round of laughs in the room.

Kate just smiled triumphantly and sat both of her feet on the ground again.

Turn my own joke back on me eh?  Yang thought.  "Katherine Arc, I am beginning to think you might be ok."  Yang stated openly.

Kate merely nodded, but did not otherwise reply.

Unfortunately, Nora was about to ask a question which darkened her mood considerably.

"So it seems you are similar to Jaune in ideal's but different in personality."  She said openly.

That question stole the smile from her face, as Kate walked back to her window.

She had earned more than one curious glance as she moved as they waited for her to speak.

"Unfortunately, I am not like my brother… mother… even my family much I am afraid."  She said sadly if a touch defiantly.

Pyrrha was slightly alarmed at that she had to admit, but even so, she had promised Jaune the night before to give her a chance, and she would try to do that.

"Can you elaborate on that Katherine?"  She asked, not comfortable yet calling her by her shorthand name.

Kate shook her head back and forth, and her gaze ended up back on Weiss' neck looking at the bruises she carried.

Ruby seemed to follow her gaze and stated a touch crossly "You are staring at my girlfriends neck."

Kate snapped her gaze up and stated "I'm sorry, I just noticed she had bruises on her neck.  I'm curious why her aura didn’t heal them?"

"My aura was never the best at healing such minor wounds I am afraid."  Weiss admitted sourly with more than a touch of embarrassment.

Kate thought long and hard about what she was thinking about.  Once she opened up to this subject there was no way she could avoid talking about it.

"Would you like me to try to heal your bruises?"  She asked openly.

Weiss looked surprised at the offer, but seemed hesitant to take advantage of it. 

Pyrrha surprised the group by speaking.  "She should be able to manage that, Jaune was able to heal me when I was sick after all."

At that Weiss gave her approval to try.  Unfortunately that was exactly what Kate did NOT want to hear.  She knew that she SHOULD be able to do this.  She also knew that she couldn’t.  Which is how different she and her twin was, and the point she was trying to make.

"Like I said, I would try."  Kate voiced, and walked over to Weiss.

The group did not miss her deliberate turn of phrase.  And they quickly understood why.

She touched Weiss's head with a hand of hers and her body glowed a rich and pretty royal blue color as she pulled out her semblance.  However several seconds in, nothing has really happened.  Kate began to shiver as tremors ran over her body, and while a glance at a scroll revealed that she succeeded in recharging Weiss' aura fully, she could not heal the bruises.  When she gave up and took a few steps back.

Kate had to visibly catch her breath, as she steadied herself with her arms until the fit passed.  Once over, she sat down with a slight glaze of sweat on her brow.

She was still trying to catch her breath several seconds later when she spoke "As you can see, I share the ability to fully heal somebody's aura like my brother and other family members.  However that is where the similarities end."  When she was collected enough to look around the room most of the gazes were a mix of curiosity and empathy, the only one who looked apprehensive was of course the Spartan herself.

"The subject of our semblance is something my mother is the expert on, and she has something she intends to say on the subject.  However what I will state, is that what the public considers of our semblance and what Arc's do, are not one and the same.  You call it 'Aid'.  In our family aid is what I just tried to do.  Heal others or at minimum help restore their aura."

Kate took a moment to breath and shift into a more comfortable position.

"While yes, we have that ability, we do not call our semblance Aid.  Mine for example, is called Ghost.  I suppose, I should explain about my semblance now…"  Kate started, and after taking another calming breath, decided to start quite literally at the beginning.

"It was impossible to grow up as an Arc, and not hear the numerous tales about our ancestors."  The rest of the room mostly nodded.

"There is one bed time story in particular which is passed on to us with more pride than the rest.  The name of the story is never told, which I think is the point.  The story had no beginning, this is just where history took our notice."  Kate spoke on in a quiet voice.

"The story in question speaks about the darkest days of humanity.  The darkness was closing in all around us, trapped in our last bastions of resistance.  Grimm of all manner were clawing and killing all they could in an effort to snuff out the light that came to be humanity.  It was as the night was most dark, that they appeared.  The Arc's.  Like the light of a sun appearing in the middle of night they arrived.  Shining with the purest most bright of tones they appeared.  Appearing like a beacon of hope indeed a rallying cry for good.  A direct challenge for the forces of evil.  For both a promise to all, that while I stand, the light will prevail and will never be snuffed out."

The rest of the group could only listen with eager ears.

"There is a reason when Jaune uses his semblance it lights up the room.  There is a reason you seem drawn to him.  That you trust him.  He makes you stronger just by being near I am sure you all have experienced that to some degree"

Pyrrha definitely nodded at that point as did several others. 

"I never understood or really believed the tales of our ancestors until I saw it with my own eyes at Patch a few months back-"

"Wait you were at Patch!?"  Ruby interrupted eagerly.

"How was everybody?"  Yang asked just as eager.

Weiss seemed to be the first to piece it together.  "The two hunters from the story who arrived to drive off the pack, that was you and your mother, wasn't it?"  She asked appearing impressed.

Kate smiled "She deserves far more credit than I do."  She admitted.

"Well go on tell us about it!" Ruby demanded energetically.

Kate resumed by saying "We had been on our way back having heard rumors of what happened to Jaune… I hope I don’t need to elaborate too much on that.  But we observed the pack and were tracking it for several days when it came down on Patch.  The town was in bad shape when we arrived I truly did not think it could be saved.  None the less mom and I fought our way into the center of the town.  It was there I saw the true power of her semblance for the first time.  When she activated it.  You could tell, instantly, that the battle had changed course.  The Grimm acted differently around her.  It was almost like they remembered the light from those children's tales we were told and… was afraid of her."

"The villagers almost instinctively rallied around her and fought on all the harder.  Where she went, Grimm fell.  Nothing could stand against her.  Occasionally a particularly large or powerful Grimm would try.  Same result each time, they get within reach, they died.  That simple.  Every time she swung her weapon it seems the tide of battle sung more in the favor of the villagers.  Those who were tired, were invigorated and healed by her semblance.  Those who were feeling defeated, were inspired with courage.  Those who were fighting already fought on with a strength they likely will never be able to recapture.  It was a slow and messy affair, but the pack was driven back.  Without her, that town would not be standing now.  The townsfolk was kind enough to acknowledge my efforts and yes, I did fight as hard as I could.  However I am not my mother, I was not the one who inspired and lead that battle.  That was all her.  THAT is the true power of the Arc semblance as we know and refer to it.  It is not what it does for the individual.  It is what it does for their allies.  The deeper that connection, the bigger and more pronounced the effect.  Unfortunately, it is something I can never do."

"Why not?  Surely with some training you would be able to do the same right?  I mean that what they teach in combat school."  Ruby asked happily obviously trying to cheer her up.

Kate just shook her head. "I wouldn't know, I never went to combat school.  I always wanted to be a hunter and protect people.  Even after I learned of my particular semblance.  However no like I said, I am not like the rest of my family."

Surprise was evident on the faces of the friends.  "Why didn't you go to combat school?  You clearly have the talent for it?"  Blake asked.

Kate huffed "I wanted too.  Growing up I wanted to be a hunter.  However… my father was more interested in taking advantage of my… looks.  He wanted me to get into fashion to be the face of the Arc clothing line.  He never agreed to send me to combat school."  She stated with a touch of anger in her voice.

"Continue with your story please."  Pyrrha stated brightly.

Kate shook her head again, but eventually resumed.  "I, am not like my family."  When she spoke on, it was with obvious reluctance.  "History does not know, this.  If it does it does not claim it.  However the original Arc's were a merging of two families.  One, was credited with what the Arc's are known for today.  Famous warriors of renown, and Generals of tactical cunning.  The other, was known for their merchants and crafters."  She said.

It was several moments until Nora prompted "So what were they… not as well known for?"

Kate smiled.  "They were not known for it, but behind closed doors, they were Remnants best spies… and…  assassins.  I share in my families ability to recharge the aura of others when I need too.  Unfortunately, that is where the similarities end."  She held out an arm, and slowly closed her hand glowing a deep blue.  When her hand was fully closed, she vanished from view.

A startled yelp drew the attention back to Yang in the back of the room they turned to look at her.

Behind Yang was Katherine who held Yang's hair in one of her hands.  "When I channel my aura into my body, I vanish from view and can pass through objects."  As she spoke she moved back to her spot she was previously at looking out the window.

"My brother, the rest of my family, even Jewel, has the ability to be like those stories we were told growing up.  Not me.  They have the skill set of a protector, as a guardian.  Me… I have the skills and talents of a murderer.  Despite that I have every intension of standing up for people and being a hunter, even if my talents make me an outcast."  She stated a touch proudly.

At this point everybody in the room was feeling a certain amount of sympathy for her.

Ruby was the one who moved forward and slowly spun her around.  With reluctance, Kate turned around.

Ruby put her hands on Kate's shoulders, and said "Skills are not bound for a single purpose Kate.  Your brother is many things.  What he is not, is stealthy.  Those skills that make you different from him, mean you can do things that nobody else can.  Things that are important.  Like scouting, like infiltrating, like rescuing.  It is true the origin of your semblance might not have been used for the most noble of purposes, but you can use it for good.  I know you can do that."  Yet again the wisdom displayed by the Reaper was touching.

"Thank you Ruby.  That is what I have always tried to believe, but it is encouraging to hear somebody else say it."  She said earnestly.

"Is that why you were in the wild's being trained by your mom?"  Nora asked.

"That… is part of it."  Kate very visibly did not want to go into this, but felt she had too.

"I have said I wanted to be a hunter.  I am like my brother in that sense."

"Your brother has a natural talent for battle, I'm still mad that nobody taught him how to fight or about his semblance."  Pyrrha stated with a touch of hostility.

"I know he has talent, always have."  Kate stated back.

That, the group and Pyrrha really did not expect.  "You know? How?"  She asked.

"Who do you think taught him how to dance?  Or how to draw or almost anything?  Mom was busy on various hunting assignments, Eve was too.  The only person friendly to my brother at home, was me.  Everything he did, he picked up quickly.  He did not have energy for much.  But what he was taught he learned to do well, and he learned quickly.  I am not surprised that that he is talented in combat.  I would have taught him that too were I taught myself."

"Is this where you tell us about the Vampire he carried?"  Pyrrha asked with the same hostile edge.

"On that subject, No.  That is a topic for my mother to explain."  Kate stated.  Pyrrha's posture lost that hostile piece at that.

"Continue with your story then Kate."  The Spartan requested.

Kate had to think a moment to remember where exactly she was before continuing "I had wanted to be a hunter.  However… I was scared.  I did not want to go to a hunters school even if one would accept me.  Again, I did not have the benefit of going to a combat school.  My mother has worked very hard to teach me what I know.  However, I was in the wilds because the last person to display my semblance.  Was my Uncle Robert."  Kate stated sadly.

"Robert Arc?  The Duke who died recently?"  Weiss stated surprised.

"Yes, the previous head of the household, my mother's brother, the creator and original owner of Defiance, my weapon.  However you say recently, I say murdered recently.  It was kept under wraps, the nobility did not want it known that one of their own was murdered.  There was a thorough investigation that did not yield any results."  Kate finished the statement appearing more than a touch upset, though she seemed to proud to openly cry about it.

"So then that means…" Yang started saying but hesitated.

"Yes, I was with my mother in the wilds, because she wanted to protect me.  With the situation we are in politically which before you ask, is my mother's subject to discuss with you.  I might have to see if I can enroll at a school if I want to continue with my training.  I don’t know of any school that will take me.  Again, I don’t have combat school training, only an incomplete apprenticeship."  Kate appeared highly upset here.

"You could enroll at Beacon."  Nora stated.  "They accepted Jaune, they would have to accept you too.  I bet your mom could convince Ozpin of that."  She looked happy as she said that.

"I could and I might have too.  But… that is not up to me."  Kate responded in a neutral voice.

The friends shared a curious glance.

"What do you mean?"  Blake asked.

"I will not enroll here even if I am given the offer, if my presence disturbs my brother.  It is largely going to determine on how this meeting turns out…"  She let the matter fade.

The friend again shared a glance and their collective thoughts were almost bleeding from them.  It depended… on them.  If they would accept her, she might be able to continue her training.  If not, she gives up her dream as a huntress, so her brother could continue his.  They figured this out at various points.  Weiss and Pyrrha first, followed by the rest of them.

Pyrrha took this time, to make her point.  She strode forward and ended up a step away from Kate.  Kate looked -very- nervous at the redhead but otherwise held her gaze.

"I previously said that it will take more than words alone to convince me of your intensions.  I have been open about that.  Do something."  Pyrrha stated neutrally.

"Excuse me?"  Kate replied by slightly confused.

"Do something.  You kept your word last night, that convinced me of your honesty.  Do something to prove to me that your brother means more to you than your family name.  You kicked your father.  That gave you a chance.  Do something beyond just speaking."  Pyrrha stated with her arms crossed in front of her.

Kate was left… unsure what do to.  While she thought furiously she responded back "You are putting me on the spot here Ms. Nikos."

"Yes, I suppose I am.  Actions speak louder than words after all."  She stated evenly.

Kate scanned the room and continued to think.  Eventually, her gaze ended up on Pyrrha's weapon she wore on her back.

"Give me your sword."  She stated openly holding out a hand.

At this, Pyrrha hesitated.

"I ask again, give me your sword."  Her eyes became determined at this point.

It was with great reluctance that Pyrrha obliged.  She reached up, and laid the weapon on Kate outstretched hand hilt first.

The group was not at all expecting what Kate then did.

With her off hand, she reached up and collected her hair which was free flowing around her shoulders.  She got a good grip and held it like a ponytail behind her head, and with her other arm brought Milo up, and made a single sure handed cut.

Yang responded the loudest with a very audible whimper as she held her hands around her hair protectively in front of her body.  Weiss nearly turned green again and looked at Milo as if it was some evil entity.

"I will never look at Milo again the same way Pyrrha."  Yang stated horror struck.

Kate still had the same determined and defiant glean in her eyes as she gave both the sword and collection of hair to a dumbstruck Pyrrha.  "That, I think, is the best I've got."  At that, she turned around again to face the window.

Pyrrha just stared down at the hair in her hands and had to admit for a response this was … damn good.  She wasn't sure if Jaune asked her to cut off her hair if she would be able to do it….  she gulped.

Pyrrha of course remembered Jaune's talk of hair earlier.  That it means more than just hair to them, it is a matter of pride, of ancestral heritage something they are eager to display.  She looked up at Kate for a few moments, then directed it back down to the hair she grasped onto.  She could literally feel the anger she once wielded freely for this girl… no woman literally slipping out of her body.  She moved to the side a few steps.  Temporarily placed her sword down on it.  Removed her shield, placed the shield on the bed and repositioned the sword on the shield.  She then laid the hair on the shield in a crossing pattern to match the sword.

Pyrrha took a long, deep breath, and smiled to herself before moving back to Katherine.  She gripped Kate by her shoulders and turned her around similar to how Ruby did previously.  Kate did not resist the turn but there was a strong look in her eyes.

"Katherine Arc, I am sorry for how I acted towards you yesterday.  I feared you would be like your father or Jewel, I was wrong.  I do not know yet about your mother.  I am however prepared to give you a chance.  My name is Pyrrha Nikos.  You can call me Pyrrha, what do you say we start over and try again at being friends?"  She asked earnestly and moved her arms out in a hug.

Kate… could not believe it at all.  She almost did not believe her ears.  She definitely did not believe her eyes as Pyrrha took a step forward and embraced her in a hug.

At that point, whatever restraint Kate had in her body to hold back her tears vanished.  The group watched as her arms moved… trembling as they did, to wrap them around Pyrrha in a hug.  When her face was buried in the Spartans neck and the sounds of crying was clearly heard throughout the room however, it was likely the two dogs in the room who had the best response.

They both leapt to their feet, jumped up to put their paws on both Pyrrha and Kate, then barked happily at the pair of them.

"Group HUG!!!!"  Yang yelled happily.

Before any of them knew it they were all surrounding the two of them in one pile of limbs.  Somehow the dogs ended up evading the rush of bodies and were simply wagging their tails happily observing the scene.

In the middle of the group hug a knock on the door was issued to interrupt them followed shortly by Ren entering the room.

His presence brought the group to an abrupt silence.

"Katherine, your brother is waiting for you in our room, and your mother is ready for the rest of us in the common room."

As happy as Kate was at the groups acceptance, it would mean nothing if Jaune did not as well.  It was with obvious emotion and fear that Kate started to work her way across the room into the JNPR dorm room.

The rest of the group moved out and found Mrs. Arc waiting for them sitting in a chair around the fire.  As a group, they took the first step towards her, to see what she could reveal about the situation.

**Well… I always said when your brain says to write, write.  I don’t think I have ever written this much this quickly but hey, I won't complain about it.**

**Same as always if you have any questions/feedback/suggestions/criticism or you just want to say hello leave a comment/review or shoot me an IM and we can discuss this to your heart's content.  Until then I hope you have enjoyed my story as much as I did in writing it.**

**Thank you for your time invested in reading this story, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	10. Year 2 Winter: Twins Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune and Kate meet after going their separate ways earlier in life and the group discusses the situation with their mother Deborah.

2.15

Katherine paused quite deliberately at the JNPR dorm door as she felt… something was wrong.  Instincts, her mother always spoke of instincts.  It can be difficult to trust something which does not speak with words, much less understand them.  Even so her mother swore that her instincts had saved hers and others life's on more than one occasion, and Kate trusted her enough to believe that at least her mother believed that to be true.  So it was both unnerving and pleasing to trust her instincts as she looked to her left to see that … at least initially her instincts appeared to be right.

She knew her mother was, overall, angry at the situation.  However following her encounter with her husband you would think that tossing him off the Beacon Tower would result in a substantially less angry outlook in life.  It did at least for one night, Kate knew that firsthand.  Right now, she looked even more angry -if that was possible- than when she discovered that Jaune was disowned.  While she was justifiably concerned over whatever she could have learned, she also knew that Jaune was expecting her.  She forced herself to put her naturally curious nature aside and ignore the literal piles of paperwork Mom had accumulated.

Taking a string of deep breaths, she turned frontwards again, and entered the room.

*** **GROUP IN COMMON ROOM*****

Weiss was not intimidated by many things.  She had become more honest with herself over the last few days thanks to her friends.  It was possibly this newfound honesty which might have previously triggered another string of nonchalance from her.  Right now, all it was providing was a sense of… concern.  The source of the concern was standing near a table with her weapon leaning against the nearby wall.  The tall blond woman was a foreboding sight.

The veteran warrior, like her youngest daughter wore formfitting traveling leather.  Katherine's seemed designed to show off her figure more.  Leaving nothing to the imagination about where her … admittedly very attractive curves lay. Certainly the Heiress found herself speechless as she observed the form of Katherine Arc move around silently and with angelic grace.  Weiss knew firsthand how much she worked to move and act on a higher plane than others.  Yet Katherine just seemed born with a level of grace that others could never dream of matching.  Pyrrha could, but she is about the only person who came to mind.

Deborah's setup was more formal than what Kate had wore and seemed to have more modesty.  The Heiress came to the conclusion that maybe that is part of what made Kate who she is.  She wasn't above using her looks in a fight if it meant a distraction to take advantage of even if the primary focus of her traveling gear was comfortable usability.  It makes a certain amount of sense that they would wear similar yet different clothing, but Weiss was still left feeling that she was looking at a woman in her 30's.  Not somebody who had given birth to 8 children, worked themselves to a tireless degree in their hunting career and is regarded as one of history's finest warriors and instructors over a long career.  At least if all you were looking as is physique.  Her face portrayed somebody who had been through a lot, and her hair wasn't the same bright color as her children's, even so, she could still be classified as attractive.

However unnerving being in her physical presence was, it was nothing compared to the look in her eyes.  By them alone she knew that Deborah was angry.  The elder woman had accumulated several piles of paperwork and the Matriarch glared at them at such a degree that she almost feared they would ignite under the pressure.  Both Ren and Nora spoke of the burning angry glare she had when they first met her.  It seems something happened to bring out that side of her again.  She knew that Deborah went to meet with Headmaster Ozpin first thing in the morning to try and get a head start on the paperwork but she couldn’t help but wonder what happened to bring this out.  Logic would imply that she is finally starting to solve the problem that had been plaguing her for months, she should be looking forward to it being done.  So why is she so mad now? 

Weiss noticed that the others had found their seats around Mrs. Arc.  Pyrrha choose to stand and for some odd reason she kept the hair from Katherine that she of course cut off to in answer to Pyrrha's challenge, she couldn't think of a reason why Pyrrha would do that.  Anyway she digressed, they all also seemed to notice that she was highly upset about something, and as such they were unsure how to proceed in this talk for some time.

She knew that Pyrrha for one was determined to get some very specific pieces of information out of her, information Mrs. Arc would theoretically be willing to share.  Even so the obvious emotion being displayed was enough to even keep the Spartan silent.  It was several minutes in when Deb started off the conversation.

"So, what should we talk about first?" Deb stated in a forced friendly voice.  Her two dogs trotted happily over to her and laid down at her feet, she seemed content to play with them while the group thought best how to ease into the discussion.

*** **BACK IN JNPR DORM ROOM*****

The first thing Kate noticed upon entering the JNPR dorm room was that it was very much so different than their sister teams.  For one, RWBY was full of vibrant colors of chaos very much ruling the day as the various and opposite mannerisms and ideals all fought for control over their living space.  Something she hoped to have a chance to learn more about as she spent time at Beacon.  It was fundamentally different in the JNPR dorm, there was no clashing of opinions. more like the merging and sharing of ideas.  It is difficult to explain the difference, but in the RWBY room Ruby's chaotic nature was directly clashing with Weiss' organizational dependence.  That was missing from the JNPR room. 

The second reason however was more important to her at the present.   The second, was that Jaune did not wait for her as she expected.

She was expecting maybe a pair of chairs in place around the JNPR solo common room.  It was smaller, built only to accommodate the 4 of them, not the larger overall setting and possible guest accommodations of their joint room. This should have been a more personal and private meeting.  He did the one thing she hoped he did not do.  Start off the conversation appearing for all possibilities closed off, as he sat on a chair reverse style in the middle of the sleeping area of the with his back to her.

She looked at what of his figure she could see, but before she could really study him up close in the white and red pants and shirt he wore, he spoke.

"I honestly never expected to see you again."  He said quietly and coldly.

"Jaune…"  In truth she had no idea what his mindset or emotional stance would take on seeing her again.  It seems like her worst case scenario was beginning to play out.  He really did not want to see her after all.

Before she could elaborate he spoke again.  "I can't help but think you are wasting your time by coming here Katherine." 

_KATHERINE?!  Since when was I Katherine to him!??_

"I have been disowned and nothing will change that.  You are better suited to staying away with Mom.  I thought that is what you wanted to do."  Jaune's voice grew even colder as he spoke.

For all Kate considered herself a tough person, she was starting to crack.  She did not believe seeing him again would be easy but she hoped he would at least give her a bone to throw back at him to … do something with.  She took some inadvertent steps towards him to the point she could nearly touch his back.

"Why are you here Katherine?"  He asked.

Kate notched her head slightly to the side, that question was said with a slight inflection she could not place.  None the less she did what she always did when she was on the defensive in a talk with somebody.  She closed her eyes, and stood her ground.

"Jaune, I came-"  She was cut off by Jaune standing and spinning around in one smooth and quick motion.

Kate could not react or dodge even if she was of a mind to do that, as her eyes were indeed closed.  Jaune's aim was sure, as Kate was hit dead center on her face cleanly… with a pillow.

"What I… What… You…" Kate finally managed to find Jaune as he had retreated a few steps back to a corner of the room, wearing a tremendous grin on his face.

Kate finally found her voice "What was that for?" she only halfway demanded.

Jaune smiled knowingly at her "3 years ago, remember?"

Kate had to think back.  "You are kidding me you actually remember that?  That was years ago!  I am pretty sure pillow ambushes expire after a set amount of time!"  She complained half-heartedly.

Jaune just shrugged.  "Eh, nobody told me that."  At that he walked back in front of his twin.

He seemed to realize that Kate was -genuinely- more shaken up by his actions than he initially thought she would be… In fact the more he thought about it the more he thought his timing could be better for his lighthearted joke.

"I'm sorry for scaring you."  He said honestly though he kept his smile on his face.

Kate was slightly irritated at the manner in which he choose to start their conversation as good natured as it was, even so they both just chuckled and looked over the other after a time standing a few feet apart.

Observing the changes that time and effort have made on each other.  They both knew each other's habits, Jaune consistently gave everything he had, so did his twin.  Years of hard work was displayed as they each saw the other up close for the first time.

Physically both of them had changed.  Jaune had endured Pyrrha's training for a year and a half, and it was certainly starting to show.  Jaune had accumulated a startling amount of muscle on his body, though he more or less still carried the same goofy looks he always did.  It was odd to see your twin brother with a touch of a beard, much less to have grown into a man while you were away, but she was happy to see her brother healthy and strong.

Kate was always incredibly attractive to just about anybody who had seen her.  It was sometimes awkward constantly hearing talk about how 'super hot' your twin sister was.  Even so she had worked no less hard than he did in her time with their mother.  Mom did not believe in taking transportation unless they absolutely needed to.  They walked and or jogged everywhere.  As such Kate had a pair of legs that rivaled Pyrrha's and her body was in great shape.  Lithe, lean, long and graceful always could have described her even before, she always was a hard worker.  That has not gone away in the time they last saw each other.

"You have grown up brother."  She said happily, she almost never thought she would see the day when he would be able to enjoy a full day without feeling ill.  Seeing him now brought more than a decade's worth of fear, frustration and concern up in her that she just could not keep down.

"Hey, it isn't like I am the only one who has changed.  We both have been through our trials."  He stated evenly as he moved closer.

"Jaune.  Not a day went by that I did not fear you would never want to see me again.  Never mind that I didn't even know if you would live until I got back."  Holding back tears was getting hard.

"Kate, let's think about that first part ok?"  He stated softly laced with empathy.

His natural talent for treating people well amazed her at times, but even so she was hardly poor at it.  She was familiar enough with the procedure to know what he was trying to do.

"Kate, I know full well the conversation that you just shared with my friends.  I did not hear the conversation.  I did not need to hear the conversation either."  He stated, leading her mind in a direction.

Think Kate… what is he trying to get you to see without having to say it.

"I knew you were with mom.  I knew why, I did not want to lose my one friend and the one person who treated me well but that didn't mean I didn’t understand why you needed to go."  He stated, laying the next couple steps for her to follow mentally.

Suddenly, she thought she understood.  "I just spent time convincing your friends that I was away for a valid reason."  She said.

"Indeed, and in my mind you were away for a valid reason.  I always knew you were away for a good reason."  At that he made a few steps closer to her.

When he opened up his arms in the same way he always did in their youth when he knew she wanted… or at least needed a hug, she did not hesitate.  Before long both were entwined in a hug.

He whispered what he said next into her ear "Kate, you are my twin.  I was never angry at you beyond the thought that I would have to live at home alone.  However, there is something about the situation you do not realize."

She mumbled a "hmm?" as she asked him to go on.  She had hugged her mother when one or the other needed one on the road, she missed hugging her brother all the same.

"You, my dear sister, inspired me to make the best choice of my life."  He stated with a smile on his face.

That confused her  "Excuse me?" she said more than a touch unsure of where he was going.

"Kate, you were the first to defy Father.  You did not follow his scheme's at getting you into fashion or let him take advantage of your looks in any way.  You are the one who brought it up going with mom on her hunts as an apprentice to learn to defend yourself and follow your dream.  You were the first to open my eyes that what I put up with at home was not normal.  When you left, you gave me the courage to follow my own heart.  You were the one who inspired me to go to Beacon, to try and live my own life.  I still have no idea how I got in, but you need to let go of whatever you are holding over yourself on the topic.  I am not angry with you Kate.  You are my sister, my twin, nothing will change that.  I have more than one topic I will need to discuss with mom.  But you have nothing to prove in my eyes."  He stated honestly in his normal voice into her ear.

When she let a few tears go, Jaune continued, however briefly.

"I'm sorry that you were put through a lot for my sake.  But you could never lose my love Katherine.  It isn't like you are Jewel or father trying to apologize.  I don’t know if even I could accept their apology, but you have nothing to apologize to me for."  At that he just stroked her back as he continued to hug her.

Kate was just overflowing with relief and she couldn't really find her voice.  A few weeks ago, A large part of her thought that her brother was forever out of her reach, that she had lost the person she felt most close too.  Right now the only thing that was in her mind was to continue the hug they shared, and not care if she let some of the tears she so hated fall from her face.

…

There was after all plenty of time to pay him back for that surprise pillow attack.

*** **OUT IN THE JOINT COMMON ROOM*****

The group all heard Deb's question, and while the entire group had at least one question or subject they wanted to discuss with the Arc Matriarch, in many cases more than one, they were all a bit unsure who would be the one best to speak. 

Pyrrha knew full her mindset.  She would get her answers today, she is willing to give the elder woman a chance to ease into the difficult conversation.  However too long had questions gone unanswered, she would get them today, even if she had to start the conversation in possibly the most awkward way possible.

Ruby it seemed, was the one destined to get the talks rolling.  She walked up in front of the older woman and said.

"Mrs. Arc…"  Ruby sounded very shy.

Deborah leveled her gaze on the young girl and replied "hmm?"

Ruby was good enough at reading body language to know that Jaune's mom was very angry about something, but she also figured that the older woman would go into it when she was ready and or she figured the time was right.

"I wanted to thank you, for Patch.  I cannot say that I have many friends at my home, but I am glad to know that you saved them."  She said very sincerely.

At that, the Matriarch genuinely smiled warmly.  "One thing you will learn about being a huntress is that all it takes in some cases is a spark.  I might have created that spark, but believe me I had help.  For all the fighting that Katherine and I did, the body count was weighed very heavily in the towns favor.  I did not do that alone."  Ruby didn’t know if she was being humble, modest, honest or all 3.

"That is not the picture that Kate made as she described it."  Yang stated off to the side.

"Yeah your daughter made you seem invincible."  Pyrrha chimed in on the opposite side of the room.

Deb smiled again.  "I am not trying to downplay what I did believe me.  But I am far from invincible, even at my strongest I would not have claimed that.  I have been in enough battles to know that you don’t need to be invincible to make others think you are.  If you can accomplish that, it isn't much of a stretch to make them think that with you on their side, they would be invincible too.  Much of what happened at Patch was simply convincing  the villagers that they could win.  My presence simply helped with that."  She claimed.

Pyrrha knew once again, there is truth to what the older woman said.  However despite her title of the "Invincible Girl" she has little to no experience in the type of mass battle the likes of which occurred at Patch.  Convincing the person you are fighting that you cannot be beaten, and convincing a group of villagers to stand up in the face of their own death sounds like two very different things.  As much as the Spartan did not want to admit it, she felt as though Mrs. Arc could teach her a great deal about being a huntress.  Ruby interrupted her thoughts.

"In any case, you arrived and you did help them.  I still want to thank you for it."  Ruby said happily.

"In that case I will simply say you are welcome."  She smiled warmly.

Ruby did not move away as it seems she was very curious about yet another topic.

"Mrs. Arc, could I ask you something else?"  She asked with … a strange amount of caution.  Her friends were genuinely  surprised at her tone and body language.

Deb welcomed a question or two to pull her out of her frustration which she knew would come out at some point in the day in the discussions they would surely have.  None the less, she had no reason not to answer whatever questions the friends had to get the ball rolling.

"What is on your mind?"  She asked warmly.

"I understand that you were a Professor here in the past?  That you taught here for some time?"  She asked, and received a nod in reply.

"I was wondering if you knew more about my mom in her time here or her team STRQ(Stark)?"  She asked with a fair amount of both hope and apprehension at the same time.

Yang brought her full focus on the conversation at the question.

"Your mom?"  She studied Ruby.  "Ruby Rose… Summer Rose."  She grinned.  "Of course, I should have put that together myself well before now.  What can I tell you about your mother?"  She asked wearing a warm smile on her face.

Yang had walked up next to her sister.

"Not just her mom" she said.  "About our parents."  The brawler added.

When Mrs. Arc seemed to gather her thoughts Ruby took off at a run back to her dorm room and quickly reappeared with a picture.  She handed the picture to Deb.

"Here this is them."  A smiling Reaper said.

Deb barely touched the picture when she recognized the image.  It showed her mother's team, Summer wearing her white cloak on the far left, then going right Taiyang, Raven, and finally Qrow.  A tree in the background and behind that a setting sun.

"Yes I remember the image well."  She said.

The sisters shared a glance before they asked at the same time. "You remember the image?"

Deb chuckled "Of course I remember the image, I'm the one who took the picture.  This was on the day we celebrated their graduation."  She stated as if fond of the memory.

"You celebrated their graduation?"  Weiss asked.

"Could you elaborate please Mrs. Arc?"  Ruby asked very energetically bouncing with uncontrollable energy.

Deb looked at her, and as if remembering something lit up like a light.  "Of course, forgive me I thought it was public knowledge.  I suppose I was wrong in that assumption.  Back in my time at Beacon as an instructor I was both the combat and advanced combat professor.  I had made it a tradition of a sort that when a team graduated my advanced class to take them out to a dinner in celebration.  This picture was taken after our dinner.  Qrow Branwen is your uncle is that not so?"  She asked.

Ruby and Yang both nodded eager for more information.

"Do you know if he still wears my cloak?"  She asked with a grin.

The girls turned to face each other taking several seconds due to the slow nature of the turn and just looked at each other for a second or two before looking back at Deb.

"Your?"  Yang said.

"Cloak?"  Ruby finished.  Both wearing astonished looks on their faces.

Deb chuckled again to herself.  "Yes, my cloak.  To answer your question Ms. Rose-"

"Ruby, please!"  The Reaper stated.

Deb smiled again "Ruby, your mother was a very special individual.  She was a natural leader and quite possibly the gentlest person I had ever known.  She took both her training and her duty as a huntress very seriously."

"What about your cloak?  My uncle loves that cloak he wears it with everything!"  Ruby asked again.

At that, Deb actually laughed "It is a bit of a story.  It was a running joke that I took the graduating team out drinking, the joke being that I am not a drinker.  In reality it was just for dinner, though of course they would be of legal age by this time so if they wanted to order as such it was their prerogative."

Ruby just nodded willing her to go on.

"Well, Qrow thought that the joke was quite literal and challenged me to a drinking contest.  Now I'm no drinker.  But… well I can't really claim to know what caused me to agree but I felt that that group was special, so as such I agreed.  He won my cloak from me that evening."  Despite the memory she smiled warming.

"Uncle Qrow beat YOU in a drinking contest?!"  Ruby exclaimed with glee with Yang sharing her look, just about everybody else in the room had a smile on their face.

"Like I said, I don't drink.  I won't lie I expected to be able to still be able to win the contest, but your Uncle proved me wrong in that assumption."  She sounded as if the memory was a pleasant one.

"What else can you tell us about our parents?"  Yang asked energetically.

Pyrrha repositioned a touch restlessly.  She had subjects she wanted to get to, questions that had been burning in the back of her mind for so long, before her was somebody who could answer them.  None the less… she supposed they had all day, if not all winter break.  She could not begrudge the sisters a rare chance to learn more about their parents.

Deb changed her gaze off Ruby to Yang "Yang Xiao Long… rather obvious now in hindsight.  You are Tai and Raven's daughter.  Was there something specific you want to know?"  She asked.

Yang was at first curious how Deborah had learned her name… then of course it hit her.  She said her name herself last night Deb either just remembered, or had learned it previously.

Ruby felt she already knew Yang's answer, even so she let her sister answer "I want to know everything.  Both our mom's left us with dad when we were very young.  I want to know… how are we like our parents?  How are we different? If you know why they left?  I want to know everything you can tell me Mrs. Arc."  Yang looked uncharacteristically focused as she asked her questions.

At this Pyrrha had to admit that she was curious.  She could guess that Mrs. Arc was given some basic information from Ozpin, but it would hardly have been a life time's report on his students.  She knew that Jaune was fairly perceptive, a chance to see how his mother was in the same line was an intriguing one.  Made much more so with how Deb answered the question.

"Are you quite certain you want me to answer those questions for you Ms. Xiao Long?"  She asked cautiously.

Blake and Nora both snorted a touch as if they tried and failed to hold back a chuckle.

Deb was tactful enough to ignore the laughter, as she just observed Yang.

"Yes, I do want to know."  Yang repeated openly.

Deb scrutinized Yang for several minutes.

"Ms. Xia-" She started.

"Yang please!" She appeared slightly tired of having to make that correction.

"Very well… Yang.  I can hardly claim to know your personality as I barely have spent time with you.  However I have spent a good deal of time around students, specifically with teaching them to fight to their potential.  I am fairly confident in saying that Ruby is a near clone of her mother.  Which is meant to be praise."  She added the last bit quickly as Ruby looked inwards a touch nervously at the comparison.

"As for you Yang… I feel confident in saying that you have the strengths of both of your parents"  Yang fist bumped and smiled happily.

"As well as both of their weaknesses."  Mrs. Arc concluded.

Yang quite literally froze, and asked.  "Excuse me?"  She didn’t intend to sound cross or upset, just curious.

"Again, are you sure you want me to answer?"  Deb asked.

"Why do both you and Jaune ask me that?  Of course I want to know the answer if I ask the question."  Yang stated… not a touch riled.

Deb smiled… She had not realized that Jaune did nearly the same thing previously.  Once she settled her mind recalling the various relationships she was aware of regarding the team in question she answered by saying "Jaune likely was reading the same thing from you that I am.  Though I doubt he got the same information I am seeing.  Taiyang was physically blessed, very physically strong.  Yet he was lacking very much so in discipline, both mentally and physically.  Curing him of that particular problem was one of the most frustrating challenges I ever encountered as a teacher.  As for your mother, Raven was one of the most ferocious students I ever taught.  However she was very short of temper, quick to anger and was very brash.  Unless I miss my guess, you share all of those qualities."

As much as Yang wanted to argue, she really couldn’t.  That was all accurate to a fairly precise extent, none the less she felt the need to say "My dad was undisciplined?  How did you fix that?  Can you do the same for me?"

At this, Deb smiled again.  "Just what are you asking me to do Yang?" 

Yang's smile was radiant and very confident "I want you to prove to me that I am undisciplined.  I train very hard like everybody else here."  Her confidence fell a smidgeon at the look on Mrs. Arcs face.

"A unique request…"  She looked behind them to Nora.  "Ms. Valkyrie-"

"Nora please!"  She requested.

Deb smiled again and completed her request.  "Nora, would you mind going to the weight room nearby and doing an old woman a favor?"

Nora just like normal, leapt to her feet ready to go.  "Whatcha need?"

"Bring 2 dumbbells, the heaviest you can carry up here please."

The friends observed Nora take off downstairs to gather the weights.  As the time and silence drug on Weiss felt the need to ask a question she was curious about.

"Mrs. Arc I hope you will forgive me for asking as I know this is a touch rude."  Deb merely looked at her and nodded for her to continue.

"If I may Ma'am, I am curious about your age?  You don’t appear a day over 30 and yet I know that to be impossible."  Weiss asked, if she didn't know better Mrs. Arc actually blushed a bit at the suggestion.

"Well I must say that is a first Ms. Schnee.  Nobody has accused me of appearing to be thirty in a very long time.  I would be more than happy to claim to be 30.  I am not so cruel as to ask you to voice what you guess, but I am 67."  She responded chuckling slightly.

That, visibly, got a response in the form of open jaws from the group.

"67?"  Weiss repeated in disbelief.

Pyrrha of course knew that some women just aged better than others.  Her own mother was around 50 and even she, as good of shape as she appeared to be, would have been flattered to be compared to Mrs. Arc.  Weiss was every bit accurate in her summation of Mrs. Arc to her mind.

"How… can you possibly be 67?"  Pyrrha asked… very forwardly.

Deb smiled again. "I'm sure that more than one noble family from Cadia would demand me to give you the typical rhetoric of 'It is the noble blood of the Arc family which is much stronger and more pure than the commoner riff raff' nonsense that many of them put out.  I will simply say it is an active lifestyle filled with constant exercise paired with my aura and semblance which is to blame.  I don’t claim to be some ageless wonder but I am flattered that you all think I am aging well."  She stated humbly.  She of course knew the reputation of her children as being attractive, with Katherine of course being the most prominent of them.  It was something she took pride in as a mother that her children, Jaune included, filled out to such attractive forms.

Pyrrha was in thought following that information.  Her aura and semblance… Pyrrha considered.  And like a light, she understood.  She said as much last year.  The Arc semblance is very efficient and powerful when it comes to healing the body.  With her semblance based around literally immersing herself in her aura, it is only natural that its effects tend to keep her body healthy and strong.  This of course means that she would have given birth to Jaune and Katherine when she was 49 or 50.  That is remarkable.

Deb smiled at Pyrrha as if reading her thoughts, and noted that Nora had returned carrying two huge dumbbells.  She sat them down happily in front of Mrs. Arc and moved aside to observe whatever it is she had in mind.

Yang was off to the side performing some stretches as it seems she fully was vested in winning this challenge of Mrs. Arc's, whatever it is.

"So what are you going to have me do?  Some curls?  That should be easy."  In truth it was a great deal of weight that Nora brought over, none the less the room was surprised by Mrs. Arc's answer.

"No, I am going to have you do pushups, properly."  She stated with a… odd smile on her face.

*****BACK IN JNPR DORMROOM*****

Kate was starting to feel the effects of lack of sleep, none the less following her hug with Jaune she and he spoke on several subjects.  She had observed the color pictures he had made for his partner and was slightly annoyed at one of them.

"You made a picture called 'My Family' and you did not include anybody from your actual family?  I can understand not wanting to draw everybody in the picture, but I figured you would have made room for at least mom and I if not Eve too."  She stated a touch annoyed.

Jaune didn’t miss a beat and just smiled "Never knew you to give up so easily Kate, look again."

Kate looked at him through narrowed eyes, then directed her attention back to the picture.

…

…

…

It was the blue eyes that tipped her off eventually. "A BIRD?!  You made me a bird?!"  She asked incredulously.  2 Birds were flying above the Beacon tower.  One black with blue eyes, the other white with blue eyes.  His twin, and their mother.

"You could have made me a dog, or a badger, or hell even a squirrel.  Some animal that actually does things and causes some mischief, but you made me a bird!?"  She was only halfway joking.

Huh… a badger would not have been a bad idea.  I think she just gave me an idea for a new picture sometime.

"A badger or squirrel would not have fit so well into the picture."  He stated defensively.

Kate snorted "That is why I always preferred paint to pencils.  So much more you can do with paints."

"What would that have to do with anything?"  He asked with a smile.

In hindsight Kate was just arguing to argue at this point.  A frequent occurrence with she and her twin.  "Eh, not much I suppose.  I am glad that you put mom in the picture too."

Kate knew, she absolutely knew that Jaune would need to discuss some things with their mom.  She wanted to make the conversation as easy as she could for their mom, and decided to get one point out of the way now.

"Jaune you need to know that she did not sign that disownment paper.  You have to know that right?"  Kate put forth.

Jaune froze, and seemed lost in thought.  "That certainly looked like her signature Kate."  He stated.

Kate just gave him a 'think you dummy' look that he knew so well, and went over again what he knew of the situation.  He knew that she and mom was in the wilds…

_Yeah… I guess I should have known better._

"Dad's Power of Attorney… I should have realized that far sooner I suppose."  He sounded embarrassed that it took this long to realize that.

Kate just smiled happily, and decided to ask something that has been burning in the back of her mind.  "Jaune, seeing as we are a happy family again.  Is it too soon to ask you a favor?"  She asked with a shy smile.

He just looked at her and gave her a 'well, what?' type of shrug.

In response she held up a pair of scissors designed for cutting and styling hair.

Jaune smiled, "I wondered when the subject of your hair was going to come up.  What do you want me to do with it?"  He asked.

"Just, I don’t know make it look good.  I don't know what you can do, you don’t have much to work with."  She admitted.

Jaune was too busy organizing his makeshift salon chair and thinking about what he could do to notice how slowly she had been moving.  He none the less got her in the chair and started working.  They decided on a type of cut and he then focused on doing his best.  It was not until he was done that he noticed just how tired his twin was.

"All done"  He said as he finished.

She didn’t move.  It was then, he realized she was sleeping.  The haircut was simply so relaxing, she could not stay awake.

Wow… she said that she didn't sleep hardly at all last night or the night before last.  She really was out of it.  He had half a mind to leave her on a bed and join his friends outside with his mother.  However… he had plenty of time to think about how that encounter should go.  Now that Kate and he were reunited, they should be present at the same time.  He sighed at the memory of how often she had carried or helped him back to his room after he just ran out of energy with whatever she was trying to teach him.  He owed her more than one favor for how much she tried to help him in their youth.  I guess it is my turn to play big sibling.

He gently lifted her out of the salon chair, sat her down on his thigh after finding a spot on the floor leaning against a bed.  He draped a blanked over both of their figures as she leaned into his shoulder.

He knew she would be too proud… to tough to admit that she was tired quite literally until she fell asleep.  It felt good to be the one taking care of her for a change.

*****BACK IN THE JOINT COMMONS*****

The task set before Yang was received a bit more comically than was intended.

"Pushups?" Yang repeated incredulously.

Deb just smiled only slightly evilly.  "Yes, pushups.  You will do 30 pushups with perfect, and I emphasis perfect form.  If you do one out of sync or out of form, the count starts over again."  She grinned a merry happy grin as she spoke.

The rest of the group was certainly intrigued, Yang was certainly more than capable of performing 30 pushups.  Even so Mrs. Arc moved and spoke with such confidence like she knew this was going to be more of an endeavor than it otherwise would be.

"I will not accept a single imperfect push up from you.  Are you positive you are ready for this?"  She stated in total confidence.

Yang just nodded, 30 pushups?  No problem.

"Ok, grab the dumbbells…"  She went on to describe the form she wanted.  Shoulder width pushups gripping the dumbbells granting a deeper dip than normal.

25 pushups in, Deborah had not counted over 4.

"Not low enough"  Was a common criticism.

"Your back is not flat."  Was another.

"What do you mean my back was not flat!?"  Yang demanded sweating and a touch breathless.

"I should think it obvious, your body was not in a straight line anymore.  I am not challenging you to do short pushups Ms. Xiao Long I am asking you to do formal pushups.  You can still back out if you like." She said a touch out of character… until the group realized, no it was actually in character.  A fantastic, if demanding instructor by reputation.  This was Professor Arc at work.

Deborah had an idea.  "Nora, Blake, please step over here."

Yang took a rest in a raised position while Mrs. Arc did… whatever it was she was doing.

Deborah had then hold a ruler at various points at an angle.  Blake was a touch conflicted.  She wanted to tease her teammate, but didn't want to go too far.  Thus far they had not crossed the line, yet.  Nora was just happy to be doing something instead of sitting down.

Yang noticed the 4 rulers the 2 of them held at various points along her body making slight contact with the skin.

"Ms. Xiao Long you will keep your back straight and as you raise up and your body will contact each of these points at the same time.  I trust Blake and Nora will inform me If I miss something." She stated with a wink.

 Nora nodded happily, where Blake just grinned.

Deborah had another thought.  "Ms. Nikos would you mind bringing me those books?"  She asked pointing at a stack of books near Pyrrha.

The books ended up under the weights much to the chagrin of Yang.  Yang just looked at Mrs. Arc and her face must have been asking 'why?' cause Deborah responded.

"Because you tend to stop when you encounter your endowment.  That halts a proper push up.  I had hoped the dumbbells would be enough but I suppose not.  You have had enough of a break, time to try again Ms. Xiao Long."  She had and advised Yang to resume after adding the books under the dumbbells. 

Jaune had advised Pyrrha of this.  Once she had decided on something to do.  It was either done perfectly, or she did not do it.  Pyrrha was beginning to see this in effect.

In the end, Yang was left feeling like she just did a full body workout.  She had to crank out over 350 pushups before Weiss gave up counting.  It was several minutes later she finally hit her 30 perfect pushups in a row goal.

Yang was breathing in loud gasps on the ground when she noticed that Mrs. Arc had knelt down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.  The next thing she noticed was that she seemed full of energy as her exhaustion vanished.  Yang she felt a calming presence move through her body easing sore muscles as it moved.  Yang stood up a bit surprised having never experienced the healing ability of the Arc family previously.

"You share the physical blessing of both of your parents Ms. Xiao Long.  You have a physically strong, capable and very durable body.  However you have become too dependent on it.  You need to learn to discipline yourself, do not settle for half hearted attempts.  Do not do 'enough' to get by.  You should be working to push yourself with each workout not to merely do it to get it done.  You are gifted, you need to focus yourself to bring that potential out of you."  Yang just nodded with big eyes as she contemplated the lesson even as she tried to catch her breath despite not feeling as exhausted from the workout.

Mrs. Arc looked at Pyrrha "That is how you have been instructing my son, is that not correct?" She asked.

Pyrrha could only nod, having no idea what clued her in about that.

"Good."  She said as she turned her attention back to Yang.  "That is what I mean by you share your parents weaknesses Yang.  Your father is a strong and powerful man.  Unfortunately he lost his focus very easily and often.  It was not easy getting him to discipline himself in this regard.  Once he did however he was able to better reach his potential.  I did what I did just now because it is the best way I had of both helping you, and answering your question."  She very much sounded like a Beacon instructor as she said that.

"How did I do compared to him?"  She asked curiously.  Inwardly she was beginning to understand just how Jaune had progressed so much.  If Pyrrha was as demanding with him as often as they work out as Mrs. Arc was just now.  It would explain a great deal.

Mrs. Arc shrugged "For a first attempt it was not so different.  It took him awhile to buy into what I was trying to get him to understand.  It took both Raven and Summer to convince him to give it a serious attempt.  I think in the process he found a piece of himself.  I don't know if he used his motivation to not let them down or if they actually convinced him to take what I said seriously, but the end result is sometimes there is a limit to what a professor can do.  If it takes you finding something you want to protect to focus and discipline your mind then so be it.  Just find something, whatever it is."  Her speech was not just hot air, she fully appeared to believe and want the best for her pupils, all of them including the group with her now.

Ren, who had been keeping his peace decided to speak up "It seems your reputation as a superb instructor is well earned."  He said simply.

The group looked at him expecting him to elaborate, sure they were all thinking that, but Ren so rarely spoke without a defined purpose.

"I am curious if you can tell us more about the Arc semblance.  Katherine said that you would have to be the one to advise more on that topic."  He asked.

Deborah almost looked like her youngest daughter for a second as she contemplated how best to go into the subject.  Eventually she hit her orators stride.

"The Arc semblance is both as complex or as simple as you can choose to describe it.  We have come up with various names to label them though they mostly come down to colors."  She stated.

"I have a question"  Nora stated happily.

"Yes?"  Deborah simply said.

"Your daughter, Katherine, said something which caught my attention earlier today-"

"I should write today's date down…"  Ren said under his breath, prompting an amused look and a playful elbow from his friend.

Nora resumed by saying "Kate said all of her family members 'even Jewel' has the ability to be a protector.  Could you elaborate what she meant by that?"

The group had to admit that they were curious what that explanation would be.

Deb had cast her gaze to the ground and seemed to collect her thoughts.  "That is a more complex topic than I suspect you meant to ask about Nora.  I will try to answer it best I can."

Nora shared a glance at Pyrrha, they both shrugged noncommittally.

Mrs. Arc resumed speaking "The Arc semblance, indeed the Arc family.  Is perhaps most well known for its valiant warriors, its defenders of the people.  Our semblance grants us a fair amount of speed and power, however its true purpose is that of assisting their allies in battle.  That is the… shall we say pure form of our semblance.  The more complete the connection is, the more powerful its effects are.  A complete stranger would feel small, yet noticeable changes.  It proceeds upwards from there to various degrees.  It is a semblance that I and Jaune share in terms of color and similarity."  She had moved to a wall to lean against it as she spoke.

"How do you know what Jaune's semblance is?"  Pyrrha asked surprised.

Deborah smiled as she answered "I saw your dance Ms. Nikos.  His semblance is, at its core, identical to mine."

Pyrrha did not like the idea of somebody spying on Jaune and her without her knowing… but didn't want to get too judgmental.  It was natural for them to want to observe the dance.  She realized something else.  Jaune has his mothers semblance, Katherine her uncle's…

"Mrs. Arc, your brother Robert, were you and he twins?"  She asked out of curiosity.

A sad smile appeared on Debs face "You noting how our semblances line up?  Yes, Robert and I were twins."  She answered.

Seeing that Pyrrha's curiosity had been sated, Deb resumed speaking "Overtime a great deal of people married into the Arc family.  It was very common for a warrior of renown to be offered a hand to a child in times past.  Naturally some of those warriors had less than reputable personalities.  Sure they might have been superb warriors, but they were not otherwise great people."

Deb took a moment to sort out her thoughts on the matter.  "The color of the Semblance, is not all that important.  The white and blue combination was considered the most pure, the overall effect or difference of it I was never all that convinced of however.  If the color is silver like Eve, white like Jaune or I, or even light blue like Crystal.  The purpose of the semblance is still essentially the same."

Pyrrha and Ren were there most focused as Deborah moved along the subject, though they were unsure of where she was going with it.

Deborah resumed speaking "People claim that the Arc semblance is a highly powerful and potent semblance given its dominance in getting passed on to children.  However… as the famous quote says 'Aura is a reflection of your soul'.  Which means that the semblance itself can be… changed depending on the aura of the individual.  I say this because there is another spectrum of colors of which Jewel's semblance is based off of.  Hers is a very dark purple as the primary color.  With the very different color makeup it is also a very different purpose.  Instead of being a boon to people, her semblance drains the will of her enemies.  Makes them less willing to fight.  Essentially it is the opposite of what the Arc semblance traditionally does.  This does not make Jewel or anybody who had that semblance in the past evil, but it does mean that they are fundamentally different as people.  Several less… noble people have fought for a good cause in the past.  It is only natural that some of those people spread into our family overtime as well.  That is what I believe Katherine meant as she said that.  Jewel might be different on a fundamental level, but she could still be seen as a defender of the public. I have told Katherine that… well I suppose it isn't important.  Katherine has a tremendous amount of potential and I don’t want her limiting herself in her mind."

"Jaune has a great deal of potential too Mrs. Arc."  Strange the voice was not Pyrrha's, but rather Weiss.

Mrs. Arc put a slight smile on her face "I know he learned fast, I don’t want to get off track but to put it mildly I agree with you.  I suspect that he and Katherine both have the potential to be incredible hunters from what I have seen of them.  Even if their talents are more opposites, that does not mean one is inferior to the other.  Equal yet opposite I believe applies to those two.  He is the only person I know to have the same amount of aura reserve as Katherine and myself."

Pyrrha for one was surprised at that.  Jaune she knew, had an absurd amount of aura, but it was equal to that of his twin and mother?  She didn’t believe that he saw much of her mother for her to get a reading, much less a positive one of her son, but she guessed they would have measured his aura in the past.  She supposed that the Elder Arc was something of an expert at judging students and trying to bring out their potential… She had to clamp down on her thoughts, she did not want to get them too far off topic.  The subject of the vampire will come up in time.

"What do you call your semblances if not Aid Mrs. Arc?  Kate called hers Ghost."  Ruby asked curiously.

"Well, names aren't overly important as they all basically serve the same purpose.  However my semblance is referred to as Paragon meaning White Knight.  If your of a more cold color, like blue or green.  The normal label is Silver Knight or Seylance.  A warm color would tend to be called Gold Knight or Raeyr.  We tend to call any darker color, be it dark red, blue, green, anything shade you can name, by Avadon, meaning Dark Knight.  The name is no more than a label it isn't anything to be taken literally."

After finishing her talk and without any other questions being brought up, Deborah decided to head to the kitchen to get some coffee.  She came back to find that the group had started up the central fireplace, she decided to sit on the outer rim to let the fire warm up her body.  As she looked around she noticed that Pyrrha was studying her very closely.

"You seem to have something you would like to ask me Ms. Nikos."  She said openly.

Pyrrha just returned her gaze and responded back "All due respect, I believe you know full well what I want you to tell me." She said with complete seriousness.

Deborah sighed outwardly.  So many topics they had to discuss today, she knew the Vampire would come up at some point.  She could guess that Jaune would want to discuss some things alone with her, and it would be a solid guess to assume that the Vampire would be one of them.  She would not begrudge having the explain the topic to him again even if it is a difficult thing to talk about.

"Yes, I suppose I do know some of what you want to discuss."  As she looked around she knew that the entire group wanted to know more about this subject.  Even the more cautious Blake was invested at the conversation.

The group observed that angry glare return to the Matriarchs eyes as she prepared herself to discuss this, and the moved to settle in chairs as they anticipated a long discussion.

"I will tell you two truths.  The first is what I believed leading up to my discussion with two of you."  She indicated Nora and Ren.  "It is what I have believed to be the truth for nearly as long as my son had been alive.  The second truth, is what I discovered sense then… including as recent as this morning."  She stated unable to keep the anger out of her voice.

"You seem very angry about it Mrs. Arc."  Ruby stated trying to help however she could.

Deb looked at the Reaper, and her gaze softened slightly as she said "I am very angry about it."  The gaze hardened right back up "If I knew last night what I learned this morning I might have tossed James Arc out that window piece by piece… to say I am angry is an understatement."  She took a very deep breath, in pause.

You could have heard a pin drop in the room as there was absolutely no doubt whatsoever about who the group was focusing on.  Even Nora, who had such a difficult time focusing was putting all her brainpower and focus on what Mrs. Arc was saying.

"Here is my first truth.  The Vampire parasite is a very rare Grimm.  As of this month there was 71 cases of it known."

"71 this year?"  Pyrrha asked openly.

"No, 71 ever, in the time we have known the parasite to exist.  That is much less than one a decade for anybody keeping track of such things"  She looked over at Weiss with a sly smile as she said that.

She continued "Of those 71 infections, 17 of them survived childbirth.  Would anybody care to take a guess how many of those 17 survived till adulthood?"  She asked.

The group looked at each other seemingly at random, though nobody was willing to guess a number.

When Mrs. Arc determined no guess was forthcoming she continued "3.  Of those 3 who survived till adulthood how many of them were able to function, if only somewhat, in a day to day basis?"  Once again she asked the question, which the group was beginning to believe was rhetorical.

When nobody answered her or supplied any guessed she made to respond.

She held up a single finger.

She let the group take as long as needed for that knowledge to sink in.

Pyrrha, did not know what to think.  So Jaune is the only person who has ever been able with the parasite who has been able to function as a person?  She knew that she inspired him to do more and be better… she just never fathomed it was by that much.  It left her feeling a mix of happy and sadness that he had to carry it in the first place.

Deborah continued again "I knew I was carrying the parasite.  I was busy on a hunting assignment and did not realize I was pregnant until I got back.  The parasite cannot infect a full adult, it can only attach itself to the heart of its victims as they are baby.  Very little is known about how, and I cannot claim any secret knowledge on the topic.  I will however state that while I was busy on this hunting assignment I encountered what I believed to be the larval form of the parasite.  When I returned from the assignment I was correct.  Believe me it is not a sensation you want to carry thinking you have just condemned a child to death."

This was obviously not an easy topic for her to discuss, even so she continued to move through the subject.

"Jaune, and Katherine, were originally triplets.  When one fetus did not develop beyond a very young age, the Dr who was assisting me through my pregnancy assumed that the Vampire attached itself to that one.  He was proven correct in his assumption via an autopsy later."  Her eyes were beginning to water despite her intentions.

"So how did Jaune get infected?"  Pyrrha asked.

"Well… Again for the vast majority of his life, I thought he wasn't infected.  One of the facts about the Vampire is that again, in all cases known.  It always carried a single parasite.  In cases when a mother was carrying more than one child, only one child had ever too that point been infected.  100% of the time, it was A 1 parasite to 1 mother ratio.  What happened with Jaune, had never happened before.  I had 2 of them in me.  One claimed a life, one as you know, tormented another for nearly 18 years."  The water was more visible now and she took a moment to compose herself and drink more of her coffee.

"Why didn't you have him checked out by a doctor?"  Ren asked.

When Mrs. Arc was able, she continued "The technology back then, was barely out of the trial stage.  Highly experimental.  James at the time quoted me an 8% survival rate for children to just survive the dust scan to detect the parasite.  Again, history backed up a 1 to 1 ratio.  We already had a confirmed Vampire in one of our children, I had no reason to suspect otherwise.  The Medical staff assured me the child was born with a deformity, and at the time I still trusted my husband.  That, is the first truth as I knew it until about 2 months ago."

It was several minutes later when she was composed enough to continue.  "Following my conversation with Nora, and Mr. Lie, I decided to dig further into the situation.  Mr. Lie told me of the parasite, and its cure via the Headmasters intervention.  I looked further into the doctors who assisted me, Ozpin sent me a copy of the medical report that he gave Jaune.  I did have 2 months to wait until I was going to meet Jaune and I decided to throw everything I had into determining what happened, when I wasn't trying to train his twin anyway.  This leads me to the second truth I am about to tell you."  She finished off her coffee, and her eye's blazed brighter than ever.

"I am guilty of many things in my life.  I was not the best mother to my children.  I was gone as a teacher more times than not, and quite often when I wasn't teaching, I was performing my duty as a hunter.  I am not going to win any awards for parenting, but I would never intentionally harm my children.  I love them all, even those that make it a touch harder to.  I am not guilty of harming my children on purpose…" She seemed a bit distracted…

"What did you learn Mrs. Arc?"  Ruby asked, likely with the hope of helping.

It did seem to succeed in focusing the Matriarch, she took another deep breath and spoke on "As the Duchess of Cadia I have a great deal of information at my finger tips.  I starting paying close attention to medical cases.  Going back looking over old records.  When I read the medical report Ozpin ordered on my son, both Doctors with more than 40 years experience concluded it would be impossible for any doctor not to notice the effects of the Vampire parasite present inside Jaune.  That knowledge made me question things I used to accept as fact." She paused.

"Understand one thing before I go on.  I would not share this next without being 100% sure I was correct.  I checked and doubled checked sources, in one of the piles over on that table-"  She indicated the table with the 3 stacks of paperwork "- you will find references for what I am about to tell you.  The Doctor who was responsible for Jaune's diagnosis came under fire recently from several sources.  Each time he was helped out by one Michael Masters.  These were not off shoot occurrences.  The doctor eventually lost his license and was serving his sentence.  I would have put in a request to have him questioned, but he was killed while in prison very recently.  I ordered those records reopened, and Michael Masters did not assist him in the case where he was eventually convicted.  However one payment of a large sum of Lien was rather curious as it lines up with my pregnancy which the court was unable to find a match for."  She stated to recollect herself.

"So this Michael Master's paid the doctor to do what?"  Yang asked.

Pyrrha, was already feeling empathetic towards Mrs. Arc, but she got the feeling she might be feeling just as angry as the older woman was very soon.

Deborah eventually was able to continue "One of the pieces of evidence used against him was that he lied on various medical records.  Including, I learned, the one that claimed Jaune was born with a weak heart."

Yeah… very very angry Pyrrha seethed.  The doctor who was responsible lied…. wait why did Deborah Arc say that she would have thrown her husband off the Tower in pieces if she knew this last night?  This is going to get a great deal worse, Pyrrha thought.

"The unfortunate truth I learned, is that Michael Masters.  Is an alias for a certain individual I thought I knew well.  James, Arc.  Michael is his middle name, which before I met him he used instead of his first.  Masters of course is his given last name."  Her eyes blazed like embers as she said that.

Pyrrha caught on to what Deb was saying quickly, the others eventually followed suit.

"So, what your telling me.  Is that you can prove that his… father, not only knew of the infection, but he paid a doctor to lie about it?  That is more or less what you are telling me?"  Yang's eyes had turned red.

"That is what I am trying to say, yes.  That is what I learned this morning.  Having access to Beacon communications setup is much more thorough than my scrolls, as such I was able to get some things returned I had been waiting on."  Deb responded just an livid.

The group did not even know how to respond to that.  Pyrrha knew, she knew from the moment she read his letter to Jaune last year that she was not going to like that man.  However even she never suspected he would do that.

"Why?  I do not understand.  What does he have to gain from doing that?"  The Spartan demanded.

Mrs. Arc hesitated before continuing.  When she spoke it was with less certainty "I cannot say for certain.  Maybe he wanted to use it to have leverage on me.  Maybe he wanted to use Jaune's semblance with his massages to strengthen some of the children who had a better relationship with him.  I cannot say exactly why.  It was something I intended to ask him myself, at sword point if necessary."

The group shared glances, Ruby was even crying, likely out of sympathy, where as the rest of the likely would have volunteered to hold Mr. Arc in place while his wife did her gruesome work.

"So what are you going to do about it?  About him?"  Blake asked, rare emotion was clear on her face.

"Well… a part of it I have already done.  I have removed his authority from any official sense, though as my husband he still carries enough weight that I cannot just toss him out of the political game… proverbially anyway.  I put an arrest warrant out for him but I doubt anything will come of it"  Again, Mrs. Arc looked livid.

"What do you mean?  You put out an arrest warrant but you expect nothing?"  Yang asked, her eyes were still red.

"Because he never arrived at home.  I don't know if he felt the time of my return was too questionable, if one of the sources I tapped into for information about the Vampire alerted him or what.  But he never arrived back in Cadia."  She moved to sit back down.

Silence sat in the room.  When it was clear the subject of the Vampire was not going to come up again, at least for the moment, Deb moved to the table with the piles of paperwork.  She picked up one of them… the smallest of them contained in a folder, and walked over the Weiss.

Weiss observed her walk towards her and looked up at her as she arrived.  The smaller girl could not keep out of her face just how intimidated she was of the Elder Warrior.  "C-can I help you?"  She asked.

Mrs. Arc just moved down on her haunches so she was at eye level with the sitting Weiss.  "Ms. Schnee, I would like your assistance with one of my plans… Really my biggest one."

Weiss, at the request for her assistance put a more confident look on her face.  "What do you need me to do?"  She asked.

"I need you to look this paperwork over, and ensure it is done properly.  I need an expert on the law, you are the most qualified person I can ask for help."  She stated earnestly handing the paperwork to Weiss.

"Would you not have people you can ask at home Mrs. Arc?"  Weiss asked confused even as she opened it to look it over.

"Yes, I would.  But I do not know how many of them would have their loyalty with me, or if anybody would pass on what I am doing to him."  She said honestly.

"What exactly is your plan Mrs. Arc?"  Ren asked.

"I would prefer not to speak of it until I enact it.  Moreover I still need to have Jaune's agreement to it before I can proceed with it."  She answered still appearing honestly, if a touch out of her comfort zone.

Weiss had started to look through the file spinning a pencil between the fingers of her off hand.  As she turned the pages the less attention she could give to the pencil, and is slowed to an eventual stop.  She turned the page another time, and the response was priceless.  Her mouth fell open, her head dipped to the side, and the pencil in her off hand was snapped in half.

"Mrs. Arc… this is your plan?  This is what you are doing for Jaune to make this right?"  She sounded both amazed and genuinely impressed.

The rest of the group looked at Weiss almost as if they wanted to tear the information right out of her.

Deborah simply stated "Yes, I cannot engage James in a prolonged political battle.  Even if I win it would take years to resolve, and more over that would not assist Jaune with what befell him-"

"What do you mean you aren't sure you can beat him in a political battle?  You are the Duchess, he isn't?"  Pyrrha asked more than a touch confused.

Here, Mrs. Arc smiled as she turned to face the Spartan "Ms. Nikos-"

"Pyrrha, I am your sons girlfriend after all I think I should be on a first name basis with his mother."  The Spartan replied, she knew in her gut that Jaune was going to give his mother a chance, she might as well accept doing the same.

"Thank you Pyrrha."  She genuinely appeared emotionally effected by that.

She later resumed "Pyrrha, I am not a politician.  I was not groomed from a young age to accept the title I carry as most Arc heirs are.  However I know a thing or two about engaging in battles that do not look winnable.  If you are faced with an opponent that will likely win a prolonged battle or at minimum drag it out over an unacceptable amount of time.  How do you go about doing engaging it?  How many strikes should you take against it provided that you must engage him, and running away is not an option?"  She asked, almost in Professor mode.

The group had to think, but they all came to the same conclusion when Pyrrha answered back "If I must strike, I would try to only strike once."

"One time, correct.  This is something my parents ensured all of their children was well acclimated with.  Again, I do not want to go into it until I have had a chance to discuss it with my son.  But trust me when I say that this is the biggest-meanest hammer I have available to me."  She stated openly.

"Yes, it is the biggest hammer you have, I don’t dispute that Mrs. Arc… If I might offer a suggestion?"  Weiss asked.

She received a nod in reply and continued "I… understand you are not the most educated in terms of these matters, and truth be told… while I can do an acceptable job.  I feel as though I should do the best I can.  The best I can do is get some of the SDC personnel to look this over and draw up an agreement.  It might take a day or two… But I believe the end result would be better."  She stated happily.

Deborah thoroughly thought it over.  She did not want this to get back to James in any way.  So the question is did she trust Weiss Schnee enough to believe that the people she has look at this would treat it confidentially.

"If you can say with certainty, that they will keep this confidential and privately.  I would feel honored if you would do that for me."  At that, both she and Weiss shook hands.

The rest of the group was incredibly pleased with this even if they were not sure what exactly this was.  Weiss did not normally volunteer services to strangers especially without the promise of payment.  Maybe she felt she owed Jaune for his help with Ruby?  In the end, they were not sure, but they were pleased as Weiss opened up her scroll and transmitted the documents to Mr. Burgess whose assistance she enabled the previous year as Mrs. Arc moved to sit near the fireplace again.

*****BACK IN THE JNPR DORM ROOM*****

Kate had just stirred after a few hours of rest, and she and her twin were readying themselves to go back out with the group.  The day had progressed remarkably quickly, it was nearly time to prepare for dinner.  Kate felt the need to ply further into some matters she needed answers too.

"Jaune, would you be ok with me enrolling at Beacon?"  Kate asked hopeful.

Jaune didn’t even think about it "Kate I would love to have you at Beacon.  Why ask me?"

Kate, really had to fight to prevent herself from crying out of relief "Well… Mom is going to have to go back to Cadia for awhile.  Regardless of how the next two weeks play out.  I cannot really call myself a student of hers if she is spending more time dealing with politics than training me.  So I might have to finish my studies here, but I would never do that if you didn't wish to see me or if my being here upsets you."

"Well put that possibility out of your mind, I would welcome you here.  Based off what you told me regarding your meeting with the rest of us I think they would too."  He said with his typical friendly smile on his face.

Kate watched him move over to his bed, dig into the desk, and pull out a folder of an impressive size.  She looked at it and identified it as the medical report the Headmaster had given him regarding the Vampire parasite.

"Jaune…"  She said out of concern.

He just picked up the folder, turned to her and said "Come on, you are awake now, and you should be present for this."

She wanted to ask more about it, but she couldn't find her voice suddenly feeling very nervous as she and her brother left the room.

*****GROUP IN THE JOINT COMMONS ROOM*****

The group heard a door open, and close.  They all knew what it meant.  Jaune and Katherine had finished their talk, and were coming out now to join them.

Pyrrha observed Mrs. Arc who was still sitting by the fireplace warming her back on it.  The elder woman had emotion threatening to overrun her face, but she forced herself to stay in her seat when she noticed something.  It wasn't until Jaune had cleared the hallway that Pyrrha knew what.  He carried the medical report.  He wanted to talk about the medical report. 

Pyrrha halfway felt that this conversation would be best done in private and had half a mind to suggest to the group that they leave them alone.  However she didn’t, something about the way Jaune was moving and the glance he sent her direction implied he wanted her, and them with him.

Katherine moved to stand next to the Spartan.  Pyrrha noted that her hair had been cut, it was short and cupped her face.  It said something about how truly gorgeous Katherine Arc was that it didn’t matter what her hair was styled in, the girl was simply beautiful.

Nora leaned to the side slightly and whispered into Ren's ear "Her hair looks good don’t you think?"  She smiled slightly as Ren answered in a none committing grunt.

Katherine noticed that several of the group looked at her and likely noted that her hair had been cut including Nora whisper something to Ren.  She tore her gaze away from them and noticed her hair on the desk next to Pyrrha.  She did not speak but was confused about why Pyrrha kept it.  However the rest of the group observed Jaune walk up to his mother.

Deborah held out an arm as if to accept the folder, but was wrong in Jaune's purpose with it.  Instead of handing it to his mother, he tossed it in the fire.

Deb looked utterly confused at this, unsure what he was trying to say.

Jaune offered her his hand, and she accepted it being helped up into a standing position.

They just looked at each other for several moments until Jaune spoke.

"Mom… We still have things we need to talk about.  However… the time for that is not now.  I would rather we try and put this behind us.  I cannot say I would not have made the same mistakes were I in your shoes.  Please, let's try to be a family again, ok?"

The two embraced in a warm hug, Jaune had a few tears on his face, his mother was openly weeping as she gripped him very forcefully in that hug.

Pyrrha looked over to Katherine, she was wearing a few happy tears of her own.  Pyrrha decided something, if today was the day for starting over, she might as well accept it fully.

"Katherine."  She said simply.

Kate looked at her "Kate, please."  She smiled

Pyrrha smiled back "Kate, in Mistral we treat hair similarly to how your family does in some ways."  She handed Kate back the hair she previously cut off.  "I think it would be fitting if you burn it.  With that act it would be the end of Katherine Arc the stranger.  It would signify the start of Katherine Arc the ally."

Kate smiled again, and accepted the hair.  She had to admit that the idea of burning her hair was strange, but if it helped her bond with the group.  Which of course included his brothers girlfriend, it couldn't harm anything.

Kate could not keep her mind from running in every direction as she moved towards the fire.  She had a place to study with people she could get along with.  People she might even be able to call friends or teammates.  She was with her brother, and they were reunited again as twins.  She did not have to give up her desire to be a hunter.  Months ago she did not believe it could be done, but somehow, it did.  Emotions coming from every possible direction were threatening to overwhelm her as she closed to the flame.

Pyrrha observed her move forward, and toss the clump into the fire.  Afterwards she moved over and slung an arm around both Jaune and Deb.  She finally took a moment to look around and saw that everybody in the room had at minimum watery eyes, even Blake and Ren.  Ruby was clapping to herself happily as she shed a few tears as the most reactive of the bunch.

Yang, was the next one to speak.  "Well, it has been a long afternoon and I don't know about the rest of you.  But I am hungry."  She stated grinning.

"So time to prepare some dinner."  Weiss stated as she started off in the direction of the kitchen giving Ruby a curious glance.

However Yang still had one thing to say.  "And seeing as though we are on winter break, I think another game of truth or dare is in order afterwards eh?  Am I right?"  The grin became devilish.

None the less none of the friends disputed her claim.  It was vacation, they have time to play and enjoy themselves.  That, and dinner sounded awesome right now, truth or dare after could be an enjoyable event.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Big chapter, that took some time to write.  Hopefully it was enjoyable.  Deborah and Jaune will have more interactions going forward, but I felt this was the most realistic way this situation would play out given how I have written them thus far.**

**A few things here.  I confess I have no idea if what I am about to ask is normal.  However I have basically zero artistic talent when it comes to drawing.  I am hoping that somebody would be interesting in drawing a picture to be the new main picture for the story.  I have reached a milestone with Katherine joining the group here and I think the time is write to update the image I use.  As of now I have not found one which is what I am looking for.  If anybody is willing to help me in this regard please shoot me an IM or email and we can talk about it.**

**Otherwise I will get to work on the next chapter and as usual I look forwards too and am eager to any feedback you all would have for me.  Writing this story has been singularly the biggest challenge and one of the most rewarding endeavors I have taken up and the support I have been given helps me write it.**

**Thank you again, and I will see you next time**

**-Sean**


	11. Year 2 Winter: A meal among friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the groups meeting with Katherine and Deborah they sit down to relax and enjoy a meal before a night of fun. However Pyrrha still has one thing to say, and whats this? Weiss is the one making the meal?

From this point onward 2 characters will be joining the story as fully fledged cast members and as such are being given a formal introduction:

Deborah Arc: Matriarch of the Arc family and Duchess of their homeland of Cadia.  Deborah is a teacher of renown only to match that of her prowess as a warrior.  She is similar to her son Jaune in personality to the degree they share identical semblances(Arc Paragon).  Her weapon is Caladbolg, an ancient heirloom of the Arc Family.  She stands about 5'10 with a strong athletic build.  Matriarch is her story nickname.

Katherine Arc: Twin to Jaune Arc, they are similar in ideals and combat potential, and that is about it.  She is born with a level of grace bordering on supernatural with a natural beauty to match.  Her grace translates into the ability to move silently in nearly any situation without conscious effort on her part.  She carries 2 weapons, A bracer on her left arm named Toxo which can be used as both a Crossbow and Longbow.  She carries Defiance for melee situations, which has dual blade and bladed staff forms.  She stands tall at 5'11 with a thin, long, lean and athletic build.  Her Semblance is a secret the Arc family has kept under wraps for generations, that of an assassin.  The Arc's have labeled it Ghost.  She is referred in the story as the Ghost.

2.16

Weiss looked back at the scene of the 3 Arc's in their hug and let loose one of her rare smiles.  Her smiles are becoming less rare by the day.  Ruby stated that she liked it when she smiled, which is enough of a reason for her to try and smile more often.  Even so, it was rare for a Schnee to … no debase is not the right word… 

_Whatever it is what I will go with._

It is rare for a Schnee to debase themselves by making a dinner for others willingly without an overarching reason for it.  Sure she was willing to do that again as she has in the past very frequently, that however did not mean that if her father or sister magically appeared in the room that they would not scold her for not keeping in line with her Schnee pride.

That word again, pride.  Something which nearly cost her the person most important to her, that of course being her partner.  It took a great deal of water in swallowing that pride, proverbially speaking, to ask Jaune for a recipe that she could follow to make a dinner for her friends and teammates.  She thought she was nearly going to die of embarrassment when she asked Jaune alone and another time when he actually had to think about what she could do given her relative lack of familiarity with foods and cooking.  None the less he assured her that the recipe he gave her was easy to follow.

Ruby just would not shut up about the spaghetti Jaune made earlier in the year, and while she could never deny how amazing it tasted she was a bit apprehensive in her belief that hers would not measure up.  Especially so because of the relative simplicity of the task.  None the less she moved with as much dignity as she could manage to the kitchen to prepare the evening meal, which will likely be followed by another round of Truth or Dare.  Now to find everything on this list…

***Group out in common room***

Jaune knew full well that his mom needed to talk to him just as much as he did her.  He and Kate talked a fair amount of the Vampire inside him and the more he learned about it the more he just knew, he could be angry at his mom… but he also knew he shouldn't.  Their hug lasted for several seconds… maybe even entering the minutes timetable.  One thing he never really had any defense for is when somebody was clearly upset and that individual started crying into his shoulder/shirt.  It was like the universal disarm for him that he had yet been unable to come up with a counter for.  It was just… programmed in his being too heavily to overcome.  He knew in his heart he loved his mother, and focusing on moving forward is what he wanted to do, it felt right.

None the less following their hug mom evidently decided to head off into the RWBY dorm room for a quick shower citing that she had been wearing form fitting pants for far too long.  Girl stuff he supposed withholding a shiver.  He was left near the fireplace very much in the same spot to where she was sitting previously.  It was there he was reunited with two of his best friends from home who treated everybody well no matter what lot in life they came from.

The friends being the two golden dogs Tyrion and Teclis, naturally.

Kate sat next to him enjoying the heat of the fireplace just as he was.  He knew his twins desire to be a hunter but he would be lying if he didn’t admit he was surprised that she didn’t follow another lifestyle.  She could have literally done anything she wanted in the fashion or modeling world given her looks and natural grace.

"I do not know when I will get used to never hearing you move Kate"  Yang mentioned.  "It is rather unnerving for you to just appear around corners."

Kate smiled back at her "It is a habit I guess, something I learned to do from a young age and just kept doing it.  Believe it or not I don't even think about it anymore it is just how I walk."

"Why didn't you teach Jaune how to do that?"  Ruby asked curiously.

The twins just looked at each other and chuckled briefly.

"Believe me Ruby, she tried.  I was just not very good at that unfortunately."  Jaune answered as Kate was still chuckling.

"I wonder if you could teach me to move quietly?"  Yang asked, more towards herself than anybody else.

Ruby and Blake scoffed at the idea but Kate just looked in thought.

"I have no idea if you would be good at it but I would see no danger in telling you whatever I can."  She said trying to be helpful.

The friendly banter was interrupted by Weiss storming out of the kitchen in pounding steps.

"Jaune Arc this recipe you gave me is faulty!"  She claimed sternly with her hands on her hips.

That just earned a confused look from Jaune.  He might have asked what exactly was faulty about it, had he the time to do it.  Weiss grabbed him by his arm and tugged, while he had the body mass and the strength to resist the smaller girl, he decided to play along and be brought to the kitchen… something Kate had never seen before and the rest of the friends couldn’t help but chuckle at.

"What… was Weiss doing in the kitchen… what recipe?"  Blake asked cautiously.

"She said she was going to make dinner tonight."  Ren advised.

When the majority of the group looked apprehensive of the idea Kate started to chuckle again, and it was brought to a full on laugh when Yang advised.

"Well, we should probably start thinking about what takeout we want, this is not going to end well."

"Yeah except Weiss would have to buy it…"  Nora said, at which point everybody was laughing… except nobody was joking or found the matter funny, Katherine aside anyway.

***BACK IN THE KITCHEN***

"Jaune this stupid recipe was faulty it makes no sense!"  Weiss stated angrily.

Calm yourself Jaune figure out what is the problem.  "Weiss, what is wrong with it?  The first step is literally boil water in a large pot filled halfway."  He knew he was walking on eggs here with the Heiress but none the less he just could not understand what was difficult about boiling water...

"No you dolt I was able to do that but the problem is I am suppose to put meat in the pot."  She said.

Still not grasping the problem, Jaune just nodded.

"Ok… so?"

"So, we have no meat in the fridge!"  She exclaimed.

… That is a recipe failure?  He very nearly voiced the words.

That… confused the Knight as he was certain there was at least 6 lbs, enough for 2 of the trays he had given the instructions for.  He put it there himself not a 3 days ago.  Then he understood.

"You tried to make it yourself earlier and it didn’t work… right?"  He could not understand how Weiss screwed up such a simple thing 2 times.

He expected Weiss to object… but she just blushed a darker red than Pyrrha's hair.

Jaune let out a hearty sigh.  "Ok do we still have noodles at least?"  He asked.

That, thankfully they did have plenty of.

"Ok, well we have chicken thankfully.  With chicken we are going to have to use a white sauce like alfredo.  I'll give you a hand but you are going to have to do the work Weiss."

Weiss nodded, and set to work.  This more or less, is what she wanted from the start.  In truth she had used that beef for hamburgers Yang style, 2 days prior, but Jaune didn’t need to know that.  She was confident that with Jaune helping her she could provide an excellent meal… she hoped.

***COMMONS ROOM***

Pyrrha would be lying if she claimed that she wasn't in the least intrigued what was wrong with the recipe that Jaune gave Weiss.  She knew that Weiss was not the most experienced cook in the world but even so she had helped him several times in the previous year.  Oh, well not much she could do about it now.

She had more to discuss with Deborah.  The information about the Vampire was on her list of things to talk about, however she still had more to discuss.  She knew that they did not need to rush as they would have plenty of time over the break to speak on the numerous topics she wanted too.  None the less she felt that while Jaune is occupied in the kitchen, it might be a good time to do it once she finished with her shower.

A part of her was truly glad that Jaune shared that hug with his twin and mother.  Her own childhood was far from perfect, she was trained multiple times a day to the point that she sometimes felt like her parents never cared.  That never came to fruition and she loved her parents dearly to this day.  Even if the relationship between he and his mother was not perfect she was grateful it is at least something he was trying to rebuild and strengthen.  He needed more happy family memories and moments in his life.

She decided that she no longer had a need to wear her battle attire and carry her weapons around.  If they were going to have a game of truth or dare after dinner she might as well get more comfortable.

"I'm going to get changed"  She announced to the room, she received a few non committing replies, and went back towards her dorm for a change of clothing.

When she got back to the dorm she noted that Mrs. Arc had returned to the commons room wearing a green dress very similar to her daughter… I guess they both felt the need to be a little freer.  It still amazed the Spartan that the woman in front of her was 67 years old, she had known people half her age who would have paid any price for her physique.  It was more powerful and sturdy in appearance to Katherine's grace and sleekness, which she supposed made sense given the size of the weapon she carried around.  None the less her physical stature was impressive.

Mrs. Arc looked behind her and observed Pyrrha exit the room to walk towards her dressed in her t-shirt and shorts as she walked up next to the older woman.

"I wanted to thank you for how you have taken care of my son, I am grateful.  Truly."  She said honestly.

"Yeah, that is still something I wanted to talk about."  Pyrrha said, really fighting to keep her voice friendly.  She did not want to start a situation now after everybody starting on good terms just a few minutes ago.

"What do you mean?"  Deb asked… though if she really had to think on it she might have been able to guess the where and why Pyrrha's concerns were still coming from.

Pyrrha took a deep breath, and responded "Mrs. Arc, I accept what happened with the Vampire and I do want a good relationship with you.  But I still just do not understand several things.  You must have known that Jaune was treated poorly at home.  I want to know why you allowed it?  Hearing him describe it he must have had a horrible childhood… I just do not understand."  She asked the question louder than she wanted, and it seems it captured the attention of the room.

Deborah slouched a bit, and looked sad at the question, but looked back at Pyrrha to answer.  "Pyrrha, I have no easy answer for you.  I accept that I was not the best parent in Remnant by any means.  Beacon is a boarding school.  Teachers are on campus year round.  The vast majority of his life I was not at home but here.  When I was not here odds are I was hunting."  She said evenly.

Pyrrha nodded, and noted that Katherine looked like she wanted to enter the conversation, but didn’t.

Deb continued "It is hard to point to any one instance Pyrrha.  Kids will be kids, siblings will be siblings.  Before Jaune and Kate entered my life my children did not get along perfectly.  Arguing and tussles were common.  I did my best to treat them all fairly.  However you must have an accurate understanding of Jaune's situation.  When I was home I had state business to attend to, 8 children to give attention to, and a husband that I still don’t know what to think about all trying to speak to me at once.  There was only so much I could do with my time and only so much I could see."  Deb's eyes were watering, but she still locked her gaze on Pyrrha's as she spoke.

Pyrrha nodded again to say continue please.

"Much of what I knew of his treatment I heard through others.  My husband, some of the people who help out in our home, and our other children for example all told a very different story than what Jaune and Kate did.  When a child is young they are not often the most accurate when they report events.  For a time, when James still retained my trust, he assured me nothing was wrong with how he was treated.  Katherine was the one who opened my eyes as they got older that I needed to take more of an involved look into it.  I knew for one that his sisters… I don’t want to say used him for massages.  Because I felt that he genuinely wanted to help, and I for one wanted him to have some sense of purpose in his life.  I did not know he resented it until a few years ago when I asked the family to stop asking him or making him feel like he was obligated for any reason."

Deb stopped and took a moment to collect herself, after taking a deep breath she resumed.

"What it comes down to is that it was one of my many mistakes I have made in my life Pyrrha.  One I will likely regret forever.  I had many people telling me the same thing about how Jaune was overreacting.  I have learned to not trust those people.  I am similar to my son, we both try to believe in the best in people.  It is who we are it is why we share the same semblances, we are very similar people.  I am not perfect and… I do not know what more I can say which would not be me retreading old ground on the subject.  I would not begrudge Jaune having some things he wants to say to me on the subject.  I am sorry, I intend to say the same to him when we do eventually sit down and speak."  The Matriarch had the same honest filled eyes her youngest children had even as they were also filled with sadness and regret.

Kate seemed to pick up on that and added in "Pyrrha, I understand why you are upset here.  I am his twin and I am upset about it more so I would wager than you are.  But what she tells you is true.  She did look into the matter, several people told her consistently I and Jaune were blowing it out of proportion.  Eve was about the only person who took what we said seriously and she was home even less than Mom was.  Believe her when she says that she tried, if for no other reason because it is the truth."

"I wish I could point to a single event when things went wrong Pyrrha I really do.  Maybe it was when my husband started to change from the man I loved and respected to… something else.  Maybe it was in him all along and he had been misleading me the entire time.  Maybe it just started small and had to grow into a sufficient size before I was able to see the problem.  I do not know Ms. Nikos I doubt I will ever know beyond simply saying I am sorry from the bottom of my heart."  Deborah stated again.

Pyrrha… did not know what she was feeling at the moment.  However she did have one more issue she felt she had to bring up.  "Your son once told me my giving him a chance at Beacon is more than anybody else ever did for him."  She said flatly.

That… was likely more harsh than Pyrrha intended, Kate looked hurt at the statement and Deb… looked worse.

"Pyrrha, I love my brother more than you can imagine… well, maybe not you are his girlfriend.  But the point is you do not understand how physically weak he was growing up.  I still don’t even know how he got into Beacon or where the energy to do as well as he did came from.  I thought for sure he would die if he did, if not from actually encountering Grimm in any number of places if not in the combat classes.  In fact the only reason he didn’t I understand is because he met you specifically in orientation.  He would not have survived if not for you.  You have to know that."  Kate stated… an unknown emotion on her face, not anger, not hurt, not love, maybe all 3.

Pyrrha… did not consider that.  His first term he did run out of strength very quickly in nearly anything he did.  It had to have been his aura keeping him going all along…

"I'm sorry, your right I… I'm just sorry it was an uncourse thing say."  She genuinely meant that.

The two dogs seemed to sense that they had people they needed to cheer up and moved over to Deborah, one stayed near Kate.

Deborah was still running an odd look on her face minutes after the talk had run silent.  Ruby seemed to be the one to notice and ask about it.

"Something on your mind Mrs. Arc?"  She asked.

Across the room Ren noticed Deborah face tighten at two points in that exchange.  One, at the mention of Jaune possibly dying on initiation, and second at the hint that he said nobody did anything for him.  He decided to play a hunch, he knew it was a long shot, but decided to ask anyway.

"Jaune's entry to Beacon, you are the one who got him in.  Aren't you Mrs. Arc?"  He asked in his normal calmness.

Deborah had heard that Ren was highly observant and only smiled slightly "I was unsure if I wanted to tell him, but yes, I did."  She admitted.

Kate's mouth just hung open.

"Why would you do that?  You admitted to me that Beacon Initiation is often dangerous?"  She asked shocked.

Deborah had several conflicting emotions on her face as she answered "Katherine…  Yes, I feared for my sons life.  But I feared more for his happiness and sense of wellbeing.  By the time he wanted to go you know full well I just agreed to leave with you and by all accounts I might have been gone years while I tutored you in your apprenticeship.  I knew from our talks that he was not happy at home though I doubt I will ever fully understand just how unhappy.  I wanted my son to have experienced something, to have been given a chance to be happy.  I would rather him have tried and failed, even to have died, in pursuit of his dream than to never have had the opportunity.  He would have held it against everybody he knew for the remainder of his life with literally nothing left to think about but how miserable he was.  When we left and I heard through Eve that Jaune left to go to Beacon I arranged for the Headmaster to take him in and give him a chance.  I feared for him terribly yes.  However, I felt I had to do it."  She was actively crying by the time she finished.

"Did you expect him to do as well as he has?"  Blake asked curiously.

Deborah had to take a second or two before she could answer "It is hard to say what I expected to happen Blake.  I could have see him returning home after deciding against trying.  I could have been heartbroken over hearing that he died on initiation or in any dangerous activity students sometimes need to do.  I could have heard that he couldn't keep up with his studies having not had a formal education or fell behind in his combat class and Ozpin had to let him go.  I considered all of those things and more.  I felt I had to let go and give my son a chance to live his life even if it costs him it.  I tried to think of it as the same as the danger to my own life on my hunting assignments.  I wanted to be a hunter just as he does.  If he died in his training I would have tried to view it similarly to a hunter dying on the job, he died trying to do his duty.  It is a… very hard thing to do as a mother but… I felt as though I had to give him the chance no matter how much I was scared for him."

Pyrrha looked straight at her feet and had to admit she looked at Mrs. Arc with a newfound respect.  She did care about her son, likely all of her children to a shocking extent.  She knew the dangers of Jaune going to Beacon… and she was willing to let him go.  Even her rationale about the risks made a certain amount of sense.

Pyrrha continued to think to herself when she felt two hands on her shoulders.  She looked up to see Mrs. Arc looking at her.  "Suffice to say Pyrrha, I will say it again.  I am very glad that my son met you."  Deborah acted like she wanted to elaborate on it further, but decided against it and just pulled the redhead into a gentle hug.  The redhead did not need to think as she returned the hug.

Pyrrha felt as though… she felt better about the whole situation.  She can't say that she was happy with how Jaune's childhood played out.  But… her instincts told her that she can trust this woman, and she had already decided on trying to be friends with Katherine.  She felt better for the talk now.

One of the dogs left Katherine to go over to Yang and issue a curious whine drew the groups attention.

Yang for several seconds just looked at the dog until she seemed to put two things together.  First, that this dog was Tyrion.  Second, she promised that same dog that she would introduce him to Blake the night before.

Yang smiled "You want me to introduce you to Blake, is that it?"  The only response she got was a tail wagging and A:

"Yang, keep that thing away from me!"  From her partner.

The following was another showing of the Golden Companion's intellect.

"Ty, that girl over there with the cat ears?"  Yang pointed, and the dog followed her finger right to Blake, who was now standing up.

"She loves dogs-" Yang started saying.

"YANG I WARN YOU!"

"-she especially likes it when dogs lick her face-"

"YAANNNGGGG!"

"-If you lick her face, she gives those dogs very special treats!"  Yang could barely say all that with a straight face.  But it accomplished exactly what she wanted.

Both, yes both golden's took off after Blake like missiles who was still uttering profanities and various curses in languages which have either been forgotten, or not invented yet as she sprinted and dodged around the room, she used a mirror image a time or two but the dogs sense of smell trumped that, and she quickly gave up on the attempt at trickery.

Kate looked on with a sense of barely concealed glee as the two animals pursued the Cat Faunus.  They ran under over or around various furniture as Blake continued to try and evade the golden missiles.

Ruby was freely laughing even as Blake used her as a barrier between the dogs until they broke up to go at her from each side.

Ren and Nora wisely lifted their feet off the ground onto each other as they sat on a sofa and just enjoyed the scene trying not to make any noise to attract the gathering.  It did not prevent them from being trampled by Blake first, then both of the dogs.

Pyrrha was about to intervene for the sake of the dogs… no wait for the sake of her friend Blake when she felt a grip on her hand.  She looked over and saw a slight shake of the head from the Matriarch and held her peace.

At the time Blake had climbed up Yang's body to escape from the dogs who even then were contemplating knocking the Brawler over to obtain their supposed treats from Blake when Mrs. Arc declared.

"Boys"  Both dogs froze and turned to look at her.

It seems, Pyrrha thought, that Mrs. Arc was good at dealing with animals.

"If you stop now I promise you both fish once I can have it brought in."  She said happily.

The next thing she knew was that Blake had somehow vanished from off top Yang and appeared in front of Deborah.

"Fish?  What type of Fish?!"  She asked with eager eyes.

Mrs. Arc actually laughed at that.  "I didn’t mean fish for you."  Blake saddened substantially at that.

"You like fish Blake?"  She asked…. and that sadness went away remarkably quick as she nodded.

"Yes, it is my favorite… Jaune in fact still owes me a fish dinner sometime."  She stated innocently.

"He owes you a fish dinner?  What for?"  Deb asked trying not to take the entire situation too seriously being very familiar with the antics of Beacon students.

"Because somebody is a trickster"  Ruby answered just loud enough to be heard.

Blake just scratched the back of her head and smiled.

"Fine, I will have some Silverfin brought in.  My treat."  She stated with a smile… and ended up in a crushing hug from the Shadow.

"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SILVERFIN IS THE BESTEST EVER!!!"  She declared.

When Pyrrha had to peel away Blake so Mrs. Arc could make her call to ensure the fish was ordered both Yang and Ruby had a realization.  From then on they would need to keep a steady reserve of fish on hand, if for no other reason the bribery possibilities seemed too much to ignore.

"Your dogs like fish?"  Nora couldn't help but ask.

Once Blake was somewhat calmed again Mrs. Arc took the time to respond "Well, they like just about any meats but yes, Silverfin is a favorite of theirs."  She admitted.

"It is rather hard to get but such is the benefits of being a Duchess right mom?"  A voice declared near the kitchen.

They turned to see Jaune nearby.

"Dinner is ready, assuming you all are hungry still."  He supplied with a smirk.

Normally when Jaune declared that food is ready it would have resulted in a stampede.  This time knowing who was the actual cook is was more of a resigned march towards execution… or at least that is what it appeared like to the two people who did not hesitate when he advised it was time to eat.  Kate and Deb were a bit unsure how to treat the groups caution.

"What do we have to eat?"  Kate asked hungrily, so long of eating on the road made it hard not to salivate at the thought of a more traditional meal.

"We have an Alfredo Pasta with Rotini noodles and chicken.  There are some steamed vegetables and some garlic bread.  It should be quite tasty."  He answered.

The food was served in a metal tray, not in a more traditional container… the two Arc's just looked them over as if recognizing the setup while the group was a bit more leery of the food.

Kate and Deb lead the way and very quickly issued compliments "My compliments to the chef.. or chef's as it were well done."  Kate said honestly not showing much restraint.

Blake and Yang just looked at each other, and decided if she didn’t die by now it should be safe for consumption.  They would have lied if they didn’t expect the food to dissolve the plates they carried the pasta on, but none the less they spooned up some dinner and took their seats.  They both took a bite as if expecting it to cause permanent damage to their teeth and their faces lit up the moment they actually tasted the food.

"MMMMM"  Was the collective response from the group.  Kate and Deborah were both a touch amused and surprised by this as they dug in without restraint, in fact they both had nearly emptied their plates and were ready for seconds by the time the majority of the group had prepared themselves to try Weiss' cooking.

The Heiress looked over the faces of her friends and her face portrayed the expected emotions.  Angry and progressively growing outrage, into pure satisfaction upon seeing the faces of her friends as they realized… she did not poison the food…. intentionally or otherwise.

"Ok Jaune you need to come clean now, you cooked this and Weiss watched, right?" Yang asked still happily eating away.

… and the outrage came right back along with various twitching.

"Actually, No."  Activity stopped on the room except for his family members who had just taken a second plateful.

"No?"  Blake asked incredulously.

"No, Weiss did all the work."  Jaune admitted as he started to enjoy the meal himself.

"You are kidding me…" Yang stated insistent.

Weiss' eyebrow twitched again.

"No Yang, she did all the work.  We ran into a problem because somebody used all the beef we had saved up on hamburgers already so we had to use an audible, but she did all the work."  Jaune stated smirking slightly.

Weiss looked at him and made to speak, but before she could Yang blurted out.

"WEISS!!! You said you wouldn't tell him!"  When she caught Jaune's reaction she knew she had been tricked.

"I didn't say a word about it Yang…" Weiss stated mid facepalm at the same time that Jaune declared.

"She didn’t Yang."

"…Crap…"

Jaune looked at the Brawler and made to say something more when Ruby decided to come to the aid of her sister via a distraction.

"Why did you want to make spaghetti Weiss?"

Jaune shrugged and figured he had plenty of time to bring that subject back up with Yang when it was most… beneficial and decided to answer the question directed to Weiss seeing the blush that appeared on the Heiresses face.

"She said she wanted to make it for you Ruby."  He stated honestly as he filled up his plate for the second time, noting that both his sister and mother were on their third at this point.

Ruby just looked at her partner/girlfriend and nearly jumped up as an idea entered her head.

"Look over there a Grimm!!"  The group minus Jaune Kate and Deborah all directed their gaze in the direction Ruby pointed.

When they turned back they saw that Ruby had dipped Weiss down in her stool and gave her a kiss.

After Yang issued a not very subtle "Ahem" Ruby pulled her girlfriend back up level again with both of them hiding a tremendous blush.

Ren was hiding a smile and was a bit amazed as he directed his attention at the newcomers to the group.  "One day you will need to explain how you can keep you figures given how much you are eating."  He said bluntly.

Most women might have taken that a bit cross.  These two didn't, they just simply said.

"Well our body needs fuel like anybody else's, with as much as we workout we could use it.  I'm sure you all understand that."  Kate stated simply not appearing at all insulted.

Pyrrha for one… really wished that she had people like that back in Sanctum.  She worked out constantly, and did eat more than almost any girl did if for no other reason than her body needed the energy.  The acceptance of those habits here was a blessing, had Kate not said that, she might have.

"Mrs. Arc, there is one thing I wanted to ask you still about Patch."  Pyrrha mentioned curiously.

At the mention of their home both Yang and Ruby gave their attention to the conversation.

When Deborah nodded for her to continue Pyrrha voiced "I was curious how long the battle took place?  When Kate described it she made it sound like you kept your semblance running for the majority of the battle."  Pyrrha hoped she didn’t need to elaborate anymore.

Deborah looked at the Spartan as if she was reading between the lines of what she was really asking.  "You are asking me about, what exactly Pyrrha?"  She could guess, but she didn't want to in this case.

"It is just… In Jaune's combat final last year, he had quite a bit of aura, but it only lasted a few seconds once he activated his semblance.  Yet it seemed like the battle at Patch took at least a couple hours. If you and Jaune have the same level of aura reserve, I am curious how you kept it running for so much longer?"  She asked, she didn’t want to risk hurting Jaune's by mentioning this, not that she was sure it would just she was trying to be careful on the subject.

Deborah looked like she wanted to smile, but didn’t.  "Pyrrha I am quite certain you know what I would say to answer your question."

When Pyrrha took a few seconds to think, Nora was the first one to take a guess at the obvious.  "The Vampire?"  She voiced.

That resulted in a sad nod from Deborah "That, would be my guess.  Again, I have no other subject matter to call upon.  But it is known that the Vampire drains not just the energy out of a person but it makes their body very inefficient.  It makes fighting off illnesses more difficult… basically it is like moving around with a large weight attached to every limb you carry in everything you do.  The same is said of your aura.  It made his aura usage very inefficient.  I do not have any studies to back it up as the only person who I could have studied no longer carries the parasite, but that would be my guess."

When the group went back to their meals Deborah decided on mentioning one last thing to her son.

"By the way Jaune, I know that you and your girlfriend work out quite a bit and I also realize that this is break.  None the less I intend to spend some time with you teaching your semblance and how to use it.  It is quite a bit to cram into a few days but you should be able to make due I hope."  She stated happily.

Yang looked over at Jaune and mouthed 'good luck' to him as he responded back:

"Uh sure, I suppose I need the practice anyway."  He tried not to appear nervous.

Kate just smiled knowingly at her brother and Pyrrha wasn't sure if she should be annoyed that somebody else is going to be training her partner or not.

"So are you two going to be joining us in our Truth or Dare game after dinner?"  Ruby asked appearing to be eager to get the game going.

Kate and Deb just looked at each other.

"I don't know if I would be welcome…"  Kate answered.

"Don't be ridiculous you are part of the gang now, of course you would be welcome."  Yang declared… when in reality she figured he could use her there as leverage against Jaune… she was determined not to let him win a second year in a row.  Though yes, she also knew Kate was a part of the group now.

"Well, ok, I would be happy to go."  Kate advised with a warm smile.  "I don’t always get to be around people my age, should be fun."

Deb just smiled at her daughter as she responded "I think I will decline.  I have state business I have to attend to now that my husband no longer has any direct authority on the matter and even were that the case I think it is a game a bit below my age range.  Hopefully you all wouldn’t mind if I left the dogs here for the time do you?"  She asked happily.

Blake made to object, but remembered the promise of fish tomorrow and felt the urge not to complain as the group more or less said "Not at all"  at the same time.

Following the meal the group took care of the dishes and said goodbye to Mrs. Arc as she went off to take care of her business for the evening.

Kate and Jaune enjoyed playing with the dogs as the rest of them moved around and got changed into their night time clothes ready and eager to have some fun in the game.

**_____________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Probably not my best chapter but a necessary one before we get into Truth or Dare round 2.**

**As normal I am always eager for feedback and would relish to chance to discuss this story to satisfy any curiosity people may have.**

**Thank you again, and see you next time**

**-Sean.**


	12. Year 2 Winter: Truth or Dare round 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group has largely accepted the newcomers of Kate and Deborah. They have settled in on their ritual winter term truth or dare match. How does it fare? Not even Yang knows.

2.17

Kate and Jaune were still sitting at the fireplace when their mother hugged them goodbye for the evening.  A look out the window to note the quickly falling snow had her change her mind and instead she moved into the JNPR room for the night with her dogs.  She gathered up the plethora of documents and moved saying her goodbyes for the night to the group.

"If we are playing truth or dare I should probably change out of this dress."  Katherine said just loud enough to be heard.  She did like wearing a dress every now and again but it isn't typically what she wore when traveling didn't demand the form fitting leather she had become accustomed too.  She might have to get used to it more as the future is likely going to involving enrolling and Beacon… She might even finally be able to wear her combat attire, the thought triggered a smile.

"Yeah, might not be a bad idea."  Jaune agreed with a nod.

"Hey Jaune, could I speak to you please?"

Jaune turned behind him to see Pyrrha waving him over from near one of the enclosed rooms on the upper level.

"You might want to see what she wants."  Kate advised with a smile as she moved with her trademark silent grace towards the RWBY dorm room.

Jaune walked over to where Pyrrha disappeared and tried to come up with a tally of subjects she might need to talk about… and essentially came up blank.  He knew from talk over dinner that she and his mother had a chance to speak and for the most part the issues that had been burning in the back of her mind had been answered.  None the less he walked to her as she requested.

As he entered the room with an overhead view of their private weight room he found his girlfriend with her hands on the rail looking off into nothing.

"Pyrrha, what's wrong?"  He asked casually.

Pyrrha turned around… and he could not identify the look in her face. 

"I've been thinking about a few things Jaune."  She said cautiously.

Jaune had moved over next to her and just leaned against the rail similarly to how she was as he waited for her to speak.

"I just, I guess I just wanted to make sure that you were ok with how things turned out today.  I know you had quite a bit thrown at you."  She advised.

Jaune knew that Pyrrha meant well with this talk but… he couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong.

"Pyrrha, please just speak your mind.  I get the feeling that you need to ask me something."  He said earnestly.

"Jaune.  I do not mean for this to sound rude.  But can we trust your mom and your twin sister?"  Concern was in her eyes as she asked this.

Jaune… for his part figured there would be some caution from her on the topic.  He also knew that trust would not come overnight, but he wanted to know the reason behind her caution.

"Pyrrha, what brought this on?"  He asked.

"Jaune, your mother… I want to trust her, I want to trust and develop a relationship with Katherine too.  It is just, I know she is keeping things from me, you, us and I am just alarmed by it.  She has this plan involving you and she will not tell anybody about it.  Nobody knows what it is and I am worried for you."  She said.

Jaune moved the few steps forward to pull her into a hug, it was not what she was expecting him to do, she none the less melted into him.  He rubbed her back gently as he spoke.

"Pyrrha.  My mother, is guilty of making mistakes in her life.  However I never, not once thought that she didn’t love me or have my best interests at heart.  My twin if anything defended me even more zealously than you have.  I understand that trust will not come quickly between you and them, but if you cannot trust them right away then trust me.  I trust them, my relationship has not been perfect with my mother but I always knew that she cared and she tried.  She was being pulled in 100 different ways consistently in ways she had a bare bones education in and still made time to try and look into all of her children.  When I was younger I might have held a few things against her but… well I guess I am not perfect either.  You can and I hope you will trust her." He stated with confidence in his voice.

"But, her plan…"  Pyrrha started.

"Pyrrha, I am going to let you know something, but you must promise me that you will not, under any circumstances, repeat this."  He said sternly.

The… steel in his voice prompted an unusual grain of oddness from the Spartan, but none the less she did not need to think at all as she answered "I promise".

"I do know, full well, what she intends to do.  I just do not know yet if I want to do it."  He said.

Pyrrha wanted to break away from the hug so she could look at him, but found the hug too comfortable to break away, instead she just answered back.  "You know?  How do you know?"

"I know in the same manner that my mother was taught Pyrrha.  Her parents taught her this as an emergency measure.  She taught it to all of her children for the exact same reason.  I… cannot give you more right now.  Just please understand that she absolutely means well.  I just do not know if I want to agree to what she wants to do."  He said in a calming voice.

Pyrrha was a touch annoyed that Jaune didn't… or couldn’t go into  that detail just yet.  But she also figured that there likely was a good reason for it, and didn’t press him.  Instead she just smiled as she employed the second reason she had for calling him over.

"I trust you Jaune, just tell me when you can.  However-" Her smile grew mischievous "-your goddess thinks it has been too long since you have given her the attention she demands.  I suggest you make steps to fix that."  She stated happily.

As she wrapped her arms around his neck the two engaged in passionate kiss.  She at first was perfectly happy with the kiss and was only somewhat startled as his arms slowly edged down from her back to eventually her butt.

She smirked warmly at him and gasped as he gave her a gentle squeeze.  "You are being very bold this evening, your Goddess is unsure if she approves."  She kissed him again playfully.  In truth she enjoyed his willingness to advance their relationship and show initiative.  Pyrrha of course had tried to build his confidence for some time now… it was nice seeing him willing to take a step.  His touch, she found, felt good on her body, it almost didn’t matter where.

He squeezed her again "I have wanted to do that for a very long time."  He said to her with a mix of sweet and suave tones.

Pyrrha smiled again as she kissed him.  She was tempted to explore a bit of his body, but decided she didn’t want to distract him and just voiced back.  "So you are what they would call a 'leg man'?" She playfully bit his lip as the broke away briefly.

"Well, that might be the polite term, but leg/butt man, yes I am guilty of being that."  He answered honestly as he kissed her neck.

"What are my breasts not good enough for you Jaune?"  She pouted slightly, and when he looked at her it become a full on mischievous smile.

Jaune was a touch alarmed at her tone and stammered out "What no your breasts are perfect your perfect all of you is perfect it is just your legs are exceptionally perfect…."  He then noticed her smile… and grinned.

"Your goddess can forgive you this once… If you don’t stop until I say."  At that she leaned into him fully as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  They enjoyed some private time without words for interruptions.

*** RWBY DORM ROOM ***

Kate had her turn to change into her night clothes, which in her case was a black tank top with black leggings.  While she waited for Pyrrha and Jaune to arrive she looked out the window to observe the falling snow.  Nora and Ren were entertaining themselves as they whispered to each other on various topics.  Weiss and Ruby were probably plotting about how one of them needed to win this time and the Brawler would be lying if she didn’t admit she felt a certain determination to win this time.

Yang observed Kate look out the window and not for the first time could not stop herself from staring at the formerly blond haired girl.

She felt a nudge to her side and looked to see Blake wide eyed as she mouthed silently 'look at those legs!'

Yang might have silently mouthed something back herself but the door opened up to find the abnormally happy form of a smiling Pyrrha followed by a sheepish looking and grinning Jaune.

Pyrrha moved to the edge of the circle near the window and seemed to have a none spoken agreement with Kate to let Jaune sit between them.  Jaune noticed the none verbal exchange and realized where his assigned spot was, but before he reached it Yang used a head motion to get him to walk over to her.

"Yang?"  He asked in his normal voice.

Yang clearly wanted him to get closer so she could whisper something in his ear, as such he leaned down next to her so she could whisper whatever it is she wanted to say.

"Blake thinks your sister has a great butt, I just thought you should know that."  She looked pleased with herself as she said that.

Jaune realizing that this is probably just a convenient truth to try and take him off his game for the truth or dare match.  He contemplated what to do for a fraction of a second before he decided to say something equally coy in response via a whisper to match Yang.  "That’s fine, because Ruby just was telling me about how much she loved your chest."

The pleased look from Yang vanished as Jaune smirked and moved over to his seat.  Blake couldn’t help but chuckle to herself following the exchange.

"What was that about?"  Kate asked sharing an oddly curious look.

When Jaune just looked at her in the same manner like he did in their youth when somebody else commented on her looks she figured she knew enough to make a calculated response.

"You two should know that my semblance lets me hear things with a great deal of clarity.  I thank you for the compliment, I have worked hard for my legs."  She said with a smile, the group looked at her slightly alarmed.

 "That is a convenient lie Kate."  Jaune whispered to his twin just loud enough for Pyrrha to hear.

"They don’t need to know that."  She whispered right back.  In truth it was no big secret, getting compliments on her body, especially her lower body was a very frequent occurrence.  She didn't need to be a seer to predict what Yang had said.  She didn’t think her bust was spectacular she definitely couldn't match either Yang or Pyrrha in that department, even so she was happy with her body.

Blake and Yang shared a glance at each other, and decided not to try to outfox the Ghost anymore.

"Well hello everybody.  Welcome to the rematch of the JNPR and RWBY truth or dare showdown.  I would put out the truth orb from last year but a certain Schnee who will go unnamed broke it recently so no go on that."  Yang announced.

Weiss ducked down slightly as the looks of the group converged on her.

"So let us start the night off with the ground rules-"  Yang began.

"Oh c'mon who need rules?"  Kate asked oddly eager to start the game

"I DO!" Was the immediate response from Pyrrha, Yang, Ruby, Nora and Weiss.

Kate just chuckled as she looked at her brother and asked "Why do I feel your involvement in this?"

He just shrugged.

"So Rule 1:  No threatening hair with cutting chopping slicing or any act of removing another's hair."  Yang advised with a stern glare at Jaune.

Kate definitely chuckled at that.

"Rule 2: No Buckets of water or any other cruel usage of waking others up!"  Pyrrha demanded with a glare at both Yang and Weiss.

"Rule 3:  No tickling!"  Weiss put forth.

"Rule 4: No removal of pancakes chocolate or cookies!"  Nora put forth to an approving nod from Ruby and Pyrrha.

"We each get a pass as well!"  Ruby demanded.

Kate pouted at that.

"Same thing as last year, no reusing of Dares or Truths, you have to be original.  And nothing requiring you to go outside in the cold."  Ren suggested in his typical relaxed manner.

Kate and Jaune just shared a glance as the five of them counted off their rules with holding a chuckle.

"Well if that is all of the rules, then I say let the games begin!"  Yang advised with a smile.

"One last thing, we play until 3 of us remain.  We don’t need it getting to the point of ridiculousness with the game if only a few people are left."  Pyrrha was the one to suggest this.

"Well… Ok it is nice to have a spot where we can stop without it getting bloody at the end, ok."  Yang agreed.

Jaune took a moment to survey the room.  Most of the gathering looked on with their typical focused looks.  Kate looked just like she always did before a friendly game, deep in thought and focusing despite her friendly and relaxed outlook.  Nearly the exact opposite of the redhead on his right.  Pyrrha always gets really involved in competitions no matter the type, and that definitely held true for this game as she absolutely remembered being on the receiving end more than one of her friends dares from the prior year.

To get the game going Yang produced a bottle, and gave it a spin.  At Ruby's insistence the bottle was spun again  to initiate the game.  It ended up on Pyrrha first, and Kate second.

"Truth"  Kate requested evenly.

Pyrrha had to think and did not want to be overly aggressive, even so, she was curious about one thing.

"If you are going to enroll at Beacon you are going to come in contact with your sisters Jewel and Crystal.  What do you intend to do when you meet them?  Give an answer for each please."  The redhead asked curiously.

The group just observed her seem to think about it, and answer.

"I would probably punch Jewel but it depends on the manner in which we meet.  I confess I don’t know about Crystal, again it depends on where and how we meet."  She answered.

"Interesting…"  Nora stated with a smile, she wasn't the only one who was curious about a greater explanation for that eventual reunion.

The bottle was spun again as Nora was speaking and came to rest on Weiss.

"Truth"  Weiss requested.

Kate studied the Heiress for several seconds and eventually asked.  "Why do you wear your hair off center?"  Kate's smile indicated to Jaune that she could likely guess the reason.

Weiss looked conflicted for several seconds, and eventually answered "I like to wear it off center, it tends to take attention off of my scar."

Kate didn't look like she was completely convinced of the answer, but none the less didn't challenge it as the bottle was spun again, and landed on Ruby.

The two partners looked at each other for a moment, and Ruby decided on "Dare"

Weiss looked like she was possessed by some demon as her face went through about 15 different varying emotions and ideas for her dare. 

Jaune could almost follow along.  Weiss was competitive, and she wanted to win.  She also loved Ruby, and did not want to damage that hard won relationship.  It was like she was at war with herself in which part of her brain to listen too.

In the end Weiss went with a combination of both sides.  "I dare you to let me demonstrate for our newest group member how I got these bruises on my neck."

Ruby blushed dark and looked at her sister.  Yang was clearly struggling so as to not enter angry big sister mode at the dare.

"Knew I should have outlawed kissing…"  Yang grumbled under her breath… then just smiled and nodded.

Ruby seemed to take that as permission to go ahead and she just nodded to Weiss.

It was several minutes later when Weiss pulled herself back pleased with her work… surprisingly not at all embarrassed about kissing Ruby in front of her friends.

Yang spun the bottle very aggressively… not really angry at Ruby for having a girlfriend just… she was not used to somebody kissing her sister yet.

Her annoyance vanished as she realized the bottle landed on her and in a very confident voice declared "Dare take your best shot baby sis!"

Ruby wore a somewhat evil grin on her face as she evidently has one saved up for her sister already.

"As you wish Yanay… Kate carries dye in her pack, I want you to dye your hair a mix of red, blue, purple, pink and green!"  She had a vicious grin on her face as she finished.

Jaune looked at Kate, and she just shrugged.  I guess she discovered that as she looked through my pack when she looked over my weapons.  Although I don’t have a pink purple or red dye… she must be trying to trick her sister.

Yang… could not believe that her sister just said that.  "Ruby did you really just attack my hair after I let your girlfriend kiss you in front of me?"  She asked.

"It isn't attacking your hair at all.  You don’t have to cut any off or otherwise damage it, dye just changes its color."  Ruby just could not stop grinning, she appeared to enjoy tormenting her sister a bit.

That grin she wore just kept growing in size until Yang eventually decided.  "Pass."

Kate could not keep her peace anymore "Well done Ruby, I don't even carry some of those colors."  Her laughter was contagious for the room… except for the Brawler.  She very squarely added her sister on her 'to get' list for the evening.

"Ruby, I will have my revenge."  Was all she would promise, earning a smug smirk from the younger girl.

When Yang spun the bottle again it ended up on Kate.

"Truth"  Kate requested.

Yang thought for a good few seconds and then put forth "Tell me one thing about you that Jaune does not want me to know."

Kate laughed… Jaune just said:

"Oh no…"

Kate had to think carefully to narrow it down to just one… but eventually decided on "I can't pretend to be able to rank those facts, but one that is fairly near the top of the list is that I basically do not get embarrassed."

Jaune was mid facepalm and just shook his head back and forth as the rest of the group smiled on.

Yang grinned evilly, THAT was something she could definitely use later.

The bottle ended up on Blake next.

"Dare"  The cat girl declared confidently.

Kate looked her over, and figured she might come to regret this, but decided if she is going to play this, she would play it to win it.  No need to hold back.

"Blake, I dare you to read chapter 17 of the book I gave you out loud to us."  She stated happily.

Blake mewed… but went to pick up the book and turn to the appropriate page.  Blake read ahead a bit to get a feel for what was coming… and gulped visibly.  She tried to start speaking the words about a dozen times until she realized that she just couldn’t comply.

"Pass."  She declared with falling ears.

Kate tried not to look too pleased with herself… she doubted she would have been able to do that despite not getting embarrassed in most situations.

The bottle next wound up on Nora.

"DARE!"  She instantly declared.

Blake looked at Kate, and had to admit that the girl had a startling amount of cunning in her.  A trait which Blake believe, she carried as well.  Perhaps it was that cunning which caused her to look at the rules that Yang had written out, and had a flash of -evil cat like- brilliance.

"Nora, I dare you to give up syrup of all kinds for a month!"  She said viciously.

"EEERRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!"  Nora … moaned/groaned.  She wanted to say you couldn’t attack pancakes… but this wasn't an attack on pancakes, it was simply the syrup.

"I warn you Blake I will get you back for this… Pass"  she said waving a white sock in the air wearing a pout.

When the bottle was spun again this time it landed on Yang.

Yang's first instinct was to declare a predictable Dare, however the last few dares she had taken in this game were somewhat brutal stretching back to last year, and she decided Truth was the safer option.

"Truth"

Nora smiled, and was in thought for a time.  Kate for one knew that Nora was intelligent, she scores very well in her tests, in fact she and Weiss are Jaune's primary tutors for his academics.  So when her eyes narrowed to a point Kate was brought to full attention.

"Ruby said that over the summer you had boyfriends, and you are known as a party girl.  Yet at Beacon I have never known you to date.  Why?"  She asked.

Much of the room was brought to attention at that.

Yang, believe it or not, wanted to exit the game at that challenge.  But… Maybe it was how much being around Jaune had changed her.  She felt as though she needed to try and answer the question, that she couldn't or at least shouldn't run from that anymore.

"I'm trying to be less like my dad… He dated multiple women at once.  He ended up dating both mine and Ruby's mothers at the same time.  I suspect this is why they eventually left him…  I, I guess I am trying to be less like that and try for something I have never had before."  She said.

She didn’t give the group time to contemplate that answer she spun the bottle again.  Landing on Ruby.

Yang knew Ruby's answer to what she wanted to ask her.  They had spoken about it privately previously.  However she didn’t believe her sister could speak the answer and would be forced to pass, revenge for threatening…. targeting her hair as it were.

"Ruby, out of everybody in the room, who has, in your mind, the best legs?"  She asked with a smile.

Weiss looked at her and smiled hoping for an answer… but the smile weakened as she noted the sad look from Ruby.

"Yang I think you know my answer."  She looked at Weiss.  "Weiss you have very sexy legs, but I am sorry it has to be either Kate or Pyrrha."  She kissed Weiss to cheer her up… and it succeeded in doing that somewhat at least.

Yang was just surprised that Ruby was able to say that in front of Weiss, but figured the kiss made what she said easier.

Pyrrha wore a very obvious blush on her face, where as Kate was more just used to the praise.  Not that she didn’t like hearing that she was attractive it was just nothing new to her.

The bottle spun again, and ended up on Kate.

Kate just looked at the Reaper, smiled, and said "Dare".

Ruby grinned, and motioned for Kate to come closer.

Kate was intrigued, but stood and moved slightly behind Ruby.

Ruby turned and whispered into her ear "I dare you to convince Jaune to give you a foot rub, but you cannot speak at all."

Kate nearly cried out as she started to chuckle.  None the less she answered back audibly  "Is that all?  Can I moan?  Can I groan?"

"No sounds at all!"  Ruby clarified sternly.

Kate walked back and sat down next to her brother in her spot.  She then got his attention with a tap on his shoulder.  Kate then brought both of her hands up in front of her body and made a puppy like expression as she angled her hands sharply towards him.

Jaune looked at her and seemed to understand that she wanted something.  He nodded for her to go on.

Kate then extended both of her hands and made a rapid series of up and down movements with them.

At which points Jaune just sighed, and said "Ok."

At which point Kate brought both of her legs forward and sat her feet on his lap.  He proceeded to give her a foot rub.  "Too easy."  The Ghost declared with a smug grin.

Ruby just blinked a few times as she looked over the two of them.  "What… just… happened?"  She asked.

Jaune just chuckled and indicated to Kate to answer.

"Twins remember?  Most of the time we don’t have to talk to understand the others intent.  I promised him a back scratch if he did me a favor.  All I needed to do was present my feet and he got what I wanted."  She stated smugly enjoying the foot massage.

"YAAANNNGGG how come you never listen when I talk to you silently!"  Ruby complained.

"Cause I don’t speak twinnish…"  Yang grumbled… secretly impressed with how well the twins communicated without having to speak.

When Yang spun the bottle again it ended up pointing at Pyrrha.

"Dare!"  The Spartan declared eager to get into the game.

Kate decided not to press too hard in her friendship with her brothers girlfriend and simply said "Pyrrha, I dare you to give me a neck rub."

Pyrrha smiled a touch but answered back "I will, but I have never given one before."

"My brother never taught you how?  That’s fine I can tell you what to do."  Kate said happily.

When Pyrrha just shrugged she proved to be a quick study following Kate's easy to follow instruction.  Before long she was enjoying both a neck and foot massage, much to the envy of the others in the game.

The bottle was spun again, and ended up on Blake.

"Dare"  Blake declared.

Pyrrha was still giving a neck rub to Kate as she worded… almost like she had this one saved up specifically for Blake.

"I dare you to go to the JNPR dorm room and let both of the dogs there lick your face for 5 minutes."

Yang barked out a joyous laugh as Blake said "I… forfeit"

Pyrrha smiled happily to herself as the bottle was spun again and ended up on Ren.

"Dare"  He said.

"I dare you to go to the JNPR dorm and convince Mrs. Arc to join us in our game."

The entire room laughed loudly at that, except for Kate and Jaune… ironically enough.

Ren cocked his head to the side noting his leaders caution, but eventually stood and headed out the door.

Pyrrha went back to her seat having completed her neck rub dare, and Jaune simply started  on Kate's other foot.

It was about a minute later that Ren returned appearing as a ghost and claimed "She was already asleep and to be honest I was afraid to wake her, so I guess I need to pass."

"Why would you be afraid to wake her?"  Weiss asked.

"That information I will keep to myself."  He said confidently.

Kate and Jaune just shared a look and again information passed between them, they knew that mom tended to sleep with her weapon nearby and in some cases in her hand.  They had no idea if that was what scared Ren away but it might have.

"It should be unfair when you two do that."  Ruby complained.

The twins just chuckled as they observed the bottle land on Weiss.

"DARE!"  She declared.

Ren thought about it… and said "I dare you to repeat the recipe that Jaune gave you for spaghetti out loud."  He didn’t think she would be able to do it.

Weiss just scoffed.  Challenge a Schnee's memory does he?!

"Simple, you boil water, you brown the meat in that water.  Then you drain it and put the meat, the noodles and sauce in a metal tray.  Once it is mixed well you fill the tray with water, then bake it at 375 for an hour and it is done."  She stated proudly.

Ren just… looked over at Jaune.  "That cannot be it?"  He asked incredulously.

"No, believe it or not, that is the recipe I gave her.  It isn't very complicated but it is tasty."  Jaune claimed.

"Aunt Marie's pasta bake right?"  Kate asked,  Jaune just nodded at her.

"Wow, that sounds like something even Yang couldn’t screw up."  Ruby stated much to the chagrin of the brawler.

The bottle was spun again, and came down on Nora.

"DARE!"  She declared looking forward to a challenge.

Weiss just looked at Ren, and played a gamble.

"I dare you to go back to the JNPR dorm room, and wake Mrs. Arc up."  She said maliciously.

Nora looked at her childhood friend, and lost nearly all of her unending energy at the warning glare found in his eyes.  So much so that Nora gulped, and said "I forfeit"

Weiss was doing a dance in her head as the bottle was spun again and ended up on Yang.

The Heiress had to think for a second after Yang entered a cautious "Dare".

Weiss wanted to take advantage of the fear the previous dare entailed, but she couldn’t reuse those dares…

"Yang Xiao long, I dare you to go to the JNPR dorm room, and bring back Mrs. Arc's dogs."  She said with a smile.

Yang remembered of course that she had already passed… and she didn’t want to give up just yet.  She had to steady her nerves, but she stood and exited the room.  The entire group of friends turned their bodies and contorted themselves to see what happened next as Yang entered the JNPR dorm room, and very obviously went pale.

Yang decided to try something that Mrs. Arc did previously in the day "Boys"  She whispered just loud enough to be heard.  The dogs might have looked at her at that point as she then declared "Blake is in our room, she wants some kisses!"

"YANG!!"  Blake declared, loudly but not in a shout.

Once the two dogs barreled into the room and Yang shut both doors behind her to reenter the RWBY room Blake decided that two could play that way.

She let herself get licked, then told both of the dogs "I like it when I get kissed, but Yang likes it more when she has her hair bitten and pulled, she always gives those dogs fish."

"BLAKE!!!!"  Yang declared as she dove for cover behind Jaune with the dogs in hot pursuit.

"Ty, Tec."  He said sternly, both dogs froze.  "Come here and sit down."  Both of the dogs whined a smidgeon at that, but obeyed.

Kate withdrew her feet from Jaune's lap and motioned for one of the dogs to come over to her, one did and sat down next to her between Jaune and Kate, the other settled in behind the twins.

Pyrrha had a thought, and she moved her feet over to lay them on Jaune's lap very similarly to how Kate previously did with a sly grin on her face.

Jaune just grinned and obliged.

The rest of the group just looked on and shrugged… trying to avoid feeling jealous.

Yang had retaken her seat, and spun the bottle.

It came to rest on Kate who declared "Dare."

Yang thought for a moment, then decided on putting her claim to not get embarrassed to the test.

"Katherine Arc, I dare you to strip down to your underwear for the remainder of the night."  She declared smugly.

"PASS"  A voice declared, it was not however Kate's voice.  Indeed Kate and reach up her arms to the straps of her tank top and was about ready to remove it.

"Jaune, you cannot pass for other people."  Yang advised with a smile.

"Why?  It isn't in the rules is it?"  He stated back with a bigger smile.

"She will do it and I am not sure if I am ready to handle that, so yes.  I am passing for her."  Jaune declared sternly.  "If however you are vetoing me in this Yang, I promise you, I will find a way to get my revenge 10 fold."  Jaune stated with an absolute look on his face.

In the end Yang shrugged, she made a dare, and she got a pass.  Didn't matter to her who passed.

Kate just looked amused at her brother as the bottle was spun again, and landed on Weiss.

Weiss carefully eyed Kate, and eventually declared "Dare"

Kate smiled, and said "Weiss, I dare you to follow me to the kitchen."  At that Kate stood, and awaited Weiss' reply.

Weiss shrugged, and followed Kate outside.

"I wonder what your sister has in mind?" Ruby voiced.

Jaune just shrugged.

Several minutes later Kate and Weiss returned each carrying a tray of goodies.  Weiss carried brownies and cookies.  Kate carried several glasses.

"Smoothies, nice."  Jaune said as he accepted his glass.

"Smoothies?  What is in this?"  Pyrrha asked as she took a sip and her face lit up amazed at how delicious it was.

"Jaune, think you can answer for me?"  Kate asked knowingly.

Jaune smiled and took a sip.  Recognizing the game from their youth… one would make the drink, the other would guess its ingredients.

"I would guess, vanilla ice cream, with chocolate powder, milk, coffee, and a touch of cinnamon."  He stated confidently.

"Perfect, nice guess."  Kate stated as she retook her seat.

The drink, the group found out, was indeed delicious.  "I cannot believe I am saying this but this might be better than even cookies."  Ruby stated earning a surprised look from the group.

Pyrrha nodded a voiced "I agree, the brownies are delicious but this is superb.  I didn't know both you and your brother could cook so well."

Kate laughed and responded back "Well, I don’t have as much experience, but I like to think I know how to do a few things better than he does."  She stated a touch playfully.

"Oh yes I agree we will need to get Jaune to make this drink now and test to see who is better.  I might need several glasses to determine whose is superior."  Blake stated playfully.

"Renny… I feel funny..."  Nora stated awkwardly.

Ren moved over, and remembered something.  "Wait a minute, did you say coffee?  Please tell me you made one Decaf for Nora?!" He looked pleadingly at Kate and Weiss.

"Uh… oops" they declared at the same time.

When Nora started talking too and answering herself Ren excused himself from the game.  He moved himself and his friend over to a nearby TV to watch a movie.

Jaune just looked over at his friend with an amused expression.  Ren eventually came back and claimed some cookies and brownies to take back when he said "Normally I have to strap her down when she has coffee, I hope for your sake she didn’t get much."  The group wasn't sure if he was joking or not, none the less he went back to his friend.

Intentionally or not, the room had just been divided in two groups.  Yang without her pass, with Weiss and Ruby.  Against Jaune without his, and Kate with Pyrrha.  Almost on queue Tyrion stood and moved over to the other team to make it a 4 on 4.

"Well now, this is interesting."  Weiss said as she spun the bottle, for it to end on Jaune.

"I am tempted to declare a 3v3 challenge.  We shall have to see how this plays out."  Weiss stated sounding as if she was in thought.

"Truth"  Jaune requested.

"Jaune, I want you to tell us what your mother has planned for you."  She stated with a smile.

"Weiss you know I cannot answer that.  The time is not right."  Jaune stated sternly.

Weiss just smiled smugly as she stated "As you stated, it isn't against the rules-"

"Pass"  A voice declared.

Kate was the one who came to his rescue with a smile.

Pyrrha was a touch annoyed… she didn't think to do that for her partner.

The eyes of the other side narrowed as the bottle was spun, and ended up on Yang.

Yang was feeling a touch confident at the moment and declared "Dare"

Jaune's eyes narrowed as he said "Yang.  Seeing as we are holding sacred tonight.  I dare you to kiss Ruby and Weiss on the lips."

Kate giggled and Pyrrha just looked on open mouthed… Jaune really was going for the throat after that dare from Weiss.

"Pass"  A voice declared.  Ruby had decided to defend her sister, much to the chagrin of the other side.

The 3 of them shared a high five as the bottle was spun again landing on Weiss.

"Hey that isn't fair!" The Heiress declared, but they had to admit it was never agreed upon for teams, so she had to take her turn.

Yang evidently had nothing holding her back as she eagerly waited on her teammates decision.

"Weiss, I dare you to put on the dress that I wore to the winter dance!"  She said withholding a chuckle.

Weiss' face lit up in outrage as she issued a "PASS!"

The group knew that Weiss lacked… a couple certain assets that Yang of course enjoyed flaunting, never mind that they had radically different body types.

"Yang I thought we were a team!"  Ruby advised trying to play peacekeeper.

"Not tonight Sis, we are all trying to win!"

At that, the dog that went over to join her side walked back to Kate and Jaune much to the delight of the twins.

When the bottle was spun again it came on to Kate, who stated "Truth".

Given her teammates actions she had decided it is now everybody out for themselves and while she didn’t know Katherine Arc well, she figured there had to be some things she would be hesitant to share.  She gathered from her meeting with her earlier in the day that she had… experience some intimacy previously… that gave her an idea.

"Kate, at what age did you lose you….your…. your…. virginity?"  She could barely ask the question without blushing heavily.

"15" Kate answered without restraint.

"I thought it was 14?"  Jaune asked somewhat confused.

"Nah, I only kissed that time.  I lost my virginity at 15."  She stated evenly looking at Weiss not embarrassed at all.

Weiss just followed the exchange with dreaded awe… Jaune knew the answer to that question?  She always figured the nobility to walk around in dresses and a child losing their virginity before marriage would have been a dishonor… Either that wasn't the case with the Arc family or Kate just didn't care about that.

Kate and Jaune both smirked as they watched the Heiress shift through various emotions as the bottle was spun again, ending up on Ruby.

Ruby declared "dare" in a confident voice.

Kate genuinely thought she was doing Ruby a favor as she declared "Ruby there is a cooking baking contest that Cadia holds over the summer, if you like I can have you entered as a judge-"

Ruby was about to squeal in glee… until Kate finished her sentence.

"-It is for who can bake the best raison cookie in the territory."  She stated with a smile.

Ruby's glee turned to outrage, as she declared "I forfeit, I will remember this Katherine Arc!"

Kate just was left open jawed "You don’t like Raison cookies?-"

"NO THEY ARE AN ABOMINATION!"  She stated quite sternly glaring angrily at the offender.

Kate noted that day, to never take Ruby's love of cookies for granted.

"I'm sorry I will bake some chocolate cookies for you tomorrow o-?" Kate started.

"OK!"

Well, that was easy Kate determined.

The bottle was spun again and ended up on Weiss.  The Heiress was unsure what to pick, but decided on "Dare"

Kate had to think, she did want to win this, and getting rid of the intelligent Weiss would be a good thing…

"Weiss, I dare you to go into the JNPR-"

"I forfeit"  Weiss declared instantly.  "I am slightly terrified of your mother I am not going anywhere near where is sleeping."

Huh… that was easy.  She was going to say to go in and take her brothers Art Book but, well that works too.

"Mom can be intimidating but she is very much like Jaune.  Sure right now she is angry at her husband but you should get to know her, she is a good person"  Kate stated happily.

"Well, maybe but I am still keeping my distance for now.  It was hard even talking to her and agreeing to send those documents to the SDC earlier… I should have them back in a couple days now that I think about it."  Weiss went on to ramble more, something she tends to do when both scared and tired.

Kate and Jaune just shared a knowing, if nervous glance.

"Guys it is late I think we might should turn in soon."  Jaune advised… and was quickly glared down by the 3 remaining girls.

"Or not we can keep going." He concluded.

The bottle was spun again, and ended up on Pyrrha.

"Dare!"  The Spartan declared.

Kate had decided that if she just demanded via glare to continue the game, she might as well play to win.

"Pyrrha, I dare you, to-"  Kate started.

"Ok girls seriously there is no need to play for blood…"  Jaune interrupted… and once again he got out voted.

"It is fine Jaune, your sister can finish her challenge."  Pyrrha declared confidently.

Jaune just gulped as Kate continued.

"I dare you to let me give you a tongue piercing"  She stated innocently.

Pyrrha's glare quite literally faltered… as she declared "Pass"

Kate felt rather pleased with herself… Pyrrha didn't need to know that she lacked the tools to do that… though she could have figured out a way to manage if she had too.

"Have you actually given piercings to others before Kate?"  Pyrrha asked now considering the wisdom of her decision.

"I have, never a tongue though."  Kate admitted with a  smile as the bottle was spun again.

Pyrrha narrowed her gaze.  She had learned never to underestimate Jaune's cunning, she would need to do the same for his twin.  If anything she seemed even more cunning than he was.

The bottle ended up on Yang, the Brawler considered Truth, but decided to play it dangerous  as she declared "Dare"

Pyrrha by this point had decided to play it equally determined to win as she said "Yang, I dare you to challenge Jaune to an arm wrestling contest, the loser has to forfeit."

"HEY!"  The Knight complained.

Yang for her part appeared very willing to go and moved in front of Jaune, laid down on her stomach, and looked eager to win.

Jaune… knew he didn't have to agree to the challenge.  He didn’t think he has the physical power to beat Yang in an arm wrestling contest.  He was about to decline the challenge, until he saw Kate's expression.

They seemed to communicate silently for a time.

"I hate it when they do that…"  Yang declared.

"I guess I never did say that Kate couldn't interfere…"  Pyrrha realized, ultimately she wasn't bothered by this, if the challenge happened it didn’t matter who lost.  She would be amongst the victors.

Kate and Jaune finished with their non verbal communication, and it was with a smirk that Jaune surprised both of the other girls.

"Ok, I accept."

Shortly after, they understood why, as he activated his semblance.

"I trust you both will find that this is not cheating right?"  He stated smugly as he laid down on his stomach to engage in the contest.

Suddenly Yang, was feeling much less confident.

Jaune with his semblance proved too much for Yang.  She couldn't even use her semblance to even the odds, as she would not have taken any damage and therefore her physical power would not have increased.

Pyrrha had to admit, she was feeling a touch jealous of the pair.  She had worked with Jaune and loved him dearly.  But even she, with as much time as they shared together, could not come close to communicating anywhere near like what he and his twin just did.

Jaune seemed to sense that Pyrrha was upset as he moved back to his spot and gave his girlfriend a nice kiss.  It was while his semblance was fading from him that she gasped.  He … knew.

He knew her thoughts.

Somehow, through his semblance, she learned something of what he was thinking.  It was not a full sentence.  It was more… thoughts and feelings.  But they were filled with devotion and affection for her.  He knew her feelings as he kissed her and somehow his semblance allowed her to read some of his thoughts too.

"What, was that just now?"  Pyrrha asked.

"That, is his semblance resonating with people he feels strongly for as he uses it.  Mom will be teaching him to be better at that over time."  Kate answered with a smile.

"Kate, what do you mean?  Nowhere do any of the studies I've covered anything about the Arc semblance being able to read the thoughts of those around him."  Pyrrha stated amazed.

"That is because it can't.  That does not mean however that what is in the books or what historians know covers everything there is to know about our family semblance Pyrrha.  You remember what Mom said earlier about Patch right?  A stranger would feel small but noticeable effects?"  Kate continued, while Jaune just looked on witnessing the exchange.

Pyrrha just nodded.

"If a stranger felt noticeable changes, I wonder what would happen to somebody who that person loved… just a thought!"  Kate teased.

Pyrrha was left pondering that for several minutes.  Jaune she knew, was never instructed in how to use his semblance.  She never realized that there was more to it than just using it… and realized very quickly how foolish her belief in that was.  Her own semblance was complex in the many ways she could use it.  She had no idea that Jaune's would have other facets of it too.

"Pyrrha you seem confused, let me just say 2 things.  First, YAY we won!  Secondly, I did not, and as far as I know, cannot read minds.  But when I use my semblance my senses seem sharper, especially sight.  I knew you were upset and… I just decided to kiss my girlfriend.  Don't over think things."  He said sweetly wearing his typical smile.

Pyrrha just nodded, and noting that the game was now over, the group set about settling in for the night.  The Spartan was almost more excited for overseeing the training with his mother than she was for spending time with him in their morning session the next day.  Either way, it was sure to be an eventful vacation, and we have only had one day of it!

The group went about figuring out a place to sleep, RWBY tended to head to their respective beds, while JNPR had to get creative.  As Jaune lay himself on a pillow Pyrrha settled in on him again as she was quickly becoming addicted to sleeping while entwined with him.  Kate settled in nearby and the group went into a pleasant sleep, having enjoyed the first day of their winter break.

Unknown to the group, Ruby had a plan for tomorrow.  A plan that she had shared with Ren.  After Jaune's morning session with Pyrrha and session with his mother, Ren would take him to target practice.  At which point, she does her thing, and she very much hoped it went well.

**Ok truth or dare round 2 completed!  Hopefully everybody got a chuckle or two out of that game.**

**Please by all means leave a comment let me know what you liked and didn’t like.  I read everything, and yes I emphasize everything I am sent and do my best to respond to it all too.  I will happily discuss this story to your heart's content on any curiosity or question you all may have.**

**I do read and reread every chapter before I post it and I apologize for the inevitable grammar and spelling errors which remain.  I am just not good at that type of corrections.  I am however trying, I appreciate feedback regarding it just the same, but please know I am aware it is not perfect and I am making steps to fix them.**

**Thank you for your support and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	13. Year 2 Winter: Semblance in pairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss is trying to sleep in following the truth or dare game and might have slept longer than she intended. Jaune tries to learn more about his semblance from his mother, and Weiss has her own goals for the day. Behind them all lurks Ruby, who seems to have her own schemes.

2.18

Weiss never considered herself a sound sleeper.  Maybe it was just because at her home… or maybe her family's home, she was never comfortable or possibly even happy.  She went about her day to day activities out of a sense of duty, not out of a sense of happiness.  Pleading with her father to let her go to Beacon was only ever allowed because she would use the opportunity to further the families business.

She didn't know if anybody knew besides her, but the TRUE reason she walked up to Pyrrha that first day is because she was attracted to the red headed warrior and she would have met the requirements her father put forth.  Of course this also meant that Weiss had to accept the fact that she herself was into girls.  That fact or maybe realization did eventually come to scare her.  When it was clear that Pyrrha only had eyes for men… or maybe one specific man.  She tried to let that go.  Ruby more than filled the void that being turned down left in her being.  She in fact was so poor at real relationships, not master servant relationships, but friends, that she at first resented Ruby's friendly attentions.

Now of course, none of that mattered.  She and Ruby were together, and for her part she was very happy, possibly for the first time in her life.  It might have been this happiness, that allowed her body to sleep more and more out of relaxation.  However a state of relaxation was not meant to be this morning.

Right now, there was the bright light of a sun, and the annoying cry of a shower which demanded her attention.  When the shower cut out however, she was tempted to go back to sleep.  However, a quick glance around her dorm found that her teammates, had already left.  In fact… it was probably Ruby in the shower at this moment based on the rooms layout.

Ruby might have been the one known for her puppy like looks in the group, at that moment however, a damned cute puppy appeared in the place of one Weiss Schnee's typical face.  She got out of bed and tip toed to the shower door.  Deciding to greet her girlfriend with a fine morning was a temptation Weiss found irresistible.

She took a moment to… set her clothing properly.  Proper heft on the bust, proper amount of leg showing and finally hair out of its pony tail.  With a devilish smile, Weiss thrust open the door.

"Good Morning Ruby!"  A smiling Heiress declared.

From there her thoughts went something like this:

1) Wow, Ruby got a lot taller…

2) She cut her hair!

3) oh wow her legs….

4)  … Dust Damn it…. that isn't Ruby.

Weiss gulped.  It was absolutely not Ruby who was showering just now.  It was Kate, Katherine Arc, the physically blessed visitor and possible new group member.

Weiss learned a few things about Kate that day.

1) She really does not get embarrassed at all.  She literally just stood there and went about her business not caring that Weiss was staring at her with an overall… superb view of everything.

2) Her legs if anything looks better without leggings on… She couldn’t even begin to adequately describe her… absolutely … perfect …. posterior.

3) The group now included 4 people who could boast about having a very visible and sexy 6 pack… Yang, Pyrrha, Jaune, and Kate.

4) Kate has wonderful taste in underwear… however revealing it was…

Before Weiss could come up with any additional thoughts whatever remained of her dignity kicked in and she slammed the door shut.  Breathing hard and embarrassed to the point of tears Weiss moved away from the door and thought furiously for how best to word her apology.  She should have knocked, she shouldn't have stared, she should have done anything but stand there open jawed possibly with drool forming on her lip and look at a guest like that.

Kate soon exited the bathroom carrying her now clean black tank top and leggings from the night before, and instead wore blue versions of essentially the same clothing.  Weiss noted that the Arc double crescent moon symbol, was never present on anything Kate wore… for that matter she couldn’t remember seeing it on anything Deborah wore either.

"Good morning to you Weiss."  She said with a wink hiding her amusement.

Kate continued to walk right by Weiss to her pack and stow the other pieces of clothing.  Once done she seemed to head out the room.

"Kate…"  Weiss said.

Kate stopped and looked at her for a moment.                                                                                                                 

Weiss tried to start speaking, several times, she just couldn't find the words.

"Weiss I am not worried about what happened.  This is a school, it is the shower, mistakes are bound to happen every now and again."  Kate stated nonchalantly, she took another step towards the exit.

"Katherine… Kate wait… please."  Weiss stood up gripped Kate's arm nervously and towed her back to her bed where they both sat down.

"Really Weiss you don’t have to apologize, I am not concerned about it."  Kate repeated honestly.

Weiss looked at her for several seconds, and really had to reach for her courage for the discussion she wanted to have with Katherine.

"I… don't really want to talk about that.  I am sorry, but if you aren't bothered then I won't worry about it."  Weiss stated trying to ease into the conversation.

"Okay…"  Kate stated cautiously.  "What then?"

Weiss again tried to speak multiple times, and was only able to do it by pretending that she was talking to herself.  She shut her eyes, and said:

"Ruby likes your legs."  Her voice came across as flat.

Kate just looked back with a blank expression, she had enough patience in her to know that COULD NOT be what Weiss wanted to say.

"Go on…"  she prodded.

"No, I mean… she REALLY likes your legs."  Weiss finally opened her eyes.

"Weiss, this would be easier if you speak your mind."  Katherine stated with a friendly face.

Weiss took a steadying deep breath, and tried to.

"Kathe… Kate.  I… I am lucky to have Ruby still.  I nearly lost her…"  Weiss started… appearing to force the conversation but still she remained honest and open in her body language.

Kate just nodded, she was good enough at dealing with people to know that now was the time to be quiet, not to speak.

"It was Jaune that saved the day.  Jaune Arc, the helpless idiot from initiation saving a Schnee from making the worst mistake of her life…"  Weiss continued, and looked very vulnerable all the while.

Kate… did not like that reference to her brother, but figured the tone would soon change.  She took Weiss' hesitation as a mark of trust, she was oddly pleased at that.

"Your brother… I owe him a lot.  He put up with my attitude and insults for too long, far longer than he should have.  I didn't… could never see that he was working himself to exhaustion consistently, and I never gave him credit for his efforts.  This same boy literally comes in and saves the day.  He… saves me from my own ignorance, throws all of the negativity I hit him with away just because he thought it was the right thing to do.  He… somehow convinced me to try and be better.  To, keep working so I won't feel… like I used to anymore."  Weiss was obviously nervous at discussing this with Katherine… but kept speaking.

"I am trying… to change, to be a better person.  Your brothers influence I think.  My attitude is something that I continually work with… but… Ruby loves your legs… in a way that absolutely made me feel bitter jealously last night."  Weiss concluded.

Katherine just nodded, trying to follow along.

"Kate, I am asking you… to… just… how did you get them?"  She asked awkwardly.

Kate nearly smiled inwardly, and contemplated how best to answer her question.  Everybody just assumed that she was born with them… when she told people the truth the lion share never believed that she actually had to work for every bit of what she had gained in stature.  None the less she tried to ease into the conversation similar to how Weiss was.

"Weiss, a good bit of it is genetics I confess.  I was given modeling offers from a very young age because of my looks.  It wasn't because of my bust.  As much as I like what I have up top I know enough to realize it is my legs that would have carried me in my modeling career if I went that route in life."  She answered.

Weiss nodded, but felt as she had to keep going now that she had started this conversation, this was not going to get easier as she kept going… "Kate… earlier… I noticed that you have a… six pack.  Your… entire body is in great shape, not just your lower body.  You obviously work hard do… do you think you could help me?"  Weiss answered with very honest and vulnerable eyes.

_Ah... so that is where she was going with this._

Kate was not against the idea of helping Weiss out.  Really she would have relished and been overjoyed at the chance to bond and become closer with the group… but she needed to make a few things clear to her first.

"Weiss, what time do you think it is?"  She asked curiously.

"I don't know, maybe 8:30 ish?"  Weiss asked more than a little confused.

Kate just shook her head "Weiss, it is about 10:45."

10:45?  That’s crazy.

"So then you woke up around 10 and took a shower?"  Weiss asked.

Kate shook her head… and realized this might be more difficult than she thought.

"Weiss, I woke up around 5 am with Jaune and Pyrrha.  We worked out together until about 30 minutes ago."  She stated again, very honestly and open in her body language.

Weiss just opened her mouth, but did not make to respond verbally.

"Weiss, as blessed as I do not deny I am physically in appearance.  I have worked, incredibly hard, all my life for every bit of what I now have.  Sometimes to the point that my legs, those things that people tend to continually talk about in praise, couldn't bear my weight anymore as they were so tired."  She stated without hostility, just honesty.

"This morning I stretched, I did Yoga.  I did a great deal of free weights combined with machines, at least a few hours in that alone. I put over an hour on a treadmill -with weights no less- and I regularly practice fighting unarmed which if you recall, I mostly fight thus with my legs.  5 intense grueling hours this morning, and I might be doing another session this evening too for weapon practice.  If I am going to be a student here I need to act like it.  Jaune and Pyrrha were kind enough to welcome me to their routine, and I intend to take advantage of the offer."  Kate stated.

Weiss just looked on shocked, she knew they worked… but 5 hours just in the morning?  She wanted to comment on more but what stuck out to her…  "You ran on a treadmill with weights?  Why?"  she asked perplexed.

Kate smiled to herself, though it was without humor.  "Weiss, my mother and I did not take public transportation unless absolutely necessary.  We walked, or more often ran everywhere.  All of that stuff amounts to weight somebody has to carry."  She said pointing at her pack.

"So you did it for the challenge?"  Weiss asked, she knew from Blake and Yang from their impressions and time with Kate that she appeared to be an incredibly hard worker but the degree that they described her… if anything they underestimated her work ethic possibly to a large degree.

"No Weiss, I -we- did it for the realism.  Consider this, somebody on your team is injured and you have to carry them at a run to safety.  You will need to be able to do it, take on that additional weight and still be able to move.  What if all 3 of your team are injured and you need to carry them all?  Sometimes I carry more than I weigh when I run on a treadmill for just that exact reason.  Maybe you are running towards somebody to help them as a hunter, you are obviously going to be carrying your weapons, it won't be just your clothing alone.  I run with added weight because it is something my mother instilled in me, something she has tried to instill in all of her students.  Pyrrha thankfully burned into my brother the same habit.  I can carry a fair amount now and move comfortably.  It is only possible to get that through a great deal of hard work and effort.  It must be earned, there is no easy path.  I work out 2 or 3 times a day, every day for multiple hours each time.  Pyrrha and Jaune are on the same schedule so it was easy joining up with them.  Something I personally plan on making a continuous event."  Kate was not trying to be overly forward but she felt she had no other way but to do this to make her point.

"Weiss how often do you work out?"  Kate asked openly after a moments delay.

Weiss shifted uncomfortably.  She knew that Kate was trying to help her but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel under attack here.  Listening to the sheer amount of sweat that Katherine… and Jaune had been putting out was staggering for her.  It took her several minutes before she was able to answer by saying:

"I work out every other day or so for an hour.  Enough to stay in shape."  Her response was honest, but defensive in posture.

"Weiss, if you want to try to improve yourself for the sake of your girlfriend, then why don’t you think of what your girlfriend would want?"  Kate asked trying to steer her in a more likely positive resolution.

"What do you mean?"  She asked.

"Weiss, don’t take this the wrong way.  But seriously, you need to consider a few things.  If you needed to fight Pyrrha, and I mean really needed to fight Pyrrha.  What would you do?"  She asked.

"I do fight Pyrrha in my combat classes, I don’t beat her.  Nobody does."  Weiss stated again defensively.

"Weiss that is not what I mean.  I don’t mean in class.  What if you are fighting somebody like Pyrrha who can just rip your weapon out of your hand with polarity or telekinesis or any means of doing that?  Your entire arsenal, everything you can do both offensively and defensively is tied to your weapon.  If that happened to you, then you have no means of fighting back.  If you want to think of Ruby and your feelings for her or what she means to you to motivate yourself, then consider how she would feel if you were gone."  Kate claimed.

Weiss, at this point, just nodded.

"I am not saying this to be cruel or offensive.  However if you want to use Ruby as a motivation for you then do what SHE would want you to do.  She would want you to be alive, so as she can keep being with you.  She would want you to work hard now, so you aren't at risk later.  Learn to fight unarmed.  Maybe get a secondary weapon.  If you want to be able to fight with your legs like me to try and build them up a bit I will help you, but your reasons for doing so need to be sound.  It comes down to the simple point, you need to work harder Weiss, much harder than you are now.  That is the point I am trying to make."  Kate stated honestly.

Weiss had to breath and fight her nature…

Be different Weiss be better… for her.  Remember what you promised Ruby… "Go on."

"Weiss, there is a saying my mother is fond of.  A team is only as strong as the work ethic of its best member.  A trait Jaune and I share, we will not get out worked-"  Kate stated.

"Pyrrha can outwork you Kate."  She appeared eager to win a point for her side… and only later regretted saying that when Katherine continued.

"You are confusing outperform with outwork.  Jaune had to be carried back to his dorm last year by Pyrrha on more than one occasion because he simply lacked the strength to walk.  I had to do that for him in our youth.  He is the one who gave me my work ethic, who inspired me to keep going no matter how tired I felt.  If my weak sickly brother could dance until his body lacked the strength to stand, then I can keep going when my body was feeling sore or tired.  Pyrrha can outperform me, but she has never been unable to walk after a workout.  She will never outwork either Jaune or I, neither one of us will let ourselves be outworked.  We have never allowed that in our entire lives, it is who we are as people.  That is how we are catching up so quickly, I hope you realize that.  Despite not having gone to a combat school, it is our work ethic which is catching us up rapidly."  Her eyes were bright with determination and resolve, for both herself and her twin.

Weiss looked contemplative, Kate felt as though she getting through.  It Weiss wanted to work out more that would be a great thing.  However Kate knew it needed to be for the right reason.

"More than once in the wilds Mom had to use her semblance to replenish me cause I gave too much and I just could not keep up with our pace for the day.  It is not easy working for several hours in the morning, and then going on a marathon uphill carrying a pack only to have another workout with weapon practice after the run.  I forced myself to do it because I… I thought my brother was going to be stuck in a bed for however long he lived.  I tried, but I doubt even I understood how miserable he felt.  He had all the desire and determination in the world with none of the energy or strength.  I was determined to be a hunter for BOTH of us.  Thankfully he still was given a chance.  I truly believe he and I are equals but… my point is you get nowhere unless you work hard Weiss and that you are willing to draw strength from others."

Weiss seemed content to just listen from this point on.

"Weiss… just… work more, do more.  Be serious about it, treat it as seriously as you do your studies.  Don't show up in a dress or a skirt.  Do not be afraid to get dirty.  The lesson that Mom gave to Yang I think very much can apply to you.  Keep going do not just do enough to get your heart rate up.  Push your body daily as much and as far as you possibly can.  If you want to strengthen and tone your legs, or just your body in general.  Fine, I will help you.  However you need to have the right motivation or else you will not keep up with the habits…."  Kate looked at the white haired girl, she had become very defensive and hugged her limbs tight to her chest.

"Please consider what I said."  At that Kate stood and once again she moved to the door.

"Wait."  Weiss said just before she exited.

Kate now almost did have a smile on her face as she turned around.

"Were you trying to get somewhere?"  Weiss asked noting that Katherine was moving a touch restless.

"Well yes to be honest.  It was after our morning workout after all.  Jaune was going to work with mom on his semblance, I wanted to see it."  Kate stated honestly, but she kept her gaze on the Heiress.

The Heiress took a deep breath, and her eyes seemed to focus as she spoke "Kate… suppose I wanted… to … do more, worker harder… all that.  Where… how should I start?"  Weiss looked at Katherine very hopeful and vulnerable.

Kate did smile at this point as she moved back to her pack and said "Give me your scroll."

Weiss obliged, and looked on intrigued.

Kate pulled out a cord and plugged it into her scroll.  After a few seconds she disconnected it and handed it back to Weiss.

"What did you do?"  Weiss asked slightly alarmed.

Kate just calmly responded "I just installed a starter program.  It is something my mother designed.  It will start with a body scan to get an idea of your level of physicality.  Then all you need to do is select what you want.  If you want to focus on running or Yoga or strength training anything.  That program can get you started on learning to fight with your legs too, it was how Mom had me start out.  It will monitor your body or form if you let it and will not count reps that are not up to par.  There are limits to what it can do it is just a starter program, I do have more but for now that should be plenty to keep you busy."

Weiss was less than happy at the idea of taking orders from a computer, but if Katherine's legs were the result… and if she would be able to perform better as a team member.   She could give it a try.

"Weiss, I mean it you just need to do more.  If you feel exhausted go to Jaune ask for help-"  She stated.

"Ask for help!?"  Weiss exclaimed.

"Yes, Weiss.  Ask for help there is no shame in that.  I will restore your aura if I need to.  However Jaune can use more help learning how to heal and if you are continually needing it, even if it is multiple times a day believe it or not you are helping him as you ask.  That is how we grow.  We do not do it by ourselves."  Kate insisted.

When nobody spoke for several seconds it was obvious Kate was waiting for her to respond.

"That sounds like something Jaune would say."  Weiss said shyly.

"Well… we are twins after all."  Kate finished with a smile.  Kate was prepared to turn and leave, when the smaller girl surprised her.  She took a few steps forwards, and hugged her.  Once they broke away Weiss looked up at Katherine and simply said:

"Thank you." Wearing a sincere smile.

At that, Kate moved to observe the training session… Weiss left to pursue her own schemes.

***JOINT COMMONS ROOM ***

Pyrrha was learning a lot that day.  She knew firsthand how much Jaune was willing to give and how hard he worked.  He gave everything, to him being unable to move after a workout was not something to be embarrassed about, it was the norm.  Once he had his health that occurrence was much more rare, not because of a lack of trying, rather he just had much more strength and effort to give.  That much was evident in his combat class as he is proving to be one of the most talented fighters in the year.  Every lesson he learns, he seems to grow with.

What Pyrrha was not expecting, was that his twin worked equally hard.  She knew that by reputation Kate was a hard worker, and though Pyrrha was not attracted to the female body she could appreciate what Katherine had earned through hard work.  Pyrrha was slightly bigger and stronger, but that took away nothing of the amount of sweat equity that Kate had put in to obtain what she has.  She was not expecting Jaune to have inspired his sister similarly to how she herself inspired her boyfriend.

The 3 of them made a good team for their morning workout, and while she at first was apprehensive of the idea of letting a newcomer in on their workouts, Kate proved herself to be a boon.  She worked just as hard as she and Jaune did and was happy to have people she could share hard work with.  Kate joining in proved to add to their workout, not to take anything away.  Something the three of them looked forward to repeating in their normal procedure

His mother proved to be another surprise.  The older woman she knew, was regarded as a superb fighter and instructor.  She was good enough at reading people to recognize the obvious truth, that Deborah Arc was still a deadly, if aging Hunter and Warrior.  However her body might not be in her physical prime anymore, her mind has lost none of its sharpness.

Pyrrha really was not sure what to expect as she observed the semblance training.  She expected it to be similar to weapons training but realized that to be foolish.  There was not in truth much to watch.  Most of what they did they did in a relaxed meditative state with their semblances running.  The Arc semblance seemed to try to tune the body, mind, and spirit together.  Physical training it seemed was not the best way to accomplish that.  Which it turned out to be all that Kate missed as she, it seems, was delayed in her shower for nearly an hour.

"Hey Pyrrha"  Kate called cheerfully from the RWBY dorm room as she walked towards her.

Pyrrha waved back, and it was then she saw -another- thing she had never seen before.  Weiss exited the room.  Not wearing a skirt… or sorry combat-skirt, or a dress or her school uniform.  She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts.  More than that she appeared ready to go to the weight room and looked… oddly eager to do it.  The taller girl moved towards Pyrrha, the smaller girl slinked down the stairs as she messed with her scroll with something.

"Took longer than expected"  Kate said with a sly smile.

"Should I ask about it?"  Pyrrha asked cautiously, not having fully adapted to Kate's playful nature still.

"Depends."  Kate answered moving up to the guard rail.

"On what?"  Pyrrha asked back.

"On whether or not you might want to tease Weiss a bit or not later."  Kate answered with a grin.

That… was not was Pyrrha was expecting to hear.  However the Spartan took it at face value, and contemplated it.  In the end maybe her time spent with the group had changed her a bit, but she decided that knowledge in an of itself cannot be harmful and decided to ask Kate to proceed.

"Go on" She said.

"Well, I learned that Weiss drools as she stares.  That she thinks my legs and butt are great.  She likes my 6 pack.  She likely learned about my hygiene in how I keep myself shaven and oh, she wants to work out more."  Katherine said with a friendly smile.

… Anyway yeah, Pyrrha had not gotten completely used to somebody who just does not get embarrassed about anything yet and was very open and honest in all things she did.

"I am not sure if I want to know how Weiss knows that or not…"  Pyrrha stated in caution.

"Eh, she thought she would be surprising Ruby in the shower, and she walked in on me.  I guess she liked what she saw as she was unable to move away for a good minute."  Kate stated equally honest and playful.

"You really do not get embarrassed…"  Pyrrha stated with herself blushing a bit for the other girl.

"There was nothing to get embarrassed about Pyrrha.  I have worked hard as have you.  Mistakes will happen in any setting.  I spent a year and a half alone with my mother believe me mistakes happened-"

"Ok that is where I am cutting you off."  Pyrrha stated with a  half smile half terror filled face.

Kate just smirked back and said "Sorry, I so rarely get a chance to talk to people my age I normally have to cram as much as I can into every conversation.  I guess I will need to change too if I am going to be a student here with you all."  She did appear a touch sorry, she did not want to risk offending anybody of the group much less her brothers girlfriend.

Pyrrha seemed to read that from her, and just replied back "Honestly Kate, I think you will fit right in.  You are a mix of Yang, Jaune, Blake and myself.  I just need some time to figure you out, and I think we will be sisters in no time."  Pyrrha said with a smile.  Meaning fully every word.

"You would be the first… second person to do that."  Kate replied with a friendly smile.

"Your mom was the one who figured you out?"  Pyrrha asked.

"Nah, Jaune knows me really well.  I drive my mother crazy."  the Ghost replied with a chuckle.

"I guess daughters just do that to their mothers."  Pyrrha replied back, enjoying the chance to bond with Kate.

A sound from the lower level drew their attention.

"Ok Jaune that is enough let's move on."  Deborah said standing.

The Matriarch was dressed in her leather gear again.  Kate knew that she had some other stuff she could wear but it almost didn’t matter the weather when mom was in teacher mode and she wasn't required to wear something else, she tended to prefer her leather outfit.

Jaune stood wearing his workout clothing and replied back "Ok what now?"

He had only spent an hour with his mother and learning to use his semblance.  Already it seemed like the world was a bigger place.  Through his semblance he can get a feel for the outside world.  Mom knew during the battle at Patch where she was most needed through her semblance.  The villagers for their part were also influenced as they got a sense of where she needed them to be and act.  As Kate described it they seemed to instinctively rally around her… well it seems there was a reason for that.  Mom was deliberately coy about a couple things stating that he would need to figure them out for himself.  For example he asked something that Kate hinted at the night before.

_"If a stranger got small but noticeable effects and it proceeds up from there, what if the two people feel stronger about each other?  Like if they love each other?" He has asked._

_What he got in reply was a coy grin and "That is something you will need to discover for yourself, I could tell you.  However it is a tradition of a sort for us to let our children discover that for themselves.  When they are able to use their semblance in that manner they are considered to be a proficient user of it.  Mastery, real mastery will take time, years, decades.  I am the veteran and senior in our family and there are still things about it that I am trying to discover.  But when you are able to answer that question, you are considered to have earned your title, which in your case would be Paragon."_

_"What about Kate's semblance?  We don't classify hers as a knight, what is considered her competency test?"  He then asked._

_Deborah smiled at the question "Kate can extend her semblance through a touch, when she can do that without touching she would be considered proficient in her semblance.  The title would be Specter."_

"PAY ATTENTION!" a stern voice boomed through the room.

Jaune was snapped back to the training session at hand "I'm sorry"  He issued honestly.

Deborah is a perfectionist when it comes to instruction as she is in most things in her life.  She just stared at her son for a handful of seconds and he seemed to put himself back together enough to proceed.

"Be mindful of your focus in the future, pull out your weapon.  I understand that it has a 2 handed sword mode, we will stick with that for now."  She adopted an unarmed stance.

Jaune obliged, and drew his weapon, his shield latched onto his arm.

"Why not use the standard mode of the weapon?"  He asked.

Deb had to think about how best to answer "Ms. Nikos has been teaching you your sword and shield skills and I do not believe I need to add to them.  However you aren't as proficient with your alternative setup and as such we will use that.  Now-"  She ignited in her semblance "-try to hit me." she seemed poised to move in any direction.

"What about your weapon?"  He asked as he pulled out his semblance again.

"Try to force me to draw it."  She replied, still all seriousness.

The room briefly was lit up by 2 gorgeous white flames, before one lurched forwards.

Jaune ran forwards with an overhead swing, and mom just was not there dodging to the side.  Switching to a sideways he again did not find his target, she ducked and danced away.  Another slash, another miss.  Another, and another, and another.

This continued for nearly 10 minutes, Jaune was trying, clearly trying.  He just was not fast enough.

The Black and Red haired observes were not trying to be overly judgmental.  One of them was more baffled, the other rather expected this.

"He can't touch her."  Pyrrha stated, not really in awe, but certainly put off balance.

"I didn't expect him too,"  Kate answered right back.

Pyrrha just looked at her unsure what to think but didn’t voice anything.

"Watch, you will see." Was all Kate stated.

The two below continued in their dance with Jaune's sword continually shining in the light.  Swing after swing, continually the only thing he managed to hit, was the air.

After a time when the lesson seemed to have made its point, whatever that was, Deborah decided to end it.  She drew her weapon from behind her back dodging another swing from Jaune, and a long thick and wicked looking sword sprang to life.  Caladbolg was a terrifying weapon.  A long two handed weapon equally suited to slash stab and crush, few people have stood against it historically with an even remotely encouraging win record.

Deb blocked Jaune's attack and said "That is enough." She then extended her weapon with one arm, and sent Jaune away.

She faded out of her semblance, and as Jaune was standing he let his go too.

"Your colors are identical."  Pyrrha called down from above, Jaune didn't realize she was observing them from below.

"Oh Hey Pyrrha-" Jaune was trying to greet his girlfriend.  What he got was a smack across the face as Deb hit him with the flat edge of her weapon.

"Lesson Number One:  NEVER ignore somebody with their weapon drawn."  She said sternly with a glare.

Jaune was not as annoyed at that as he might have been had he not spent time at Beacon.  He knew he had things to learn.  However when Mom fell victim to the same thing Jaune was filled with an un controllable sense of déjà vu.

"Yes, it seems you were right Katherine."  Mom said looking slightly up.

Jaune leapt forwards to try and do the same thing to his mom.  All he got was a raised sword arm that quite literally poked him out of the sky, he landed with a -thump-.

"Cute, but it shows initiative."  Deb answered with a slight smile.  She then holstered her weapon, and indicated for Jaune to do the same.

"Tell me your thoughts."  She instructed.

"I thought Lesson Number One was something else."  He said.

"The numbers aren't important is it the lesson's themselves, your thoughts please."  She said with a hint of humor and good nature.

Jaune had to think.  His semblance had done a great deal for him.  It greatly increased his physical power, it increased his speed and reaction time.  It also seemed to strengthen his senses.  All that was just as he had no idea what he was doing with it.  In his time with him mom, he had learned a great deal.  However at this point it was clear what he was thinking about.

"You are so much… more than me.  So much faster, you blocked my attack with one arm with ease and forced me away.  Our semblance colors may be the same but… I guess I really am just weaker than everybody else."  He said shaking his head, he knew enough from dealing with his mom if she asked him for his thoughts he needed to be honest.  Those honest thoughts, was hurting him he found right now.

Pyrrha wanted to try and lift his spirits… but figured the veteran warrior and professor was just starting the lesson.  She really hoped that Jaune did not suffer for this.

Deb looked sad for a moment, but continued with her lesson.  She did not consider the parallel that he might draw between his childhood and just now, but Deb decided to address that point later.

"Jaune, what I just did is a tradition.  It was not meant to remind you of anything.  When a student learned to control their semblance, that often times made them think they are invincible.  It does grant them a great deal of power.  What I did is to show you that what you discovered is just the tip of the iceberg."  She said with purpose.

"Then why are we so different? I accept that you are a better warrior than I am but that doesn’t explain why you were so much faster and stronger."  He asked, really fighting his beat himself up habits.

Once again, Deborah felt a touch sad, but realized this lesson needed to be learned.

"Our differences physically are not so apparent and as much as you might think you are lacking in skill what you need is experience and confidence more than anything else.  Pyrrha has done a superb job with your instruction I have to admit that.  Back to the point Jaune, Ozpin told me that he through you off the Beacon Tower.  You remember that right?"  Deborah asked.

That… Pyrrha and Kate did not know, and Pyrrha was not immediately happy with that knowledge.  She was happy with the praise in her teaching, but wanted to know more of the lesson.

Jaune of course remembered that.  "Yes, I remember."  He admitted, he was not used to being praised, but was happy that his mother tried.

"He was trying to point you in the right direction and make you see something.  In time, I believe you would have seen it.  However the students he is used to being responsible for have been instructed in their semblance.  Instruction I will give you over break.  What do you think is the lesson he was trying to help you learn?"  She asked clearly trying to lead him somewhere.

Jaune for his part, was really unsure what she could be trying to get him to see.  "I confess I do not know."  He admitted.

Deborah gave a sad but knowing smile "Jaune.  As good of shape as I am in, you are my physical superior.  There was a time when I could keep up with people a fraction of my age.  For some individuals, I still may.  You, with how you have worked, I suspect I cannot.  I am not beating you with my physical body.  I repeat, your skills are in line with where you need them to be in your time as a Beacon student.  You need battle experience and confidence.  But let's not get out of topic.  I did beat you just now, and it was for one very specific reason."  She said again trying to get him to think.

Yet again, Jaune did not grasp the point, though he clearly was thinking.

"Jaune, is there any way you could have survived a fall off the Beacon tower if you did not rely on your semblance or aura?"  Deb continued.

Jaune just shook his head.

"What do you think is stronger: your physical body, or your aura?"  She asked.

His eyes narrowed to pinpoints very quickly, and answered "My aura…."

"Your aura, correct.  So tell me.  If your aura is superior to your body, why are you still using your body to move around while you are using your semblance?"  She asked evenly.

That got Jaune thinking if anything, even harder than before.

"Jaune, our semblance, is quite literally based around immersing our bodies in our aura.  Our family traditionally has very strong aura reserves because of how demanding our semblances tends to be.  When you discovered your semblance, it was as if you found a piece of string around your mind, is that not so?"

Jaune nodded.

"You pulled on that string, and it gave you energy as you immersed yourself in it.  When you use your semblance, do not move with your body.  Move with your aura.  Do not swing your weapon with your arm, do it with your aura.  Do not see, hear or feel with your body, again, use your aura.  Wrap that twine, that string around your body.  Don't just draw on it for stamina or strength.  Wrap it around you and move with it, fight with it.  That is what you must learn to do, it is what I will teach you over break."  She claimed.

Jaune, looked contemplative as he stood listening to her speak.

"What do I need to do?"  He asked sincerely.

Deb just walked up to him and put her arms on his shoulders.  When she spoke, it was not the typical Professor Arc voice, it was more motherly and kind.

"What you need to do.  Is literally sit down, and pull on that string.  Keep pulling on it until it becomes something more than string.  In my experience it was something like a rope.  Keep pulling until you have enough of it to wrap around your body.  Get better at manipulating it.  There is nothing I can do for you in that regard so that is what I will ask that you spend some time doing every day until you are better at it."  She looked conflicted about something, but spoke on.

"Kate spoke to me of your potential, as a child… I had trouble seeing it because all I saw was my sickly son, who I cared and was scared for.  Pyrrha saw it from the moment she laid eyes on you.  I see it now too, you have a tremendous amount of potential in you and, I hope to help you bring that out.  You… are not weak no matter what your sisters might have told you.  It is my job to open their eyes to that fact too.  I… I'm sorry, for not being a better mother to you."  She said as she hugged him.

"Mom we don't need to do this now, we have plenty of time."  He said returning the hug.

"I didn't say it often enough, I am sorry.  I love you and I am sorry.  I'm sorry for hurting you just now too.  I gave you the lesson and I think you learned it, but I did not consider that it might remind of you less pleasant times."

The two of them just embraced and seemed content to hold each other for a time.

The two women above them thought that they might still be speaking, but Pyrrha decided to continue her conversation with Kate to give her partner and mother some private time.

"You seem to know a great deal more about his semblance than he does."  She said, not really trying to be accusatory but she did find it odd.

Kate turned to look at her, and responded back. "What are you asking me to tell you Pyrrha?"

"Why does everybody in his family know more about his semblance than he does?  I can understand him not being taught it to a degree given his condition as a youth but… That does not mean I am happy about it Katherine."  The Spartan declared.

Kate just looked at her for a moment and said "Pyrrha, my mother and I had to talk about some things given how long we were together on the road.  When we learned what happened to him and we were on our way back the only thing mom could talk about was Jaune and her… our feelings about it.  She was so… distraught and upset about it that it was difficult to speak to her about anything else.  Some of the things she spoke about was his semblance.  If for no other reason that she was unsure who else in her family would be friendly to him.  She told me things if for no other reason I would at least know the words, if not the actions.  I was determined to help him and if something happened to her, she wanted me to at least be able to give him pointers in how to use his semblance."  She stated openly.

Pyrrha contemplated that for some time, and decided not to make that much of an issue about it.  There was another topic she wanted to discuss with Kate and what she mentioned made a great deal of sense logically.

"Kate, I wanted to ask about your mother."

Kate kept her open look and just said "Ok, but don't you think you should ask her?"

"I will given the opportunity, but I still want to get your impression on something."  She stated honestly.

"Ok, well ask whatever you want."  Kate responded.

"Kate, your mother was never home.  She was either hunting, or she was teaching.  How do you feel about that?"  Pyrrha asked openly.

Kate at this point crossed her arms but otherwise remained open and honest in appearance.  "Pyrrha, I love my mother.  Yes it was hard not having her around at times but the truth is, the simple truth is she thought we were well cared for.  She arranged for her children to be tutored in nearly every subject and topic of reference.  I always know that my mother loved myself and my brother.  He might not have had the same education because he simply didn’t have the energy but… she did try."

"But, she wasn’t there herself to see to it personally."  Pyrrha pressed.

"Yes, that was hard.  It was hard to understand as a child.  As a twin, I was furious for a very long time that these things happened and nobody seemed to listen.  She did try and she did look into things.  But the truth is she cares, about life and about people.  She wants to be a protector for her family and in her mind the best way she could do that is what she did.  Or at least that is what I think."  Kate stated very open and honestly.

"How can she do that but to not be around?"  Pyrrha asked.

"Again, I feel like you should ask her that question.  However I will say that, I believe, she viewed it like serving in a countries military.  Those who serve are often times away from their families and loved ones.  She viewed being a hunter not as serving ones country, but as serving and protecting the world from what threatens everybody.  The Grimm.  She wanted to protect everybody, and she was a superb fighter and teacher.  In her mind she was doing her duty to her family by passing on those skills to as many as possible.  However as it became clear that her children were not given an equal chance by her husband she had to make exceptions and sacrifices.  Such as taking me on my apprenticeship.  I know beyond any doubt that she feels horrible about what happened to Jaune and is determined to make it right.  She feels very poorly that I was not, at least initially, allowed to do what I wanted in life, that my father tried to force modeling and fashion on me.  But you need to understand something else."  Kate paused here and collected her thoughts.

Pyrrha kept her posture friendly, as she waited for Kate to resume.

"Pyrrha.  My mother loves all of her children.  She really tried to do the best she can for everything and everybody that was depending on her.  That includes family, friends, students, and career.  In the end she let a few of her kids down.  But she is trying to help them all, not just myself and Jaune.  She does not know what happened to Eve, for that matter I don’t either.  She thought that her husband would have been a nurturer for all of their children, now it seems he might have just been trying to break them apart.  I still have no idea why.  But it is something that she feels responsible for and she will do everything in her power to make it right."  Kate shock her head and took a deep breath.

"I get that you still don't trust me or my mother.  I cannot force that.  I just hope you will give both of us a chance.  We are good people, we are very hard workers, and we care deeply about everybody.  Just please keep that in mind."  Kate looked down and noticed that her brother and mother seemed to be calling an end to their session for the day and left the room to meet them in the commons room.

"Kate."  Pyrrha called.

Katherine turned with an amused smirk on her face as she turned around.

Pyrrha moved towards her and pulled her into a hug, which the other girl didn’t object to and completed.  "Kate, I love your brother.  He means more to me than I can express.  I want to feel the same for you, I know you mean a great deal to him.  I am sorry for being confrontational about it, I am just very protective of him.  I don’t want him to get hurt anymore."

"We both want the same thing Pyrrha, I said it once already just give us a chance.  My mother and I aren't against proving ourselves to the group but there is only so much we can do.  I am glad that you are giving me a chance I just wish you would really give her a chance too.  If for no other reason that she deserves one.  I might have been an angry child and a trouble maker before, but I understand now that she has lived a life of service.  She has sacrificed so much doing what she believes is her job…  her duty."  Kate sounded somewhat sad.  But she none the less kept her face friendly, as she once again turned and left the room.

Pyrrha for her part, was kept in her place.  That last statement from Kate had more of an impact on her than Kate likely meant.  She could only imagine the stress and pain that Kate and Jaune endured at home.  Or how much the realization of those facts brought pain to their mother.  She was still unsure what to think of the Arc Matriarch.  However, it seems that Deborah truly was trying to do right by everything and everyone.  It is only natural that when you try to make everybody happy, somebody ends up unhappy. 

She knew that to share the same semblance with Jaune they had to be very similar.  Jaune told her that he wanted to protect everything, strangers, those he loves and most of all herself, last year.  She guessed that the similarities really are present.  Deb wanted to do the same thing, and if her husband was anybody but James Arc, she would likely have been saved from a great deal of stress.

Kate was not the first Arc to speak to her about Duty.  Jaune did, he viewed being a hunter as a duty, as an honor.  Kate likely did too.  Now she also knew that their mother did.  The more she thought about it the angrier she grew for their father.  She suspect that at their core, all of the Arc children were duty bound people.  Just their goal and purpose had been manipulated and perverted by an…. evil man.  Pyrrha was left contemplating that for several minutes in solitude.

After a time Pyrrha left the overlooking room and joined her friends in the commons.  She had showered after their morning workout and it seems that Jaune was now taking his turn.

After a period of time Jaune returned to the commons room, wearing different clothing as he intended to go to target practice with Ren later, but otherwise still wearing his weapons.

Kate was talking to his mom and Pyrrha along with the rest of the group except Ren, who was likely making lunch and Weiss.  He wasn't sure where Weiss was.  He took his place in a chair and enjoyed the ability to relax after the workout with both Pyrrha and Kate, then later with his mother.

"Jaune, you never did tell me what you named your weapons."  His Mother asked.

Jaune smiled as he answered "I have a few things in mind, but I will let everybody know once I have made up my mind."  He replied friendly with a smile.

"When is the fish you ordered going to arrive Mrs. Arc?"  Blake answered.

Cause of course Blake would ask about fish, though the two golden dogs around Mom also perked up at the mention of fish.

"Probably tomorrow."  Mom answered smiling.

It was then that Weiss appeared climbing the stairs up with very deliberate and slow steps.  Her clothing, yes actual clothing not skirt, was drenched in sweat and she could barely move.  Literally her legs… maybe her entire body was shaking with each step.

"Kate, I hate you.  I mean I love you but I hate you, if that makes any sense at all.  Thanks for the help."  Weiss grumbled and collapsed into a chair, she seemed to lack the ability to make it to the shower right now.

The group was more or less just as surprised at the appearance of Weiss not only in clothing but drenched in sweat.  Come to think of it this is the first time he had seen the girl thus.

It was then that Deb stood and walked over to the small girl.

"Ms. Schnee-"

Weiss looked at her, and said cautiously "You might as well call me Weiss, we are all trying to be friends here."

Deb smiled, and continued "Very well, Weiss.  I wanted to thank you for helping me with the paperwork I asked you yesterday.  It still should be done in a couple days?"  She asked.

Weiss nodded.

"Good.  Also, I spoke to your sister."  Deb continued.

Weiss sunk deeper into her chair and groaned in exhaustion, but said "Ok?"

"Your sister wanted me to help you with your semblance if I had the opportunity.  I think that now is a good time to do that."  She said with a smile.

Weiss groaned again "Now?  I can barely walk."  She complained.

Deb shrugged "Maybe, but I have found that in the past, glyph manipulators make the best growth when they are forced to.  Your body being tired is a good thing I have found.  Moreover you still have plenty of aura, so you can, and in my view, should, try to grow as much as you can."  She almost sounded in professor mode.

Weiss looked at her, and said "I don’t have my weapon for dust…"

Ruby took the time to use her semblance, zoom into the RWBY room, zoom back and put her weapon right in Weiss' hand and say.

"Now you do"  She smiled happily.

Weiss' gave her girlfriend a half happy half venom filled look before looking back at an expectant looking Mrs. Arc.

"I don’t know what help you can be if Winter herself can't help me.  Using glyphs is complex and varied-" Weiss was interrupted by Mrs. Arc taking over the speech.

"Area altering and elemental manipulation is more like math or science, the same can be said about time manipulation.  You can add one to one, and you will always get two.  That is why your as good, maybe better than your sister at those aspects of your semblance based off how your mind works.  Summoning is more like having a conversation.  The ability to express yourself through words whose meaning can change depending on tone and inflection.  Because you are not as good at expressing yourself, you struggle in that aspect."  Mrs. Arc stated with a smile.

Weiss just looked perplexed "How… can you possibly know that?"

Deb went down on her haunches again to be on an even plane to the sitting Weiss as she spoke on "Because I taught your Aunt Pristine to use her semblance.  She struggled in exactly the same way.  I don’t know if you know her, but at the time there was no hunters in the Schnee family to assist her with mastering her semblance.  She had to learn it all from scratch.  She, like you, had difficult listening and speaking from your heart rather than your head."  Deb spoke empathetically, not in an insulting manner.

Weiss did not like continually finding herself on the receiving end of a debate with a member of the Arc family for the third time in as many days, but she nodded for Deb to continue.

"I cannot promise that I can work miracles overnight or in one sitting.  I do however think I can help you."  She said openly, looking very much like her son as she did.

"I don't know."  Weiss said hesitantly.

Deb continued to look intently at the young Schnee, and decided on something as her face lit up.  "So, like your Aunt, you need some added motivation it seems.  Very well.  Here is my bargain with you Weiss.  If you can follow my instruction and succeed, I will try to heal your scar.  Do we have a deal?"

Weiss, almost looked eager at the challenge for a moment, and went into business negotiation mode "I doubt you expect to be able to heal my scar.  Moreover I don’t need your help, I am making a glyph to do that for me."  She said happily.

Deb nodded "So you are.  However you also are not sure if you will be able to succeed.  However I will say that while I cannot guarantee my success I am rather confident that I can do it.  If I am right, you become a better huntsman, you get better at your semblance, and you get rid of your scar.  Are you really going to try and convince yourself to not take advantage of this?  My only requirement is that if I do succeed, you keep working on your glyph.  I cannot heal everybody who may need it personally.  That is my deal Ms. Schnee, take it or leave it."  She deliberately used her last name here for added effect.

"You seem to enjoy making deals with your students Mrs. Arc.  I haven't seen any other teacher do that."  Pyrrha put forth curiously.

Mrs. Arc smiled again as she stood and turned to face her.  "I have always been one to care about the end result.  I share an interest in music and art.  I believe those are important things to learn so as to be a complete person.  I personally have never cared what is used to motivate students to do well and take more of an interest in their education.  I wagered my cape with Ruby's Uncle, and I lost it.  I have done similar things in the past.  It might not happen often and it certainly did not happen every day.  But I believe if you have the power to make a difference and help improve your charges as a teacher, then you do it."  She appeared to fully believe those words as she spoke them.

The group nodded at her.  Pyrrha was already starting to respect Mrs. Arc, and it seems like with everything she did, that respect grew.  It occurred to her… that Kate was right.  Mrs. Arc has more than earned a chance in her efforts to help others in her life.  She made mistakes, she paid for them, and she has tried to move on and improve.  Really what more is there to ask for out of anybody?

Deb just looked back to Weiss and said "You still have not given me an answer Weiss."

Weiss looked both very tired, and very conflicted.

"Mrs. Arc, I have tried to summon, I just cannot do it.  I can do area alteration, time interference just about any glyph my family is known for easily.  I just cannot summon many people have helped me.  I doubt you will do any different."  She sounded very depressed.

Mrs. Arc went back down on her haunches as she spoke to her "Weiss, what is the best weapon you possess?"  She asked.

"My sword of course."  Weiss answered instantly.

Deb shook her head and said "Try again."

Weiss thought again, and said "My semblance?"

Again, the older woman shook her head.  When Jaune started to speak she held up a hand advising him to be quiet.

"Weiss, this is why you are struggling with summoning.  You take things very literal.  There is more to being a weapon, than being a sword or even being a physical object."  She said.

When Weiss just looked at her, Deb moved up her hand, and poked her in the forehead.

"Hey?"  Weiss said.

Deb just smiled  "That Weiss"  She poked her head again.  "Is the best weapon you have.  When it tells the rest of you that you can't do something, the rest of you tends to listen.  You can summon, your semblance says you can.  It might not come as easily as the other aspects of your semblance, but you can summon, I would bet on it.  However you never will if you never let yourself try and fail.  You will not instantly succeed in everything you do.  Sometimes we as people grow through failing.  Will you try with me, or will you decline?"  She asked.

The old Weiss, the group knew, might have said no, she might also have said yes.  However the new Weiss, the girl who is trying to be more than what she was.  Just looked at her partner.

Ruby smiled, gave her an encouraging look, and seemed to have full confidence in her ability to succeed.

For her Weiss, do it for Ruby.  You might need to summon something to save her one day.  Do it for Ruby.

"Ok, I will try."  At that Weiss stood, on very shaky and weak legs, but she stood.

"Good.  I would say we should do it in the practice room, but I think with you, it would be best to have everybody here looking at you.  You mean something to them Weiss.  I think having them in the same spot would help you."  Deb stated.

Weiss moved, again shaky and on weak legs to an open spot and took her pose.  A light blue glyph appeared on the ground and it began to spin.

"Nice form, just like your Aunt's.  Now, Winter, I believe instructed you to think of a foe which made an impact on you in the past.  Think of them, and call them forth.  Does that sound familiar?"  Deb asked.

Weiss just looked at the older woman, and said "Did Winter tell you that?"

Deb shook her head and responded "No, that is just how the Schnee family has explained summoning, it does not work for all of its members.  I have explained summoning like a conversation.  Not a demand.  Do not will the foe to obey you.  Rather speak to it, and try to draw it into a conversation."

Those words, were definitely not Winter's, or any other person in her family as they described her semblance.  This appeared to be something new.  Indeed as she listened to the words, spoken with pure conviction, she started to feel… something new.  A whisper, a response.

The glyph on the ground spun faster, and a portal appeared above it slightly off to the side.  However the strain of thinking was causing her to lose her focus, and the glyph on the ground vanish, along with the portal.

"Good."  Deb said.

"Good?  I failed"  Weiss complained.

"Yes, but you went further than you ever have before, right?"  Deb said knowingly.

"… Right."  Weiss really tried not to be irritated by Mrs. Arc's knowing smiles however accurate she was.

"It seems however, that for you to find that part of yourself, you need more motivation."  She shot Weiss a very knowing and slightly evil grin as she walked over to Ruby.

Weiss could not hear what Mrs. Arc said to Ruby who was near Katherine, but they spoke in hushed tones for more than a minute or two, when Kate nodded followed by Ruby saying "Ok!" very energetically and moved over to where the original glyph was and laid down.

"Weiss, I want you to try again.  However as you think this time I want you to imagine that there is a sword descending towards Ruby, and I want you to keep your eyes closed.  You cannot move or make any attempt to stop it.  Keep your eyes shut unless told otherwise.  You are simply not close enough to reach it otherwise.  The only way you can save her is if you summon something to defend her near where she actually is.  Do you understand?"  She asked.

Weiss felt as though she might regret this, but she nodded and tried again after closing her eyes.

Once again she felt something answer her calls to conversation as it almost spoke back, and the portal grew larger.  She could almost feel something answering her call when she heard words, she could not understand them, but something definitely was speaking back to her.

Weiss could not see this due to her eyes being closed, but Deb had nodded to Ruby on the ground, and Ruby called out as if distant "Weiss!  Help me!"  The words sounded real, faint and she truly sounded in danger.

Weiss wanted to open her eyes, but she didn’t.

"WEISS!!!"  The call came again sounding both louder, and closer.

Desperate to reach as far as she could go and succeed in this challenge she threw her entire being into the summon.  Weiss gasped, as she felt a presence.  The Animated Knight which gave her the scar she so hated.

"WEISS HELP PLEASE!!"  It sounded right next to her, full of desperation and need.

Keeping her eyes closed was proving to be very difficult as she was starting to shake with effort very visibly.  She could almost feel the Knight nearby.  Just before she felt as though she was about to succeed, she heard a voice whisper to her in her ear.

"Open your eyes."  It was quiet, she could not identify the  voice.

She opened her eyes, and took in the sight.

The glyph on the ground was spinning so fast she could not identify it as a glyph anymore.  The portal near it was huge, nearly reaching the roof.  However what commanded her attention, was the sword which was rapidly descending on Ruby.

Mrs. Arc had drawn her weapon, and was making one swing towards her partner.  Her friend, her first real friend.  Her… Girlfriend.

That part in Weiss that she was not used to listening too.  That she struggled to accept, suddenly felt very loud and very strong.

_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!_

It screamed.  Weiss watched as if in slow motion the sword continue to descend.

"RUBY NO!"

Somebody cried out.

What happened next, proceeded quickly.

A sword thrust out from the portal following by an armored arm.  A loud -CHINK!- filled the air as it knocked the descending sword away from the girl on the ground.  More of the armored figure emerged through the portal, and before long the entire imposing figure of the Animated Knight was in the room.  It stood protectively over Ruby with its sword looking ready to fight and defend with a blue tether linking it to the portal.

"Well done"  A voice said from behind her, this time Weiss identified it as Kate's.

Kate then walked with her typical silent grace back to her spot in the room having done her job.  Unfortunate the sight of Katherine in those blue leggings was enough to distract Weiss that she let the summon fade, and she collapsed on the ground into a seated position breathing very hard.

"WEISS!" another voice cried out.

Weiss was very soon tackled to the ground fully as Ruby collided with her in a hug.

Jaune looked over at his mother, she looked very pleased with herself having succeeded in her goal of helping Weiss learn to summon.  It was really amazing that she did it in a single session.

Ruby had pulled her very tired and still soaked girlfriend off the ground and helped her stand.

"Weiss you were awesome"  She declared as she happily kissed her neck.

She might have heaped more affection on her tired girlfriend, but Ren had emerged from the Kitchen.

"Lunch is ready to go."  He claimed.

"I still need a shower…"  Weiss said sounding exhausted.

"I'll help!"  Ruby stated happily.

Weiss was too tired to object, and getting spoiled by her girlfriend sounded nice… after all this entire day started with her trying to surprise Ruby in the shower.

Ruby helped Weiss into the RWBY dorm room as the rest of them moved to the table to enjoy a meal.

Jaune knew that after this he and Ren was due sometime at the target range.  However unknown to them Ruby also had a plan.  Now that she had Weiss alone, she could enact it without fear of discovery, she had a chance to obtain what she wanted from each group member and would absolutely take advantage of it… she might not be as sneaky as Blake or Kate, but she liked to think she had a sneaky gene in her that she could use on occasion.  Now seemed like a good time for it… and of course they needed to see if Mrs. Arc could heal that hated scar of Weiss'.

**____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Thank you again for your continued support, I really am consistently hitting the 10k plus word mark with each chapter… yikes.**

**I am still looking for somebody to draw me a cover image for the story, if you or somebody you know is willing to do somebody a favor for whom stick figures is challenging, just send me a message and I will gladly discuss what I am looking for.**

**As ever I thank you all for the support and feedback.  I will happily answer any questions you have and would enjoy discussing this story to your heart's content.**

**-Sean**


	14. Year 2 Winter: 3 Parts to a Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Jaune have some fun with target practice. Yet Ruby has spun an intricate web and they appear to be caught in it. Beyond that, a long awaited encounter seems ready to play out.

2.19

 [bonus scene 1, check additional chapter work for scene]

The door shut with a quiet -click- and for the first time Ruby began questioning the wisdom of her plan.  She had a great deal of 'sneakering' to do and she did not want to get seen doing it. 

She helped her girlfriend into the shower and they enjoyed… some quality time together.  That part was very much a bonus, something the Reaper did not plan on, but it did none the less provide a perfect cover for what she was trying to do.  After leaving Weiss, who really looked like she had just given everything she had, was a bit of a challenge for Ruby.  She was immensely proud of her partner and girlfriend.  She succeeded in summoning with the helpful proverbial shove from Mrs. Arc.  Ruby of course realized that Weiss had done it all for her too.

She had always believed in Weiss, similarly to what Pyrrha always spoke of what she saw when she looked at Jaune all those many months ago.  Ruby saw a good person, a big heart in Weiss.  Somebody who could help each other as they progressed through their schooling.  Sure the Heiresses attitude at the start was troubling, but none the less it worked out great.  She still had not thanked Jaune for that favor…

Eh he would deny a favor or anything is owed, which of course does not mean that the sneaky weapon crafter was not determined to think of something for the good hearted Knight.  She would just need to put her mind to it.

She never intended for Weiss to get upset by her comments about Katherine's body.  True, Katherine possessed a physique the likes of which a sculptor would struggle to better.  Not surprising given the work ethic of that girl.  For that matter Jaune filled out a damn fine form too, but well, he was a guy.  She can't claim to have had such a … revealing view of Katherine like Weiss did, but she knew enough to know the obvious.  The only person she knew to accomplish the same stature aside from the twins, is somebody she knew already.  That person of course being Pyrrha Nikos.  Ruby's team was apprehensive of meeting the youngest Arc sibling.  After they did, it was like she was meant to be with them all along.  The girl had her quirks, but she was a damned hard worker and was overall somebody who was a pleasure to be around.  She inspired people to do more and be better just like her twin however different they are.

Now that Kate would likely have to enroll at Beacon, she just hoped that she ended up in a friendly place.  She might even ask Ozpin to let her room with RWBY itself.  She was certain that Yang and Blake wouldn't mind and after today she didn't believe really anybody would object to the attractive girl joining in.  She had yet to ask Ren about his feelings on the matter but if Nora was to be believed, well, he wouldn’t object either.

Normally Ruby wouldn't need to babble and think to herself for this long.  Typically with her semblance she would already have arrived at her destination and be working on her scheme… plot… plan.  She hadn't reached her destination yet for two distinct reasons.  Firstly, the snow.  It seems like whenever there is a winter break at Beacon the weather just decide to place a blizzard above the campus.  It might not result in a snowed in environment like last year, but it still resulted in it taking a great deal of energy to push through the snow drifts given that the Beacon staff hadn't been able to clear all the passages yet.

Secondly, and most importantly.  Her cargo was really… Blasted…. HEAVY!!!  Seriously Weiss called her stupid Ruby more times than she could remember when they first meant and she was starting to think that maybe Weiss was secretly some genius savant.  Oh well, she had lugged her heavy burden nearly the entire way and she did it without being seen heard or observed… never mind the trailing footsteps left in the snow… they could be anybody, right?

Finally arriving at her destination the Reaper set about her work.  This was going to take awhile, best get started.  She doubted Jaune would keep them entertained for long, intentionally or otherwise.

*** Target Range ***

It is a good thing, Jaune decided, that he had not spent any of his limited funding on ammunition.  For one, he still sucked at aiming with Bracer.  He had a name for it… but well, he just wasn't comfortable telling everybody it just yet.  None the less he admitted it wasn't easy aiming the contraption.  For all it was considered a gun, he decided a cannon was a better label for it.  The barrel seemed rather large when he first viewed the included module.  He later learned that was because it was the truth.  The cannon did not have many shots before it needed to be reloaded, and he now knew why.  The thing used huge shells for ammo.  Never mind that Ozpin had enough foresight enough to leave room for other adaptive modules for any adjustments needed in the future.

Kate's bracer Toxo, to be honest he was still a smidgeon annoyed at the name, it was the first thing that came to mind for his own bracer.  However he couldn't name his the same thing.  For one, she would never let him hear the end of it.  For two, it would continually hurt him, literally every time he said that his cannon, was named bow.

None the less the time he had spent with Ren had proved to be an enormous boon to him, however much it was obvious that he needed help Ren never was anything but patient with his novice student.  Now, he could actually hit things… occasionally.

"Thanks for letting me try out Stormflower first Ren.  I would probably still be missing if I only had my Bracer to use."  Jaune said kindly as he lined up another shot.

"Think nothing of it, it is fun to have a partner for this.  There is a reason Nora uses a grenade launcher.  She doesn’t care about delicate aiming, in the vicinity is close enough for her."  Ren replied with a smile as he reloaded his weapon.  The school supplied shells for target practice were not as … awesome as the more expensive Dust shells the SDC or its rivals supplied but for the purposes of learning they were fine.

-BANG-

"Ugh, wide right again."  Jaune lamented with a sigh.

"Hey Jaune, Nora and I have been thinking-" Ren began openly.

"I warned her about that."  Jaune stated in jest.

Ren just smiled, and continued "We were thinking.  At first, we were apprehensive of the idea.  However, we cannot deny the results." 

Jaune stopped what he was doing and looked at his friend "What are you talking about?"  He asked.

Ren mirrored his team leader, and replied "Jaune, it boggles my mind how much work you have put in at Beacon.  Never mind that you had a… Grimm in your chest all last year.  I thought for sure that you were some anomaly to be able to do that.  But, your sister works just as hard.  We have seen you and her train and practice.  It is crazy how far you have come so quickly."

Ren's praise was rare, and Jaune had to admit he was touched "Ren, you are trying to ask me something.  What is it?"  He played a hunch.

"Jaune, Nora and I want to join in, at least in the mornings.  She gets to work out and get near Kate.  The training can be good for the team, and well can help each other improve. I get some wonderful eye candy and can try to get stronger too.  "  Ren looked almost like he was making a joke as he grinned a bit.

Eye Candy?

"I might regret this Ren, but, eye candy?"  He felt like he might regret inquiring.

"Jaune, there is no denying your twin.  Don't take this the wrong way but as a red blooded male, you cannot deny that she has an amazing figure.  I would say… well I think you know what I would say but I don’t think I need to say it.  She has worked incredibly hard.  Nora and I think that as a team we should work more.  If Kate is going to be joining us at Beacon she would fit right in."

Jaune made to speak, but when Ren's grin became a full on smile he paused.

"Nora would say that your sister has an ass to die for, but thankfully that’s her not me."  And so the grin became a bigger smile.

Jaune groaned.

"You know if I had a lien for every time somebody said my twin had a great butt I would probably be able to retire."  Jaune despite his groan had long given up fighting against the continuous stream of compliments and comments about his sister, and just took aim with his bracer again.

"The man code has ruling here Jaune, there is no denying the truth in this."  Again, Ren was smiling.

"For all it happens I cannot say I am fully used to it.  Kate for one, however much we are similar was never shy about her figure.  She doesn't walk around naked, however while she doesn't try to show off her body, she never has really tried to hide it." 

-BANG-

"Hey I hit it that time."  Jaune said with a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah nice shot, you need to be more patient, and the iron sights included on your bracer you might want to adapt more.  You have it set for 100 yards.  You might want to set it to about 20."  Ren advised as he started picking off targets with each hand at ease.

"What do you think about the news report Yang showed us at lunch?"  Jaune asked as he made the suggested change.

"About the White Fang luring hunters into ambushes?  Beyond I dislike it I am unsure what you want me to say.  What do you think about it?"  Ren asked right back.

"I just do not understand the point to it all.  I understand that people will not always agree but some people I just do not understand.  'This is Mercury Black with another episode of Justice'.  It is enough to make me question the sanity of the world."  Jaune fired again, another hit.

"Some people do not make sense to the rest of us Jaune, that’s why people disagree."  Ren stated calmly.

"This is different.  The White Fang are suppose to be a Faunus movement.  Trying for a better world.  All those broadcasts promote is hatred, not peace or acceptance."

-BANG-

"Gah missed that time."  Jaune complained.

"Take my sisters for example.  Even Jewel, we do not and have not ever gotten along.  I do not however think she is evil.  Misguided maybe, but not evil.  These… White Fang people are just destroying for the sake of wanton destruction.  At least Jewel does what she does because she believes it is her duty to do it and believes she is doing good as she does it."  Jaune claimed.

Ren just looked at him crossly "I never thought you would have said that about a sister of yours Jaune, especially Jewel.  She… She certainly seemed evil to me, and to the rest of us."  He claimed.

Jaune looked down at the floor for a moment to gather his thoughts.  "Ren I do not deny that by your thinking that makes logical sense to what you know of her.  I know her more than you do on the subject.  For all she tormented me, she did it with logic that made sense to her.  It was a discussion she had with me, mother, or others many times.  To her, if you are weak, you exist to serve those stronger than you who take it upon themselves to protect you.  Regardless of her personality quirks she is still a huntress in training, which means she is still trying to protect people.  Regardless of her views of morality or a comparative lack of kindness.  She can still do good, she has the potential in her.  These… White Fang… I don’t even know the word.  They and who supports them IS evil, they kill because it's fun and destroy things because it is a nice way to decorate the world in those broadcasts.  I doubt there is any way you can change my mind on that."  Jaune claimed.

Ren just looked at him in a contemplative mood "Are you finally ready to tell me what you will do when you meet Jewel?  You have to know a meeting with her is inevitable."  He asked.

Jaune looked back to the ground. "No, I do not believe I am yet.  If I go through with mom's plan, which before you ask I cannot tell you about.  The manner in which we meet will be radically different.  I do not want to turn into the bully and toss whatever power I carry around in the same manner she sometimes did."  He sounded conflicted.

"You still think of her as a sister, don't you?"  Ren asked.

Jaune nodded.

"Why?  How is that possible?"  Ren asked very surprised.

Jaune met his gaze "Ren, you are my friend, in fact you are a brother to me.  I tried, I tried as hard as I know how to stop loving my former sisters and family members.  I just, could, not, do it.  We are Hunters in training Ren.  All hunters will not agree with each other all the time.  That much is obvious from Cardin last year.  I am not saying that Jewel and I are ever going to be on speaking terms and I don’t even know if I want to be on speaking terms with her.  But like everything else I do I will listen to my heart and my conscious and try to do what is right.  If I have to fight her I will fight her.  I might not seek out a fight but I cannot tell you what I will do when we meet."  Jaune did not look conflicted now, not quite certain but he did not doubt the words.

"I want peace with my sisters Ren.  I will fight them if I must.  I will fight them more than once if I have too.  I do not want to be at each other's throats for the rest of our lives.  I am not aiming for friendship, or love from them.  I want them to leave me alone because they choose too, not because somebody is forcing them too.  What I have to do to arrange that is what I want to do.  That is the most accurate way I can put it."  Jaune claimed again, calmly if intently.

Ren just looked at him and spoke back "If you were a 'harder' person I think this would be a simpler thing for you Jaune."  He said honestly.

Jaune just looked right back and replied "I might have relished a chance for a physical confrontation with any of my sisters from my youth Ren.  As I said I am willing to fight them, but I do not want a lifetime of constant fights against my own blood.  Suppose I do what some people want and openly welcome a fight.  Even if I win that fight it does not guarantee the end of the situation.  I want a resolution Ren.  If I get that through fighting them so be it, but I will not resort to that first."

Ren kept his typical calm and said "Do you think you can honestly get what you want without fighting them?"

Jaune shook his head "With Jewel?  No.  I believe I will have to fight her if for no other reason she and I always got along the worst.  Maybe even her and Crystal.  Crystal is not like Jewel but she did always follow her lead.  I do not want to fight all of my sisters Ren.  Kate and I were close we have always been close.  Eve was friendly, but she still signed that disownment paper.  I still do not know why she did that, but I suspect she had no choice.  That still leaves 3 sisters, 5 if you count Jewel and Crystal.  I do not want to continually fight them to do what I want to do in life."  He took aim and fired again.

Ren cocked his head as Jaune emptied the clip in his Bracer, and began to reload it.

"You trust your twin and mother then?"  He asked.

"Completely."  Jaune answered without a thought.

"I confess I do not understand exactly how."  Ren stated openly.

"My twin and I know each other well we shared nearly all of our time together and told each other everything.  My mother clearly tried, she just… she feels the same way I do in many situations Ren.  She was trying to make too many people happy, and in the end succeeded in only a part of them.  Do you think she wants her children to constantly fight each other?  It is only a matter of time until one of them would kill the other.  Do you have any idea what that would do not just to her but to the entire Family?"  He did not sound angry, but Jaune clearly recognized the complexity of the problem before him.

"Ren, I can go back over everything she had said or done if you like.  I will if you believe I must.  Yes, I trust and love both of them.  Mom might not have gotten everything right in her life but I never once did not believe that she was trying to do the right thing.  Let's talk about a happier topic now shall we?"  Jaune again, did not seem angry or out of sorts, but he seemed tired to talking about this.

"Ok, I'm sorry if I bothered you but I do believe you needed to talk about it.  You are going to face them at some point it is better to prepare your mind.  What would you like to talk about?"  Ren stated, he honestly wanted to help Jaune, and facing unpleasant topics was a blessing in a controlled setting.  He believed that a fight against some of the Arc's was inevitable, but he could understand wanting to move the situation behind him.

"Let's talk about how you and Nora met each other?"  Jaune put forth happily, eager to be on to another topic.

Jaune got the distinct impression that somebody was watching him, but he didn’t even need to look around to realize that aside from Ren, the gun range was empty.

"Jaune, I thought you said a happy topic."  Ren advised calmly, if unhappily.

That caused Jaune to freeze.

"This is a bad memory or something?"  The Knight asked.

Ren just sat down and started to clean his weapons.  Jaune joined him, as he sat down as well.

"It isn't the happiest memory ever."  Ren admitted after a time.

"I know that you two are friends, if you don’t want to talk about it I won't inquire further.  However to use your own words against you, it is best to speak of things before they become problems."  Jaune stated hopefully.  He knew his reputation for dealing with people.  Ren… might not be included in that.  Ren was a good friend a good guy, but he dealt with emotions differently than almost anybody else Jaune knew.

"Jaune, I am from a small village, which you will not find on any map."  Ren stated evenly.

Jaune cocked his eyebrow at that, but otherwise listened to his friend.

"You will not find it on any map because it doesn't exist anymore."  He finished.

"What happened?"  Jaune asked.

"It was a fringe settlement.  My family knew that it was dangerous to live out where they did.  It was even more out of the way than Patch.  Grimm happened Jaune, that is what it comes down too."  Ren still spoke in his quiet and reserved way, but it was obvious inside, he was hurting.

"Want to talk about it?"  Staying silent was often more easy, in Jaune's experience, but also in Jaune's experience was more harmful in the long run.

Ren put his two weapons together and placed them back in their places before he continued, when he saw that Jaune was still cleaning the large barrel he picked up a piece and started to help out.

"Jaune.  There is not much to say.  I could make it some elaborate tale of how my village fought and fought and make it seem like some epic story.  The truth is much more dark.  I respect your mother.  I truly do.  She spent her time out on the fringe territories because she knows that Hunters do not make it out there often.  A Duchess out in the fringe territories?  If somebody would have told me that a few months ago I would have called them a liar.  But there is no denying the absolute truth that is your mothers skills as a hunter.  That alone is evident at Patch.  If she was around my village might still be standing.  But my home was not as lucky as Patch.  No hunter showed up to help us.  We fought and fought and fought until we could not fight anymore."

Ren continued to speak in his typical calm and stoic manner, but to somebody who could read people like Jaune, he knew this was not easy for him.

"The most experienced people we had were retired hunters.  People who might have been taught, but were trying to live out their time in relative peace and quiet.  They at first lead and assisted us.  But the pack that attacked us was just too big.  For every person we lost, we had nobody to take their place.  When it was clear the village would not stand, the adults tried to push past the pack so the younger people could have a chance to live.  It was that or wait until the Grimm battered down our doors and killed us all.  I was the only person from the village to live."

Ren handed back the piece he was cleaning, and took a deep breath.

"Nora's family was not hunters, but they were in the military and they were trained fighters.  My village bought me a chance to escape with their lives, and I ran.  I could not fully escape the pack, some did chase me down.  Luckily I ran right into Nora's father who was quite literally hunting, not Grimm, but deer.  He managed to kill the two Grimm that was chasing me and took me in.  That is how I met Nora.  Ever sense then I had wanted to be a Hunter so as to prevent what happened to my home from ever happening again.  I envy, I truly do envy Ruby and Yang.  They would have suffered the same thing were it not for your Mom and Twin.  I hope to have a chance to sit down and speak to them so I can properly thank them.  Be it my home or no, I do not want anybody to suffer through what happened to me."

Ren smiled, and did something Jaune rarely saw him do, dry his eyes.

"So that explains why you are here.  Did Nora want to be a hunter to be different?"  Jaune asked.

Ren chuckled "Different, might not be a terrible word for it.  Her parents wanted her to enroll in the military.  She is intelligent.  She just… well I don’t think the military would have suited her.  When she heard my story she decided to become a Hunter with me to serve the public.  I imagine it is similar to why you and your twin want to be a Hunter.  You two are nobles, if you wanted to you could live a comfortable life without facing Grimm.  I still am a bit unsure why so many Arc's are in training to be a hunter.  Katherine could literally do anything with … what she was given.  That takes away nothing from what you or she had earned in terms of skill and talents or physicality.  I just confess I find it odd that so many of your family are hunters."  Ren concluded, likely trying to steer the conversation to a less painful topic.

Jaune shrugged "It is hard to say.  True most noble family's only have one child be put into service as a Hunter to keep up appearances.  I guess… it is just too engrained into who we are Ren.  Katherine and I only ever wanted to be a Hunter.  I am glad that people can see how we are talented at it.  Believe me Kate knows full well that she could have been anything she wanted.  It was our dads influence that even brought fashion into our home.  It is the only thing either of us wanted to do, to be a protector of the people.  People tell me I am nothing like my dad, I guess we all just tend to take after our mom a lot."  He finished with a smile.

Jaune put his Bracer back together and it formed back into the armored gauntlet it normally is.

"Well, we should probably be getting back.  I'm sure Katherine has obtained at least 200 more compliments on her figure and at least another 12 on her posterior that are just waiting for me to just get within earshot, might as well not make them wait."  He said with good humor as he stood.

Interestingly that feeling of being watched just vanished as he stood up…

From there He and Ren began the slow march towards their dorm.

***Right outside gun range***

Katherine was many things.  She was sneaky, she was cleaver, she was a hard worker, and she was crafty.  Right now she was also amused, and… very sad.

She knew that the constant compliments she received about her figure… especially about her butt made her brother uncomfortable at worst, irritated at best.  Especially in their youth.  Everybody they met would do nothing but give praise to her, and he would be the one everybody tried to forgot.  Or worse pretend that he never existed.  She was glad that Jaune had filled out into fine figure of a man, possibly more so than he was at the knowledge that both of them were being allowed to pursue their dream of being a Hunter.

Of course to go along with that, is the trauma that Ren was subject to as a youth.  Listening to that story and keeping her semblance running was a challenge to not allow her focus to waiver as she stood nearby listening.  She liked Ren as a person, what little she had seen of him.  He was one of the few people, never mind males that did not instantly try to get her into bed when it was clear she would be around for awhile.  She never would have guessed that the stoic Ren had been through that as a child or young adult.  She would have to talk to him about it later.

The knowledge regarding Ren and her childhood experiences with her twin were something she was determined to remember and act on later.  Right now however, she had a job to do.  She always believed her semblance could be used for good.  Today she was proving that right.  She almost thought that Jaune suspected she was nearby given his flinching.  In fact he looked right at her multiple times, were she not invisible she might have thought she could be seen.  In any case, the two boys were heading back now, and that means she had a second job to do.

*** Ambush site ***

"Jaune and Ren are on the way"  Kate said through her scroll currently in comlink mode.  The entire group had their scrolls on in the same way.

"Good, it is about time to do this."  Yang advised.

"I still think this is a mistake.  Renny wouldn't steal anything much less my hammer.  He knows better."  Nora claimed.

"Or my Sword."  Weiss input, she felt better after Mrs. Arc refreshed her enough to move around, though the attempt at healing her scar had not occurred yet.

"None the less our weapons are missing."  Pyrrha claimed, eager for some fun in the snow.  She smiled at Kate as she arrived next to her.

"That doesn't explain why you believe that Jaune and Ren took them.  They certainly were not with them when I scouted it out."  Kate exclaimed.

"That does not mean they do not know where they are."  Blake stated.

"Why exactly am I here for this?  My weapon wasn't taken."  Mrs. Arc put in, knowing full well that her weapon couldn't just be taken.

"Because we needed 4 people who can lift the heavy bolder class snowballs.  Also… I like to cheat"  Yang answered smugly.

"That still doesn’t explain why Velvet and I have to be here."  Coco complained.

"Yeah It was nice and cozy in our rabbit hole… I mean dorm room."  Velvet grumbled in agreement.

"Because we need more people to complete the trap and ensure we can barrage them with snowballs no matter which direction they try to run." A happy Brawler answered.

"Shh quiet, I see them"  Kate put in over the call.  She at first did not like the idea of ambushing her brother and teammate with a torrential downpour of snowballs, but… meh.  He hit her with a pillow, doesn’t matter at all if she gets her revenge with a pillow, or a snowball… or 10.

*** En route to Ambush site ***

Jaune, felt as though it had been a good day.  He got in a tremendous workout with Kate and Pyrrha.  The 3 of them are going to make it a permanent thing, which is great for all parties involved.  His sister and girlfriend appear to be bonding, and there is no way he can overstate how relieved that made him feel.  The last thing he wanted to do is have to relegate a fight between two of the people who he loved the most.

"So, how exactly did you know when Kate lost her virginity?"  Ren asked holding back a laugh.

"We are twins… It is hard to say, but I just knew.  Even if we tried to hide things from each other it never lasted.  One person always found out and it was normally awkward.  So we just decided to tell each other everything.  For a long time we were the only friends the other had so it was….. natural….."  Jaune halted in his walk, something felt wrong.

It was too quiet, much too quiet.

"I think it is a good thing that you and she are so close.  I am fairly close to Nora but even so she and I cannot communicate silently like you and Kate can….."  He looked at Jaune, he looked… occupied. "Is there a problem?"

Jaune gave Ren a single hard gaze, and appeared deep in thought.  Something did indeed seem off.  What is more, he continually thought he caught glimpses of hair on the upper pillars around the courtyard where he and Ren was.  Red and Black hair on one side.  Blonde Brown and Black elsewhere.  Bunny ears and Blond hair on other side.  It always vanished the moment he thought he was certain.  But the more he thought about it.

"Ren, laugh.  Now."  He commanded.

Ren just looked at him confused.

"Ren trust me, laugh like I just told you the funniest joke of your life."  Jaune stated in total seriousness.

Ren just looked and mouthed "Why"  silently.

"Because we are in mortal peril."  He appeared deathly serious.

"Trust me just laugh!"  He sounded quiet, and Jaune tried to follow his own advise, and laughed… not really believing the sound of his own deception.

***Ambush Site upper pillars***

"He knows."  Kate worded quietly into her scroll.

"No way."  Coco claimed.

"Trust me, I feel it.  He knows."  Kate insisted.

"You will have to explain that to me sometime Kate."  Yang stated playfully.

"I agree with Coco they just stopped to talk, that could be perfectly normal."  Pyrrha claimed, though, the laugh did seem strange… maybe Kate was right.

"I tell you, nobody knows Jaune more or better than I do.  He knows, count on it."  She sounded totally serious and spoke with conviction.

"… You seem eager to hit your brother with a snowball."  Blake chimed in.

"I owe him one of a sort, enough of that we need to act or trust me, they will get away."  Kate claimed again.

"I suggest you listen to my daughter.  I cannot claim to know how, but when one of those two claimed something about the other, it was always correct."  Deborah stated still hunkered down.

The group waited for Yang's input, this entire ambush was her idea, they would give her the job of deciding when to start the ambush.

"We will let them move forward a bit more to try and get them surrounded, if they don’t take the bait block off the exits and proceed to barrage."  Yang commanded.

"You are making a mistake…."  Kate said quietly… none the less she continued to hide, and stayed out of sight.

***Ambush Site on ground***

"We are in mortal peril?  That is a bit of an exaggeration isn't it?"  Ren asked amused.

"Ren, we are surrounded in all 4 directions and they have the high ground."  His team leader claimed confidently.

That succeeded in getting his attention and focusing his mind.  He had never known Jaune to make a tactical claim like that and be wrong.

"Ok, so what do we do?"  He asked.

Jaune thought for a moment  "They are probably waiting for us to get into a central position.  Do you think they would have had time to get enough snow to block off the exists?"  Jaune asked.

Ren thought back "With Pyrrha, Nora, and Yang?  Yeah, I think they could have made a snowball, or boulder big enough to do that."

Jaune cursed inwardly.  He might have taken more time to strategize, unfortunately fate would not grant him that.

"ATTACK!!!!!"  A voice boomed out from above.

"AHH I KNEW IT!  Run Ren Go!"  Jaune yelled as a torrent of snowballs were being flung in his direction.

He and Ren took off in different directions, he reached up and pulled out his shield and switched it to tower shield mode as he sprinted to a tree he could use to provide some cover.  Snowballs continued to pepper the area around him including his shield as he sprinted towards that tree.

"HEY THATS CHEATING!!!"  Another voice complained from the upper level.

Jaune slid in the snow for cover as he reached the tree and moved to take a look of his surroundings.  From the relative safety of the tree Jaune saw that Ren had made it to one of the 4 exists in the courtyard.   He was about to see his friend escape when a … snow boulder of impossible size descended on the staircase and blocked off the passage.  Ren literally skidded to a stop, then took off at an angle to another exit.

"ENJOYING YOURSELF JAUNE!?"  Somebody asked from up top.

The pitter-patter of snowballs hitting his shield was starting to make a song as Jaune replied back "NOT REALLY!"  He could see the ambushers now.  Not all of them, but a good deal.  They were on the upper pillars and crossbeams of the open roofed courtyard.  The assailants were starting to circle on him in a coordinated attack.  He would need to move soon or his back would be exposed to enemy fire.

Ren had reached another exit by this point and just like before, a huge pile of snow soon took the place of the path to safety.

Ren called Jaune's scroll via comlink mode.  Jaune answered.

"Ok what's your plan Jaune?"  Ren asked slightly winded.

"Aside from trying to run them out of snowballs I confess I don’t have one." Jaune admitted.

Jaune took off at a run on a diagonal path across the courtyard to give himself more time to think and because people were starting to get a good angle on his back.

"HE MOVED AGAIN THAT’S NOT FAIR!"  Another voice form on high complained.

Well, at least I am going to make them work for it.  Jaune thought to himself with a humorless grin.

At this point Ren had reached the third exit, and like before it was blocked off.

"We are quickly running out of options, is it time to fight back?"  He asked.

"Against superior numbers who have the high ground?  I don’t like our chances."  He answered, in deep thought himself for what to do.

"Don't head to the forth exit just yet.  They likely can block it off too and we do not want to be trapped here."  He instructed.

"Ok, what then?"  Ren asked as he tried to find a place to hunker down, and even go as far as to toss the occasional snowball back at his assailants.

"Well, I have this shield, it is proving to be handy.  We might as well link up.  Head back my way.  That might lure them away from the last exit point so we could make a dash for it and get away."  He stated with a plan starting to form in his mind.

Ren for his part ran over to Jaune, and for the most part dodged the vast majority of snowballs he had been targeted with though he had taken a couple hits.

Jaune listened, they had stopped shouting above.  They must be more collected now and using scroll communication he decided.

Ren had reached him and slid into cover utilizing the shield as he continued to toss snowballs back.

"OW!!! HEY!!!"  A voice boomed.

"Oh god, that was Kate…"  Jaune stated with a worried expression.

"Is that bad?"  Ren asked cautiously.

When the amount of snowballs per second aimed at them seemed to quadruple Ren decided to answer his own question.

"Yes, yes it is.  Silly question."  None the less he threw another, and scored another hit.

"AHH THAT’S COLD!"  Another voiced explained.

Ren prepared another snowball, he didn’t recognize the voice.

"Ren, might want to think again about that.  You just hit Kate and Pyrrha."  Jaune warned, a clear worried expression on his face.

Ren gulped, and tossed his snowball in a very much different direction, thinking it best not to hit them again.

"Yes your right, but I cannot just sit here and-"  Ren started saying after throwing his ammunition.

"AHH! MY HAIR!  GET THEM! GET THEM NOW!!!"

Nobody could have mistaken Yang's voice.

AT that point, both men looked at each other, and made a frantic B line for the final exit.

"NO DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE!"  Yang's voiced boomed through the area again.

The snowballs were coming in from all angles as they ran.  20 yards away, they kept running and still more snowballs were directed at them.  10 yards away almost there, nearly out of snowball range.  SHINK CLANG!

No more exit.  It was not a mass of snow which blocked their path.  It was a guarded door.  Something which only happened when a teacher put in a special code to enable the door.

"Ren my friend, we are screwed."  He of course realized that his mother had to be part of the ambush.

Now trapped between the door, and no way out Jaune did the only thing he could think of.  He dove in the snow put his back to the ground and brought his shield in front of him.  Ren ended up at his side very quickly.

"Any idea why they are doing this?"  Ren asked.

"No idea, but I know they aren't going to back down now that they took a hit."  Jaune advised/complained.

"WHAT HEY!  THAT ISNT FAIR!"  Yang complained again, seeing that the two really couldn’t be hit as they are.

"I GOT IT!"  Nora's happy voice yelled.

Ren and Jaune shared a look, and their mutual confusion was answered by Ren's scroll ringing.

"Hello?  Mind telling me why you all are attacking us?"  Ren asked.

"Renny, I cannot answer your questions.  However I do have one question for you."  Nora asked happily.

"Ooookay, and that is?"  Ren prodded.

"Do you want to switch sides?"  She asked.

"What!?"  Jaune complained aghast.

"Excuse me?"  Ren asked.

"You heard me right, you can stay there, freeze and eventually get pummeled by  snowballs.  Or you can switch sides, and throw snowballs at Jaune."  She claimed still all smiles and happy voices.

"What hey why am I even under attack?"  Jaune complained.

Nobody answered him.  Ren just looked at him with an increasingly guilty expression.

"Ren don't you dare!"  Jaune warned.

"Sorry Jaune."  Ren stated, not appearing unhappy.

"You are kidding me Ren really?  They clearly are just trying to lure you outside!"  He claimed logically.

Now normally Ren would agree, but Nora advised "Ren, I promise you that nobody will throw or otherwise hit you with snowballs if you leave."

"Whelp, ok sorry Jaune gotta go."  Ren advised.

Jaune literally just let his mouth fall open and watch as Ren left his protective shield in a hot second and scampered up the pillar to the upper level.  He and Nora even hugged before they appeared ready to go back on the attack.

"I am willing to negotiate!"  Jaune yelled.

"You hit my hair!"

"You hit my face!"

"MINE TOO!"

Yang Pyrrha and Kate objected vocally.

"But I didn’t throw anything!"

"There will be no negotiations.  You are found guilty of vicious crimes against the females of RWBY and JNPR and your sentence is barrage by snowball!"  Velvet yelled.

"VELVET?!  You aren't even in that group?  What crimes?"  Jaune barked out.

"Enough talk! Pyrrha, if you would."  Kate requested.

"I don’t want to, but I will."  She answered.

Jaune had to think about just what exactly they had in mind, until his shield started to move.

"You have to be kidding me!"  Jaune complained again.

He struggled against her semblance valiantly, he even considered igniting in his to fight it, however he realized he wouldn't be able to outlast it.  Kate and his mother were involved, they could just recharge Pyrrha's aura.  He really had no way out in his mind.  Wait… the teacher code light was blinking, it would not remain in lockdown much longer.  If only he could hold out a few more minutes he could get away.

Unfortunately, it was not to be.

He did not notice it given how much he was concentrating on fighting against Pyrrha's pressure, but the group had assembled around him in the snow.

"PYRRHA NOW!"  Kate yelled.

A tremendous force was brought to bear against his shield.  He might have been able to resist it if he was in his semblance.  Sadly, he was not, and the shield was ripped from his arm as he was tugged to his feet.

Jaune did not have any time to speak or think, as a maelstrom of snow was unleashed at close range.

Jaune's clothing might be white and red normally.  For the next few moments, it as pure white, white and a sheet of snow.

When the barrage ended Jaune took the time to brush off his face so he could open his eyes, when he did he took in the sight of the group around him.

"When I am able to move again, somebody owes me an explanation."  He claimed oddly calm about it.

Kate looked rightly pleased with herself, as did the majority of the group, even his mother had a smile on her face.

"Jaune, I think you know what you did.  If you admit to it we won't hit you with another round."  Weiss claimed.

"Guys, I think I have built up a little equity by now, tell me what I did.  Please."  He finally had cleared off his face fully.

He got hit by another snowball as the door behind him was opening due to the teacher override code expiring.

"Sorry I missed him all the other times."  Weiss complained.

"Jaune, you hid our weapons.  Where are they?"  Yang demanded.

"Yang, I did not touch your weapons.  I was at the gun range with somebody who could vouch for me fairly well were he not also on your side."  He answered playfully.

"That does not mean you were not involved."  Blake claimed with a smile.

"Where is Ruby?  That is my question.  She was always the one to have a thing for weapons."  Jaune spoke words of wisdom still trying to get the snow off of him.

That, for some reason, the group did not question.

"She said she was going to go to the library for some reading."  Weiss advised in defense of her partner.

"Maybe but Ruby was the weapon nut of the group."  Kate stated, cause she was obviously a neutral party.

It was at that point, that a series of grunts stole the groups attention.  As they approached it got louder and more clear, even so they all were able to hear.

"HERRRGGUFF.  Stupid Ruby.  HERRRGGGUFF"  Each word was punctuated by something colliding with the ground as if a heavy load was lifted up step by step.

"You, just had to try and do them all a favor."  The voice said again punctuated by another bump on the ground.

At this point, the group was getting curious as they got closer to Jaune.  The Knight… getting some idea for what happened, started to develop an eye twitching.

"Ugh, these OOFF, things are heavy."  Now the voice was easily identified as Ruby, as she had entered view reaching the topmost stair well.

"Ruby!  What are you doing!?"  Weiss exclaimed.

"Oh Hiya Weiss."  Ruby answered back initially very happy, then remembered her luggage.  "What are uh.. you all doing here?"  She only looked slightly guilty.

"Somebody stole the girl's weapons, you wouldn’t know anything about that do you?  That heavy pack says otherwise."  Ren asked… knowing the answer already.

Jaune prepared his plan for revenge while the next things happened.

"Why would you take our weapons you dolt!?"  Weiss demanded.

"I was just cleaning them!!!  Honest look.  They are all cleaned, tuned up and fully reloaded!  See!"  Ruby was only partially pleading.

"So wait, Jaune wasn’t in on it?"  Kate asked sounding slightly disappointed in her brothers innocence.

"Uh… no, he didn’t know anything.  I might have kind of put a path to the gun range and covered it up thinking you guys would blame him and give me time to finish my surprise, but I didn’t think you'd ambush him!"  Ruby stated nervously.

After the team reclaimed their weapons, and vouched that Ruby had done exactly as they claimed Pyrrha sprinted over to her boyfriend and dusted the snow off him as she tried to warm him up uttering a slew of apologizes.  Even going as far as to summon back his shield so he didn’t have to go and grab it.

"Jaune I am so sorry I should have known better sorry sorry sorry!"  The redhead claimed all the while she worked.

"Jaune I'm sorry, no hard feelings?"  Ruby asked hopefully.

In answer Jaune just reached down and started to accumulate some snow into a tight ball.

"Ruby, I will do you a favor."  He said.

Ruby gulped, and said "Yes?"

In answer, Jaune simply said "Run."

Ruby took off at a spring down the stairs with Jaune in hot pursuit.

"Jaune don't you hurt my sister!"  Yang bellowed back into protector mode.

Jaune for his part, didn't hear the warning.  He was not a vindictive person, but he owed Ruby a snowball.  That much was certain.  The reaper was faster than he was, none the less he was persistent.  They chased for a good bit of time until Ruby slipped and stalled her sprint sliding into a pillar, unfortunately for Jaune, a sound distracted his aim as he missed.

"ow let go!"

It was distant.  They were still outside near the outer wall of the Beacon grounds.  The sounds could literally be anywhere, but they sounded close.  It could literally be anywhere, thankfully for him, he did not have to find the voice.

The group had followed him, which of course included Velvet, and Blake.

"Ow I said let go!"  The voice said again.

"You clumsy buffoon you ran into me!"  A voice answered.

"Wait a moment I recognize that voice!"  Velvet exclaimed, not sounding at all happy about it either.

Velvet lead the way, following her ears obviously and they soon came to the source of the commotion.  If anything she was even more upset at the sight.

She saw her sister Lavender, that was a positive.

Unfortunately, with Lavender, was Jewel Arc, grabbing her ears hard in swift jerks. Jewel Arc, somebody who of course had been sent to Beacon to be a nuisance to Jaune, was kept away from that by the actions of their mother. That did not stop her from being a bother to anybody she could while also avoiding getting into trouble for her actions. Everybody in the group had their run ins with her over the last term and nearly everybody in the school could claim the same. It was not an experience any of them looked back on fondly.

Jaune did not even have time to think before things escalated quickly.

"LET.  GO.  OF.  MY.  SISTER!"  Velvet demanded angrily taking a few steps towards Jewel.

Jewel looked up, saw Velvet, and didn't overly react.

"Really Jewel let's just go."  Another voice claimed as it rounded the corner.  Crystal Arc came into view.

"I suggest you let go of the girl."  Coco suggested/threatened.

"Well you all do seem to travel in packs." Jewel responded as she looked over the group.

She saw Jaune, and appeared to scowl.

"YOU!"  A voice screeched, it was Kate's.

The tall girl took several purpose filled steps towards Jewel.

"Katherine!  What are you-"  She started to say, when it seems like Katherine was rather accurate in her guess with what she would do when she saw Jewel.

A sound punch hit Jewel square on the face.

The group mostly just nodded appreciating the quality of the punch.

Jewel, did not as she responded "You never were the best puncher-" She like her father, just did not know when to not say something.  This time to silence the other girl, she was kicked, square on the face.  The kick forced Jewel down to the ground briefly.

"How was that?  Would you like me to try my right leg next time?  See if that is up to standard?"  Kate asked/taunted.

Jewel stood up and cleaned her face off with a balled fist.  "I don’t have anything to say to you nor do I need to explain myself."

Kate acted like she wanted to kick her sister again, even Crystal looked like she wanted to get involved.  A different body became involved however.

"LISSETTE JEWEL ARC!"

Deborah sounded very, very angry in her shout.  Her eyes blazed like a blue inferno as she fixed her gaze squarely on her daughter.

Jewel's eyes got big very quickly as she answered back quietly "Mom".

Kate had decided to act again at this point as she took a running break towards Jewel and shoulder checked her backwards activating her semblance at the same time, essentially pulling both of them through the wall to the ground beyond.

"Damnit"  Crystal groaned as she ran towards the middle of the courtyard, lit up in her semblance and jumped up onto a pillar then again to propel her above the outer wall to follow her two sisters outside.

Deb issued several curses as she followed in a similar manner, igniting in her semblance before she also jumped over the wall to follow them.

The wall in question was tall, well over the ability of the group to leap over in most cases.

"Lav are you ok?"  Velvet asked out of concern.

The two sisters continued to speak to each other while the rest of the conversation went on.

"Damn I missed my chance to punch that bi… girl."  Yang claimed somewhat irked.

"Jaune I am sorry but I just do not see how you and Jewel are related, at all." Weiss grumbled.

Several others spoke and many even asked Jaune a question.  He didn’t hear any of them.  He was too deep in thought.  When he came to a conclusion he spoke capturing the groups attention.

"I suppose I should follow them.  If they are going to have a talk, I should be there."  He claimed with a cautious, but determined voice.

Pyrrha was absolutely brought to full alarm "If you are going near Jewel then you are going to carry me.  I have wanted to face her for a very long time."

"No it was my Bunny Rabbits Sister that ape threatened you are carrying me!"  Coco demanded.

"But I want to break some legs!"  Nora complained.

"I think I am owed a swing or two at that girl."   Yang claimed.

"You both could just use your dust shells to clear the wall."  Ren advised

"Enough."

A curiously stern voice claimed.

"This is a family concern.  Velvet, Lavender I'm sorry for my sisters actions."  Jaune stated.

"All due respect to you but sorry my eye.  That was my sister that gorilla was picking on if you are going after them you are going to carry me!"  Velvets normally cute and adorable features blazed in anger.

Jaune wanted to object, he wanted to stick to his belief that this is a family affair.  A part of his being agreed that it was a family concern, even as that same part agreed with Velvet.  Velvet after all, is part family to Jaune, and of course is an actual sister to Lavender.  His sister, was tormenting her sister, Damnit.  The bunny girl's abnormally determined look swayed his mind.

"Fine but I cannot carry you all who want to come.  I am sorry Pyrrha but I have to ask you, all of you to stay back this time."  He said.

It was telling just how much they trusted him, as they all wanted to object and go with him.  No more so than his partner.  Even so, they all nodded in agreement.

"Ok… we will see you back at our room.  Be careful."  Pyrrha moved up to him and gave him a sweet kiss, before she looked at Velvet.

"You too Velvet be careful."

Jaune didn't wait for them all to file out of the room.  He got a running start and kept whispering to himself:

'Aura Jaune, aura aura aura use your aura!'

His semblance emerged, he took a running leap, bounded off the pillar, and followed his mother and Twin.

"YEEE HAAA!"  Velvet cheered happily.

Jaune just kept thinking 'don’t screw up the landing don’t screw up the landing' over and over.

***Outside the wall***

Kate did not think of herself as a vengeful person.  She in fact thought that she could get along with almost anybody.  Jewel, was a notable exception.  After she tackled her through the wall she let go of her grip, which of course dropped Jewel from the effects of her semblance as she observed her sister tumble down the hillside to the level ground below coming to rest in the snow.  She herself was still under the effects of her semblance and more control glided down to the ground.

Jewel had stood and was obviously furious judging by her red face.

"Show yourself assassin.  You were always a disappointment to our family I do not see why people give you chance after chance."  She said maliciously.

A voice declared from behind her "Careful, this assassin is tired of putting up with your bullheaded attitude."

Jewel spun around, and ended up on the receiving end of another punch.

"I have more than one bone to pick with you Lissette.  You take my brothers weapon when you already have your own.  You take his armor plating though you already had your own set and for reasons nobody knows you agreed to follow fathers demands to harass him at a SCHOOL for gods sakes.  The man is TRYING to PROTECT people you ape.  But no you can't just let him have his chance you have to stand in his way at every turn.  I would challenge you to come up with a valid reason but we all know more of your bullshit is all you would be able to spew out."  Kate genuinely sounded livid.

"Careful sister, I might have to remind you how many times you have beaten me in a fight." Jewel claimed confidently.

"Yeah yeah yeah big talk.  You were able to beat up a brother who was sick and a younger sister who was untrained in how to fight back at the time.  Big accomplishment.  I note you aren't to quick to start something now.  Any reason for that?"  Kate if anything got even more angry the more she spoke.

Crystal landing from her leap temporarily stopped the argument.

"You both need to stop."  She said.

"Do not even get me started on you.  Why would you go along with fathers schemes?  I thought you had a brain in you!"  Katherine shouted at her other sister.

Crystal angled her head weird, and looked like she wanted to respond.

"This is an old argument sister, you will not change my mind.  Father agreed with me that it was the right decision, that is all the validation I needed."  Jewel said, oddly calm.

"Yeah cause the word of a man who runs away the instant things don't go in his favor are totally to be trusted.  Or have you heard from him wherever he is hiding?"  Kate demanded.

Jewel and Crystal shared a glance briefly before they both directed their eyes back to Katherine "You lie, he wouldn’t run away."

Kate looked like she wanted to kick her again.  "I.  Do.  Not.  Lie.  I would advise you to keep your accusations to yourself.  You have listened to the words of somebody who by all accounts has done nothing but try to divide our family and you not only did it, but you did it with a smile on your face.  Frankly I want to wipe that smile off your smug little face of yours."  She said back in a deathly quiet voice.

"I am not stopping you doll, if you want to fight by all means lets fight.  Your face might not be as pretty when I am done."  Jewel responded adopting an unarmed stance.

"You will find that both Jaune and I are not easy targets now.  It might be your face that looks less pretty by the time it is over.  But if you want to put that to the test, I will happily oblige you."  Kate also dropped into her unarmed stance.

The two might actually have fought or come to blows, had a sword not been flung to impale the ground between the two of them.

Deborah landed skidding to the ground level.

"Mom-" Crystal said but was quickly interrupted.

"You be quiet I will get to you in a minute."  The Matriarch said with a raised voice with a deliberate pointed arm as she marched up to her two daughters.

"Mom what are you-"  Jewel started to speak, which once again it was decided that it just wasn't her day.

The Glare of her mother, the very same that her son had used earlier brought her to complete silence.

"I must say I am disappointed in you Lissette.  I knew you were a different person but I believed you to be better than a schoolyard bully."  Deborah was not happy, in the slightest.

"It is the same old argument mother we will not agree-" Once again, the Glare stopped her.

"You already had one weapon.  You were not satisfied with that that you had to take your brothers?"  Deborah demanded.

"My brother was a disgrace to our family dad even disowned him!  He did not deserve to carry it-"  Kate stopped further conversation as she had moved up to Deb's side wearing a similar glare.

"You are trying my patience Lissette, however despite your making it difficult you are my daughter.  As my daughter I still love you.  As such I will advise you one time.  Be Silent."  Deb demanded.

"Why would you make a scene now you went most of our lives without a word and now you suddenly want to claim love?"  Jewel/Lissette asked.

"We can speak to your heart's content on that matter later.  For now you will listen to me."  She still had blazing eyes despite the comment her daughter made.

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"  A voice screamed as it edged closer.

It was then that Jaune landed carrying Velvet who was still issuing her happy cry.

"Why are you even here brother I thought you would lack the strength to move after getting out of bed this morning."  Jewel said maliciously.

Kate at this point could not hold her peace "You self-serving inconsiderate pawn of a woman.  He was not weak or sick as a child he had a damned Grimm in his heart!"  She screamed as her torso heaved in uncontainable anger.

The two sisters who did not know that, looked confused for a moment.

"What's that?  Nothing to say after that bully?  That never ending belief suddenly cracking?  Never learned to think for yourself?"  Kate demanded.

"Katherine that is not helping."  Deb stated calmly as she could.

Kate was not happy in having to stop her tirade but crossed her arms with a burning glare in her eyes.

They had a great deal to talk about.  Velvet was hardly even an expert on the topic.  The truth of the Vampire, the fact that James essentially ran away.  It was a great deal of information to take in.  Crystal took it rather well all things considered.  Jewel was not sure what to think.

"You lie."  Was what she came up with.  Potentially it was honest.  What it was not, was wise.

Deborah had held back a slap thus far, following that she could not.  It echoed through the area with a clear note in the air.

"I knew you were rather sure of yourself as a child Lissette.  You are free to dispute my claim to loving my children if you wish and I am sure you might object to me saying that I did my best for you all.  But I would advise you not to accuse me of LYING to you again."  Deborah advised.

Finally Jewel seemed to be deep in thought.

"So what is this about then?"  She asked as she looked at her former brother.  "I assume you wish to challenge me for possession of Crocea Mors?"  She asked.

"No, I do not."  He answered evenly.

She turned to Katherine "You.  You and I are going to have some things to discuss, I expect to meet you in the combat arena tomorrow.  You did not need to tackle or kick me to talk to me."  She stated coldly.

"I have an issue with that.  This entire situation would never have occurred if you could just have left my sister alone!"  Velvet demanded.

"Your sister crashed into me that was not on me."  Jewel answered.

"You still are a bigot and a bully and you need to apologize for being a pain in the ass to everybody around you."  The bunny girl barked angrily.

Jaune actually looked surprised at Velvet at that.  He didn’t think she was capable of speaking like that.

"It is the natural way of the world that the weak serve the strong.  It is how things have been forever."  Jewel stated.

"Yes cause that logic in sound."  Kate chided.

"Disagree if you will it has never changed how either of us thought. I did what I did because I believed it was my duty to not let our family be represented by an untrained weakling."  She continued by saying.

"This is an old argument you will never change my mind and I will not change your mind.  There is little point in debating it."  Jewel said with conviction.

"Enough."

It was not Kate, or Deb who spoke, it was Jaune.

"If it is a debate which nobody will be the victor of then I will end this right here.  You will not fight Katherine over this.  She made her actions on my behalf, if you must fight somebody, you will face me."  He said.  Kate acted like she wanted to object, but at a look from her brother she held her peace.

Jewel smiled "Fine, we shall soon see just how much this 'Vampire' effe-"

"Shut up."  Jaune said. 

Everybody around him looked surprised, very surprised even as he continued.

"I was not done.  I will fight you if that is what it takes to get you to leave me alone of your own volition.  But we will do it right and you will do other things beyond that.  Things you will agree too without argument."  He said with an absolutely look in his eyes.

"Oh really?  Just how are you going to get me agree to anything you tell me to 'brother'?"  She asked amused.

"Simple, I will appeal to your sense of self preservation."  He smiled right back.

Jewel lost that smile on her face as she demanded "Excuse me?"

Jaune's smile grew on his face "Listen to me and listen well because I will only say this once.  You clearly struggle at math as you do not seem to understand just how outnumbered you are.  I am however reasonably good at the subject so I will spell it out for you.  You have Velvets team, who is at the end of their patience with you, Coco is still probably livid that I left her behind up top.  You have my team which of course includes the deadly Pyrrha Nikos.  I'm sure you are familiar with how much she has wanted to fight you this year.  That does not go into Lavenders team, or Team RWBY.  Not to mention my sister who might be a student at Beacon soon or anybody else you might have pissed off including Team SSSN for example.  You will leave them all alone. You will do it with a smile on your face and you will not make any complaints about it of any kind."  His face remained friendly, but very very hard.

"I will, will I?"  She asked right back sounding dubious.

"Yes, you will.  Even if we disagree in nearly all aspect of morality or judgment you are still a huntress in training.  Which means that in theory some part of you, a small part of you has a desire to protect people.  That part of you however miniscule still has some respect from me.  That respect means that we will fight as students of Beacon, and it will be done the right way.  In a classroom setting, under supervision when the winter term starts up again for the purposes of training."

Jewel made to interrupt, but Jaune rose his voice and spoke over her.

"Because if my dear sister you disagree with my agreement that I am putting in place here.  That would mean you have lost that small bit of respect that you have left from me.  I would at that point feel no desire of any kind to not encourage all of those aforementioned teams and individuals from defending others not from a huntress in training, but from an overly arrogant bully who has long ignored consequences for their actions.  We will do this my way in either case Jewel Arc.  One results in you facing me alone.  The other results in you facing me plus about 20.  Now, you will tell me which of those two you agree with and then YOU WILL walk away as we would have nothing further to discuss."  Rigid determination dominated his features as he finished his declaration.

Kate and Deb shared a glance, and seemed pleased with his spine.

Jewel for her part, for the first time in a very long time.  Held back her initial reaction to speak on.  The muscles in her face clearly objected to following anything to do with Jaune.  She was however smart enough to realize that tonight he had her, he absolutely had her beaten in this regard.  She had no play other than to agree, win their one on one and call the matter settled in her favor.

"We will meet, come prepared for what history has proven to be accurate." At that she looked at Crystal, who was of course a triplet of hers and was surprised when Crystal shook her head.

Jewel none the less continued on the path back to the Beacon grounds.

Crystal looked like she wanted to speak, "Jaune…".

"Crystal you might as well advise your partner that I am deadly serious with what I say.  Pyrrha has wanted to fight you both for a very long time.  Keep her in line, or both of you are likely to be in the crossfire."  At that, Jaune himself started to move towards home.  After a seconds hesitation Kate and Velvet took off after him.

Crystal watched them go, and looked back at her mother.

"You have no idea where Father is?  You can prove everything you said?"  She asked.

"I have the documents yes. Ozpin's has the medical records, and I have court records physical and electronic copies of each.  Yes I can prove it.  If you hear from your father I -strongly- suggest you patch me in the call I have more than one subject to discuss with him.  His lying to and manipulation of me for a  start."  That burning angry look crept back into her face as she herself started to walk back.

"Mother…"  Crystal really seemed conflicted.

She stopped walking and turned back.

"Save it.  You knew what you were doing was wrong yet you still did it.  I confess I'm not a perfect parent but I at least thought I taught all my children to follow their heart's.  Jewel for all her faults at least believes in her views.  You never did and you went about it anyway.  I was disappointed in her, I am more so with you.  You could have stopped this at any time by just speaking your mind to your sister."  Deborah, it seems, still had a fair amount of anger on the subject.

Crystal looked at the ground and spoke "Mom, You have made mistakes in your life.  So have I.  Am I not allowed to apologize for them?"  her voice was neutral, though it was heavily laced with emotion.

Something about the question, seemed to strike a chord with Deb.  She had to let go a deep breath, but she walked up to her daughter and embraced her in a hug.

It was several minutes later with dozens of tears being shed before the two of them were able to head back to their rooms.  Deb figured that a fight between Jaune and Jewel was inevitable, she was determined to give him as much of a chance as possible.  It might take Jaune beating her, for Jewel to realize a few things about her brother.  She had already decided on trying to open up the eyes of the siblings that routinely gave him problems.  She might as well start with the biggest of them.

**Another big chapter, phew that is done.  So at the start I indicated that there is a bonus scene.  Well that is true, I have not written it yet but I hope to get it done in the next couple days.  I might change my mind and add it into AO3.  I have not decided yet.  But I hope the chapter was entertaining.**

**As ever I will happily discuss this story and answer any questions people may have.  Leave a comment, tell me what you like/don’t like and what you want to see as we go forward.  I cannot promise to include everything but feedback is good, it is important, and helps me write better as an author.**

**I still need an artist… chirp chirp/ whine whine.  Please let me know if you can help with drawing me a picture.**

**Thank you all for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	15. Year 2 Winter: Female Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha is less than pleased with the agreement Jaune has made with his former sister Jewel. She does his best to prepare him and face the challenges ahead. Kate and Pyrrha share another moment of bonding... and somebody may or may not be listening in.

2.20

The group was not all that happy following the meeting with Jewel… or as Katherine preferred Lissette Arc.  Lissette preferred her middle name, of which of course she was more well known by.  Katherine had some idea of the kind of company Jewel had been for the group, but she had no idea just how much to a person they disliked her sister.  Crystal… they did not know what to think, but they did not like Lissette Jewel Arc at all.

When Jaune informed the group of his agreed upon fight at the start of the winter term after break.  He had more than one argument on the matter.  They ranged from more serious to more comical, but the general tone is they all wanted to punch the offender for a multitude of offences if not fight in his place.  None the less the group had a quiet meal, and the 3 of them attended their evening workout.  They did weight training again in addition to combat training.  The twins were used to a constant body ache in their lives, at the evening did not disappoint.

Pyrrha claimed that Jaune needed to work on his healing, hence the weight training for the second time that day, of which was followed by weapon practice.  Training with Pyrrha was very similar to training with their mom.  Pyrrha was gentler, more forgiving, but none the less was a perfectionist in her own right.  Hearing Jaune describe it she was more willing to forgive mistakes when he could barely move, now that he had his health, she became as he said 'A gorgeous red-headed bear'.

Of course the redhead in question just claimed they had more time and energy over break so they could afford to give more.  She might also have agreed that Jaune needed it if he was going to face Jewel instead of herself.  The twins both thought she had some stress that needed to get out of her system given that somebody was going to face Jewel in their group, and it would not be her.  None the less they exercised that night going all the way till curfew, which made it a good 10 hours plus of working out for that day total, only to expect the same if not more the next day.

The 3 of them were used to hard work and none of them objected to the intensity Pyrrha demanded.  Even so, it was telling for Katherine just how much Jaune meant to Pyrrha.  She absolutely did not want him hurt in any way at all.  That included in combat classes, though she accepted the fight was necessary that did not mean she was not worried for her partner.  None the less both Kate and Pyrrha showered very similarly to how the previous day started out and they met up in the balcony of the training area.  Where Jaune was still sitting down working on his semblance "tugging on that string" as he said.

Nora and Ren did join in, but they unfortunately came late.  They couldn't get Nora awake at 'too damn early in the morning' and they ended up doing their own thing.  Not amazing but it was a step in the right direction. Waking up at 5 is not fun for anybody involved but it can become a habit with effort.

"Do you like the clothes?"  Katherine asked observing the Mistral girl appearing comfortable in the clothes she gave her.

"Yes, they are wonderful, I see now why you like them.  You always looked good in these I've noticed."  Pyrrha answered with a smile.

Kate was wearing another tank top and legging combo again, this time a green with white accentuations combo.  She had accidently ordered a black with red accentuations version of the same clothing she preferred and when she noticed they are a touch to big, she offered them to Pyrrha.  They fit her well and looked great.  Of course Pyrrha could wear anything she wanted and would look great, but even so Kate could appreciate the outfit on the Spartan.

"Well they look good on you too."  Kate said as she gave her body a quick up and down.

Pyrrha knew full well that these leggings made… certain parts of her more obvious than the clothing she normally wore and the playful attention of Jaune's twin couldn’t help but cause a blush on her face.  She knew that Kate wasn't trying to make a pass at her but her playful nature was still rather new to the redheaded girl.

"You know when I read that you were 6 feet tall I figured you were wearing heels, no you are actually every bit of 6 feet."  Kate admitted in a smile.

Pyrrha smiled "Yeah, I am tall for a girl I suppose but I am not much taller than you are.  You are 5'11 right?" She asked back.

"Yeah, I was always tall for my age but it is weird I admit looking slightly up to another woman.  Mom is tall, 5'10, most of my siblings are around the same height.  I guess it runs in the family.  I am glad Jaune grew up as well as he did, he must be about 6'3 now."  Kate stated with a smile right back.

Pyrrha smiled, however with the fight looming she just could not get these thoughts out of her mind, and had to ask about them.

"Yeah, that is something I want to ask about.  Your family."  Pyrrha stated suddenly turning serious.

Family, why does Pyrrha always want to talk about Family.  Sigh… this can't be good…

"I get the feeling I might regret this, but ask away."  Kate said looking apprehensive, rarely did Pyrrha want to talk about a happy subject.

Pyrrha turned to face her friend, and tried to keep herself open in posture.

"Kate.  You were right yesterday.  You and your mother both have earned a chance.  Honestly… even a chance does not really sound accurate to be truthful.  Your mother… she has more than earned a fair clean slate in terms of friendship.  I confess I was and maybe still am upset that I didn't get a chance to punch Jewel… or Lissette, whatever her name is yesterday.  However… when I saw how you acted.  I guess I just knew that you were genuine."

Kate was very happy at hearing this, it was not what she was expected to hear.  She moved in to hug Pyrrha and the two embraced briefly.

"Thank you Pyrrha.  You have no idea how much I was scared that you would never come to accept me.  It is such a relief to hear that."  Kate stated meaning every word.

Pyrrha nodded, but wasn't done, she clearly had more to say on the subject.  "Kate, I had some bad things to mention as well."

Kate's smile faded a bit, but she nodded.

"Jewel Arc… can you explain your sister to me?"  Pyrrha stated.

At that, Kate huffed, and responded "I can tell you how she thinks and what she has done, but I cannot tell you how she comes to the conclusions she does."  Her voice was somewhat hostile.

Pyrrha considered that for several moments, and responded with "Just… start telling me what you can, I can ask if I need you to clarify something."

Kate likewise considered for a moment. "I can tell you this if I must by I have to ask, why do you care?  What does it matter?"

"Katherine.  Jaune is going to fight this person and I am trying to help him prepare for her.  I need to know how she thinks as much as I can."  She responded evenly.

That got Kate to look to the ground briefly as she crossed her arms.  "At Beacon you all call Jewel a bully or ape or some other derogatory term.  All terms she has earned.  The problem with any of those acronyms is that it doesn’t give light to what she is.  Yes, Jewel is a bully on appearance.  However she does not believe she is being a bully.  She believes she is doing good in what she does.  To her, if you are in her mind 'weak' then your role in life is to support and serve those stronger than you."

Pyrrha nodded "That much fits what I have seen of her I suppose."  She admitted.

Kate collected her thoughts, and continued "Lissette for all her faults believes in her views.  She is well trained both in hand to hand combat and with her weapon.  She always did enjoy flaunting her strength.  She was not overly physically powerful but she is in good shape and is well disciplined.  One weakness of hers right off hand is that she did not spend her time learning how to fight with Crocea Mors.  As a result while she has a capable body, she has about as much real experience with Crocea Mors as my brother does with a sword and shield.  She typically used a 2 handed battle axe as a weapon.  I understand that she brought the weapon to Beacon but enjoys flaunting the relic my brother used to carry around.  Likely because it annoys his friends and gets on their nerves."

"So she is well conditioned?"  Pyrrha asked in deep study.

"Well, she received the same training as there rest of my sisters did.  I would say the 3 of us work harder than she does on a daily basis.  Again, my brother and I have never been outworked ever by anybody.  But she does have much more practical combat experience."  Kate stated in a neutral voice keeping her gaze on Pyrrha.

"What about her before Beacon?"  Pyrrha asked.

"Do you mean her time at the Atlas academy?  I have no idea I had no contact with her at all.  There was always a healthy dislike between the two of us and that has not gone away at all, in fact it has probably gotten worse."  She answered back.

"No I meant… at home, Cadia." Pyrrha asked cautiously.

That brought a definite frown to Kate's otherwise gorgeous features.

"You had to ask about something I really do not want to speak about… Fine.  Jewel was incensed by Jaune's illness and the fact that I was born with black hair.  From the moment that father insisted I have my hair dyed blond and that I was destined to be a fashion, or at most a fitness model she had decided that I was beneath her.  If I was beneath her you can imagine how she thought of my twin.  Jaune was very physically weak growing up.  As he got older yes he was able to do more but he was never anything close to normal or healthy.  I still am amazed how well he has done in his time at Beacon.  He has told me it was your ability to inspire him that made him do as well as he has I understand."

Despite the topic Pyrrha could not help but smile warmly to herself, mentioning Jaune tends to bring a smile to her face in most instances.  She is not happy he ever had to carry  the parasite but that he thought of her as he struggled as motivation to do more and keep going brought some color to her cheeks.

"Yes, he has said that.  It is similar to how he inspired you I understand?"  Pyrrha admitted and asked.

"Yes, If he could dance until he fell over… well I could keep going when I was sore.  None of that meant anything to Jewel.  She didn’t care that we were not given a chance.  'If we were worthy we would have fought and won a chance' was a typical comment of hers.  She did not like Jaune claiming Crocea Mors or the fact that Mom agreed to take me on as an apprentice."  Kate stated calmly, if uncomfortably.

"What specifically did she do at home?"  Pyrrha asked cautiously.

Kate's face went from dark to very dark and she did not immediately respond.  Pyrrha did not understand her hesitation until she really thought about it.  She thought Jewel only said things or acted like she was above them… she did not consider that it might have gotten… physical.  Uh oh…

"Pyrrha, there are few subjects that I am hesitant to discuss with you but you are fast approaching one of them.  She hit me.  She hit my brother.  Often times after we just spent however long we could learning how to dance, or write, or sing or any activity.  She punched or kicked or… elbowed… everywhere.  Do I really need to spell it out to you?  I tried to defend my brother but she was taught, I was not.  You can guess how often I won those encounters.  She was never punished for her transgressions.  When mom learned of and was shown proof of these situations they were the only time I ever saw her get slapped prior to last night.  Let's just say that those punches and kick I gave her last night is just a drop in the ocean.  I owe her that plus a great deal more for what she did to Jaune… and me."  Kate so rarely got emotional.  Even when Pyrrha was interrogating her and she was scared out of her mind, she held her ground and did not cry.  So when she finished her talk and turned her back to the redhead.  Pyrrha knew that she had encroached on one of, maybe the only subject that she just could not discuss freely.

Pyrrha felt ashamed of herself for even asking the question.  She asked it more out of curiosity than need to help prepare Jaune, and hated herself the moment she did.  She took a couple steps forward and turned Kate via her shoulders.

The two embraced in another hug, this time with Kate utilizing Pyrrha's neck.  The girl was too tough to cry.  But that did not stop her from shivering or shaking in various emotions.

"Katherine I'm sorry-"  Pyrrha started.

"What it comes down to is Jaune will face somebody who is driven, who believes in what she does and is very much due a thrashing.  She will not be an easy opponent but she needs to be beaten, period.  I wanted to be the one to step up to the plate as did you, but I guess Jaune has the honors."  Katherine turned and left the room.

"Kate!"  Pyrrha called after her.

Kate, for the first time in the time Pyrrha knew her, didn’t turn around.  She just kept walking.  Pyrrha wanted to follow after her, but instead she saw Mrs. Arc nearby.  The information Kate just revealed brought more questions that needed to be answered.

Mrs. Arc was close enough to hear the exchange and seemed to read the angry look on Pyrrha's face as she moved towards her into the overhead balcony.

Neither spoke for several moments, Deborah was content to observe her son as he meditated with his semblance running and it was left up to Pyrrha to start the conversation.

"You must have heard that.  Why?  I need to know why that was allowed to happen."  The Spartan demanded.

Deborah looked sad, but none the less she answered "Pyrrha no answer I give you will change how you feel.  You are angry about it.  So am I.  However angry you feel believe me I feel worse."

"You are their mother!  Why was this not stopped sooner?"  She insisted.

Deborah took a deep breath, and turned to face her "Pyrrha.  I am not sure if Kate said this.  But this did not happen when I was home.  She probably told you that Jewel did not get caught.  She did not get caught because one of a few things always happened.  First, I later learned she never hit them hard enough to leave a bruise or any evidence of the strike.  Second, she was never caught on camera, on any of the camera's we had in our home.  This was stopped, because Eve caught her in the act quite literally on her own scroll.  She sent it to me, we both had a suitable response.  Jewel still probably has welt's on her hide because of how mad I was when I saw the footage.  This was around the time I started to question the answers I was routinely given by James, any of the staff we had assist in our house or anybody who gave a different answer from what Jaune and Katherine claimed."  She spoke sadly, but clearly.

Pyrrha had a livid look on her face for several minutes as they just looked at each other.  She had already said that Deborah had earned a chance, but that was proving hard to keep given what she has learned.

"I do not like it Mrs. Arc.  You …"  She couldn't even word her thought.

"I was not a perfect parent Pyrrha.  I have made my mistakes and I'm doing my best to correct them.  Nobody is above making mistakes.  All I have ever asked my students is that they pay for their mistakes and learn from them.  I am trying to do the same."  She said again, sadly, but clearly.

"What do you have planned with Jaune?  I think I deserve to know that."  Pyrrha asked clearly not happy yet with the situation.

"I cannot tell you until Jaune and I have had a chance to discuss it."  Deborah responded.

"Jaune knows what you are trying to do." The Spartan pointed out.

"Yes, he does."  Deb agreed.

"I do not like not knowing what your plan is for him."  She claimed forwardly.

"Pyrrha.  I imagine that Jaune will want you with him when we sit down and speak.  I will not give out any additional information on the subject until we have had a chance to talk.  My son deserves a chance to agree to this before you all know the plan and try to pressure him one way or another.  I am sorry if this is not what you want to hear.  This will only come to pass if Jaune agrees with me.  It will not be my decision, but his."  She sounded empathetic as she spoke, but it was spoken with steel in her voice.

"I do not understand how this happened Mrs. Arc.  I came to the conclusion already that you and Katherine are at least owed a clean slate and a chance to make your own impression in terms of a relationship.  I am not thrilled with my decision when I learned that your own daughter routinely made the life of my partner a nightmare at home I find it very hard to keep to my decision."  Pyrrha stated fighting to keep calm.

"I can promise you one thing Ms. Nikos.  If you are finding it difficult, it is a thousand times more difficult for me.  As much as I did not want Katherine to kick or punch Jewel last night.  I was almost glad she did.  These are my children that are at odds here in this situation, you might want to remember that.  My love goes on both sides because of that fact.  As hard and as difficult as this is for you I guarantee you it is nothing compared to what I have felt every day from the moment I realized that I have been lied to not only by my husband, people I used to call friends at home and have for decades, but by some of my children as well.  You have every right to be angry, you can even blame me if you wish.  However you will never find a moment in time when I knew of this going on, and did nothing about it."

Deborah took a deep breath, and spoke on.

"Every time, every single time I  was informed of something while I was at Beacon I tried to look into it.  I spent nearly all of my life here as a professor and before that a student.  More than 40 years of my life I devoted to teaching new hunters.  I called, I arranged people to go through our home to try and find evidence of wrong doings.  When I was home on holiday or otherwise I did everything I could to handle the responsibilities I was tasked with.  Even so I tried to make sure that all of my children were taught morals and were well educated, given a fair chance and had opportunities to be happy in life.  I have not lived a perfect life, but you should not believe for a moment I am not more affected by what has happened than you are.  It is my son and daughter that are preparing to face each other and I am even helping one of them to have a better chance at winning.  You should remember that."  Deborah turned to leave appearing more than a little emotional on the subject.

Pyrrha was taken aback and was in thought until she realized that Mrs. Arc had nearly reached the door when she convinced herself to respond.

"Wait."

Mrs. Arc stopped, but did not turn around.

"I do not know what more I can tell you Ms. Nikos.  I am glad that you care about my son as much as you do.  I cannot go back in time and redo what happened but I have done everything I can following my own brother dying and taking on Katherine to make things right."  She took another stop, and was stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Mrs. Arc.  Please turn around."  Pyrrha stated quietly.

When Deborah turned Pyrrha knew why she had turned around to walk away.  She was clearly crying.  Kate had told her of how much both she and her mother hated crying, especially so in front of people.  Pyrrha gently moved both of them further into the room before she resumed speaking.

"Mrs. Arc… I told Katherine this.  I love your son, for more reasons than I can state.  He gave me something I had always wanted but never possessed or was even given a chance to have."  She still struggled speaking on her emotions, but felt she had to try.

Deborah for her part, just nodded.

"He… let me be and saw me as a person.  For all he occasionally calls me his goddess-"

Both Mrs. Arc and Pyrrha smiled briefly at this.

"-It was the fact that he let me be a person.  That he just, I guess I am not good at talking about it still.  But, I was there when your husband took Crocea Mors from him.  I saw the utterly lifeless look in his eyes and I held him as he just… shook in my arms.  Your son doesn't like to cry, he does, but he doesn’t like too and in that moment he could not stop for a very long time.  For all he was hurt by that blow from his father I think even I was hurting for him as he recovered from that act.  I was not present when he was disowned, but I could practically feel his heart bleeding in his chest when he spoke about it.  I promised myself that I would never let his family hurt him again.  Every time I talk about his family It just reminds me that I am furious for how his life has progressed thus far.  I just… I cannot bear the thought of him being hurt by his family again.  Now I learn that he has agreed to face somebody who has more experience, who has always intimidated him and likely still does in her own way.  I … I guess I am still not good at dealing with my feelings.  I am sorry I was unfair to you.  I am sorry."  Pyrrha claimed honestly.

Deborah showed how like her son was at that moment.  Crying or no, emotional or no, she did exactly the same thing Jaune would have done.  She just pulled the proud girl into a hug rubbed her back, and said:

"It's ok."

After a few seconds she continued  "I … am very grateful for your love of my boy.  You gave him a reason to live Pyrrha, I certainly haven't forgotten that, and you shouldn't either.  You have been there for him in a way that I never could."

Hugging Mrs. Arc, really hugging her, turned out to be very similar to her son.  It was a pleasant and heartwarming experience.  The hug left both women in better spirits.

"Pyrrha.  I can appreciate your concern in this matter.  However, there is something about this that you are not considering."  She had a look very similar to Jaune when he was trying to make a point as she spoke.

"I know you are helping him with his semblance so he has a better chance, even so I should be the one facing her.  She deserves more than one beating for how she treated him… and Katherine."  Pyrrha stated with a determined look in her.

"You could probably beat me in a fight.  I can beat Jewel.  Jewel knows that.  It is not your worth that she questions, but his.  You beating her will not change her mind on that.  Even so, that is not the point I was trying to make."  She stated calmly.

"Then what?"  The Spartan asked.

"I agreed to this.  That is what you are forgetting.  I could have intervened, why didn't I?"  Deborah asked.

Before Pyrrha had spoken to Mrs. Arc, she might have said that she didn’t care.  After speaking to her… she had to remember that was just not true.  So then why did she not object to a fight Jaune could not win?  Well I guess it is obvious, she doesn’t think the fight is unwinnable.

"You think Jaune can win?"  Pyrrha claimed surprised.

Deborah just smiled knowingly and nodded.

"How?  For all the work Jaune has put in he doesn’t have the education the confidence or the experience to match Jewel."  She was very curious in a demanding way as she asked.

"Pyrrha.  I believe that no matter what, win or lose, fighting Jewel will be good for him."  She did not lose the knowing smile as she spoke.

That, confused Pyrrha.

"Explain that please."  She said.

"Let's start with how he can win.  First, Jewel will absolutely underestimate him.  Will she fight hard against him?  Yes she will, but she will arrive expecting to win easily.  Second, I have seen you train him with weapons.  Jaune is not, I repeat not lacking in skills.  He is as talented as any individual in combat as I have seen.  His arsenal is more complete than Jewels.  Even if she carries both Crocea Mors and her battle Axe Durandal he would still have a ranged weapon.  Jaune can more easily switch between his various armaments.  That gives him a tactical advantage."  All points claimed logically, none of which that Pyrrha considered.

"Do you think he will have an advantage with his semblance?"  Pyrrha asked.

"That, is hard to say.  Jaune has more aura than Jewel does.  Again, he has just as much as I and Katherine do.  But he will have far less experience in that aspect.  He has made remarkable progress with his semblance, and I will keep working with him on it.  However in regards to their semblance it is an advantage for Jewel I give her that.  If he can make certain strides over break, that might change.  But right now that is a positive, in her side I admit that."  Deb claimed.

Well, at least Mrs. Arc is honest, but Pyrrha felt there is more that she could say based off that knowing look in her face.  Before she could continue however Katherine reentered the room.

"Sorry for walking off like that.  I was getting emotional and … I appear to be interrupting something." She claimed.

Pyrrha smiled lightly at her "I smell cookies, is that your doing?"  She asked.

Kate smiled back appearing in much better spirits "Yes, I owed Ruby some following that truth or dare after all.  What were you two talking about."

"We were talking about how Jaune could beat Jewel."  Pyrrha admitted.

Kate's expression grew a touch dark, but nodded for them to continue.

"Pyrrha, despite all of this.  There is still something you are not considering.  I am not saying that he will lose, but even if he does it could be a good thing for him."  She said looking confident the entire time.

"How could him losing be anything but crushing to him?  It would mean that all the time he has put in has amounted to nothing in his mind."  Pyrrha asked with emotion clear in her voice.

"Ok.  Firstly, Jewel will not, cannot just bull him over.  She might expect to do just that for it to end instantly but that will not be how it plays out.  You are forgetting something Ms. Nikos.  What does Jaune need more than anything else?"  Mrs. Arc asked, nearly into Professor Arc mode.

Pyrrha really had to think.  Deb stated that his skills were up to par, if not his skills…

"His confidence?"  She asked.

"Yes, I said it as much myself yesterday.  More than anything else Jaune needs battle experience and confidence.  What is his biggest worry as he faces off against any of your group?"  Deb asked as if she already knew the answer.

Pyrrha thought for a moment, and answered back "That we took it easy on him."

"Exactly.  Even if he beat you yourself in a match and you were trying as hard as you possibly could.  He would not believe it were you to tell him that.  He would think that you were either not trying, or you were holding back so much that you might as well have not been trying.  The same is true for nearly all of your group.  I'm sure as happy as he is at having a positive win record in his combat class this year he does not believe he is capable of beating the rest of you.  Somewhere in his being I am sure that doubt remains even if he was to beat one of your group as he has managed thus far this year.  That doubt being whomever he was fighting against was not fighting as hard as they could.  At least when it comes to your group.  The others he doesn’t know so well, like team SSSN or CRDL for example maybe not, but you folks he would doubt."  Deborah appeared fully confident as she spoke.

"How do you know his win record?  How does this mean him losing can be good against Jewel?"  Pyrrha asked still unsure.

"I know because I have seen his records.  Given his relative lack of experience and time in training it is damn impressive.  Equal parts you for his instruction and him for his efforts I am sure."  She answered back.

"Ok, so where does the fight against Jewel come into play?"  Pyrrha asked pleased at the praise but she wanted to know more.

"Pyrrha, if Jaune knows one thing about Jewel Arc.  It is that she is incapable of holding back.  One of the things she enjoys more than anything else is beating people in her combat classes and making it look easy, embarrassing the other party if possible.  Proving her strength to the rest of the world is something she relishes in.  Every second, every minute that Jaune fights her evenly will do more for his confidence than a dozen arena victories.  That would be especially true if he can force her into her semblance first.  How the fight goes from that point is anybody's guess.  Believe me when I say I would not have let this come to pass if I believed it would do more harm than good for my son.  Do you understand?"  Deborah answered.

Pyrrha did not consider that, at all.  Kate looked on knowingly on the last segment there as if she agreed with that last bit about her sister.

"Pyrrha… Just keep doing what you are doing.  I have made many mistakes in my life.  I have never made the mistake of not loving my children, not being there when they needed me sure.  Jaune will be fine, I can appreciate your desire to protect him but at some point baby birds need to learn the fly, the training wheels need to come off and people need to stand up and face their demons.  All we can do is help them prepare for those demons as best as we are able."  At that, she turned to go.

"What about Jewel If… When she loses her fight against Jaune?"  Pyrrha asked correcting her own statement.

Deb smiled sadly as she answered "I do not expect that to be the end of us it truth be told.  It will however be a step in the right direction in opening her eyes but I fully expect her to demand a rematch.  I do not have a 100% accurate record with guessing, but I think Jewel will try to beat Jaune at his own game with a sword and shield.  If she loses, she likely will want another try with her normal weapon."

Deborah took a glance at a clock and continued.

"You had your 5 hours this morning and Jaune has worked for another couple after so I think I am going to go down and let him know that should be enough for the day."  Deb touched Pyrrha gently on her face before she turned and moved away.

When she got to the door she turned back and spoke again "Pyrrha.  You gave my son many things already.  I hope you and he will continue to give each other many things over the course of your lives.  You make each other happy, I know that, he knows it.  You have spent a great deal of time teaching him to fight.  At some point he will need to use those skills.  It will be easier for him if you had some confidence in him.  Be concerned for him if you must, but not so much that he starts to doubt himself.  He has had enough hurdles in his life to not need more."  At that she walked on.

Pyrrha considered that for a moment.  The entire situation with his family has been exhausting.  But… the wisdom of the veteran hunter was endless it seems.  Pyrrha had spent a great deal of time and effort teaching him.  Yet if she was openly terrified for him, he would pick up on that and doubt himself.  She had to be reminded of that she admitted, and was determined to take it to heart.  Deborah had her faults, but Pyrrha should never have questioned her devotion to her son or family.  If anything her devotion was part of the problem.  Believing in the best in everyone might have allowed those problems to grow into what they became.  However it could not be doubted that she is doing everything in her power to make up for her mistakes and give her youngest children the chances they missed out on.  For all this has been an emotional roller coaster for Pyrrha, she always felt better after speaking to the Matriarch.

Kate moved up to her and put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder with a smile.

"Pyrrha, for all that we are different.  I suspect that we have more in common than you suspect."  She said with a smile.

Pyrrha just looked at her and contemplated that for a second.  They both want what is best for Jaune, neither of them want to see him hurt and they both are willing to go as far as they need to in defending him.

Pyrrha smiled again as she stepped into Kate and they hugged again.  Something Katherine was not expecting.

"Katherine, I suppose you are right.  I am sorry for earlier again.  Like I said I love your brother and I fear for him.  But, I guess you have sacrificed and put yourself on the line even more so than I have for him.  For that you have my thanks.  From the moment I first looked at your brother I knew he was special.  My mind was clouded when I first saw you, but when I look upon you now.  I am starting to see a sister.  I hope this turns out well with Jewel, just know I am sorry that we started off on the wrong foot."  She pulled tight on that hug.

"Jaune wasn't underestimating that."  Kate joked in good humor returning the hug.

"What is that?"  Pyrrha asked still in that hug.

"When you really want to hug, you can be a bear."  Kate stated happily as she just hugged the other girl tighter back.

They broke apart grinning at each other.

"Why did you give me these thing's anyway Kate."  Pyrrha asked smiling to herself all the while indicating her clothing.

Kate smiled very playfully as she answered "Are you sure you want me to answer that?"

Pyrrha had already gone that far, she couldn't really think of a reason to say no.

"Sure why not?"

Katherine just chuckled "Pyrrha, I already said that they were a touch too big for me and they fit you perfectly."  She paused.

"But?"  She prodded.

Kate chuckled again "But, I know my brother and I know what he likes. Believe me he will think your butt looks amazing in those pants.  As much as he appreciates female breasts I know he just adores your legs."  Kate smirked knowingly at Pyrrha.

"You two really do know everything about each other."  Pyrrha stated chuckling to herself a touch.

Kate smiled again "We were we had for the majority of our lives, we told each other everything and I mean everything.  I am doing you as much of a favor as I am doing him one by giving you those clothes.  Trust me, he will love how you look in them."  Kate finished.

"Then, I guess I will simply say thank you for doing both of us a favor."  The playful smile from Pyrrha nearly took Kate off her game.  "You never did explain why you prefer to kick when you fight unarmed.  I mean your kicks are impressive and I've seen you use your weapons.  I am just unsure why that is."

Kate smiled again "For all that we are nearly identical in our lower body I cannot match your upper body.  I tend to block with my arms, not punch."  She admitted honestly.

"Yeah… I guess I am a bit bigger than you are, a bit thicker in my torso.  I thought I was thin but, well I think you have me beat in that category."  Pyrrha admitted again with a smile.

"Well, you are thin, I am just on a smaller thinner frame then you are I guess.  I was taught how to punch and you taught Jaune how to punch too.  I just do not have the upper body mass to make them very effective.  You do pay for that slightly bigger frame though.  I saw you stretching, I can beat you in most of them."  She teased.

"Well, I guess we both have things to help the other with."  Pyrrha wondered if this was the start to a friendly rivalry.  The three of them would only gain from some competition.  For all Jaune works incredibly hard the thought of some healthy competition with a woman was tantalizing for Pyrrha.  She felt guilty going back into an unhappy topic after what they had gone through and bonded with.  But, she felt now was a decent time to ask another question.

"Kate, I hate to spoil the good feelings we have going here, but I feel like I need to ask another question."

Kate smiled slightly amused "I knew we had too much of a good thing going on.  What's on your mind?"

Pyrrha took a deep breath and proceeded "Crystal, I get that she is not like Jewel, why does she go along with her?"

Kate also took a deep breath as she answered "That, is something I am conflicted on.  Crystal, Jewel, and Miyas are triplets.  They feel the same about each other the way Jaune and I do.  Crystal does not agree with Jewel, but she feels like she needs to support her just the same.  It has always been that way with them.  For all that I am mad at her for doing what she does, I feel bad for her because she doesn’t want to, I guess it is like a duty to her."

Pyrrha sighed, there was that word again.  Duty.

"Duty means a great deal to you and your family."  She asked openly.

Kate nodded and did not immediately respond.

"Why?"  Pyrrha asked, unsure why the other girl didn’t go on.

"It is hard to explain how we as a family view duty.  We are a warrior family.  It is engrained in who we are.  We serve because we come from the line of some of the most potent combatants of all time.  We serve because we are in most cases simply better than the rest.  I do not know if that is the truth or not but it is what we are taught as youths.  More than that we grow up with tales of our ancestors and we of course had our mom whose reputation goes without saying.  Doing out duty is… it is engrained in our sense of self worth as people Pyrrha.  I realize that does not answer your question but being a hunter means more to Jaune or I than anything else we can think of."  She spoke with determination and resolve obvious in her face.

"I thought I was a driven person.  I worked hard, I became a fighter, and I was very successful.  But, I never really faced adversity.  Even in my tournament battles I was never really tested.  I… It is not easy to admit.  But… You and Jaune, it is not really intimidate me.  Cause it isn't that.  But, to go to the lengths you have done to become a hunter.  It puts my problems of feeling lonely and isolated at school to shame really."  Pyrrha looked in with a hard gaze.

Her thoughts continued to stream out.  Kate and Jaune, were prepared to die before they gave up their dream of being a hunter.  They would rather have died than never tried.  That is how much doing their duty means to these people.  Again, likely all of the Arc children feel the same way even that … misguided one as well.

Pyrrha smiled, a chance to turn Kate's game against her came into her mind.

"Ok Kate, I think I have asked you enough hard questions for today.  How about an easy one?"  Pyrrha had a very playful near impish smile on her face.

Kate blinked a time or two, and answered back "Okay… shoot."

"If you know about Jaune's taste in women.  Does he know about your taste in guys?" She asked wearing that same smile.

Kate started to wear one of her own as she responded back "First, you assume I am not also into girls.  Second, yes he does.  He might even be able to tell you what type of guys I like too if you want to know."

Pyrrha just cocked her head.  "I didn't think you were into girls?"

Kate chuckled "I am very much somebody who bats both ways.  In the truth or dare from a couple days ago, Jaune mentioned he thought I was 14 when I lost my virginity?  Well that’s because I was with a girl at the time.  We just kissed like I said but no I am very much into both men and women."  She admitted not at all embarrassed.

Pyrrha blushed very hard realized that there is no beating Katherine in a game of who can out embarrass the other.  It just cannot be done.  However despite her blush, wanted to learn more about Katherine.  If she was going to treat her as a sister, she needed to know her better.  "Kate, I … well I don’t know if you know about my tiara, but I am saving myself for marriage.  I, I don't know for sure but I thought nobles did that by default.  Yet you seem, very openly against that.  Why?"

She chuckled again "I guess I am just a bit of a rebel, like my semblance I am not very much like my family.  It just has been the way I always have been.  If saw somebody I wanted, I went and spoke to them.  If I deemed them a match I let it proceed further.  I am very good at… well Jaune would call it charming, it is more accurately called seduction.  My mother lectured me about it plenty of times believe me."

"Your mom lectured you?  So she knew?"  Pyrrha at this point was nearly full red and almost dying of embarrassment but even so she couldn’t stop at this point.

"Of course she knew.  I was isolated for the majority of my childhood.  Sure I would pull somebody aside and have some fun with them if the conditions I set forth were met.  But most of my … shall we say experience was done on the road.  We would stop at a town, restock on supplies and spend the night.  If somebody caught my eye I would approach them.  More often than not that resulted in my staying with them that night."  Kate still did not seem at all embarrassed.

"Didn't you worry about becoming attached?  I just do not comprehend how you can move that quickly."  Pyrrha admitted blushing harder if anything FOR the other girl by the second.

Kate shrugged "I don't know.  Mostly I did it for the fun.  A part of me has to admit I did it because it drove my mother crazy.  Another part of me took it as a challenge, often times mom would say at least this place is too small so you won't be able to take any liberties.  Naturally all that did is prompt me to try."

"Kate, how did that work?  I'm sorry for asking I just… that is so alien to me.  I mean by that same logic you would try to do it here at Beacon yet you haven't?"  She asked perplexed.

Here, Kate smiled sadly "Pyrrha, I know how my attitude and actions makes me sound.  I did not sleep with anybody with a pretty face.  I had to see something in them, similar to how you saw something in my brother I guess.  Moreover they knew before we did anything that it was a onetime thing.  I did not get attached but I didn't just leave myself open for anybody who wanted a chance either."

"So?" Pyrrha prompted.

"So, I haven't tried anything at Beacon, for a few reasons.  One, I am not stupid.  I need to be on good terms with you all.   I know better than to jeopardize that by trying to have fun only to ruin everything later.  Two, I am a … one person at a time kind of girl."  She stated evenly and honestly.

"What… does that mean?"  She asked curiously.

"Pyrrha, are you sure you want me to answer?"  She did not sound playful at all, just serious.

Pyrrha paused, questioned, found herself curious and said "Yes, I Am."

"The people I find attractive obviously have other people I their lives.  I'm not in the business of getting involved in anything like that.  They are single when I am with them or nothing goes beyond introductions."  Kate looked like she could say more, but didn’t.

Pyrrha, almost felt herself ask who she was interested in from the group.  The longer time went on the temptation began to get bigger.

"Who, has caught your eye?"  Pyrrha asked, she was not used to normal 'girl talk' but for some reason the chance to learn more about Katherine was just… irresistible.

She looked down from the balcony and saw that Jaune had long been released from his training, and was probably in the shower right now.

Kate smiled again "If you must know I will tell you.  I do not deny, if you were not dating my brother, I might make a pass at you if you weren't wearing that tiara.  Yes, I know what it means.  Yang is also a possibility but she has something on her mind in regards to the kitty cat in the group, and Ren… well never mind."  She went abnormally quiet.

"What about Ren?"  Pyrrha asked overwhelmed by curiosity.

"Well one, Ren is obviously not interested in me.  Every time we talk it is like he wants nothing but for the conversation to be over so he can move on.  Two, he obviously has a thing going with Nora.  He is like a brother to Jaune, like I said I am here to fit in not to break things up."  Kate still did not look embarrassed, just a touch sad.

"Kate-" Pyrrha started to say, but was interrupted by.

"Hey Katherine come help out here please!"

The voice sounded like Mrs. Arc's.

Kate put on a sad smile "Well, I should go.  I liked having a chance to talk to you Pyrrha."  She then turned and moved completely silently out of the room to the outer commons.

Pyrrha nearly fell over laughing.  Ren would not -could not- shut up about Katherine the first time he met her and has been very obvious in his glances and praise.  It seemed that despite how different Kate and Jaune were there was limits to what Katherine could pick up in terms of physical attraction.  Katherine thought the sister like relation to Nora meant that Ren was interested in her.  She almost could not keep her peace on the matter but figured for now, she should just follow the attractive girl outside, and see what is in store next.

The two girls down below did not realize this.  But Nora had gone instead of Mrs. Arc to pick up Jaune and let him know his training for the day was done.  Nora liked Kate, from what she had seen.  Moreover, while nearly everybody first assumes that She and Ren were dating.  She knew that just was not the truth.  They were friends.  Moreover she knew that Ren was in fact interested in Kate.  He did not act on his feelings due to beliefs on similar barriers.  Maybe she and Pyrrha could team up to play matchmaker.

***COMMONS ROOM***

Pyrrha felt a shiver as she left the room, her instincts told her that something… was wrong.  Ultimately she decided that it must be her imagination.

Or not.

As she exited the room she caught sight of Nora running up the stairs 4 steps at a time and looked at her with a … equally innocent and evil expression.  It wasn't until Nora proceeded walked up to the Spartan that she understand just what was happening.

"Pyrrha follow me."  She said simply.

"But… What?"  She started to object.

Nora however was taking no arguments or objections at that time and towed Pyrrha into the JNPR dorm giggling the entire way.

Jaune had recently emerged from his shower and was sitting down relaxing.  The rest of their group had gathered in the common room for a lunch and were otherwise happily talking amongst themselves.  Weiss, just like the day before barely made it up the stairs and appeared if anything even more exhausted than yesterday. 

Kate just looked on perplexed as she tried to ignore a sense of terrible wrongness in the world.  First Nora was known for her oddness, but this was … stranger than odd.  For one Pyrrha is not known for her girl talk.  For another she was genuinely surprised with the Heiress.  She… couldn’t honestly say impressed however.  Sure Weiss worked hard, but it was only a couple hours.  Not the 5 hour marathons that Katherine herself routinely does 2 times a day with Jaune and Pyrrha.  Regardless, the girl was trying, and that deserved respect.  None the less, she followed through with walking out here as requested and was eager to get it done so she could relax and replenish her body just the same.

"Why exactly was I called here?"  She asked curiously.

Deborah was the one to address the question "Well, Ms. Schnee here carried through on her end of the bargain, and now I must do mine."  She said in a friendly tone.

Ruby Weiss and just about everybody was brought to focus at that point.

"Ruby, please move over here."  Deb asked.

"Ok, what's up?"  The Reaper asked.

Deb just took a calming breath, and addressed Weiss.

"Weiss, you need to pay attention to me very carefully.  I said I would try to heal your scar.  I will keep my end of the deal.  For me to do that, you need to do some very specific yet very important things.  Do you understand?"  She sounded completely serious.

Weiss was a touch confused, but none the less she asked "What do I need to do?"

"Healing scars, I have found is a very complicated matter and they often have different effects on the person I am healing.  As the skin is being renewed it is not uncommon for their victims to feel the injury again.  I understand yours is a cut which occurred during battle.  I do not anticipate much from you, but you were fighting and adrenaline could have shielded you from the majority of the pain.  I have Ruby here for 2 reasons.  One, she tends to have a positive effect on you, and I wanted her nearby.  Two, while I am working I need you to stay as still as possible.  Some people as I tried to heal them started to thrash around and ended up hurting themselves or me in the process.  If you must move, squeeze her hand.  The more you move the more difficult you make my job.  Do you understand?"  The Matriarch instructed.

Before she even finished her statement both Weiss and Ruby joined hands, Ruby even put her off hand on her girlfriends shoulder for additional moral support.

"Katherine, thank you for waiting.  I need you here in case my aura reserves run too low.  I would have Jaune help me but your brother's aura is a touch low given how long he had his semblance running.  The job falls to you.  Ok?"  She instructed.

Katherine just nodded, and moved closer.

Deb took another deep breath and a brief drink of water.

"Have you healed many people Mrs. Arc?"  Yang asked curiously.

Deb answered after finishing her drink "People?  Yes.  Scars?  No, I have done it before a handful of times but there is a reason Ms.  Schnee here has not made a glyph to do what she is trying to do yet.  It is not easy and requires, potentially, a great deal of aura to repair the damaged skin depending on the level of damage.

"I have to ask before we go any further I'm just so curious…."  Blake started.

Mrs. Arc had dropped down on her haunches and looked over at Blake.

Blake took that as permission to ask.  "I noticed several boxes in the fridge I do not recognize, what are they perchance?"

Deb chuckled "That, is the Silverfin I ordered.  I figured we could enjoy a good meal tonight once I finish up here."

To Blake, this event suddenly became the most important of her life up till that moment.

"Ms. Schnee, are you ready to try?"  Deb asked.

Weiss took a deep breath, gave a gentle squeeze to Ruby's hand, and nodded.

Deb extended an arm, gripped Weiss' other hand firmly, lit up white as she pulled out her aura and for Weiss, the world slowed down.

She had experienced the Arc family healing once before, the previous evening when Mrs. Arc helped her body recover from her mid morning workout.  This experience started out not at all similar to that.  She had other individuals move their aura through her body previously.  Several doctors tried what Mrs. Arc is now attempting.  Her sister and other family members did it as they unlocked her aura.  She had some experience with it to know something about what to expect.  Even so every person 'felt' a bit different and what she felt was shocking to her.

She knew that the Arc family was known to have strong aura's.  She knew Jaune to possess an absurd amount of it, and he apparently had just as much as his mother and twin sister.  The sheer amount of aura power that Weiss felt as Mrs. Arc extended hers into her body was numbing, more than that is was blinding.  It was the second time Weiss felt this much pure aura strength.

When Katherine tried to heal her bruises she felt a similar event.  Kate gave it a heroic attempt, but her ability just was not zoned around healing.  She did not inherit that trait from her family.  None the less she tried, and Weiss was expecting something similar here.

She was wrong, very wrong.

Kate's touch was obviously less refined.  Kate threw a great deal of aura at the problem hoping it would heal as she wanted, and instead of merging into Weiss' body it more like just rebounded off.  It recharged her aura as a secondary effect, but she just lacked the ability to heal like others in her family.  It was less of a refined instrument and more of a unwieldy blunt object of inordinate size for the job required.  Nora's mallet, when all you need is a hammer to put it otherwise.  It was not something Katherine could do well, not something she could do at all, and it showed.  She tried hard, but it showed.

Feeling Mrs. Arc go about her promise was truly a unique experience.  She felt, a gentle presence.  It felt, well it felt like how most people probably describe the Matriarch.  Kind, wise, generous and knowledgeable to name a few.  Unlike with Katherine, Mrs. Arc directed her energy on the exact spots she needed to.  Namely on her face above and below her left eye.  At first she just stayed there, like she was just looking at the problem with a microscope and observing the damage.

"Ruby, Weiss, the pain is going to start soon.  Be careful and do not move." Mrs. Arc spoke, sounding very distant and slightly tired.

Weiss appreciated the warning and the older woman was not lying.  Initially beyond the declaration she only felt the effects of another aura on her body.  It was rather pleasant… initially anyway.  From out of nowhere she felt as though the skin on her face was put over a cook top stove focusing on the scar. 

Weiss hissed, very loudly and gripped Ruby's hand as hard as she could manage.

"Hang on Weiss."  Ruby said encouragingly as she moved her other hand off her shoulder down to encase Weiss'.

Part of Weiss' brain was following along with the actions, the direct cause and effects might be different between her semblance and the glyph that Weiss was trying to craft.  But that didn’t mean they would not have similar states.  The pressure on the damaged scar tissue increased 10 fold as Deborah brought more and more of her aura power to bear, as if she was gripping something with her semblance as hard as she possibly could.

"Hold still Weiss"  Ruby advised warmly.

Her saying that of course brought the Heiresses attention to the fact that her face was quivering.  She made steps to correct that but that did not mean she was actually in a great deal of pain right now.  That pain increased in magnitude to a near unbearable degree as once again the pressure from Mrs. Arc magnified again.

"Ow, ow, ow"  The Heiress mumbled.

And then like a snap of a finger, it was over.  The pressure, the pain, all of it, was gone.  All Weiss could hear was the deep breaths Deborah took one after another.  All she could feel was her girlfriends hands against her own.

"Oh my!  Look!"  Ruby advised beaming.

The group looked on with approving nods as Weiss found a mirror, to reveal her face whole and sound again.  Scar free.

"Well, after that, somebody owes me a fish meal."  Deborah stated with good humor, though with a tired voice.

Kate helped her into a chair, before settling into another one of her own.  Pyrrha and Nora still had not returned yet, and she needed to consider why.  She caught Ren giving her butt a glance, he always looked away just be she could catch him.  However it was giving her a distinct impression that she might have been wrong about the stoic hunter.  She confessed to not have spent much time with him, her judgment was regarding the time they did.  That of course was barely polite suggestions and reasonably kind words.  Basically spoken as if you had too, to somebody you really did not want to associate with.  Maybe, he was warming to her a bit?

***JNPR DORM ROOM***

Pyrrha did not have Jaune's ability to treat people well as a default way of speaking to others, and she did not have Kate ability to charm others at a moment's notice.  But she did think something about Nora's antics was odd.  Very odd.

"Nora-"

"Hush!"  She demanded.

Pyrrha just tapped her feet as she stood and gave her an obvious 'go on' type of look.

"I heard everything."  Nora stated with a smile.

"Everything, about what?"  Pyrrha asked.

"About Kate, and Ren." Again, still said with a smile.

Ohhh boy was the most cohesive thing to come to mind.

"She didn't mean anything by it Nora, I didn't think you and he were dating but if that changed-"  She started

"No silly there isn't anything between us.  Like we keep saying we are friends, that’s all."  Nora stated with glee.

"Then, why?"  Once again, Pyrrha was interrupted.

"Because we are close, but she just doesn't know we aren't interested in each other romantically.  I am going to tell her!" Nora bounced back and forth happily the more she spoke.

"No"  Pyrrha said sternly.

Nora froze and frowned.

"No?"  She sounded confused.  "You don't want them to get together?"

"Nora, if you must tell somebody.  Tell Ren.  Kate has a lot on her plate right now.  She is trying to become friends with us and she wants to secure that before she does anything else.  If you must tell somebody, tell Ren."  She suggested.

"Pyrrha, that is like telling Jaune to talk to you from last year, he was too shy to do it."  Nora stated.

"Well, in the end he did, and it worked out well.  Kate does not need help.  Trust me on that.  She will wise up at some point.  If you go to her odds are she won't believe you thinking you are trying to come between her and the group."  Pyrrha was clearly out of her element, but given her conversation with the girl in question, she didn’t think Nora encouraging her was the right move.

"Why would she think that?"

"Because as much as she hides it that girl is still scared.  Her future is here, at Beacon.  She does not want to damage that by doing anything before its time.  Tell Ren.  If Ren goes and talks to her that is one thing, but please, do not take this to Kate, ok?"

Nora pouted again.  "Well, Okay."  She sounded sad.

And the sadness became her typical unending energy as she continued with "However I promise you, I will not let this be a repeat of last year like you and Jaune.  If they obviously like each other and they keep dancing around each other I will get involved and there will be no dissuading me.  Understand?"  She only sounded somewhat dangerous as she made her declaration.

"If it comes to that Nora, fine.  They have known each other for like… 3 days.  We have no need to rush just let it happen they are smart people they can figure it out.  Tell Ren but not Kate just promise me that ok?"  Pyrrha stated sternly.

"Oh…. oookay."

"Thank you Nora.  Tell you what.  I will ensure that you have pancakes tomorrow morning for you agreeing with me ok?"

"OK!"  Following her agreement Nora left the room bouncing with every step.

… Well that was easy.  Pyrrha thought.

With that the two girls rejoined their friends on the outside, and all Pyrrha had to do is figure out who was going to be making the pancakes she promised Nora.  It can't be her.  Nora would not agree to call her cooking a worthy pancake.  It shouldn't be Ren, explaining to him would be both dangerous and awkward and Jaune has to cook dinner.  She might have needed to think this through a bit more...

**Probably not what people wanted for an update but I must reiterate that the Jaune VS Jewel is going to take place once the winter term starts up again.  Naturally we must first get through winter break.**

**As ever I am fully willing to discuss this to your heart's content.  I need to remind everybody that in regards to bonus scenes I can make them both in canon and out of canon to the story.  Again, if you want a scene with Kate/Blake or any other matchup you can imagine give me some idea of what you want, and I will see if it can be done.  I have plenty of bonus scenes planned… or at least concocted in my head.  Having said that if you want more, let me know.**

**All feedback is welcome and critical.  If you have something you want to tell me do not hesitate to leave a comment or sent me an email.  I am still looking for more information about the OC's in the story.  I am gathering that people like them but more information is always good.**

**I am still looking for an artist who can draw me a picture… If you are willing or you know somebody who can draw please let me know and I will happily discuss what I am looking for with them.**

**Thank you for the continued support and I thank you for your time.**


	16. Year 2 Winter: Cat's and Dog's, Brothers and Sisters.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following Weiss' scar being healed the group tries to relax following the actions of the previous day. Blake seems ready to receive her promised fish, what could possibly go wrong?

2.21

Pyrrha followed Nora's abnormally bouncy form and remained deep in thought about how she would come through on her promise to arrange pancakes for her friend.  She ignored the pointed look from Jaune and the downright piercing glare from Katherine as she exited the room and took a spot around the fireplace.

Nora went straight to the sofa where Ren was currently sitting down and continued to move around and hum a tune ignorant or uncaring of the looks her friends sent her way.  None of which was more pronounced than that of her partner.  It seems that keeping her word or no, she was nothing but happy for her longtime friend to have a chance at a relationship with somebody who she… evidently deemed worthy.

It did not seem like it, but the short time the two women from JNPR were talking was enough for Weiss to shower and get back out to the commons room.  It was likely an after effect of the healing that Mrs. Arc…. Deborah did which replenished her body combined with her own sense of euphoria at being rid of her scar which caused the Heiress to be so upbeat an energetic following the workout she did that morning.

As the Spartan sat down crossed armed deep in thought the conversation around the room more or less continued as if she never arrived… minus of course the glances from the twins aforementioned.

"Well, I have to say thank you Mrs. Arc.  I expected you to keep your word with in an attempt to heal my scar but I never expected you to succeed.  I suspected I would carry my scar for my entire life.  I will of course keep working on my glyph as I promised you."  Weiss stated sharing a loveseat with Ruby appearing to fully wear that genuine smile she had on her face.

Deborah nodded and to the eyes of the observes, appeared more in line with her age.  She looked tired, more tired than anybody had ever seen her.  The Matriarch smiled weakly at the Heiress, but did not make to respond.

Blake and Yang stood off to the side and continued to talk to each other throughout the conversation and did not seem keen on joining in anytime soon.

Deborah finally spoke "Well, if you all don't mind I will just sit here for awhile and let somebody else prepare tonight's meal.  As I understand it Jaune, you owed your friend a fish meal?"  She asked with a friendly but tired grin.

Jaune seemed to be brought out of his daydreaming and responded "Yeah, I suppose I do.  Well it will take some time to get everything ready and bake it so I guess I will head to the kitchen."

"Whoa whoa wait a second hold on.  You intend to bake Silverfin?  That stuff is made to be fried!"  Katherine put forth playfully standing up in protest.

The two dogs around Deborah recognized the topic being discussed and raised their heads up to follow along in the conversation.

"The thick patties mom bought are better served being baked than fried Kate."  Jaune held firm to his stance.

The two continued to trade off suggestions in increasing levels of silliness with just about everybody sharing in at minimum a smile or chuckle as time went on.  However it was not resolved until Blake decided to end the stalemate by saying:

"You know, we have enough to do both.  There is plenty of fish for both styles.  That way we can see whose is superior… everybody wins."  She smiled happily… either way the arguing stopped and she got her fish minus the argument.  Win-Win.

Following that declaration and ending the debate Blake went back talking to Yang… in whatever it was they were discussing.

The twins just shared a glance, and smiled before Kate started to move towards the kitchen.  Jaune moved across the commons room towards Pyrrha.

Pyrrha smiled at him as he hunched down and gave her a hug and a nice kiss before whispering "Those clothes look great on you."  in her ear and then himself moved towards the kitchen.

Pyrrha wore an obvious blush as she just shyly smiled back at him watching him go.  She might have to admit to Katherine that she was accurate in her prediction later.  Nora pulled her out of her thoughts by saying:

"Do not forget your promise Pyrrha.  You owe me pancakes tomorrow and they better be up to my standard."  She stated still moving with her endless energy.  Pyrrha might call it a happy shuffle if she had to describe it as anything.

Ren looked at both of them for a moment and voiced "Uh…  I know nothing about pancakes tomorrow."  More confused than anything else, knowing full well he is the groups pancake master.

"Oh that’s fine Renny you don't need to make them.  Pyrrha said she would figure it out."  Her smile carried equal parts playful and serious glances depending on whom she directed it at as she switched between the two of them.

Pyrrha could only imagine how hyper Nora would get if she ever had a full cup of real coffee.  She knew that Jaune occasionally called herself a never ending ball of energy but she always felt the label belonged more on Nora than herself.  None the less she did give Nora her word, and needed to figure out a way to make it happen.

"Who makes pancakes up to your standard Nora?"  Mrs. Arc surprised them all by asking.

Pyrrha for a moment had the smallest hope that they could avoid going into where she feared Nora would bring the conversation… none the less she let her friend answer the question.

"Well Renny makes the best pancakes around.  Jaune is good and Ruby's are about on the same level.  But nobody can beat Ren's pancakes."  She said happily.

At that, Mrs. Arc actually smiled and seemed to get back some of her vigor back.  "Ok, tell you what.  I will make pancakes for you all tomorrow Nora.  I will have it after the groups morning workout and Jaune's work with his semblance."

Nora looked dubious.

"However Nora, if my pancakes unseat the current champion, you must admit to it.  How about that?"  She asked in her typical Professor Arc smile.

Nora just looked at Pyrrha and she could almost read the look: 'This does not count as the pancakes you owe me!'

Pyrrha just shook her head 'Yes they certainly do!' came her nonverbal reply.

Nora scowled, but decided some pancakes are better than none "Ok fine we have a deal.  What is your recipe?"  She asked curiously.

Again, Mrs. Arc just smiled "That, you will learn after you try them."

Pyrrha smiled… and she could not explain where this habit or desire to continue to talk about this subject, but she had heard Jaune and Kate's answers, she was curious how Deborah answered the question.

"Mrs. Arc I am curious about something if you wouldn't mind a question or two."  She started.

Deb just looked at her and nodded to continue.

"I was curious if you could explain why Duty seems to mean so much to your family?  I mean it is important to my family too but… it's on an entirely different level with your family."  She kept her posture honest, and curious.

Deb wore a small smile on her face as she went into her answer.  "I am unsure how to answer your question with words beyond just speaking my feelings Pyrrha.  If you have ever felt that you needed, I mean really needed to do something.  It continued to burn in the back of your mind growing ever stronger until you did it, and it was not until the job was done that you were able to focus on other actions or responsibilities.  That is like Duty to our family.  It is what drove me teach my students as hard as I did.  It is what drives me to continue to teach Jaune and Kate as best as I am able.  It is what drives most of our children to act in the manner they do.  Some families have defining traits.  To us Duty is not optional, it is not something you perform if you are able or when you have time.  You make yourself able and give yourself time to perform it.  We tend not to rest well until you are in the process of performing it, that is how we are made.  That is the best I can answer the question Pyrrha."  She answered honestly.

Pyrrha considered, and did not feel satisfied "That tells me what you are feeling but not really why you feel that way Mrs. Arc."

Deborah looked to the ground for a moment to take some time to collect her thoughts.  When she looked back she spoke on "I do not know why we feel this way.  We just do.  Why do dogs feel a need to please their owners?  Why do parents normally feel a need to protect and shield their children from harm?  It is who we are there is no why.  None that I can answer anyway.  It just… is."  She did not appear upset just honest and forthright.

Weiss chimed in next "Mrs. Arc, I am curious…"  Deborah looked at her to continue.

Weiss hesitated.

"Mrs. Arc.  I mean no insult as I ask this.  But… We have all seen how hard Jaune works.  We have seen how Kate works.  It seems like…to them… being a hunter is akin to being alive or maybe being allowed to live.  That is how I have forced to explain it to myself as I see them work as hard as they do.  What I mean to ask, is this why you and Jewel seem similar?"

Deb looked away.

Weiss felt as though she had caused some type of insult and quickly stammered out more words "Uh Uh I mean… your entire family is just driven… and you seem very much like her in that sense."  She appeared nervous as she waited on Deborah's response.

When Deb looked up again it was with a sad smile "Weiss, that fact is possibly the most painful piece of information that being a member of this family entails.  We are all so very similar, that includes Jewel.  Even where and how we disagree."

Ren spoke up next "With respect Ma'am.  I do not see how you can say that.  Jaune works to act as a shield to society, Jewel seems only out to serve herself."  He was abnormally focused on the conversation, not anywhere near his normal laid back outlook.

"Mr. Lie-"

"Ren… I feel no need to keep you at arm's length.  Call me Ren please."  He smiled.

"Very well.  Ren, I said they are similar, not identical.  Lissette and I, we are more alike in many aspects than people typically consider.  We both believe we are doing the right thing.  We both believe we are doing our Duty to the world.  The difference is how we view the world.  I have always tried to strengthen society.  To pass on as many skills and teach as many people as I can.  I taught as many students as I could, regardless of if they were exceptional, above average, average, or below average.  There was a benefit to society regardless in my mind."

Deborah repositioned herself seemingly getting more of her strength back and sat up more straight backed.

"Jewel thinks the majority of society is weak and not worth serving or improving.  That if you aren’t strong already you should not get a vote in how the world progresses.  Almost to the point that believing the problems we as a society possess are due to the fact that the weak in it get an equal say to those who are strong.  It is true that she is a flawed human being like everybody else.  She… was hard to handle as a child and often caused problems for her siblings.  Even so she believes in her views and believes she is doing good as she does it.  She is different, but still similar in how she is driven to the rest of her siblings in that regard.  In the end, I really believe that all my children want the same thing.  They just go about it in different ways.  Which of course makes the situation all the more painful because of the fact they found themselves at odds so frequently.  I guess that is a failing of mine as a parent." As Mrs. Arc finished she leaned down to pet one of the dogs laying around her feet.

"Mrs. Arc, James Arc.  Can I ask you about him?"  Ruby asked cautiously.

Deb did not appear happy at the topic, but answered "Ask, but realize you are on thin ice with this topic."

Ruby nodded slowly collected her thoughts, and asked "Just… what happened between you two?  I mean you have 8 children together so… I mean you had to feel something for each other."  Ruby's innocence was telling, even if her intentions were good.

Deb smiled sadly here again as she answered "If you are asking me where it went wrong.  I do not know.  I still do not know what he had in mind or where he is now.  What I can say… is there used to be a strong mutual attraction between us.  I believed I loved him at the start and for a time after.  It was why my parents arranged our marriage, we were a fit pair in their eyes.  He brought political expertise and I brought my reputation as a warrior and teacher, made possible again… because of our initial shared attraction."

Arranged marriage?  Pyrrha couldn't help but feel shocked.  Mrs. Arc didn’t even want to marry James?

"You did it out of a sense of Duty?"  She asked perplexed.

Deb almost nodded "Duty had a part do with it yes.  Like I said, we had a strong mutual attraction.  My brother lost his wife shortly into his marriage and… well he was not interested in remarrying to sire an offspring.  I … felt I needed to produce an heir to carry into the next generation.  The opportunity presented itself as his family was willing to pledge James to me.  My parents who were still carrying the title at the time arranged it with… well I could have said no but it would have been very unwise to do so.  I would prefer not to say more on the subject.  Not until several things are resolved."  Deb again, did not appear happy about this part of her life.

Pyrrha was almost at a loss for words.  This woman, married somebody she did not strictly want and had 8 children with him out of a sense of duty?  If anything she severely underestimated the level and priority Arc's gave their Duty… It was staggering.  She had no other words available to her.

"I am sorry that things turned out as they did.  I think you deserved a chance to be happy."  Ruby stated honestly, her eyes remained huge throughout the entire answer.

Deborah smiled lightly "I have lived a long and full life.  I like to think I have lived well.  I am guilty of a few mistakes… more than a few of them I suppose.  I was not seeking your pity in my tale I was merely trying to answer your question honestly.  More than one person has made sacrifices throughout history for their family in the past or did things they did not want to do for the greater good.  It could have been for Duty, for Honor, or for a sense of morality.  Sometimes even less noble purposes.  I did what I did because noble or not, hunter or not, Duchess or not.  We are still judged by our actions to do the right thing in the end.  I have tried to live my life doing what I believed to be right, not what was easier.  It is how I was raised, how I tried to teach my students and now despite being a teacher, I tried to raise my children."

Pyrrha and the group … just could not help but respect this woman.  Pyrrha was cautious at the start, maybe justifiably so.  But this was somebody who could have lived a life in a comfy house filled with servants, never had to get her hands dirty and let others do the hard work that keeps society running.  No, she spent nearly all her life teaching others.  She took trips out to the wilderness for both educational and protective purposes.  She did it because she thought it was right.  When her sense of rightness was damaged or threatened… she did not stubbornly stick to something she knew to be outdated she herself changed.  However painful the act of changing was to accept, she did it.

While Pyrrha continued to think Yang and Blake continued to have their quiet discussion, they paid attention when somebody spoke, but for a few minutes it seemed everybody was willing to just listen to the sound of the fire and enjoy its warmth.

***KITCHEN***

Jaune entered the kitchen to find Kate waiting with a smile on her face.

Jaune looked her over, and took a guess "So you really just wanted to get me alone?  You know you don't have to feign arguments to talk to me right?"

Kate smiled and pointed out that she had both the fryer on and oven set to preheat.  While they spoke they both went about preparing the fish in their preferred manner.

"Who says I was feigning anything?  Besides we haven't really had a chance to talk, just to talk not without anything or anybody hovering over us.  Besides I haven't had a chance to interrogate you about having a girlfriend yet."  She said playfully.

Jaune groaned and knew there was no way to escape from this conversation "Very well ask your questions."  He voiced as if pained with forced theatricality.

She smiled again "Well, tell me about her.   Not the 'Invincible Girl' from the news I want to know about Pyrrha Nikos your girlfriend."  Kate made sure the kitchen door was closed for this conversation.  A fact Jaune very much noticed.

He smiled and spoke easily as he answered "Pyrrha is so much more than her title.  She is dedicated, kind, strong, she is everything the tabloids say.  However she is also so much more than that.  She is a fierce fighter but I have never seen the 'Invincible Girl' when I look at her.  I see somebody who works hard, who cares for life not just in her fellow man.  She has a driven sense of doing the right thing.  I see somebody who is humble and gives freely.  I see a phenomenal person who I am lucky to know as well as I do."

"The funny thing is, I am fairly sure she would say the same thing about you."  She said flatly… he couldn't tell if she was teasing him or not.

"Ozpin said much the same following my combat final when he gave me my weapon."  He admitted with a chuckle.

"You are… comfortable with how things have gone?  You have moved on from what happened with Melody?"  She asked ignoring the desire to ask about his planned name for his weapon.

Melody… ugh.  Now he knew why she shut the door.

"Pyrrha doesn't know about her yet."  He admitted sourly.

Kate looked at him sideways "Why not?"

"Cause… I am still upset over what happened with her, and I have not had a good time to bring up the subject with Pyrrha yet"  Jaune stated then focused on his work.

"Jaune I can understand you being upset over what happened but I would have thought you would have moved on by now."  She advised, well aware of the soreness of the subject.

"Kate no offensive but I am unsure if you are qualified to give me relationship advise."  He answered back forwardly, his tone was more aggressive than he intended.

Kate… did not look happy at that but answered "Jaune, I have not had a serious partner.  But I know how to treat people the right way in a relationship.  Melody did not treat you the right way regardless of your interpretation of the word."  She insisted with a warm and kind voice.

Jaune sighed… "Your right, that wasn't fair I am sorry.  I just… I've never felt worthy of Pyrrha.  Ever.  I do not know if I ever will.  Melody only wanted to say she slept with a noble I know that now.  That was all I meant to her.  It is something I still think about occasionally."  He appeared genuine in his apology.

Kate nodded accepting his apology and went on "Melody practically forced herself on you Jaune, that is nothing you did.  Pyrrha is not the same at all." She cautioned.

"I know that I meant nothing to Melody.  That does not mean she did not mean anything to me Kate regardless of however brief we were 'together'.  I get attached to people fairly easy, we are different in that way."  He claimed.

"Well, you obviously mean the world to Pyrrha, why does it feel similar?"  She asked, clearly trying to help.

"It… isn't that I feel like they are comparable.  We are progressing together steadily and we are both happy.  It is not fair to compare Pyrrha and Melody.  That is not even what I am trying to say."  He struggled to find the words.

"Then what are you trying to say?"  She pressed curiously.

He took a deep breath "Katherine...  Pyrrha means the world to me, I mean that literally.  I had no future available to me where I was remotely happy if you take her out of the picture.  I owe everything I have to her.  It took a great deal of time until I felt as though… I was worthy to ask her.  To feel I deserved a chance with her.  I know I need to tell her about what happened with Melody but, well it just has not come up yet and I do not want to risk damaging anything."

Kate… could almost understand given his youth "Jaune, I cannot tell you when. But at some point you need to explain what happened, she will learn about it at some point and it would be better if it comes from you.  You are not at fault in this regarding Melody in any way.  Though.. I think it might help you to talk about that a bit.  I think I can understand where you are coming from but this is obviously important to you."  She stated trying to be helpful.

Jaune thought about it… "You remember how Alexander felt about you?"

She nodded slowly remembering the individual.  The only person who she had tried and had been willing to date on a serious level.  One of the rare times she was told no too.

"He turned you down cause he felt you could do better than him."  He reminded her needlessly.

She nodded for him to finish his thought.

"I for a very long time felt the same way about Pyrrha.  It took me half a year, but I realized that it didn't matter if she could do everything better than me.  If she wanted to be with me, then I was being unfair to her by refusing her a chance.  As long as I was interested in her, I owed it to her to give her that much.  Our dating each other started when I was willing to accept being less than her, and trying to improve upwards from that point regardless of how I felt.  I am very glad I did, but that did not mean I was not uncomfortable as I made the decision and tried to carry it out."  He admitted honestly.

Kate leaned against the cabinet and studied her brother and eventually voiced "Jaune, we have never been very competitive with each other or others.   We have always wanted to be better than the person we were at the start of the workout you know that.  I can understand you being sick and feeling out classed as you meet new people but I also know you need to get those feelings out of your head.  Pyrrha will not hold what happened with Melody against you.  But I can promise you, that at some point you will need to tell her."

"Yes, I know that… I just do not know how or when is the right time to tell her."  He admitted.

"All I can say on that is this.  You will know when the time is right.  You just will, do not feel the need to force it.  A time to mention it will come up and you should take it."  She stated with some of that wisdom she and her twin had been known to have.

"It is always enlightening to talk to you Kate.  Thanks."  He smiled, regardless how many people found it strange how freely he and Kate spoke to each other, talking to his twin always helped steady his mind.

She smiled back, and moved a few steps forward to hug him.

They were entwined for several seconds when she spoke again.

"You know it will take me some time to get used to this again."  She always found a hug with him a comfort that she missed on the road.

"What's that?"

"Well hugging you always felt good, but you aren't so slim now."  As she spoke she moved her arms over his shoulders and arms "Pyrrha has been doing something right with you.  This is all new, its impressive really."

"Yeah, she pushes me hard.  Even before when I was ill.  I guess we both changed without the other being present.  Of course you knew that already you are joining us in our exercising now after all."  He admitted happily.

For all the time they had spent together following their reunion, it was still a shock to both of them how much both of them had changed.  Katherine naturally had changed less than Jaune did, even so both of them had added a great deal of muscle to their frames as they became adults.  Both of course were learning that as they spent time and hugged each other.  Now that things had slowed down a bit they could finally take a tally of growing up and seeing the other grow up too.

After a time, maybe as many as several minutes they broke apart, he felt better despite the talk following the hug.

"New subject Kate.  No more Melody, what does your curiosity demand now?" He asked preparing himself for the next topic of inquiry.

"Before I ask I want you to promise me you will talk to Pyrrha about Melody when you feel ready."  She said sternly.

He chuckled "Fine, I promise."

She nodded "Good, now."  She took on a grin that looked only slightly evil.  "Tell me about Cardin Winchester, I understand he gave you problems last year?"  Her grin grew into a smile as she chose the next subject in her long list of things to talk about.

***COMMONS ROOM***

Deborah looked through the kitchen window from the commons room to see her youngest two children entwined in a hug.  She smiled to herself, those two might be different in a number of ways.  However it was the ways in which they were alike that was so telling.  Both of them were humble and worked harder than anybody else she could name.  They would surely be fine examples of what hunters could and should be one day, she knew that much beyond a doubt.  However she was slightly alarmed by the fact that Kate did not want anybody outside to hear what they were talking about as she shut the door. 

The girl had a habit of annoying her with an alarming consistently.  Telling her not to do something was akin to giving her permission sometimes.  She never over steps the bounds of decency, but … Well Kate had more in common with her mother than either was likely to admit.  That changed nothing for how much they had learned about each other as they traveled.  It was strange, watching your youngest daughter grow up into such a fine woman, and to come back to see your only son grow up equally well and fast.  She was happy for both of them, and wished them nothing but the best of luck.

None the less, conversation eventually resumed around the fireplace with Ruby eventually dominating the attention of her friends and company.

"Yang, Blake, what is so important that you cannot talk about it with the rest of us?"  The Reaper asked her sister.

Yang smiled as she responded "I am trying to help my partner and she seems too shy to take my advice."

"What.. advice is that?"  Weiss asked cautiously.

"Yang…c'mon."  Blake stated momentarily stopping the conversation.

Yang just crossed her arms and gave her partner a stern glare.  Clearly wanting to say something, but actually showing some restraint… odd.

Blake just stared back, and eventually sighed as she said "Fine, but you need to do your part as well.  Deal?"

Yang hesitated a moment, then shook the hand of her partner as she uttered "Deal."

Yang turned to Nora "Hey Nora, would you follow me please?"

Nora was still practically doing a happy dance to herself still but none the less froze, and nodded as she followed Yang downstairs.  Before Yang completely disappeared she gave one last pointed look to her partner paired with an odd smile.

Blake sighed, but nervously moved to sit down next to Mrs. Arc, odd given the closeness of the dogs she normally tried to avoid.  The two golden's tolerated the addition of the cat girl nearby and just moved closer to Mrs. Arc to give Blake some space.

"Yes?"  Mrs. Arc asked cautiously.

Blake continued to think for several minutes and did not answer back.

Deborah had dealt with Faunus before, and decided that they had no need to rush anything so she just went back to relaxing and occasionally petting her dogs.

The group was unsure what exactly Blake wanted help with but even so she could not speak about what she wanted to with ease.  It seems she was still unsure how to treat the veteran warrior, or at least how to act around her.  So much so that Yang and Nora returned, both carrying a dumbbell of impressive size.

"You still haven't started talking?"  Yang asked incredulously as she sat down the dumbbell she was carrying next to its pair carried by Nora.

"No it seems that cat-gotcha-tongue?"  Ruby stated happily.

…

She just shrank back in her seat at the combined looks of her friends, though Mrs. Arc was at least chuckling quietly at the pun.

"I will just ignore that terrible attempt to make and Yangalogy and just press on.  Mrs. Arc, Blake wants to ask you about her semblance."  Yang advised with a smile.

Blake just opened her mouth annoyed.

Mrs. Arc however, decided to play along "Oh she does, does she?  Why ever doesn't she talk to me about it herself?  Does she like using you as a secretary?"

Yang objected to that label enough to make a funny face, but it seems it was enough to cause Blake to laugh a touch.

"I assure you Ms. Xiao Long it would be easier to speak to her directly if she is asking for my help with her semblance.  Perhaps you could take a message and deliver it to her?"  Deborah's amusement was obvious and telling.

"Come to think of it I think Yang would be a better maid than secretary, she definitely would look better in a maid outfit than a suit."  Nora supplied smiling and humming to herself.

Yang just looked at her open mouthed while Blake let out an obvious laugh.

"I am pretty sure she already has one just in case the situation calls for one right Yang?"  Ruby put forth maliciously.

Yang turned around again to look at her sister perplexed where this is coming from.

Pyrrha decided that she should try and move the conversation on… though she had to admit that Yang would probably look good in a maid outfit.  "Blake, is there a problem?"  She asked.

Blake nervously looked at Yang, and her partner seemed to collect herself and answer for her.

"She has been complaining about feeling an odd tingling when she uses her semblance.  She would struggle to explain it but it seems I have to speak for her." Yang advised with a grin.

Deborah at this point became more serious.

"Ms. Belladona I have helped many students in my time and that includes Faunus.  If you want my help, I would be happy to provide it."

Blake had trouble opening up to new people, she knew that, her friends knew it… everybody knew it.  She had tried to grow and change like the rest of her friends, and took a leap of faith with Mrs. Arc.

"I, was not taught formally.  Much of what I know I had to learn for myself."  She admitted.

Mrs. Arc took this in stride and asked "Has nobody, Ms. Goodwitch or anybody tried to help you with your semblance?  What is the problem with it?"  She asked focusing on the shy girl.

Blake hesitated, but at a glare from her partner continued "I have always been able to make mirror images and control them to a certain extent.  I have been able to keep them together longer and I have even been able to make more than one copy of myself of late when I have too.  But now… when I do I feel this… pulling on my mind.  It has the effect of a severe headache, but I know enough to know I do not have a headache.  They go away shortly after I stop controlling the image of myself.  I … have been unable to explain it."

Deb remained in thought as she focused on Blake, eventually she spoke "You have gone to nobody?  There is no one who has been able to give you an explanation for this?"  She asked to confirm.

"No… I grew up alone and was taken in by somebody who… well somebody who lost my respect.  Like I said nobody has taught me my semblance I had to learn it for myself.  I know of no one to go to either.  Ms. Goodwitch listened to my problem but was unable to come up with an explanation."  She admitted, still serious but less hopeful at a resolution.

Deb considered a few things silently, before continuing.

"Have you done any research yourself on the subject to determine what type of mirror image semblance you have?"  She asked evenly.

Blake paused, and answered back in a cautious tone "I do not know what you mean to research, research what?"

Deb smiled slightly as she answered "There is more than one type of mirror image semblance."

Pyrrha was following along and had spent a fair amount of time studying Mrs. Arc, to play a guess.

"You have some idea of what is happening, don't you Mrs. Arc?"  She asked curiously.

"I think I have some idea, yes."  She admitted, appearing more honest than anything else.

"Care to share?"  Yang asked bluntly.

Deb smiled again before she answered "I'm sure of nothing.  Beyond what I know from past experiences.  I cannot claim to have any idea of your parentage or anything of the like.  I can however claim to have taught more than one person in my time to use the semblance and its several variants."

"So why does my head hurt when I use it now?"  Blake asked.

Deb shook her head "That, I can only guess at.  Most everybody I have helped refine in terms of their semblances were at least taught to use them in combat school and had some idea of how it would grow.  Pristine Schnee is an exception, but most of them had some idea of what to expect.  I think I know what is happening, but I am not sure."  She admitted.

"Well?"  Blake asked.

"Well, is it a rare thing to experience, but in some people it is known that when their aura determines it is time to be used more … shall we say completely, it tries to influence the  bearer to seek out where the disconnect is.  Your semblance could be trying to get you to understand something that you have never considered before.  I cannot say to have experienced it myself, but I am aware of the phenomena."  She moved back into her chair as she spoke.

Blake considered that for a moment before speaking again "What would my semblance … or aura, be trying to tell me?  Where is this coming from?" She asked.

Deb shrugged "It is similar to an instinct or a reaction to stimulus.  An example I like is that birds inherently know how to fly, fish know how to swim.  This does not need to be taught to them, they already possess the knowledge regarding how, and when the time is right they simply perform the act.  It could be that you are of age to use your semblance more completely and that part of you is… becoming aware of it.  It might be trying to get you to use it more fully.  You said that you feel a pull on your mind.  That is correct?"

Blake nodded.

Deb just looked at her for several moments.

"I confess I do not know how or what to tell you to encourage yourself.  You are natural cautious, I believe this caution is working against you.  Your aura, I believe, is trying to tell you something but I have no advice on how to listen to it beyond using your semblance and doing what feels natural."  She spoke honestly obviously trying to help.

"What types of mirror image semblances exist Mrs. Arc?"  Weiss asked.

Deb smiled as she answered "I know of two, the first does exactly as it sounds.  Make mirror images of themselves.  Some of those are able to make copies of others and control them as their own images.  The other type can also make images of themselves, though generally not as many and they tend to be even more frail than the other kind.  Those types however, can switch between their images at will."

"What do you mean by switch between their images?"  Blake asked intrigued.

"I mean… the user would become the clone, and the clone would become him.  They keep their relative positions, but otherwise change places with each other.  I have known just as many of each type so I cannot say which is more rare than the other."  She concluded going back to pet her dogs.

Blake… almost instinctively upon hearing the two descriptions naturally tried to do what Deborah had mentioned.  The first person to come to mind was of course her own partner.  Thinking she was familiar with her partner to make an image of her.  After failing to feel any real reaction from her semblance Blake concluded that she was probably the other type.

"Mrs. Arc… on the assumption I am the second type… that can swap with their clones… how would I learn to control it?"  She asked.

Deb smiled "You need to… want something out of reach.  The method of teaching and learning about semblances may change student to student and semblance to semblance.  However most of the time it boils down to one simple thing.  Need.  As I understand it Jaune learned to control his semblance at a time when he convinced himself he needed it more than anything else.  Weiss convinced herself to summon out of a need to protect Ruby.  The same is true for the vast majority of students and people who are trying to master their semblances to this day.  You must find something you need.  My only experience with somebody of that semblance practiced in a way I can tell you about if you are curious."

Pyrrha just watched the conversation in a type of awed sentiment.  She knew that semblances emerge when there was a dire sense of need.  She was dead on about how Jaune learned to control his semblance and was equally accurate describing the events that lead Weiss to learning more about hers.  It said something that Mrs. Arc could take such a huge and complex topic like the widely ranging semblances in the world, and break it down to a simple thing.  Need.

Blake considered for a moment before answering "What did they do to practice?"  She asked.

"Well as I remember he tried to quite literally be in two places at once.  Stand on one edge of the room and try to do something.  At the same time keep a mirror image on the room and let your… mind your consciousness drift between the two.  It might be shocking the first few times but as I understand it that was what he did as he got better at it."  Deb stated more casually than she normally sounded in her 'Professor' tone.

"Well…  Ok, I will think of something.  Your turn Yang."  Blake stated with a shy smile at her partner before she moved more inwards in thought.

Yang just sighed exasperated at her partner, but figured Blake at least tried.  She could work on it later.  She noticed the curious look from Mrs. Arc, and got back into her typical confident self.  Her big smile came back as she declared:

"Ok Mrs. Arc.  Round 2 coming up.  Yang is not undisciplined, and I'll prove it to you!"

Deb laughed, and observed the blond girl get into the form she previously had her adopt for the pushup challenge.  The Matriarch had to admit, the change in focus and form was obvious.  Yang clearly took what she said to heart.  It was less than 100 pushups before Yang hit her 30 perfect in a row requirement and stood with a very pleased grin on her face.

"See!!  Yang Xiao Long learns from her mistakes and is not undisciplined!" She announced to the world proudly.

Deb just wore a slightly evil grin as she stated "Yes, that was much better than your first attempt.  Keep going in that direction.  However, Yang Xiao Long is also forgetting something."

Yang froze briefly, and just muttered "Huh?"

Deb fully smiled "Round two of the Yang is not undisciplined challenge is not pushups.  Pushups was merely round 1.  Round 2, is squats." 

Yang gulped suddenly fearing for her legs, her legs and her dignity.

Yang learned a few things about Mrs. Arc that day.

1) She cares for her pupils, in fact… she probably views her pupils and students as family similar to how Jaune does his friends.

2) If you were going to challenge her, you really, Really, REALLY need to make sure your bases are covered.

3) The Brawler knew that she could squat a fair amount of weight… maybe not as much as Pyrrha, maybe not even as much as Jaune or Kate could.  Yang admitted to focusing more on her upper body given her fighting style.  Even so, she felt as though the two dumbbells she brought up would not bring much of a challenge in terms of weight.

4) Well she determined that when you have done something for the pro 600th time, it really didn't matter if the supporting weight was much or not. 

A unknown number of minutes later and over 600 squats later, Yang was left feeling more tired than she ever had before in her life.  She suddenly understood the wobbly shaky weak legged walk Weiss has done the last couple days and how the 3 workaholics sometimes walked after a great deal of time in the morning.  Yang collapsed into a chair swearing that she would never do another squat again.  The thought of another one was sickening to her at this time.

"Yang, I could have warned you about that beforehand.  You don't challenge the professor."  Ruby put forth happily teasing her sister.

"Yang."  Mrs. Arc stated.

Yang was just breathing in deep gulps of air and could only look back at the older woman.

"The lesson I meant for you to learn is not restricted to pushups.  It is something you must, really I hope you all apply to every aspect of your studies.  Your form on all of your exercises need to be perfect.  Aim for that, do not settle for less.  Push yourselves every day.  It should not matter what exercise I name for you Yang.  Ideally I could challenge you to do anything X amount of times and you should be able perform that number without having to restart.  That is the goal.  It is good that you take pride in your strength and you want to get better, keep going and do not settle for second best attempts."  She stated with firm belief in her voice.

"Why does this matter so much to you Mrs. Arc?  The lesson is sound but I feel there is something more to it than that."  Ren asked.

"Yes, I agree there is more to it than what you are saying."  Pyrrha agreed.

Deb smiled "Were we in a classroom setting I would leave the discussion to you all so you each could determine what my overall goal was.  What the final lesson is meant to be.  Instead I will simply say this.  One cannot expect to focus themselves in battle, to maintain intensity and focus as they tire in battle if they cannot do it in other aspects of their lives.  You prepare for your life as a huntsman every moment of every day.  The life or death moments that come to define hunters are something that will come regardless of if you are ready for it.  I teach the way I do because I tried to prepare myself and my students for those life or death moments every day.  Instead of losing your focus and missing a block because your mind let your body sag as it grew tired, you might block an attack that might otherwise claim your life one day.  If you can focus your mind and not accept anything less than perfect forms, even as you tire, it may very well save a life someday.  Your own, or somebody you care about.  THAT is the lesson and that is why I have such a reputation as an unforgiving perfectionist.  I want my students to return from their missions alive, I wanted to keep doing my duty as a hunter and I could obviously not do that If I was dead."  The words were spoken with pure driven conviction.  Doubt did not exist in them as she spoke believing every word as she spoke them.

The friends shared a glance at each other as Mrs. Arc went back to petting the dogs laying at her feet.

"That is how you have been coaching Jaune right Pyrrha?"  Weiss asked.

Pyrrha just nodded.

"That… explains a great deal of how far he has come then."  The Heiress admitted.

"My youngest two children work themselves to a degree I confess I have never seen before.  Jaune and Kate both put some of the students I taught in the past to shame in their work ethics and it is clearly visible in their physical forms paired with how quickly they have grown.  Less than 2 years of training, and they are matching those with 4 or more times that number.  I do not mean to just dote on my children, but there is a reason I continually preach work ethic and discipline.  They had the talent in them and their work ethics bring it out.  I would suggest you all should lean on each other to work just as hard as they do."  Mrs. Arc stated with equal parts parental pride and concern for her students.

This had to be the 10th time Pyrrha had these thoughts.  But… she could not help but admire the veteran teacher.  Even at the age of nearly 70, if events at home within her family did not transpire she would likely still be at Beacon teaching everybody she could.  She would do it because of a combination of a sense of Duty, of doing what is right, and out of care for her students and pupils.  These thoughts would be beautiful, if she was not also infuriated as those same thoughts did not also trigger memories of James Arc and how many things that … sad excuse of a man has to answer for.

"Mrs. Arc, can I ask you one more thing about Jewel?"  Weiss asked curiously.

Deb looked back and nodded sadly.

"Well… I guess more specifically about Crystal.  She admitted that she and her sister were brought here as a joint education program between the hunter schools.  Can you tell me more about it?"  She admitted curiously.

"That program is meant to provide bonds between the schools.  It does not happen every year and I confess I never knew what triggers its occurrence.  But every few years the 4 schools break up a team into their partners, and send them to another school to finish their studies.  They would room with the partners of another hunting school and learn about different people and places.  This year Beacon has A team from Atlas and Haven.  You of course know who was from Atlas… and I confess I have had no desire to learn who the other team was.  Students learning at another institution is common.  Beacon students regularly transfer to another school if they find themselves not liking Beacon, their partner or find themselves unable to get along with their team.  All reasons to transfer to another school and of course the same thing happens to other schools.  That I think is about what I can tell you about it."

When the conversation seemed to die down Yang claimed exhaustion and did not want to budge to return the heavy dumbbell back to the weight room.  Feeling a mix of pity and humor Nora moved to return one, while Pyrrha decided to sub in for Yang and move the other back down.

"The smells from the kitchen are starting to drive me insane.  I am starving."  Blake claimed looking very hungry.

"Well, we know Jaune's cooking wont disappoint, it should be delicious."  Ruby claimed happily.

"I am sure that it will be good, but Kate did some things better than Jaune did in terms of cooking.  Fish is one of them, I do not think his will be bad but I would wager on Kate's version being superior personally."  Deborah claimed and had to admit the smells from the kitchen were getting difficult to ignore.  The twins were obviously making fish… but they were also clearly making something else. 

***KITCHEN***

The main dish was… thankfully just about done.  The window in the kitchen provided very little cover from the obviously hungry looks from the group outside.  Though both of them were more than a little entertained by Yang antics and the fact that she flopped down very much like a fish in a chair following her surprise workout with Mrs. Arc.

None the less they had decided on two sides, steamed veggies of sufficient quantity to hold up to the demands of 10 hungry people paired with brown rice.  Katherine insisted on a melted creamy cheese included as well for those who find greens a terrifying food selection.

"Shouldn't be much longer now."  Jaune claimed confidently.

"I agree, I still say you should have let Pyrrha break his legs."  Kate claimed wearing a smile.

Jaune chuckled "Well, if I did I would also have had to let Nora break his legs.  It would have resulted in more than a fair amount of trouble for all of us.  Besides, he stopped and in the end it worked out ok."

"I wouldn't say ok, sure he might have stopped teasing or harassing people but he still picked on my brother and I feel I owe him a good smack or two."  She was definitely smiling now.

"People don't change overnight."  Jaune reminded her.

"Yes I know be patient and yes I know patience is a virtue.  That does not mean that I wouldn't welcome a chance to dish out my own brand of justice."  She claimed checking on the food.

"Well, you are going to enroll here and maybe even room with us.  I think you will have the chance to do that if you feel that strongly about it."  He claimed honestly.

"We will see-"

The ding of the oven announced the end to cooking time, and that meant it was time to eat!  At last.

***COMMONS ROOM***

The door to the kitchen opening provided two things.  First a clear message that the food was done and it was time to eat.  Two, it brought an even more acute wave of smell for the collection of friends to be tormented with.

The group basically stopped all conversation instantly and appeared at the table for dinner… except Yang who still struggled to move.

"You can have food delivered to me, I think I can stay here."  Yang complained sinking further into the chair.

Kate laughed "Sure, I can send it with the dogs, course I doubt it would survive the trip but hey, I would have tried."

Ruby and Blake both chuckled at that, and Yang just issued a near Weiss like venom filled glare, but otherwise remained in her seat.

Jaune looked on amused but ultimately decided on a couple things.

"Well it is break I think we could eat around the commons and enjoy the fire more."  Surprisingly nobody argued or debated the point as they all grabbed some food and moved back to their spots.

Secondly, Jaune moved over and decided his aura had replenished enough to try to heal or at least replenish Yang.

"Hold still."  He said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

To Yang, his touch was less refined than his mothers.  However it was no less powerful or effective as he helped steady her.  Yang was left feeling much better as she stood, but not so perfect as to do it quickly.  None the less everybody got a plate and sat down to enjoy the meal.

Two people… or two entities that were less than pleased thus far, were the dogs Tyrion and Teclis.  Indeed their noses were tormented by the smells more so even than the rest of them, and they were not happy that everybody else was enjoying some fish and they were not.

The twins supplied enough fish to last for multiple helpings of food, indeed 3 servings in most people could not decide whose method of cooking Silverfin was superior.

Yang, found herself standing in the middle of the room and more or less directed the conversation.

"I think the texture of Kate's is better but the juicy nature of Jaune's seems to counter that."  Ruby claimed from Yang's left.

Jaune observed the two dogs look at each other and even appear a touch annoyed.

"True but I prefer a slight breading to my fish, that has to be a point for Katherine."  Weiss claimed on the opposite side.

"Yeah but Jaune's fillets are thicker and they are delicious."  Nora claimed across from her.

"So if we consider the fish a tie then we must consider the side dishes."  Pyrrha chimed in cheerfully from the opposite side of the room.

Yang was swerving her head back and forth as the conversation progressed along causing her hair to be freely waving in the air.  The dogs eyed her hair carefully.

"Uh Yang-"  Kate started.

"Yes I agree Kate I do not believe we can count side dishes, both of veggies and rice were very good."  Yang stated oblivious to the danger.

Kate was absolutely not going to say that…

"No I meant-"  She started trying again…

"I disagree, both rice and veggies are solid choices for fish meals but I think the rice fit more."  Weiss claimed.

"Can't we just agree that delicious is delicious?"  Blake asked… not really caring which is better, either way she got her fish.

"No I believe we must debate this too.  I think rice was an overall better selection but the melted cheese included with the veggies makes all the difference to me.  I could actually eat them."  Nora put in.

"The cheese makes it substantially less healthy though."  Pyrrha argued.

"It isn't always about healthy, I mean we do eat pancakes a lot."  Ruby advised.

Jaune at this point was catching the nervous glances of his twin as he eyed both of the dogs standing up behind Yang appearing mischievous.

Both Jaune and Kate at this point were trying to get words in to advise the Brawler of the danger and each time they were simply cut off as the conversation just kept bouncing back and forth across the room.

Several more minutes of debating deliciousness proved too much for the dogs.

"Yang…" Kate started slowly.

It was too late, both of the dogs took a step back, eyed the hair carefully, took a leap, and chomped down.

"AIIEEEEPPPP!!"  Was the reaction from the group seeing the dogs giving Yang's hair a sure handed tug.

"LET GO OF MY HAIR!!!"  Yang screeched trying to identify her unknown assailants.

The dogs… were genuinely confused at this point, they were suppose to get fish if they did that right?

"Boys… let go."  Mrs. Arc instructed.

Almost as if they realized that they had been tricked, the dogs let go and did not appear happy with the situation.

Yang stood and seemed ready for violence as she had been breathing hard.  Katherine decided that she was not going to take any chances with the situation and more or less tackled Yang pulling her through the outer wall the same way she did Jewel the day before.

"Well… I suppose we should get them some food now.  Here have some fish."  Blake stated cheerfully, after a few seconds her smile became a frown.

The dogs however, just ignored her.

Blake … and the rest of the group minus Jaune and Deb was confused at this.

"Blake, these dogs are intelligent.  They are smart and they remember things.  They are dogs, so they tend to trust people when they meet them.  However… it is also possible to lose that trust."  Jaune stated evenly.

"What do you mean?"  Blake asked.

"Blake, they realized that you and Yang have lied to them.  It is that simple."  Deborah stated sadly.

Blake… had no idea they were so intelligent.  She of course realized that they did what they did after something she claimed the night prior but…

"I had no idea this breed was that intelligent."  She did not think that losing an animal's trust, much less a dogs would hit her this way.  But when neither animal moved to accept the freely offered food, that did have more of an impact than she anticipated.

"Ahem… where by the way is Kate and Yang?"  Ruby asked curiously.

"Kate… is probably giving Yang a time out."  Deb advised as she moved to give the dogs some her their beloved fish.

"Or… Yang out as I like to say"  Her sister said maliciously.

***OUTSIDE DORM ROOM***

"KATHERINE ARC YOU LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!!"  Yang demanded.

"Yang, look around.  You really do not want me to do that."  Kate replied calmly.

Thinking while angry is not something Yang could claim to be good, or even OK at.  But she did look around… and recognized the predicament she was in.  After tackling her through the wall to the outside with her semblance, Kate kept it running.  One arm was around Yang's waist, the other was gripping a tree just outside their dorm.

"If I let you go, you fall.  You will survive the fall sure, but you are in lounge clothing in the evening in winter with several feet of snow below you.  You do not want to ask me to do that again.  Trust me."  She said smiling.

To Yang, the world appeared… with a dark blur, colors were odd, and the world was strange.  Yet, it was also immensely beautiful.  She appear weightless like she could glide, of course in the effects of Kate's semblance, she supposed that she could glide.  She knew intellectually that it was cold outside, but while under the Ghost semblance, she didn’t feel it.

"So this is what you see when you use your semblance."  Yang asked.

"Yes, it is pretty I admit that.  Yang, I mean this.  You need to apologize, I mean really apologize to our dogs."  She claimed with empathy, but seriousness in her voice.

"Apologize to a dog?  Really?"  Yang asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, apologize to a dog.  These dogs as you know are highly intelligent.  They remember Yang, right now they remember that they tried to be friendly with you and Blake, and you have done nothing but lie and try to use them against each other.  You might think I am kidding but believe me, the next time you see them they might not be so willing to do as you ask."  She advised.

Yang… considered that for a moment.

"I cannot do anything while you keep me here."  She claimed.

Kate chuckled "True, but I am keeping you here until I know for sure that you won't seek out violence against my dogs."

Yang decided, that winning arguments against Arc's… is just not a talent she had… if such a thing was even possible.

***COMMONS ROOM***

"I wonder how long Kate will think Yang needs a timeout…"  Ruby asked to nobody in particular.

"Knowing her, until she gets bored."  Jaune answered, the group wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

They might have spoken more, but a rapid beeping in the air directed their attention to Weiss.  The Heiress had taken a seat near Ruby, and pulled out her scroll.

She took a few minutes to read through message before speaking.

"Mrs. Arc.  the paperwork is ready to go.  Mr. Burgess will arrive tomorrow morning to give it to me."  She claimed evenly.

That cause if anything, a complete silence to cover the room.  Pyrrha looked at Jaune with a look bleeding concern, Jaune just looked… oddly thoughtful.

"Well… I guess tomorrow we have a great deal to do then.  Morning workouts… Semblance work… Pancakes after"  Nora nodded frantically in agreement here "And then we celebrate with a lengthy talk of legality and paperwork before another workout.  Sounds like fun."  Jaune said sounding somewhat morose.

"Yeah… It will be a full day."  Deb agreed.

The friends more or less exchanged looks.

"Well, at least now we get to hear what you have planned Mrs. Arc."  Ruby said happily.

Deb nodded to her politely and checked the clock.

"Well… You kids still want to get in another routine after dinner and I feel like I should take care of a few things before tomorrow.  I think I will get back to the guest room for tonight.  Give Katherine a hug for me ok Jaune?"  Mrs. Arc stood and gave her son a firm hug, then she and her dogs leave to head away towards the guest rooms.  The dogs appeared much happier after having a good dinner of their beloved food.

His friends wanted to ply him with questions… Pyrrha wanted to chain him to a pole and choke the answers out of him.  But she would settle for another grueling workout session with him and his sister, it came in as a distant second to waiting until tomorrow to finally figure out what the three Arc's knew and what one of them was trying to do.

It was not much longer until Katherine decided that Yang had cooled down enough and allowed them both back into the room.  She was both surprised and pleased that the paperwork was ready, just as much as she was concerned and worried.  Both of the twins more or less mirrored each other.  A fact the group picked up on, none more so than the Spartan.  None the less following the cleaning up of dishes and following Yang with her partner hashing out a few things for how to apologize to a couple four legged friends, the twins with Pyrrha moved on for their evening workout.

***THAT NIGHT IN THE JNPR DORMROOM***

There was a time when Jaune would have been happy to be able to exercise 15 minutes without feeling exhausted.  That benchmark had increased steadily over his life.  15 minutes, then 30, then an hour and so on.  Today marked nearly 11 hours of some of the most grueling and intense exercises he had ever been subjected too.  That was not counting the additional time he put in with his semblance work.

He had learned to appreciate it.  He could feel himself getting stronger and improving with both weight training and weapon practice.  He got to spend time with his twin, and his girlfriend.  They got the same experience and they were all bonding.  It could not be overstated how much that fact pleased him.  None of that really was on his mind following his shower as he laid down to get some much needed rest as he knew once again Pyrrha would continue to push him and Kate the next day.

The next day… The next day his friends would learn what his mother was trying to do.  He had decided to talk about it with his mother first.  Then he Pyrrha and Kate could hash it out while Mom went and spoke about it with the group.  Growing up he never thought this would happen, and in truth he never wanted it.  To say he was conflicted would be a true statement.  But… it is the situation he found himself in and like anything else in his life he would try to handle it the best he could.  Ideally with his partner, twin and his friends all at his side.

It was difficult to slow and steady his mind so he could sleep regardless of his tired his body was following his two sessions.  None the less sleep was not coming easy.  It was, as he learned even more difficult for his partner.  He did not hear her approach.

"Jaune?  Are you awake?"  He heard the voice nearby.

He of course recognized it as Pyrrha's voice.

He spun on the bed to look at her.  She was rubbing herself nervously and fidgeting with excess energy.

"Pyr?  What's wrong?"  He asked with a concerned, but tired voice.

"Can… can I sleep with you tonight?"  She asked, barely able to meet his gaze.

"Pyr.. sure… but.. what's wrong?"  He spoke as he made room for her.

Pyrrha did not answer him, she laid down and put her back to him after pulling the blanket over her body.

Jaune moved himself so his chest was against her back and held her.  It was then he realized she was shaking.

"You aren’t cold, what is wrong Pyrrha what's the matter?"  He kept his voice quiet so as to not wake his teammates, but he was stern with his words.

In response Pyrrha spun around and wrapped her arms very forcefully around his neck.  She just held him, but otherwise continued to shake.

Jaune realized something soon after…

Trembling… she is trembling…  Scared.  Why is she scared?

"Pyrrha-"  He started.

She shushed him.

"Just… hold me.. please."  She finally spoke softly.

He obliged, and continued to think about what could possibly scare Pyrrha this much.

Tomorrow, she was terrified for tomorrow.  He realized that after a few moments.  She was always concerned for what my mother has planned… now she just cannot keep it down anymore.

"Hey."  He said gently as he pulled her waist and torso up tight to him.  She finally was able to look at him, he kissed her affectionately.

"Pyrrha, you do not need to be scared.  You will be with me tomorrow ok?"  He claimed.

"I just… I don't like feeling like you are going to do something tomorrow you don't want to do."   She claimed concern for him obvious in her face.

He smiled "Pyr...  I did not want to find myself disowned or to relinquish Crocea Mors.  I did not want to have to fight my own family.  I have had to do many things I did not want to do in my life and I will likely have to do more.  I love you Pyr, you know that.  I will do what I always do, what I think is right."  He stroked her face gently as he spoke.

"Jaune…"  Pyrrha was better at dealing with feelings and emotions in her time with him.  Even so, she was suffering from heavy emotional overload right now.  The only thing that came to mind, was to launch herself at him, try to squeeze the life out of him in a hug, and kiss him like her life depended on it.

Jaune did not mind her affections… even if it made breathing slightly difficult and just held her as he kissed her back.  Keeping up with Pyrrha was never easy… many would say an impossible challenge.  He did not mind the challenge.  Her emotional outburst did not last long, only a few seconds border lying on a minute at most.  The end result is she was more calm internally, though externally her love and concern was free for all to see.

Following the kisses she just found her spot on his chest that she found so comforting.  The sound of his breathing, the steady and reassuring beat of his heart.  Jaune always brought a sense of normalcy and stability to her life that she was terrified of having to give up.

"Pyr, I am not going anywhere and even if I did, I would offer that you could come with me.  Just remember that.  I'm trying to be a Hunter and I intend to keep my studies as a Hunter going.  Tomorrow will not change that.  Just know that."  He claimed in a calming voice as he held her and rubbed her back.

Pyrrha just moved slightly higher on his chest and whispered into his ear.  "Jaune likewise you need to remember this tomorrow.  I love you, I love you … so much… it hurts.  Like something I never understood, believed could exist and still cannot explain.  I love you so much it hurts me.  Just please… Don't ever change."  Following her declaration she gave his lips another emotion charged kiss before detaching and giving him another affection filled look.  He just smiled at her and nodded.

With her calmed he could finally try once again to get some rest.  He was not a huge fan of sleeping on his back.  With Pyrrha on his chest sleeping contently against  him wearing a happy smile however, he was able to manage without much difficulty.

**Here we are again, the completion of another chapter and yet another 12k words… yeesh.**

**I remind everybody that grammar and syntax corrections are attempted and looked for… yet I still am terrible at finding them.  I welcome feedback on this just the same, but know I am trying to correct those errors and get better about it.**

**As before and as ever I encourage all feedback readers can give me.  Be it things I am doing well, things they want to see or things they think I can do better.  I read everything and yes I mean everything I am sent.  Idea's are precious and feedback helps more idea's come into play.  The more feedback we as writers are given normally the easier and quicker we can write.**

**I remain very open to having additional smutty content written for both in canon and out of canon relationships in the story.  Also if you feel a part in the main story could be expanded to include a more smut themed section tell me and I will see what I can do.  I have canon bonus chapters planned in my head but I remain open to others of both types.  I mean this seriously, let me know your thoughts, and I will give it to you if I am able.**

**A reader predicted that after Jaune Vs Jewel there will be a duo off between Jewel/Crystal and Jaune/Pyrrha.  This reader suggested to me that instead of Jaune/Pyrrha it should be Jaune/Kate.  I confess good arguments can be made for both.  I am curious where others rank in on this.**

**HUGE shout out to AO3 user ShardsofFlame for volunteering to make a picture for the story.  Can we have a round of applause for him please?  Thank You. ( Clap clap clap)**

**Having said ^ It can always be useful to have multiple pictures if I ever want to make spin off stories or maybe as the story progresses depending on what is happening another picture beyond what we have discusses is more suitable.  If you are interested in making a picture for the story let me know, and I will be delighted to discuss it with you.**

**I always feel like I'm forgetting something as I write and prepare these but… nothing else comes to mind.  Thank you again for your time and energy in helping me stay motivated as I write this.  Thank you for your thoughts, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	17. Year 2 Winter: A Plan Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deborah finally expands on her plan for Jaune, what is it and does he accept? Does he even want too? His decisions will change his life, and he can only hope to do the best he can.

2.22  
Pain… His world was… is and might forever be pain.

No really, pain encompassed his world right now.  Today was the first day that he and Nora successfully woke up on time to join in with the rest of the morning crew for workouts.  Sure he worked to keep in shape like every other student at Beacon.  However what his friend and his two other workout buddies did on a regular basis looked exhausting… and he later learned that is because it was.   As nervous as he was to start, and as much as he hated getting up in the morning before the sun was even shining.  He assured himself that it would be worth it in the end.

The verdict was still out on that, as all he knew at this exact moment was that his entire body hurt.  Thinking about his body hurt, the act of thinking hurt… thinking about thinking in contemplation of moving hurt.  Basically it all hurt, everywhere in some cases in places he did not know could hurt.

Working out with Jaune, Kate and Pyrrha was exhausting.  Nora was better suited to keeping up.  She had the power… she might not have the endurance or discipline and that is something which the group will continually work towards.  But now he knew exactly how hard the Twins in the group worked, and how hard Pyrrha pushed them to work harder still.

Ren knew with perfect clarity that he was not the strongest in the group physically.  Even so… the sheer quantity of sweat that some of his friends have been putting out was mind boggling to him.  He expected to be able to compete in something.  Well, he was wrong in that expectation.  For how easily it is to judge Katherine by her looks, the girl worked her ass off.  He might have said her tail off, or her butt off.  No, after seeing, actually seeing the level of dedication she and her twin shared the more polite term no longer applied.  They were both stronger than he is, is better conditioned than he is, and even Jaune was more flexible.  It was crazy.  Both of the twins especially… they always had the appearance of being strong and in shape, well now he knew that was because they absolutely were.  Both of them without any doubt. 

Every time he did an exercise and the next person up added or increased the weight it was like a direct punch and or kick right to his ego, especially so if that next person was Kate.  His ego ended up very bruised that morning to say the least.  None the less, he wanted to do it again the next morning.  If somebody questioned his sanity at that decision… he might have decided not to argue against it.

He showed up and suggested the idea thinking he could get stronger and enjoy the some eye candy.  Well… that much at least did not disappoint.  He did get plenty of that via the morning stretching, the hour of Yoga they did at the start of the routine, and the various workouts throughout the morning.  The one leading it all of course was their red headed friend Pyrrha.  He would have sworn that she worked like a woman possessed, possibly out of concern or fear for how the day would turn out.  Well… both of the twins denied that as being true.  The demanding strict and encouraging girl was really just Pyrrha in her exercises. 

And all that was all before noon.  Before the day was half over, he wanted to go back into his room and die.  Or at least enter voluntary hibernation.  Instead what happened was four out of the five showered while the fifth moved on to work on his semblance.  Following their shower the 4 of them moved to the commons to relax.  It was about the time the 5 of them left that Weiss entered the private gym they had and started to do her thing… 'She enjoys her privacy' she claimed.  That suited him just fine, he couldn’t have rose his arms up in protest even if he felt the need to do so.

Right now, he was feeling a bit better.  Not a great deal better, but a bit better.  He was well nourished and was pleasantly full.  That was the positive.  Unfortunately that also came with a negative.  That negative being Nora had actually made a crown for Pancake Making Champion.  A title which he evidently held prior to today's late brunch, now held by Mrs. Arc.

"I still say that that recipe she used was cheating."  Ren claimed still sounding exhausted.

"Well… if you were going to outlaw deliciousness of course she wouldn’t have been able to win."  Ruby put forth with a grin.

"Brown sugar and cinnamon pancakes, I still do not understand why I didn't think of that."  Yang advised equally pleased with the pancakes.

"I'm sorry Renny, I promised and… well hers made me smile and bounce.  Yours only ever just made me smile."  Nora advised with a pout.

"Someday Nora you are going to have to put down grading for how things taste, I am not convinced that you do not just make it up as you go."  Weiss advised relaxing after her workout and shower.

"It was rare for Mr. Burgess to deliver the documents personally wasn't it Weiss?"  Ren asked.

Weiss shrugged "Maybe, but I did promise Mrs. Arc that the documents would be treated private and confidential.  The SDC might be a company with less than a sterling reputation in some things but we know when to be especially careful."

Mr. Burgess, arrived within 15 seconds of when he said he would.  At 8:00:03 in the morning.  He was a small man of a somewhat frail statue who none the less had a nose that could have belonged to a parrot.  He dropped off the documents, greeted Mrs. Arc with a deep bow explained the paperwork and left.

"I wonder how much longer Jaune, Pyrrha, Kate and Mrs. Arc are going to talk about it privately?"  Ruby wondered out loud.

"Well… It isn't like we have to stay here we could go outside … in the cold… and… not be warm and pleasant indoors."  Blake chimed in.

"Yeah… We could do something but to be honest I am way to invested in this situation.  I have a chance to get some answers I want to hear… and I can be patient for them…"  Yang advised solemnly.

…

"What?"  She exclaimed.

Her friends looked at her as if she claimed that Grimm had taken up dancing.

Weiss ignored the friendly jabs back and forth for the next few moments and considered heavily the situation Jaune found himself in.  The paperwork Deborah put together was completed to perfection.  She looked through everything the SDC company did on her behalf if for no other reason she was personally vouching for its integrity.  If James somehow had people inside the SDC she would not put it above him to ensure it was somehow filled out flawed or without the designated effects.  Her fears or concerns were unfounded.  They were filled out, they were filled out well and they even managed to improve upon was Mrs. Arc was trying to do.  She of course knew what that something was, and for maybe the first time in her life was unsure of what Jaune Arc was going to do.  The easy answer is 'The Right Thing'.  In this case… she had no idea what the right thing would be.  She could make arguments both for and against his mothers proposal, but she had very little choice in the matter but to wait for the elder Arc's pleasure when the suitable explanation could be given.

"I still struggle to understand how those dogs are so smart.   I mean it was like getting kicked in the stomach or maybe right in the heart.  I've never seen a dog just ignore me before.   I thought Kate was kidding last night but no… They absolutely do remember."  Yang advised sadly.

"Well, you and Blake are just going to have to try harder."  Ruby stated with a  smile.

"And Blake?"  Blake objected.

"Yes, and Blake.  It is our jobs as huntsman to right wrongs especially those we cause.  Animal or not those two beings were mistreated by you.  That is something you need to make right."  the RWBY team leader claimed sternly however with a friendly expression.

A year ago Blake might have scoffed at the idea.  To be fair she still kind of wanted to at the idea of apologizing to a dog.  However… maybe being with the group had changed her a bit and she realized that Ruby was right.  Last night she and Yang spoke about the possibility for a fair amount of time.  However Blake herself was rather convinced that the dogs, being dogs, would have forgotten all about it by the next morning.  That just did not come to pass.

"Blake my sister is right, we need to apologize.  I intend to try even if you do not."  Yang admitted sound oddly quiet.

"Anyway new topic.  Ren, Nora, why did you two decide to start joining in with Jaune and company in the mornings?"  Ruby asked curiously.

Ren looked at Nora, and she determined he was still running on low energy right now as she decided to answer "Well.  What it comes down to is we want to improve like they do.  We want to be a better team and improve as huntsman too.  Morning workouts might have started out as Pyrrha just helping Jaune along and get better but it has grown into more than that now.  We are in the advanced class, Ren and I thought we should act like it and work more than other students."  Nora stated with rare clarify in her voice.

Ruby and Weiss looked at each for a moment when Ren picked up the conversation.

"Last year I might have rationalized things differently than I do now.  However now it is impossible to have any illusions about it.  Jaune not only has potential he has an incredible amount of it.  Pyrrha was right all along.  The more he works the more he grows.  That combined with what I saw about his twin, Kate has progressed nearly identically to Jaune with her time under their mother.  Given their relative lack of experience compared to their stellar performance in relation to the rest of us and it was obvious.  We needed to work harder Nora and I.  I think we all need to work much harder."  He claimed calmly but honestly.

Weiss knew first hand, she would never have been open to the idea before meeting Katherine and seeing how much Jaune had grown.  However, she is not the same girl from the start of her Beacon career.

"It is something to think about." The Heiress stated very visibly deep in thought.

'A team is only as strong as the work ethic of its best member'  Katherine had said.  Weiss remembered the words well.  Kate looked to join Beacon as a student and regardless of where she ended up that team would be lucky to have her.  The girl worked herself to exhaustion like her twin, she was a pleasure to be around.  She was humble and possessed a dozen other good qualities on top of that.  Yet it was that simple saying, that simple motto which dominated her thoughts.  Who is the hardest worker on team RWBY?  Well Ruby studies and trains hard, but now Weiss might also be in that argument too.  Of course hers have not been habit forming yet and she had a long way to go still.  But it was telling, the instant Kate entered the lives of the group, things changed for the better.  The instant Jaune entered the lives of his team, theirs changed as well.  There might be something to that phrase which is more telling than anything else or any other explanation for a person's growth.  Maybe work ethics are contagious to others?

She, and the group might have continued with her thoughts or the groups conversation, however the JNPR door opening and closing demanded the groups attention.  Mrs. Arc had exited and unlike before where she appeared serious and demanding, she actually wore something of a smile on her face.  She evidently left her dogs in the other room as they did not follow her outside.

"So how did it go?"  Ruby asked curiously.

Deb just issued a very Jaune like "WUuuoaggh?" something akin to a 'meh' as she went to the kitchen to get a drink of coffee.  The Heiress was expecting the Matriarch to head back into the room following her drink, instead she just sat down in an open chair and sipped her drink.  After a time she voiced:

"Well, they have some things to talk about.  What should we discuss first?"  She asked.

The friends shared glances around the room, they all had some question they had wanted to ask the Matriarch about her plan and what Jaune intended to do.  However the first person to speak might have been of a different mindset:

"Well… we never did determine who made the best fish from yesterday."  Yang asked wearing a huge grin.

Mrs. Arc and Weiss shared a look as the rest of the room ignited in an argument to settle matters left unfinished.

***INSIDE THE JNPR DORMROOM***

Kate is many things.  She is honest, she is a hard worker and she is humble.  Well… that morning humble was not the least bit on her mind.  She does not and is not prone to showing off.  However every time she or her brother would complete an exercise and observed the astonished glare from either Ren or Nora, the former who might have been glaring at more than just how hard she and her twin worked, it put a smile on her face.

The meeting with their mother took on a radically different tone.  She of course knew what mom was trying to do just the same as her brother did.  That did not mean either of them wanted this to come to pass.  Pyrrha just stood or sat in the back corner and presided over the event like a gargoyle or some other stone guardian.  Concern was plain to see as was the sheer level of worry she had coursing through her system.

Following Mom exiting the room to let the 3 of them talk about it themselves the redhead took on a remarkably different tone.  Surprise, pleased satisfaction and relief now dominated her glance.

Jaune for his part, still looked conflicted.  He knew what mom was trying to do and could practically predict every answer to every question she gave.  That did not mean those same questions did not need to be asked, like how Mom was likely answering those questions for the rest of the group at this very moment.

"I must confess… I did not think your mothers plan would be anything of the sort."  Pyrrha admitted.

Jaune was still thinking over his options.

Pyrrha might not be anywhere near as scared as she was at the start of the conversation.  But that does not mean she is not still concerned for her partner.  Jaune told his mother multiple times, 'I did not want this, I did not ask for it.' to be fair he is right.  She knew he never cared about his family being nobility from her time with him and that has never really changed.

"He seems still deep in thought Pyrrha.  I wonder if Ren is still proverbially dying or if Nora is still on a sugar high."  Katherine worded in good humor.  Her mother's pancakes were delicious as always even without syrup and Nora used one of their bottles just by herself that morning.  It was something to watch for the unprepared observer.

Pyrrha smiled at her friend.  There was much she could have said regarding Ren, things she swore Nora to not say to Kate.  Having the opportunity now was a difficult thing to resist, if Jaune was not in the room she might not have been able to.

"He did seem completely drained after our workout, I give him that.  Nora was less bouncy so I guess she was tired.  Still, it will be A good thing with them joining in for all parties involved before long."  Pyrrha claimed with a smile.

"Yeah, I suppose it is.  We all grow together and get stronger while we also get more practice.  A win-win for everybody, well except for our sleep schedules."  Katherine stated smiling back.

Jaune still appeared fully in thought and did not respond.

"So Kate, what do you think they are talking about outside?"  Pyrrha asked openly.

Kate thought about it and decided on a joke "Eh, well we never did decide on whose fish was better the night before.  I guess they could be talking about that."  She laughed a bit at the idea.

Pyrrha almost wanted to laugh with her, but there was just NO WAY that could be the case given the multitude of things they needed to speak about… unless of course her friends just didn’t care about those and didn’t care to ask…

The Spartan had no idea how wrong she was on either of those topics….

***BACK IN THE COMMONS ROOM***

Weiss was nearly beside herself in annoyance right now.  Literally all it took was for the fish argument to be brought up again for the entire room to erupt in another long winded debate.  So much so that out of boredom she moved to a nearby desk where she had stowed a chess board and started to assemble the pieces thinking that she could at least play a game against herself if this continued for much longer.  She did not anticipate however somebody to take up the chair opposite her.  She especially did not anticipate that person being Mrs. Arc.

"You play chess Weiss?"  She asked curiously.

Weiss gulped, remembering that this is who taught Jaune to play chess and nodded cautiously.

"Well, I expect to have to reveal some information today and I would prefer to only have to say it one time.  You want to enjoy a game until they can focus?"  She voiced while sitting into her chair opposite the Heiress.

"I can't say how enjoyable of an experience it will be, but we can play a game sure."  A very unconfident Heiress responded as she made the first move.

To be fair Weiss was unsure what to expect from the Matriarch when they sat down to play.  She knew that Jaune was… at minimum competent with the game.  Before being humbled by the blond knight at chess play she would have considered herself a highly competent player.  Her ego took a fair amount of bruising from those experiences.  She expected Deborah to be a superior player to that of her son.  She… might have been, it was difficult to tell.  Weiss lost the game, but she felt as though she was in an actual game, not just in line to be slaughtered by a silent and proverbial headsman.

"My son has been teaching you to play?"  Deborah asked after winning appearing humble.

Weiss frowned… teaching me to play?  "I wouldn't say that, giving me pointers and such sure but it isn't like he has been giving me lessons."  She claimed.

She looked around and the room had become very quiet… she realized that during the game the debate had ended and the group had nothing better to do than to observe the game.

"Well, I mentioned it because I felt as though I was playing against a younger version of him to be honest.  What has he been telling you to do?"  Deb asked not yet aware of the fact that the debate was over.

Weiss thought a second… "Well, the big thing is I needed to be more honest.  Both internally and externally."  She admitted shyly.

Deb nodded and responded "That fits I suppose, I suspect I know more of you than you do of me.  Thus it made sense for you to play that very defensive as you were unsure what to expect for me.  However in the future when your mind tells you to attack I hope you learn not to doubt that.  You cannot win any battle if you keep defending until you have nothing left worth defending."  She admitted wisely.

Weiss just nodded her head in the direction of the friends observing them and chuckled as Mrs. Arc actually was surprised she didn’t notice them before.  It seems everybody has their vices and a good game of chess was one of Deb's.

"Now that the silly stuff is decided we can talk about the more serious stuff I suppose?"  Mrs. Arc claimed in good humor moving to the middle of the room near the fireplace.

The group more or less retook their places around the room to listen in.

"I confess I have been anxious to hear what you are doing for a while now Mrs. Arc."  Ren admitted he had remained stationary throughout the entire event… both of them.

Deb smiled "Yes… I suppose you are.  Why don't we start with what you all think I am doing?  Let us begin in that thought sequence."  She asked to an open floor.

Various possibilities were put forth.

"You intend to divorce James?"

"You intend to banish his family?"

"You intend to hunt him down yourself?"

The ideas ranged from more serious to more silly, Nora even suggested 'break his legs?' cheerfully.  Deb could not help but smile to herself.  The imagination of youth was telling she supposed.  The only one who held her peace was Weiss who of course knew the answer having been privy to the documentation.

When it was clear that the idea's had ran their course Deb put forth a few answers.

"I intend to go through with a divorce.  However that will take a great deal of time to see through, and I will not go unopposed."  She admitted.

"Why would it take a great deal of time?  You have an arrest warrant out for your husband if he shows up to fight it that means he gets arrested right?"  Ren put forth again.

"If he were to set foot in Cadia, yes.  I should hope he would get arrested.  The problem is he would not have to do that.  He could hire a lawyer or likeminded person to pursue his interests in Cadia and not have to physically be present."  Deb answered matter of fact.

"Why not have him deported from wherever he is hiding to Cadia to face charges?  Certainly other governments would allow that to happen with the proof you have."  Ruby queried.

"James has a citizenship to multiple nations.  They do not deport citizens regardless of the amount of evidence against them.  Moreover I still do not know where he is."  Once again, Deb answered in a neutral voice.

"Mrs. Arc, why don't you try to explain and we can answer any questions we have, that would probably be simpler I think."  Nora advised sounding rather sagely… must be the heavy amount of sugar she was subjected too already that day.

Deb smiled, and obliged.

"Our marriage worked… insofar as it did actually work because we both were allowed to get what we wanted from the majority of the parties involved.  I inherited the title my brother wanted me to accept and continued to teach and serve as a hunter.  James was given a degree of my authority to act in my stead given my absence."

The group nodded following along, most of them having heard parts of this already.

"The political power of our family is vested in me, but that does not mean anything is certain when it comes to a political battle."

She took a sip of her drink to gather her thoughts.

"Mrs. Arc I never understood that.  If you hold the political power how could you lose against him all the same?"  Yang asked with her arms crossed.

"Well the answer to that is twofold.  For one he is still my husband and that will take a great deal of time to try and change.  Because of that fact he might not wield power, but rather influence.  The parties and deals he oversaw are heavily invested in keeping things as they are.  They might resist me if I engaged in a campaign of sorts.  Two I am not a politician, what I would be able to do would be dependent on what others tell me is possible.  If I have learned one thing from this entire situation it is that I cannot think anything I used to believe would hold true.  This is a fight I cannot lose, so I will not lose it.  That simple, whatever I have to do to arrange that I will do."  She answered honestly.

When no further questions on that subject were readily following Deb moved on to the next bullet point on her list.

"What I instructed James to do was ensure that Jewel and Crystal left him alone.  No random encounters in the hallway.  No accidental matches in combat class, no schoolyard encounters where he would be challenged to defend a friend.  Nothing, no contact of any kind with them.  In hindsight I should have included any of his friends or colleagues in that requirement, but alas I did not think to do that.  That was the first part.  Secondly I wanted both of them, Jewel and Crystal shipped back to Atlas academy.  I did not care how he went about it.  I know he used his influence to have my daughters team selected and again for the two of them to be selected out of that team to go to Beacon.  I did not care what he had to do make that happen, but both of those were my requirements.  He obviously did not follow through with both of those, likely some way of testing my response to it."

Deb took a breath and surveyed the room.  She did not like talking about matters concerning her… husband, but would given the company she was joined by.

"A few things before I go into what exactly I threatened him with.  First, Evangeline, our oldest daughter is already our agreed upon heir.  We agreed on this while we were married.  I cannot change that by my own authority while I am married to him, while we are married both mine and his signatures would be required.  Again, I intend to follow through with a legal divorce but that type of thing will take years to resolve.  Even if James himself does not fight the divorce, his family will.  Being married to the ruling party is a boon to them.  They do not want to give up that connection.  Moreover a divorce would be a dishonor to his entire family.  They will fight it even if their child does not.  That is the first point to consider."  Deb spoke clearly and confidently having done her homework, even as she held her arms crossed and kept her gaze on the ground.  She did not feel confident enough to speak openly on the subject.

"So to recap you cannot just remove his authority completely as he is still married to you, going through with a divorce will take time and you are unsure if you can win a prolonged legal battle with him about sums up where we are at correct?"  Ren put forth clearly following along closely.

"That about sums up where I am currently at, yes."  The Matriarch answered honestly.

She took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing…

"Something I need to reiterate here, is that I love and am concerned about all of my children.  Not just Jaune and Katherine.  Lissette, Crystal, Evangeline, Yvette, Miyas and Annabelle are my daughters too and I am concerned for them as well as my youngest."

She took another deep breath and noticed that group more or less just nodded for her to continue.

"I want to help them all.  Eve, again our oldest seemed happy in her life.  Sure I taught her myself when she was at Beacon, but following her growing up I was reasonably confident that the following children would also be well cared for.  James A… James Masters influence still includes that of his children.  He was doing something with his actions that I do not understand yet.  My children are included in that web whatever it is.  My responsibility extends to removing that web from all my children, not just Jaune and Katherine."  She definitely sounded sad here.

"Mrs. Arc… what are you trying to do?  You can't divorce him, you cannot change his decisions without a fight, you cannot change your heir without getting him divorced, that makes it seem like you cannot do anything without a fight.  What then is the point of all that paperwork."  Blake asked showing more than a little curiosity on the matter.

Deb smiled again.  "I will do all of those things Blake, however they will not happen quickly in any situation and all the while he still has influence on the life's of my family.  I will not allow that.  However what I am doing is something he cannot stop even if he wanted too.  Cannot fight even if he knows it is coming, he can do nothing to dissuade me at all in this if I wanted to go through with it.  Which I do and I Am attempting too."  Here, she sounded determined indicating the room she previously exited.

"And… just what is that Mrs. Arc?"  Ruby asked.

"To put it bluntly, I can give up my title willingly and pass it to another.  He can do nothing to stop that, nobody can.  It undoes everything he could potentially fight against as it would no longer have meaning.  If I am not the Duchess of Cadia, being my husband grants no boons to him or his family.  He can fight it, but would have no reward for doing so.  His influence surrounding me as my role as head of the household is also undone as any deal he made in my stead is also defunct given a new head of the house.  That is what I am trying to do to try to unravel this mess.  That, is what I am offering Jaune." 

The room, could not speak.  They just looked on with blank expressions as if their minds could not process the information.  They were in fact so checked out mentally that they did not notice Katherine leave the room via her semblance and head to the kitchen.  They were only partially aware by the time she exited the Kitchen carrying some drinks and snacks as she once again returned to the JNPR dorm room via her semblance.

Now that the cat was out of the bag, Weiss felt as though she could ask her own questions on the matter.  "Mrs. Arc, I do not deny that this is effective in doing what you are doing.  But there is going to be negative repercussions of this as well, you have to be aware of that."

Deb just looked at the Heiress and smiled knowingly "Yes Weiss, I am aware of the negatives.  For one it would essentially mean that all of his sisters are no longer of the primary Arc family.  At least potentially, it is dependent on how Jaune wants to handle that.  However I guarantee you one thing, however mad or angry some of my children might be because of this is it but a fraction of the damage that James could cause were I to not do it.  My unwillingness to take a greater stand against him in the past has obviously allowed this to fester to the point it began hurting my children.  That all would end unequivocally today provided Jaune accepts my proposal."

They looked on and considered what they knew of the situation.

"So why does Jaune have to accept the title?  Doesn't that mean he will have to give up his time at Beacon?"  Yang asked.

Deborah was taking another drink and did not answer right away.

"No.  Not at all.  What we have put in place is I would be acting on his authority.  Essentially the same thing James used to do for me.  I always knew that I would have to return to Cadia at least for a time and try to get some things taken care of.  For Jaune nothing would change… except he now would carry the title I do at this time."  She answered clearly and evenly.

"But does he even want that?"  Ren asked once again.

"To be honest, no I do not think he does.  I did not when I accepted the title.  I do not believe he does either."  She answered looking at him.

"Then why force this on him?  Why make him do something he does not want to do?"  Ruby exclaimed.

"Firstly, I am not forcing anything on him.  He is perfectly able to say no.  He had not given me an answer when I was in the room with him as he wanted to talk it over with his twin and partner.  Secondly I will return to Cadia regardless.  My task would be substantially easier if he was the one who now held the title than If I was still its bearer for all the reasons I've mentioned.  Thirdly… It really could not be anybody else."  She finished looking sad.

That… the friends were not expecting at all.

"Can you explain that please?"  Weiss asked.

"If the question was simply who of my children would accept the title, Jewel certainly comes to mind.  However she would not be friendly to my son.  I trust Jaune to be fair to Jewel, far more than I do the reverse.  Eve is already the named heir, and she I am fairly certain would accept the title.  She might also be friendly to Jaune and help reverse some of the things done to him.  However she also signed that disownment paper.  I have no idea why, but I suspect there is something happening to her that I do not yet know about and until I do I cannot, will not consider her for this."  She answered with clarity and truthfulness in her voice.

Nora was following along, and by her count that at least left one more person Deborah should have considered.  "Why not Katherine then?  Surely she would have been friendly towards her twin."  She asked pointedly.

"For the very same reason we were in the wilderness training.  She did not want to bring attention to her semblance.  I would bet my daughter can give you a very detailed explanation if you ask it of her.  However she is willing to accept a certain amount of risk in going to Beacon to continue her studies.  I think she would rather feel slightly in danger, than to never have tried.  However… She and I have always suspected the reason that her Uncle, my brother was killed is because of their shared semblance.  As such, she would not take it even if I offered it to her.  Jaune does not have to take it.  But, not just for his sake but all of his siblings I hope he agrees."  She responded simply.

Ren… had just about exhausted his questions for the Matriarch.  The decision was sound, he was well considered and was seemingly being executed well as well.

It seems Weiss still had one question on her mind.  "You are positive that your husband cannot fight this in any way?"  she asked.

Deb smiled slightly "He can take action because of what I do I suppose.  He can make any number of decisions which are illegal in response to this if he was willing to compromise whatever left is left of himself to take revenge.  But no, he cannot stop me from doing what I am doing in any way at all.  It cannot be done.  I could name a Cat, Dog or Goat to be the Duchess If I wanted to.  Doing so would surely lead to bloodshed and possibly a civil war if I actually went through with it.  However no, this is something my parents ensured all of their children were taught to use if they had too when things were getting out of their hands.  It is essentially a political restart.  All of the political entanglements that James built up over the years no longer amount to anything.  The downside is I give up whatever power I carry.  Eve might be insulted that I am essentially skipping over her for the Right of Inheritance however I suspect she would accept Jaune without any fuss.  His remaining siblings could be removed from the family if Jaune was more of a mind to do so should they start any problems.  Naturally he would get the title and everything that goes with it if he accepts.  I cannot say it is a perfect solution, but for practicality and what it does both for him, and in removing his father's clutches from the remainder of his siblings it is the best sure way I have to do it."

Ren had to ignore the screaming of his body and get the image of Katherine sauntering back into their dorm room with those snacks to focus a bit here.  This sounded like a venerable boatload of things to throw at Jaune at once.  He knew it was coming… Ren had to admit that.  Even so he could not imagine how getting hit with all this at once would be easy to handle.  Jaune did what his heart told him to do, he did what he felt was right.  Would he feel it was right to accept the title from his mother to free her from A fight she might not be able to win?  Would he want to get back into the political mess of his family for the sake of his sisters who aren't even technically his sisters anymore?  Were he not disowned Ren suspected the answer would be an instant yes.  Given that he was removed as a member of the family and had half a year to get used to the idea he was not so sure of the response from his friend.  Ren didn't even know what direction he would want Jaune to go.

"What do you think Jaune will do Mrs. Arc?"  Nora asked.  When she looked at Ren she could guess that they were thinking the same, or very similar thoughts.  Jaune did not want this, never wanted it and never even really thought he would even be offered this.  He was the 7th or 8th eldest child Mrs. Arc had, he had no reason to suspect he would have this offered to him literally until his mother showed up a few days ago with it on the offering table.

Deborah looked completely in thought for a great deal of time before answer as honestly as she could.  "Honestly Nora, the Pancake Queen does not know what her son will do."  She couldn’t help but smile a touch at her turn of phrase.

Ren definitely scowled at the reminder of his dethronement in the pancake royalty ballet.

"In all seriousness…  Jaune never wanted this.  I know he never wanted this.  We just had a conversation where both of us more or less completely predicted what the other was going to say but we still went through the conversation line by line because we had to do it, we are similar people.  We both want to do the right thing.  I would not begrudge him saying no, I certainly did not want to say yes when this was offered to me.  But… A part of me just feels as though he will say yes.  I know my son, I might not have spent as much time with him as I wanted, but I know how he thinks and what moves him as a person.  He still cares and loves his former sisters.   He like myself, wants them to reach their potential and serve as a protector of society.  He might say no, he was always was humble, but he also was very selfless and he cared for people.  I believe he will do it."  She clearly answered with honesty, not amusement that time.

"Is this a duty to you Mrs. Arc?" Ren asked.

Deb considered that "It is a duty in that I still feel like my family and home are being poisoned… or misused by my husband thus I must do something against it.  I am not offering this to Jaune because it makes my fight easier.  Yes, him accepting will ensure what I am trying to do is easier, however this will absolutely help him.  It gives him the authority and ability to do was he wishes, to ensure he has opportunities going forwards.  He gets to remain at Beacon and pursue his dream of being a hunter with his twin.  When I am gone… he will need to either see to state business himself or find another to act in his stead.  I believe this is the best solution for all parties involved."  She sounded determined, if only partially sad that this is something necessary to be considered.

"What about Pyrrha?"  Ruby asked.

Deb looked at her.  "What do you mean what about Pyrrha?"

Ruby thought for a moment for how best to word her question, then proceeded "Well, if Jaune because a Duchess or… Duke.  That would make it harder for he and Pyrrha to be together wouldn't it?"  She asked curiously.

Deb looked somewhat impressed at her question, but none the less answered "Both yes and no.  It is possible that, again if he accepts the title, he might be pressured by another noble family to allow a daughter to marry into the Arc household.  However he would also have every ability to say no.  I was wed via an arranged marriage because I was single and available, so was James at the time.  Again we were deemed a fit match, so my parents agreed, with my consent.  I could have said no.  Moreover Jaune is clearly dating somebody and Ms. Nikos' merits are not exactly in question.  I do not predict any real problems to befall him or her if he accepts my offer."

That more or less settled questions for the moment and Mrs. Arc went back into the kitchen for another cup of coffee.  While she was inside she heard the door open and close.  She would not deny to being A bit anxious for Jaune's answer.  Though technically he did not need to give it today.  As she exited the kitchen she saw that it was Katherine who emerged from the room and she seemed to have both of their dogs in tow.

As Deb rejoined them in the common room Kate spoke "He said he wanted to talk about it with just Pyrrha.  Personally I think this is just his way of not giving me a backrub too but well, that’s what he said."  She sat down on a sofa and after patting the cushion next to her both of the dogs leapt up to join her.

It was only after that was done that she looked around and saw the looks on the group… especially the still very tired and sore looks from Ren and Nora.  "Relax I am just kidding.  We already had our time to speak and he just wanted to talk to her alone… I think… and I better be right."  She only sounded somewhat confident of the situation as she answered.  She cocked her head to the side like her twin senses were tingling… and did not like what they were telling her.  At least that’s what the slowly forming scowl on her face said to the others.

Yang looked on as the two dogs joined one of their owners and made room for Deb on the same sofa sitting with a head on the lap on each of the women sharing the space.  She might have walked over to try and save face… were it not something she wanted to do 1 on 1 with them… or… 1 on 2 with them as it might end up being.  She had to admit her first thought was bribery in the form of a big dog bone.  That idea grew into more fish or possibly other meats.  But decided no, if these dogs were capable of remembering things, odds are they also were capable of recognizing a bribe when one was presented.  A heartfelt apology to a dog was a challenge for the mind to accept, but she had convinced herself to see it through.

***BACK IN THE JNPR DORM ROOM***

Bliss… her life was a state of pure relaxed bliss.

His hands on her shoulders and back were heavenly and she allowed more than one involuntary moan and groan leave her system do the effect Jaune's magic hands had on her body.

"You know Jaune…"  She had trouble keeping her focus do the wonderful job he tended to do in his massages. "Katherine is going to figure out you were serious not joking some day."  Pyrrha claimed, not really annoyed or upset just… aware that his twin is remarkably cunning and will figure it out at some point.

"Yes I know… just… it helps me clear my mind and think to be honest."  He replied with an unseen smile.  It was not necessarily a lie.   He genuinely enjoyed giving people backrubs, none more so than Pyrrha.  Never mind that he got to move his hands over her body as he went about his business but she both enjoyed and appreciated it.  That often makes any task enjoyable.  When somebody you love benefited from your work it made performing it feel more natural.  She of course was right about Katherine, his twin would discover his duplicity if she didn’t suspect it already.

As he continued to work he did of course proceed to think about… everything.  He was the youngest of 8 children… yes even his twin was slightly older than him.  Technically he was the youngest of 9 children, the second Vampire his mother carried killed the oldest of his birth mates with Katherine of course being the elder child to survive.  He never once considered the possibility that he could inherit the title.  He never wanted it for one.  However… something he was fond of hearing from his youth is that it is often the man who does not seek power, that is often best entrusted with it.  It was a saying he was fond of that miraculously did not originate from his mother.  No, it was the forger of Crocea Mors who was famous for that particular quote and one he sought out and memorized as he chose to claim the weapon.

Pyrrha speaking to him again pulled him out of his line of thought.

"Jaune, if you are done with my back-"

The statement of course bought his attention to the fact that he indeed was done with her back and moved down to her thighs.

"-You can… if you want, do this part of me."  She said with an arm indicating her butt… too shy to speak the word despite the fact that she had let him touch that part of her body before.  She knew he particularly liked that part of her and moreover… his touch on that part of her.. really any part of her body genuinely felt good.  She wanted to prolong the massage for as long as possible.

Jaune blushed, but responded "Ok, sure."  Not really upset on getting to spend time on her gorgeous posterior.  She wasn't wearing the leggings his sister gave him today, but that hardly changed anything.

With his hands back set to work Pyrrha continued to let out moans and or groans with a fairly high degree of frequency.  She enjoyed, she genuinely enjoyed his massages.  She did not expect this one from him, but she was happy to accept it just the same.

It was probably around 30 minutes later that Jaune had finished… he knew exactly how strong Pyrrha's legs were and every time he gave her a massage her lower body was like working the tension out of marble.  None the less his girlfriend just brought herself up to a sitting position… actually able to stay awake through this one though her eyes were heavily glazed over.

It was when they were getting comfortable to continue their talk that a knock was heard on the door followed by it opening to reveal Kate had returned to the room.  She brought another cup of coffee for each of the rooms inhabitants.  She sat them down on a table with a  smile and on the way out asked her friend:

"So how was the massage Pyrrha?"  Her voice was friendly and happy.

Pyrrha was still in a state of blissful ignorance as she answered back "Oh it was amazing…"  She even went as far as to kiss Jaune to illustrate her point.

It was after the kiss ended that she realized her mistake as the look in Kate's face was positively evil "Knew it!-"  She poked her head down the hallway and shouted "HE WAS GIVING HER A MASSAGE!"  Various responses was heard from the room outside ranging from surprised to humor to outrage at missing a backrub of their own.

She just leveled a finger at her brother and said "You owe me one for trying to trick me mister!"  At that she left the room having accomplished her goal.

"We seem to be in trouble."  He said somewhat concerned with the event… Kate was always one prone to getting even with the chips ending up in her favor slightly.

"Mhmmm"  Pyrrha responded as she just put her head on his shoulder seemingly ready to take a nap.  He started to instinctively rub her back up and down gently.

Aggghhh, the backrub is putting her to sleep just slower.  None the less… Pyrrha was absolutely terrified for him thinking on a wide range of what his mother could have in store for him.  Accepting the title she carried was not one of them.  Maybe being made her heir, that she might have been able to understand.  Naturally when Mom had explained how she cannot just make him her heir, not without a great deal of legal trouble.  Pyrrha knew that was not meant to pass.

Pyrrha knew the risks and the potential problems he was likely to face if he were to accept it.  She in fact probably knew them as well as well as he himself did.  In her tournament fighting days, which to be fair were not entirely behind her, she had more than one marriage proposal from a noble family or otherwise.  Naturally she of course politely rejected them all including promises of engagement.  None of that changed his mind or made him wonder at just what in the world he did right in his life.  Looking down and slightly to the right her beauty continually amazed him.  Pyrrha was tall for a girl, deceptively so.  Despite having every appearance of a fitness model she packed an absurd amount of power into her body.  It was not the fierce warrior and unmatched dualist he was seeing at this moment.  Instead with her somewhat coiled up resting against his shoulder… she did not look like the warrior her reputation made her to be.  Right now… with her in a semi sleep like state she looked more vulnerable than anything else.

Thinking back he felt like an idiot.  He never thought to pull her aside and talk to her believing if she was upset she would come to him.  In the end she did, but only when she was at the end of her rope.  It was his twin and mother who took the brunt of her interrogations in his place.  It came down to another thing he would have to apologize for at some point.

"So have you decided what you are going to do?"  She asked wearing a slight smile but keeping her eyes closed. 

It seems she either woke up or was just pretending to be asleep…

"Your goddess did not say you can stop rubbing her back."  She stated playfully.

He smiled but went back to stroking her back.

"I think I have too."  He admitted.

"Have too, not want to?"  She inquired appearing more 'awake' despite keeping her eyes closed.

"I have too in that it is the right thing to do.  I did not want this to be necessary Pyrrha.  I wanted my eldest sister to take the title when it was her time and for us to be a happy family.  That is just not meant to be.  My mother is right, that is what it comes down too.  She did not say it but in Cadia she would be fighting for her family.  The fight is both easier and more manageable if she was following her plan given that she is the one who is going to be fighting it."  He claimed honestly.

"Fighting for her family?  I mean I get that she has business to take care of but what do you mean that?"  She was clearly confused having finally opened her eyes.

He smiled and almost looked like the woman in question as he answered "Pyrrha, she has wanted to be equally fair to the entire world all of her life.  In the end she felt as though she failed some of her children.  She will be in Cadia trying to smooth things over so she can do something she had wanted to do her entire life.  Spend more time with them.  She is not an expert on politics and I am even less so.  But she will probably do her best impersonation of an angry Goliath and run everything over that is counter to the wellbeing of her home or family."  He sounded confident at the declaration, if also traced by pieces of humor all the same.

"You do not think she will return to the wilderness?"  She asked curiously.

"She might be tempted, but no I do not believe so."  He answered easily.

"Why not?  She spent a good deal of time out there before why not now?"  She had taken to hugging his torso while enjoying his arm on her back.

"I am not saying she won't end up doing that, I just do not think she will.  She had promised my twin an education in being a hunter.  With her enrolling at Beacon as a student, and of course with you willingly  taking over her combat instruction I suspect she will try to go back to what she always wanted to do… teach."  He could not look confident… but he tried to sound confident.

"You think she will return to Beacon as a teacher?"  She was clearly surprised.

"Pyrrha.  My mother would deny it.  But she is slowing down, I am not an idiot I know how she appears.  Everybody thinks she is in her 30's.  Well when I was growing up people thought she was my sister of about 20 years old.  She is in amazing shape all things considered.  That does not take away from the fact that she has nearly 70 years old and has put a great number of miles on her body over her career.  She always spoke of teaching until she couldn't anymore.  A job teaching would in theory be more beneficial to her goals and easier on her body.  She needs to return to Cadia after break.  She might delay her return trip a few days.  But she will have to go back she does not deny that.  Sure it might be possible following that for her to put in a request to return here as an instructor.  This place is as much her home as it is mine Pyrrha."  He sounded more confident at that declaration.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes a tad, his home life was something she did intend to ask about at some point.  It just seemed however that it did not matter her intentions, something always distracted her from asking her about it.

"Pyrrha I wanted to apologize."  He stated quietly.

Kind of like that…

"What for?"  She was definitely confused, it was plainly written in her face.

"You were upset, very much so about my family life and past and instead of giving you information you had to seek out confrontations with my twin and mother.  It had to have been awkward for you and them as you tried to build a relationship with them.  I'm sorry."  He looked at her and appeared completely genuine.

Pyrrha just smiled.

"I might have been a bit overbearing with them as well.  I do not feel like you need to apologize.  However, as your goddess I will accept your backrub as an apology with a promise of better behavior in the future."  Her smile looked both adorable and silly regardless of how warm and well meant it was.

"I feel like I am being let off easy, but very well."  He acted like he wanted to say more… but hesitated and looked away.

In truth, he was debating talking about another subject he felt he needed to talk about with her.  That of course his previous 'relationship'.  However, he tried to do what felt right to him, and of course Kate not yesterday told him he would know the time.  The time did not seem like now.

"You never did answer my question, you intend to accept your mothers proposal?" Pyrrha asked returning to the heart of the matter.

That pulled him back to his more duty bound mindset as he had long decided.  He knew in his heart before the day even started what he would do.  He needed to go through the motions and all the exhausting conversational points to come to the conclusion.

"Not quiet, but I think we can go out with the others now."  He said calmly… though if Pyrrha didn't know better he was also smirking slightly.

Before they opened the door they engaged in a relief filled kiss for several seconds.  The matter would soon be closed and that meant a great deal of stress and worry would soon be out of her system.  For Jaune it meant a new chapter of challenges he might soon face, but was confident that like anything else as long as he had his family and friends to support him, he would be fine.

***BACK IN THE COMMONS***

The group more or less stopped talking when they heard the door open and close.  That did not make them stop thinking.  Kate if anything at the sight of her brother doubled her efforts to plan and plot how she could get a suitable revenge for him tricking her.  None the less she was happy that the matter would soon draw to a close, regardless of the direction he decided to take.

As Jaune approached he caught sight of his twin standing with her arms crossed near the fireplace as the dogs very much sat with their owner and seemed to ignore every attempt Yang had to get their attention.  If he didn't know better they were deliberately overplaying the upset card at this point… eh he might be wrong.  Ruby pulled him out of his thoughts once he and Pyrrha settled into a seat.

"I still cannot believe you would give Pyrrha a backrub and trick your sister into leaving the room."  Ruby complained sounding a touch sarcastic.

"To be fair Ruby, I was serious when I said I was going to give Pyrrha  backrub, she just thought I was joking."  He smiled back and winked at his twin.

Kate narrowed her eyes a touch but smiled back.  The stakes might have grown as they got older but the game more or less remained the same between them.  Sibling affection being what it is after all.

"Have you decided on what you are going to do?"  Deborah asked.

Jaune looked at his partner and smiled at her, she smiled back with a nod.

He looked back at his mom "Mom, I am sorry I cannot accept the proposal as it stands."  He stated evenly.

Deborah looked slightly down, but seemed to accept his decision.  He genuinely surprised her when he continued.

"If you made one alteration to it, I would find it acceptable."  Here he smiled.

Deb looked back at him with a quizzical expression and worded "Yes?"

"Pyrrha dropped our families sponsorship following the actions of my father.  If I accept your title as Duke, I would feel as if I was breaking some code of conduct if I offered a sponsorship to my own partner.  If before you relinquish your title, you reinstate that deal, I would at that point be willing to accept what you ask of me."  He sounded both nervous yet oddly optimistic.

Deborah actually laughed at that "It does seems fitting that we correct that wrong.  Very well I think I can manage that if that is ok with you Pyrrha?"  She asked looking at the Spartan.

Pyrrha was just surprised, she already knew that Jaune would say yes, she didn’t expect him to rebuild the sponsorship first however.

"I think I can agree to that."  A smiling redhead declared.

"Why did you decide yes?"  Weiss asked curiously.

Jaune smiled faintly and responded "Because it is the right thing to do.  I would not take it if it was just about giving me more authority, especially authority I never wanted.  When all is said and done with the stack of papers that we need to get signed… mom is still mom, Kate is still Kate, and I'm still me.  The differences I have a title in front of my name.  What mom has to do when she gets back to Cadia becomes more manageable and in some cases winnable.  It is the right thing to do.  Not just for me, but for everybody who has been affected by the actions of my dad… His influence needed to be cut off and this is the surest way to do it." 

Kate observed him answer and had slowly started to move over towards him.  She had not given up her plans for payback… revenge… sibling affection towards him.  Right now, she was just happy for both of her family members involved in the decision.

"Welcome back to the family Jaune."  She stated as she hugged him.  He returned the hug without a moment's hesitation.

Pyrrha looked over the twins hugging and especially with the claim of being back in the family, and had to admit she was far more touched by that simple saying than she thought she otherwise should be.  She moved up to Kate and put a hand on her shoulder meant in friendship.  When she was pulled into the hug it was met with a surprised "YAIIIEEPPPP", none the less she welcome the hug and pulled tight on the other two people sharing it.

"When are you going to head back to deal with… whatever you have to deal with Mrs. Arc?"  Yang asked calmly smiling at the group hug between the twins and redhead.

Deb turned towards her as she answered "After the break, I need to work on Jaune's semblance more but I think at the rate we have been making progress those 2 weeks is all I would need to get him at least headed in the right direction if not where he needs to be.  Once school starts up again I would need to go back, at least for a few months to get things straightened out."  She appeared absolutely relieved.

Pyrrha smiled at the twins in their hug switching her gaze between them.  All that is left is to prepare Jaune for his match against Jewel and ensure he has every chance he possibly can to win it.  He needs to win.  She had no idea how his sisters would react once they heard the news but she doubted it would be good.  None the less, overall her fears were unfounded and she was happy.  She decided that the hug had gone on long enough and she would let the twins continue in their embrace alone.

Kate observed Pyrrha observing them and was picking up a few things about reading the redheaded girl.  For one, she is happy.  For another, she fully intends to help Jaune win his match against Jewel.  Likely those are the only 2 events that are on her mind right now.  While she shared those two facts completely, Kate definitely had another.  Jaune got the drop on her last time, but she thought it was time to start planning out another sneak attack.  It always helps to get a lead on your twin in these type of friendly engagements.  Though she was also somewhat curious for what plan Yang and Blake had when it came to making up with a couple golden pooches.

That night the 3 of them had yet another grueling workout session.  Followed by a very much restful slumber, something all of them had been sorely needing in a very long time.

____________________________

**Another update… another 11k+ word marker… at this point I might finish with the story by sometime in the next decade.**

**I remind everybody once again that grammer(get it?) errors remain, I comb through the story for them and am enraged when I find those I missed.  However they do happen.  I apologize for them as equally much as I am upset by them myself.**

**I feel that I get feedback when I mention this so as such I will do it again.  I truly welcome desire all feedback people can give me.  I am after all only one mind.  More minds thinking and tossing me idea's means I have more to work with when it comes to writing the story.  I want to hear anything folks can tell me regardless of it is good bad or ugly.  I read it all and I need it all to progress as a writer.**

**I have gotten a few suggestions regarding the bonus scene content and I recently posted the first non-canon chapter.  If you have an idea you want to see or if you have a timeframe from the story that you believe could be expanded in for a bonus scene please let me know, and I will see what I can do.**

**Once again I want to thank AO3 user ShardOfFlame for making a picture for the story.  If more people want to make pictures ( which would be awesome! ) for the story or bonus chapters as I move forward I would be doing a happy dance… I would however be kind enough to not show the world.**

**A credit for the idea of the brown sugar cinnamon pancakes goes to FF.net User cpdf98.  Thank you for the suggestion good sir!**

**I think that just about sums up everything that I am looking at for this time.  Thank you once again for your support, let me know what you think ( please ) and I will see you next time!**

**-Sean**


	18. Year 2 Winter: Last Day of Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winter Term is finally over yet a handful of situations still remain in the air. The group has several things to get in order before the next day of for the resumption of classes. Everybody knows what that would bring... they can only hope they are ready.

2.23

The rest of the break passed quickly for the group and before they knew it the final day of the break arrived.  Quickly, but not necessarily easily.  Nervous energy was in the air, all of them were more than looking forwards to the resumption of classes.  Many had added to their arsenal, none more than the Knight and they were anxious to test out what they had learned.  Jaune was more than a touch concerned as he had yet to encounter his other sisters, not former sisters anymore, but sisters upon them learning of the title changing hands.  They HAD to be aware of that fact by now, even so an encounter just had not happened yet.  The calm he is currently enjoying would not last forever… not even beyond tomorrow, but it has not occurred yet.

For some a constant sense of soreness remained.  At least for those of the group who had committed themselves to working as much as their physical frames were capable of achieving.  With the help of Jaune's healing ability they put more and more energy into their training.  Now that Jaune found himself in possession of something he never thought to have, he had to admit he wanted to do even more than he was previously.  To the point that yes, he utilized his semblances healing aspects for not just himself but his friends.  He knew that once school resumed they would not be able to do the marathon sessions in the morning and evening and they wouldn't need to given the nature of their classes.  None the less they were determined to add in a third time to their schedules in the afternoon between classes to keep up with the amount of work on a daily basis.  The blond, redhead, and raven haired girl were all determined in that goal.  Slowly they were convincing the rest of the group to reevaluate their own habits.  Ren and Nora had already joined in and seemed determined to keep the habit.

For Jaune the paperwork he had to sign his way through took the better part of two afternoons.  It was fairly easy to understand, at least for the Knight.  Jaune had plenty of time to wrap his mind around the legalities of what he was letting himself be a part of.  It was not as easy explaining those legalities to the rest of his friends.

Nora in particular really struggled to grasp it.  He knew that the girl was smart, she was one of his tutors for his academics after all.  Jaune had a good enough grasp of what happened when you break it down into bullet points.  He was disowned, so he no longer was part of the family.  His mother gave him the title and that would have been it had she not wanted from the start to get Weiss involved.  It was through a bunch of legal wizardry per the SDC company, when he accepted the title he accepted his mother and his sisters into the Arc family with himself at the head with them all retaining their essential relationships.  His mom was still his mom, his sisters still his sisters essentially sparing all of them the dishonor of their own disownment.

That did not mean that no consequences could exist.  Eve, at least on the surface would be dishonored due to these actions as she was the heir and the title was given to a younger sibling.  It was unknown if she would care as no contact had been established with her just yet.  He of course would have the authority to remove any of the individuals he wished from his family.  Thankfully this highly complex situation was made simple by legalities and brought into effect with a signature.  Easy to get, hard to understand, harder still to explain.

Which brings Jaune back to his initial point.  Nora was really struggling with this.  Following their morning routine they were trying to help her with wrapping her head around the situation.  Ren tried, Pyrrha tried and Jaune continued to try.

"Ok Nora, let me put it to you like this."  Jaune stated holding up a finger.

Off to the side on the other end of the commons Blake and Yang seemed to be playing a game of rock paper scissors for who had to try to apologize to the dogs first…  He just shook his head.

Nora just looked at him and frowned.

"Think of it like pancakes…"  Suddenly she was smiling and gave him her full attention.

"Think of the title… like butter, and the family members as the pancakes.  I was removed from the stack."  He moved a pancake off the pancake filled plate to another one which was empty.

"Now, that leaves all these pancakes and one still has the butter.  Well what we did is transfer the butter over to me."  He took a knife and moved the butter over to the lone pancake.

"And the other pancakes were adopted over to the other plate."  He moved the other pancakes over and sat them under the one now utilizing the butter.

"The title was passed on and the order was changed up, but it is still a stack of pancakes."  He smiled hoping she got it.

Nora just looked between the two plates a few times then her smile became a frown again.  "But what would syrup be?  You cannot have pancakes without syrup!   And you cannot call them problems or people cause they get soaked into the pancake.  Technically so did a bit of the butter so does that mean the title changed a bit too this doesn't make any sense RENNY HELP ME UNDERSTAND!?!?"

The three of them facepalmed… but tried to think of another way to explain it.

Nora moved her glance between the 3 of them, put some syrup on the stack of pancakes, and with a fork grabbed the entire stack.  In one massive and impressive bite the entire horde of pancakes was suddenly gone.

She chewed a bit, then swallowed and made a popping sound with her lips.

"Delicious!  Ok time for more pancakes and another attempt!"  Nora claimed with another smile.

Jaune was starting to wonder if Nora was really just so much more intelligent than everybody else that she was feigning confusion so well they kept giving her pancakes until her stomach could eat no more…  It warranted some thought.

Pyrrha had tried explaining this but she didn’t feel that 3 people were needed, as such she decided to proceed to a shower… and possibly towards a goal where she could surprise Jaune for a change.  She nearly wanted to smile at the thought.

"I'm going to take my shower now… you two can keep trying."  Pyrrha claimed with a smirk.  She stood gracefully and proceeded to move towards the JNPR dorm room.

Nora made to speak, but fresh pancakes distracted her and she dug in… ignoring the looks from the two males who had already ate their fill.

***JNPR DORM ROOM***

'Revenge is a dish best served cold' a famous quote from one of the many stories she had read claimed.  That might have been true for that particular individual given it was based off the impossibility of space travel in a fantasy universe.  For THIS individual, revenge is something best served with fluffy softness.

Katherine had planned this out to perfection…at least in her mind… she hoped.  Workout a great deal with the group in the morning, check.  Bring up the conversation about the title again, check.  Nora successfully bribed with a chance for a great deal of pancakes in helping her setup her ambush, check.  All that remains is to ensure her plan worked well.  Jaune would get frustrated and given that he worked on his semblance when everybody else was relaxing, he would want to take a shower first.  Pyrrha would let him go and try to explain to Nora who should/would keep Pyrrha on hand long enough for Kate to extract her revenge… sibling affection.

She stood so that an open door would block her targets view long enough to complete her sneak attack and satisfy that itch which had annoyed her so much over the break.  With a pillow held two handed, she readied her strike.

The door creaked open slowly and she tensed.  The door was ever so slowly moved towards a closed position casually.

A footstep in the room and finally the sound of the door swinging fully back, a swing -WHAM!-

"HA!!! GOTCHA!"  A beaming Katherine declared.

She noticed a slight problem.  Her brother was tall enough she should at least see blond hair on the upper edge of the pillow.  She slowly edged it down revealing red hair.

She gulped and continued to lower the pillow, please do not tell me that Nora got distracted!!

The pillow soon revealed the victim of her ambush.  Pyrrha's face was scrunched up with her eyes closed as her body just did…  Not… Move.

Finally a single green eye opened up with a … not quite playful glean to them.

Another eye opened up and her face slowly unscrunched into a smile that got bigger… and bigger… and bigger… and finally took on a sinister aspect as she cocked her head slightly to the side.

"Hello Kate… I was wondering where you were given you were absent from our verbal exercise with Nora.  It seems I know now what you were doing…"  Yes… definitely a sinister smile.

"Uh… yeah… funny you should say that…"  Katherine started to say fidgeting nervously… this was not the way the plan was suppose to go!

Pyrrha kept her gaze on the attractive girl in the room, even as she pushed the door fully closed… and engaged the lock.

"Oh…. Crap."  Kate stated as Pyrrha took a menacing step forwards.

***JOINT COMMONS ROOM***

Jaune had long given up trying to make Nora understand and just left that to Ren.  He seemed to speak the same language as his orange haired teammate… or at least a language that they both understood.  He was tempted to go and take a shower but given the time he had spend trying to educate her in what all that paperwork did, decided to just relax.  In another few hours they would have another workout and he might as well wait at this point.

He could have sworn he heard the sounds of a war from the JNPR dorm room, but figured maybe Pyrrha just lost something or maybe she sneezed and lost control of her semblance briefly.  It was a rare thing but it was something she was occasionally guilty of when she was tired.  He didn’t feel the need to investigate it.  Instead, two of his friends, Blake and Yang, were trying to speak to two of his other friends, Ty and Tec… and it was at least something worth chuckling about.  The two dogs were enjoying a sofa… cause apparently they found them comfortable while the two women were actually on the floor at the base of the sofa trying to speak to them.

"Come on Pooch I am trying to talk to you."  Yang stated earnestly.

Both of the dogs huffed and more or less did not move.

"I figured this would be easier…"  Blake complained.

"Come on boys we are trying to be nice to you."  Yang entreated.

One of the dogs, Tyrion, leaned his head nearer to Yang.  Yang looked at the dog for a moment and took that as a sign that some dog style bribery would be required.

"Ok, scratch behind your ears I gotcha."  The Brawler claimed with a chuckle.

It was after a handful of seconds of her doing her work… when Teclis decided the same ploy.  Before long both of the dogs were enjoying a scratch looking pleased.

"Do you think they get it yet?"  Ren whispered into Jaune's ear as the two of them observed the scenario play out.

"Nope, I do not believe they do."  He whispered back with a smile.

The dogs eventually moved to their back to expose their bellies.  And the two girls understood and obliged.

The sounds from the JNPR dorm was getting even louder at this point.

"I wonder what is going on?  Is Pyrrha asleep and having a nightmare or something?"  Ren asked looking somewhat concerned.

The two dogs were starting to wag their tails at this point despite the outwards appearance of being annoyed.

"Yang I don't think this is going to work." Blake complained.

She might have spoken more, but Katherine exiting the room via her semblance carrying a pillow in one of her hands reverse grip distracted the group.  She ran right to her twin gasping for breath looking ragged.

"Jaune… Enraged… Demon…. Vicious… Help!"  She stated breathless.

He blinked twice.  This was odd even for his twin, but knew her well enough that something was happening beyond just the words "Kate…. what?"  He asked perplexed.

His question was answered as Pyrrha exited the room carrying two pillows.  One on her left arm with her forearm under the case carrying it like a shield.  With another in her right arm like a sword.

"AH! DEMON!!!"  Kate exclaimed pointing at the offender before she took off on the upper walkway around the ledges overlooking the private rooms the group shared.

Pyrrha just continued after her walking very slowly and yet self assured towards her prey… wearing a very evil grin.

"Pyrrha…."  Jaune started to say.

"Nothing to worry about Jaune… just some sisterly bonding between your twin and myself."  Her voice sounded oddly bright and cheerful.

Jaune decided he did not need to know more and went back to observing his dogs play his friends.

"Is this really necessary?"  Blake asked starting to wonder at the wisdom of their play to not employ food as bribery.

"Trust me I think we almost have them convinced, I mean look at them."  Both of the dogs were unable to hold back the occasional kick as they enjoyed the belly rub from the two girls.

He could hold back no longer "Ty, Tec, I think that is enough."  Jaune said holding back a chuckle.

Both of the dogs gave an slight whine though they continued to lay as they did enjoying the attention.

Blake and Yang just looked at each other for a moment, then continued their circular motion to look back at Jaune.

"What do you mean Jaune?"  They asked at the same time.

The dogs spun over to lay on their stomachs resting their chins on the sofa as they observed the scene.  They appeared to almost be smiling.

Jaune chuckled and kept looking over to the side as if he was worried what Pyrrha and Kate were involved in but answered back.

"These dogs are smart right I've said that before.  What do you think they were doing?" 

The two partners looked at each other for a moment, then continued their spin back to the pooches in question.

Blake spun back around to look at Jaune "They already forgave us?"  She sounded not really upset just… annoyed almost.

He chuckled again, but nodded.  "They did days ago."

Days ago?  Blake thought to herself.

"Days ago huh?"  Yang voiced.

The dogs both let a fast breath out almost like they themselves were chuckling at this point.

"Yang, Blake.  They are dogs, they tend to know kind hearted people.  They got to know you just like you were trying to get to know them.  They figured out that your intentions were good and did not mean them any harm.  You could have read that in their body language if you tried."  He claimed smiling.

Both girls looked back at the dogs now, they almost wore a grinning expression.

"You were just playing pretend to get us to pet you?"  Yang said flabbergasted.

Huh… they wanted us to understand how they felt when we were using them as tools against each other…

"So that was what you were doing… They… grr… smart dogs."  Yang stated only slightly annoyed at the moment.

Blake's mind was just completely frozen at this point unable to accept that a dog had played her… quite literally like a drum.

"So that is how that feels…."  She voiced.

The dogs at this point jumped down from the sofa to be on an even level with the girls who were sitting cross legged on the ground.

Ty moved up to Yang and stood close to her.

Yang held out an open hand expecting a high five or a handshake and said "No hard feelings ok?"

Ty moved a step or two closer and used his nose to brush the hand aside then put his forepaws on Yang's legs.

"Uh…"  Yang stated confused.

Ty then brought the roof of his head into the creek of Yang's neck.

Is he… hugging me?

Yang could not help but think those thoughts as she brought her arms around the dog to kind of complete the hug.

After a second the dog stepped away and issued a soft but still obviously 'happy bark!'.

"See Blake dogs are great!"  A grinning Brawler claimed.

Another happy bark!

Teclis had been doing the same thing to the cat girl at the time.  Blake seemed hesitant to embrace the golden, but convinced herself to do it if only cause it was the nice thing to do.

"It seems like they have forgiven us.  It is a nice thing I guess."  Blake claimed.

She was about to smile warmly at the friendly dog when it gave her a long and slobbery lick across her face.

Blake froze quite literally in place with her face frozen in a wide range of emotions as the people around her chuckled quite freely at her, even the dogs seemed pleased with themselves.

Jaune was glad for seeing that but could not help but feel concerned for what was happening between Kate and Pyrrha…

***UPPER LEVEL AROUND TRAINING ROOMS***

It was like fighting somebody you could not escape.  Kate felt it might be easier to stop a river from flowing.

Again and again Kate tried to sneak a strike in under or around the Spartans Guard.  It just was not meant to be.  Pyrrha was every bit as quick to react as Kate herself… moreover she seemed to have the foresight to grab two pillows… not just one.

"It seems you are determined to hit me with a pillow Pyrrha."  She claimed as she slowly retreated.

"Funny how that happens."  The smiling redhead agreed.

Kate decided at that point to do the one thing Pyrrha likely did not expect her to do, throw the pillow at her.

Kate did not even watch to see what happened, all she knew was that she threw it and ran.  A pillow being flung back hitting the wall in front of her stopped her movement temporarily.  She was about to run away when a weight collided with her sending her to the ground. 

When she took account of what happened she found that Pyrrha had tackled her to the ground and held her sword… err… pillow at Kate's throat.

"Ok… You got me.  Take your best shot."  Kate said and closed her eyes.  She knew full well she could escape with via her semblance but this was all fun and games in the end.  Pyrrha caught her, and she could enjoy the victory.

"Ok Katherine Arc.  You can accept your 3-"

"3!"  Kate objected.

"-yes 3 pillow strikes.  1 for hitting me, 1 for running away, and another for utilizing an ambush meant for my partner.  You can take those 3, or you can do me a favor.  What do you choose?"

It really was not much of a debate.  Take 3 pillow strikes, or do a favor for a friend and proverbial sister?

"Ok, what do you have in mind."  She asked tentatively.

Pyrrha smiled warmly, and helped her stand.

It was not at all, what Katherine was expecting to hear.

***BACK IN THE COMMONS ROOM***

Jaune could not help but smile at sight of the dogs and his friends together on the ground.  It was a heartwarming thing to see… even if the dogs were being somewhat mischievous about the entire apology situation.  They were intelligent and they were going to use that intellect one way or another.

He was grateful for the term to be starting up again the next day… though of course he knew that meant that it was time to face Jewel.  He could not claim to be looking forwards for that encounter.  He accepted it was necessary, maybe even necessary to happen more than once.  However he none the less had prepared for it nearly every hour over break that he could, he was as well prepared as he could possibly be.

The sight of his girlfriend carrying two pillows wearing an impish smile, followed by his twin with a sheepish smile on her face captured his attention… however much she was also glaring at Nora.  Nora seemed to be ignoring the glare… odd.

"Sisterly bonding already over?  That seems quick."  He worded to an open floor.

"Some girls do not spend endless hours in gossip, besides, we were just changing the local to a more… beneficial location."  Pyrrha answered back as if singing a happy tune.

He tried to read Kate's expression, she just shrugged and followed along as they walked back to the JNPR dorm room.

When Nora gave Ren a hard elbow Jaune realized that Ren was quite literally staring at his sister walking away.  Ugh some things never stop feeling weird when it comes to your sisters and the attention of others.  But… he couldn’t begrudge his friend for being a guy.

"So uh… Jaune, do you know where Kate is going to end up?  We know she is going to enroll at Beacon but she has no idea where she will room or what team she will join."  Nora asked curiously.

Ren gave his attention to the question.

"I, do not know I confess.  I know mom was going to talk to Ozpin about her joining and like with me, he would have to make an exceptions to Beacon's enrollment requirements."  He answered back evenly.  Jaune of course had to confess at wondering that very question very frequently.  He had already told the Headmaster that he would be willing to let his sister room with JNPR but it was not just his decision.  RWBY also would need to accept it and more over… they were second years.  He believed seeing firsthand what Kate could do that she would fit in with the second year students, but technically she would be a first year student at the school…

"I do not know Nora.  A great deal of things would have to happen for Kate to join in, not all of which she can control."  He admitted continuing his thoughts.

"Well it isn't like Ozpin isn't against breaking his own rules.  He did with you, and he did with Ruby.  He always considered them more actual guidelines than anything else."  Ren said factually.

"'Being a Hunter is more than just sticking to a script, you need to think on your feet.  We as teachers need to do the same.'  Ms. Goodwitch quoted Ozpin multiple times in our classes, I do not think it is as outlandish as you two seem to think.  She likes it here, we like her here and she fits in.  I think Ozpin will see a fit match."  Nora stated happily.

Both of the males just looked at each other and nodded oddly.

"Nora why do you only seem sagely after you have had pancakes?"  Jaune asked bemused.

Ren laughed.

Nora just smiled and said "Cause… Nora?!"

I guess… that is the best answer I am going to get on the subject.

They continued to talk amongst themselves for another period of time enjoying the last day of break.  About half an hour later Kate emerged from the JNPR dorm room citing that she got a message from mom and was asked to meet her in the headmasters office.

"Good luck."  Jaune called after her.

"I bet Renny wants your sister to join in with us Jaune, I could quote some reasons but I think he might withhold pancakes so I won't give specifics… just know I could give a GREAT deal of specifics…."  She spoke with a devilish grin oblivious to the embarrassed look on the face of her friend and the blank look from Jaune.

Damned if you do… Damned if you don’t I guess, a thought that became a running theme with the Knights mindset.  He had half a mind to go to Ozpin's office with his twin, but decided against it.  Kate would have asked if she wanted him to go and he didn't mean to pry.

***HEADMASTERS OFFICE***

It was so much more tolerable up here now that he had a full set of windows again, Ozpin could not help but think.  Spending time on his duties to the school is always more manageable when he isn't freezing while performing it.

When his old friend Deborah asked him to take Jaune Arc in… he did not expect to end up saying yes at the end of the conversation.  He did, he was glad he did, and he believes now he made the correct decision.  After all he knew he played loose with the rules when he felt it served the greater good.  It was a fact that drove some of his staff crazy.  Winter Schnee and Glynda Goodwitch for example both were against his more free attitude.  They might not have been present to the meeting either time or even been invited for their input, that did not mean he did not know what they would have said.  None the less, he felt justified in how the young man had grown and how that growth inspired growth in others.

Now Deb once again asked him to break the same rule for the same mans twin.  Katherine Arc would be easier to accept than Jaune, the girl had a starter education and was clearly capable with her given skills and talents.  He really had no choice in the matter, he could have said no for the sake of saying no.  However he, just like with Jaune, somehow knew that it was the right decision to take the young man in.  He could do nothing but the same decision now. 

Deborah previously made a very strong and well argued case for her son, she could have made an equally well thought out case for her youngest daughter.  Ozpin for his part had already made up his mind.  He decided from the moment that Jaune said ok 2 weeks ago that he would allow her into the school.  The Arcs were known for inspiring others to do more and be more.  Jaune certainly met that expectation and even though his twin lacked his semblance, she did the same in her own way.  Given the bonds of friendship she developed in a short time with both RWBY and JNPR, that is where he wanted the girl in question.  All that remained now is for the other half of the proverbial gang to accept the girl into the fold.

Ozpin sat on his desk sipping his ever present coffee mug with Katherine standing off to the side dressed in a manner nobody had ever seen her before.  He had more than his fair share of experience in observing the young as they are nervous, scared or a handful of other emotions.  Katherine had a wonderful handle on hers, the girl was tough.  Even so, so much decided on the simple word of another that she could not help but rub her arms nervously in anticipation of finding out her fate at the school.

"You wish to attend my school?"  He asked her to start the conversation.

She turned and moved closer to him to speak without shouting before answering.

"I want to be a hunter… attending your school is a necessity."  She had answered back calmly.

He smiled to himself and remember something he had long ago decided.  The Arc's were known for possessing a great deal of spirit… That seemed true with the latest twins of the line as well.

"I am aware of your circumstances Ms. Arc.  I wish to make sure you are aware of what I expect from my students."  He stated evenly.

She just nodded at him to continue.

"I have every student that attends here told I expect their best, either via myself or another on initiation.  Many never understand what I mean by that.  I told your brother I expect 100% effort from him.  I meant that in every sense of the word.  That means you work to grow beyond your limits, and you continually work to push those limits further and further as you grow.  It is something that happens every day, constant effort and continual drive is what I require."  He eyed her like a hawk as he spoke while he took a break to sip his drink.

She nodded again.

"Ms. Arc.  I am aware of your semblance and your fears around it.  If you are to be a student here, you must understand something.  I will expect you to use it, to grow as much as you can with it as if it was a weapon you carry."  He claimed flatly.

"I…. understand."  She stated back politely.

"Do you?  Do you really understand what I am saying?"  He challenged though he kept his voice friendly.

"I believe I do, yes."  She answered meeting his gaze.

"Well, convince me."  He stated.

She thought a moment "You required everything from my brother, all he could give.  You will require everything I can give as well.  We both have always given everything we have.  Effort will not be a problem with me just like it was never a problem with him."  She stated confidently.

"Go on."  He seemed to expect something from her.

She seemed to get what he wanted "My semblance use means I might be in danger.  I… accept that danger now.  I am trying to be a Hunter to protect people.  As a Hunter my life might be at risk on a regular basis.  If I do not fight as hard as I can and that includes the use of my semblance, I will not reach my potential.  As such I might put myself and others at risk.  That is where you were going with that?"  She stated still appearing confident.

He nodded "Quite so.  I will never demand an individual do something they are uncomfortable with, but I cannot allow a student to attend my school if they are also handicapping themselves from a part of their ability to fight and be what you would be trained to be at my school.  When you fight in your combat class, or in any of your classes I expect you to use your semblance as freely as any other student at Beacon.  I expect you to try and keep growing with it until you eventually master it.  Do you understand?"  His gaze was hard, but still friendly as he sought her answer.

"Headmaster, I have always wanted to be a Hunter, even after I learned I was different from my family.  At first I was scared of it, maybe even discouraged by having it.  But… I guess meeting others like my twin and his friends… who I hope to call my own friends one day soon… I realized that there is more than one way to use a tool.  I have always believed and tried to convince myself of that fact.  Now that I have spent time with them I know that to be true.  I do not have to use my semblance to kill like those who originally held it did.  I can use it to defend myself and for other examples beyond.  I'm determined to be a hunter like my twin Sir, we have always wanted a chance to do this and I will make the most of that just as he has.  I can promise you that much easily."  She appeared more than determined at this juncture.

Ozpin smiled again "Ms. Arc, I have spoken to many students in my time.  Your mother and I began our teaching careers around the same time.  We both are very good at what we do.  Very few students have answered my questions as well as you just did.  When Jaune arrived at my school he did, but he is the only one who comes to mind.  I will welcome you as a student… it is now just a matter of finding you a home."  He claimed warmly.

"Please stand back for our next visitor, you can go back to enjoying the view if you like."  He indicated the pillar she was previously hiding behind.

She smiled happy with the praise and comparison to Jaune.  She obliged curious to whom the next visitor would be.

***OUTSIDE WAITING FOR ELEVATOR TO HEADMASTERS OFFICE… ***

Stupid Elevator… stupid cold… why did Ozpin need to talk to me now? 

It is freezing outside….  Her freezing body was a bit better having set foot inside the Beacon Tower, but even so… she hated being cold.

Ruby thought those and more to herself and continued to shiver waiting for the elevator to arrive.  She had just settled down for some private time with her girlfriend when she was called to the headmasters office.  Neither of them were happy at that, but it happens.  None the less, she was a team leader… and she tried to be a good one.  So she followed instructions given to her as best she could.

The door to the elevator opened up revealing Deborah in her travel gear appearing set to leave Beacon.

"Mrs. Arc!  I didn’t think I would see you here."  Ruby advised.

She smiled "Yes, the time has come for me to leave.  I was going to drop by your dorms to say goodbye to Jaune.  But I will be flying back to Cadia today."

Ruby stepped forwards and hugged the older woman.  She would be lying if she didn’t start to think of Deborah as the mother she never really knew.  Seeing her leave was a sad day for the Reaper.

"How long are you going to be gone?"  Ruby asked curiously.

"In truth, I do not know.  I do not intend to spend a great deal of time in Cadia.  Enough to get the political situation stabilized so I could go back to spending lost time with my kids.  But I do not know how long that will be.  At least a few months."  The Matriarch admitted.

"Well… Ok I guess you have too.  I got called up to the Headmasters office apparently so he can watch me shiver."  Ruby complained.

Deb laughed "Well don't you worry about that.  I assure you that is not the reason, but you'd best head up top.  Take care of yourself Ruby."  She smiled knowingly and moved towards her destination following her hug.

Ruby did not argue, she figured the sooner this endeavor was over, the better.

Ruby arrived  in the Headmasters office with her shivering under control… however she also was not looking forward to the return trip to her dorm.

"Ah Ms. Rose, welcome, please come forward and take a seat."  Ozpin called to her from his desk.

"You seem busy Headmaster."  She stated pleasantly as she walked forward to take a seat.

Ozpin chuckled "Yes well, the life of a Headmaster is always a busy one.  I just finished a rather lengthy conversation and the time has come for you to enter it."  He stated sounding equally pleasant.

Ruby smiled "Well… such is our lot as Hunter's I suppose, how can I help you Headmaster?"  She asked.

He chuckled again "Ms. Rose I do not need your assistance just your thoughts for the moment.  Katherine Arc.  Tell me what you think about her."  He started to drink his coffee again expecting Ruby to be a bit wordy.

Ruby appeared thoughtful, then answered "Well at first it was hard not to judge her physically.  She is … well.. very blessed in that manner and at first that was all I thought about her.  However I quickly had to change my mind, she is so much more than just what her looks grant her.  She works extremely  hard, she cares for people, she is talented and she is a good person like her twin, they are very similar which is a great thing."

Katherine of course was in the back of the room and kept her peace, but she couldn’t help but smile.

Ozpin just raised an eyebrow expecting more "That is all?"  He asked.

Ruby shrugged "I could be more detailed I suppose if you are asking me too.  But yes, that is the short version.  I feel that everything I could say would be overshadowed or already included in those things.  It is true she had a great deal more positive qualities I could go into… I suppose Weiss would be able to give you an essay on her if you needed it.  But no… I feel like I summed her up well."

Ozpin smiled… Ruby was always a kind fair hearted person.  He halfway expected more but supposed that no… Ruby summed Katherine Arc up nicely.

"So you think of her as a friend?"  He asked.

Ruby smiled "Yes, she fit in with our group very well.  Honestly I was concerned she would end up with a team who wouldn’t treat her well and I was tempted to ask you to let her room with my team.  I know that wouldn’t work we already have a full 4 people."

Ozpin smiled again.  "That Ruby believe it or not.  Is exactly what I wanted to speak to you about."

Ruby tilted her head to the side "Huh?"

"Ms. Rose.  It is true that both your and JNPR's team is technically filled up.  You both have a full team of 4 group members.  However a reality of running a school, is that other students will transfer in.  Some will transfer out.  We need to be able to accommodate those situations when the time arises as needed."  He spoke clearly and made a hand motion.

Ruby looked to the side and saw who the Headmaster was motioning for.  Katherine stepped forwards, dressed in the manner of a Beacon student wearing nearly identical clothing to Pyrrha going for the full clothing attire with leggings included.

"Hey Rubes."  She said happily.

Ruby waved back, then turned back to Ozpin.

"So she is going to join Beacon Headmaster?"  She asked happily.

"That is what I wanted to talk to you about.  Jaune has already given his acquiescence to let Katherine join in with JNPR.  I am hoping you would allow her the same from RWBY."  He claimed wearing a slight smile.

"So… what would that mean?  She joins both teams?"  Ruby asked confused.

He shook his head "No Ms. Rose.  She would join neither team.  She would not have a partner.  Instead she would rather be a team member or partner to everybody.  She would room with both of your teams to be blunt.  Both teams can utilize her talents as needed, both would help each other grow and help each other reach their potential.  The 9 of you were already doing that over Winter Break and I see no reason to try and break up something that works.  This would be a permanent posting of a sort.  She would not have a partner, yet she would have 8 partners.  I expect you all to continue to help each other grow as you have been doing already."  He looked pleased with the situation as he explained it.

"But… where would she sleep?  I mean we only have 4 beds in each of our dorms?"  She asked confused.

Kate chuckled.

Ozpin laughed "Well… I feel I could say that I'm sure you all would figure something out but no.  We at Beacon teach hunters differently than other schools.  We are all about bonds and using how you feel about others to propel you higher and further than you could ever achieve alone.  As such an additional bed is going to be brought in to both rooms.  Sometimes in the past you all have had to solve problems that arose and adjust your sleeping arrangements on the fly.  Katherine could end up in either room, and as you all grow and overcome challenges you all might need to be more interchanged.  That is what I am hoping you would agree to.  I believe it would benefit both her as a new student and both of your teams were I to allow the situation to play out this way."

Ozpin concluded his speech and took a sip of coffee to allow the two girls a chance to speak.

Ruby just stood and walked up the taller girl.

"Ok Katherine Arc, some ground rules."  She claimed sternly though… was also slightly smiling.

Kate nodded wearing her own smile.

"Rule 1:  NO Raisin cookies ever of any kind at all ever on pain of … something bad!"  She barked out.

Kate laughed and nodded.

"Rule 2: … No more dying your hair blond… Unless you want to do it, no more feeling obligated."

That actually surprised Katherine, but she smiled and nodded.

Ruby just tapped her foot as she seemed to think of more rules…  She was tempted to make no walking around naked a rule but Yang breaks that every week.  No playing pranks on the team, but Blake and Yang break that rule every week.  No teasing Weiss' her shortness or… petite aspects but Ruby herself did that occasionally… No That was all the rules should could put in place.

"Ok Headmaster, Katherine would/will be welcome with open arms."  Ruby turned and stated happily.

"Excellent.  Ms. Arc we will have school clothing delivered to your new dorm by this evening in addition to more pieces of furniture to store your clothing, gear and belongings.  I hope you both have a successful term starting tomorrow."  He stood and shook the hands of both of the women in the room, before they both headed off to the elevator to deliver the good news.

***JNPR RWBY JOINT DORMS***

"Hey Jaune, come to the door!"  Ren called.

Jaune sighed… but stood and moved over.  Not a few moments ago they heard a knock which Ren volunteered to answer.

As he rounded the corner he caught sight of the visitor, his mother.

"Mom!  How are you…. doing..."  He of course realized, that she had come to say goodbye.

The two hugged briefly.

"I was going to take a flight back to Cadia tonight."  She stated evenly.

There was so much Jaune wanted to talk about still… They had more than one opportunity to sit down and speak over the 2 weeks they had off.  Even so, she helped him tremendously with his semblance.  According to her, he is ready to use it and just needs to figure out a couple things for himself.  They had a chance to make up some lost time, but they had always had more they could say to each other.

"You are going to fly back not run back?"  Was all that came to mind.  He appeared to accept she had to go, but was sad about it just the same.

She nodded "Yes… I want this matter resolved as soon as possible.  Flying is needed in some situations and I deem one of them to be now."  She stated calmly.

"I had hoped to spend more time together."  He stated simply.

She looked equally sad "Chin up and do your best, that includes tomorrow.  Keep listening to your heart and you will be fine.  You have people who love and care about you behind you after all."  She stated back.

"Here, I have something for you."  She claimed reaching behind her to her back.

She pulled out a long but thin box and gave it to Jaune.

He gave her an odd look but accepted the box and pulled off the top.

Inside as a true masterwork piece of craftsmanship.  A pair of intricately designed and perfectly balanced works of art, none the less…

"You are giving me a weapon?"  He asked perplexed.

She laughed "No, I am not giving my son a weapon.  I am giving him a pair of knives.  There is a difference.  Every hunter should carry a knife.  I gave one to Katherine, and I am now giving one to you.  You store one in your Bracer like hers, and the other is placed on a belt, just like hers."

Huh… he never knew that Kate's bracer had a knife module equipped.

She showed him how to attach the bladed knife into one of the spare modules in his Bracer.  It could be used two ways, to pop out for normal use, or to extend from the armored shell as part of the bracer itself.  The second knife was identical to his twins and found itself attached to his belt fitting perfectly.

"Thank you."  He said simply, pleased with the surprise gift.

"You, are welcome."  At that the two embraced in a hug which neither of them wanted to break.

"I suppose I should just go now.  If I do not leave now it will only get more difficult to do so.  You have my scroll Id, call me if you need to talk or if something comes up, ok?"  She seemed a touch emotional.  It had been a journey for her.  Losing her son, regaining him and trying to piece their family back together again.  They had a good deal of work ahead of them, but it was a start.

"Ok, be careful.  You are going to leave the boys here then?"  He asked trying not to get too emotional.

She nodded "Yeah, they are happy to see you and love the attention.  I might send for them later once things cool down at home but I have other animals I need to see to at home so, yes I figured I could leave them here."

"Well, alright then.  Be safe."  He smiled sadly at her.

Finally they broke apart, and she moved towards the bullhead port to leave.

Minutes later Ruby and Kate rejoined the group with good and surprising news.  Kate is joining Beacon and even is becoming a more permanent member of the team.  They celebrated with more smoothies and fish… before another night of hard work, their last before the school term started up again.

***ON THE WAY TO THE BULLHEAD***

Deb was sad, she knew this had to happen.  She had to leave them, but she was sorry to have to go.  It seemed like a flash, her children grew up, she was starting to grow old, and her family was a mess.  So much time and effort she gave to teaching students at Beacon, and all the while her home was nothing but a mirage, it was not a good situation at all, but mess seemed an apt description.  A mess that she was determined to fix.  It is true that she detested using modern means of travel unless necessary.  She is so well put together because she didn't use them in most cases.  However after so long of traveling with Katherine she would have felt very lonely in the wilderness alone.  Moreover what she said to her son she meant.  She wanted to get back and get this behind her so she would get back to being a mother, however late in life she had that realization.  Thankfully they should have time.  A few months of politicking and Cadia gets calmed down and she could head back to her true home… that of Beacon itself.

Deb noticed something in the two weeks that she spent with her youngest two children and their friends.  They were loyal to each other, they were happy, and they were trusting.  She did not think that her other children were so different.  Yet why did it seem like Kate and Jaune were singled out by some of their siblings? 

On her way to the bullhead she noticed that Jewel and Crystal stood off to the side, they seemed to be heading back after exercising.  She made a step towards them, but when she noticed the looks on their faces she decided against moving further towards them.  Instead she just waved to them, and was pleased with Crystal gave a wave back, Jewel might have even raised a hand up to acknowledge that Deb was saying goodbye and was trying to leave on good terms.

It was something she would look into when she got home.  In the past she might have said it is just kids being kids, siblings being siblings.  However… something happened to Crystal and Jewel at home she was starting to be sure of that.  Of course she preferred to use their given names of Patricia and Lissette as she tended to refer to them.  They for some reason preferred their middle names like their father did growing up… That might be the connection…. Their father might have… no leave now, think later.

In any case she had a flight to catch and did not have the time to stop and chat.  She did send both of them a text wishing them a pleasant term before she got on the bullhead.  None the less she had a great deal of work to do, and like everything else in her life she was determined to get it as right as she possibly could.

***THAT NIGHT JNPR DORM ROOM***

Jaune was used to going to sleep feeling like he cannot move.  It was a package deal with how hard he worked.  It was easier having that particular habit with people who he cared for to share the time.  He knew without Pyrrha he would not be at Beacon.  Well the same could really be said of his twin.  Kate joined Beacon as they all expected.  What they did not expect was for her to be allowed to room with the group.  It made logical sense, nobody argued that.  But despite how hard the twins works and how much they have improved, their educations were still incomplete.  Kate would likely have had to seek a private tutor at home if Pyrrha was not willing to continue her training in combat. 

Sure Pyrrha might not be the most natural match in terms of weaponry and fighting style.  But she had a natural grace which could rival that of Katherine and was almost as flexible as a person.  She could fight in Katherine's style if she felt she needed too.  That fact is part of what made Pyrrha, Pyrrha.  She was highly adaptable despite having a style all to herself.  She could teach and help finish off the education Katherine received in the exact same manner she was performing for Jaune.  Both had a foundation, which in the case of Jaune she herself ensured and Kate shared a similar one given by her mother.  Pyrrha would work in the evenings to help both of them, and she was happy for it.

Basically the 3 of them did not even need to talk about it, it just felt natural.  It might be the natural feel for it that explains why he was so sore now.  After his shower he literally wanted to just flop down on his bed feeling both nervous and anxious for the next day's combat classes.  Everybody knew what that meant, and they all were hoping it would go well for the blond knight.  Kate decided to stay with RWBY that night for something akin to girl talk to allow JNPR the room to themselves. 

Pyrrha in fact, even had a surprise for her boyfriend that evening.  She wrangled a favor out of Katherine and already had some idea for what she wanted.  Unfortunately her being called to the Headmasters office cut short the lesson she wanted from her friend.  None the less she was determined to follow through with what her heart told her to do.

Jaune just exited the shower allowing Pyrrha the first use to see… an unexpected sight.  Ren and Nora were absent.

"What… is this?  Where is everybody?"  He asked tiredly.

"I asked Kate to help me convince the others to sleep with RWBY tonight.  I was going to give you a backrub, to help you relax and prepare for tomorrow."  She stated smiling.

He blinked... "Uh, ok, I didn't realize you knew how."  Not really objecting to this turn of events it just was not the side of the table he normally found himself on.

None the less he laid himself down on his stomach and let Pyrrha do her thing.

She started on his shoulders in the same manner he normally did for her.  Her inexperience was obvious.  Pyrrha was known for her leg strength but she could grip fairly well when she wanted too.  It was a bit awkward for Jaune, she was clearly doing her best.  Despite his best intentions he couldn't help yelping out in pain every now and again.

"Sorry, I guess I am no good at this."  She stated sadly despite not giving up her task.

He shook his head "Pyrrha you are doing fine.  Did Kate give you any pointers?"  He asked.

She finished with his shoulders and began on his back. "Yes, but it was cut short because of her meeting with Ozpin.  I didn't learn much from her."  She stated with regret.

"Pyrrha, you will pick it up quick.  Besides you aren't doing bad you just need to learn where your hands focus pressure and control it better."  He stated with an unseen smile.

"It makes me appreciate how good you are at this.  You always make it seem so easy."  She said in praise.

He just tried to relax and let her go about her work.  She learned quickly, like she does in all things.  He made more than one groan in agony as she displayed her novice skills in this manner but even so, she tried.  She tried because she cared and that is what matters.

"I will try not to hurt you I'm sorry."  She took his silence to indicate the wrong thing.

"Pyrrha I mean it relax, you are doing fine.  It feels good."  He stated confidently turning his head to the side.

She smiled a bit sadly, but none the less continued her work.

"I'm sorry I will get better.  I promise."  She stated sadly as she announced she was done.

He spun to his back and smiled at her.  He appeared exactly as he felt… very tired, they worked nearly to curfew… stopping only a touch earlier than the cutoff because… as he learned Pyrrha had a plan.  None the less Pyrrha seemed a touch depressed as she didn’t do as well as she wanted too.  So the job fell ironically enough to him to try and cheer her up.

"Pyrrha, I mean this.  You did fine.  Not just for a first attempt but you did fine period.  Regardless of what Kate taught you, you obviously know the most important rule when it comes to massages."  He stated with a honest smile.

She cocked her head and smiled back as she walked back up to him to sit on his bed.  "What lesson is that?"  She asked curiously.

"When you massage people, what is the most important thing to keep in mind?  What do you use for your massage?"  He asked as he shut his eyes.

She almost scoffed as if he was making a joke "Your hands silly."  She claimed.

He shook his head but did not open his eyes.  "Try again."

She tried to think… "You are being sarcastic."

He opened his eyes briefly to look at her.  Even in the dim light she appeared utterly gorgeous.  No makeup or anything to help her appearance, she just never needed it.  At least not to him.

He rose one of his arms and poked her right in her chest over her heart.

Pyrrha yelped… thinking he might do something she wasn't expecting and not necessarily ready for.

Instead her just poked her once again "That Pyrrha.  Your heart.  That is what you use as you give people massages.  As long as it comes from there, they will be fine in the end.  Like I said, you did fine."  At that he smiled again, then closed his eyes trying to get some much needed rest.

Pyrrha smiled warmly, and felt that mischievous part of her mind start to fire up despite of the time. 

Jaune heard her start to head off to the wall to switch the lights off… or so he thought.

The lights did switch off, and he heard more soft footsteps in the room.  Pyrrha could not move silently like Kate could.  She could come close when she wanted, but not silent.  He did not know where she was moving until he felt a warm weight against his body and a pair of soft lips against his.

His eyes flew open when he realized that Pyrrha literally laid herself on top of him hugging him as she kissed him affectionately.

"Pyrrha!"  He didn’t sound like he objected to this he was more just surprised.

She kept that loving kiss going but when she had to breath she worded "It is coming from the heart, I thought you would appreciate that."  With that plus a smile and a deep breath, she reengaged the kiss with all the passion she could bring to bear.

When Pyrrha got like this he normally found himself overwhelmed.  He might have had the physical power to resist her advances if he had any mind to… which he did not.  He just moved an arm around her middle back to pull her closer to him.  His other arm found itself dropping down slowly eventually coming to rest on her butt again.

She couldn’t help but smile into their kiss "You do love my … butt don't you?"  She asked playfully.

He just squeezed her in response, not being as talented as she when it comes to kissing and speaking at the same time.

She finally had the courage to do something beyond just keep her arms around his neck when they kissed.

"You… know what I like about you?"  She asked coyly as she pulled away.

He pulled her down slightly closer so he could kiss and suck on her neck.  She gasped out in surprise and nearly forgot what she was trying to do.  Being kissed on her neck was one of her favorite things he could do to her and it normally took away her ability to focus.

None the less one of her arms dropped down towards his waist and weaved under his shirt.

"I love your stomach, and your chest.  That is my favorite part of you."  She admitted quietly running her hands over his torso.  The sculpted and sexy abs he had worked to obtain, the upper chest which she found breathtaking.  She enjoyed the dividends of her time with him in moments like these.

"Pyrrha… I love everything about you, you know that.  Your stomach and chest is incredibly sexy too."  He whispered into her ear as his off arm took a moment to feel her abdomen and briefly cup her breast before going back to her middle back to steady her.

Finally the two of them had said all they needed to with words and just went back to speaking from the heart.  They kissed well into the night.  Pyrrha explored a good deal of his muscular body which she of course helped craft.  He enjoyed the sexy curves of her athletic and toned body the likes of which he had never seen anybody rival.

It was well into the night when they felt the passion of the moment had expired and realized both of them were gasping for breath as they just looked at each other.  After a moment Pyrrha dropped her head back down to his chest and found her favorite spot on him.

"I love you Pyrrha.  You mean everything to me.  I said it last year, I would be nothing without you."  He said softly into her.

She did not need to think long before she worded her reply.

"You can say the same for me too.  Do not forget that Jaune, ever."  She replied smiling into his shirt.

Finally, the day was over.  The next day would surely bring challenges… and more than one encounter that Jaune was not looking forwards to, but he accepted it as necessary.  Tomorrow he and his sister would face each other.  It had been arranged with Ms. Goodwitch, and as much as he wanted to win, he just hopped he didn’t embarrass himself if he lost.  If not for his sake, but for that of the title he now carried and his friends and partner who has done so much for him and helped him through so much.  He needed to win for them, if not for himself.  That was the last thought he had before sleep took him that night.

Pyrrha had gotten really good at reading Jaune in her time with him.  She cannot claim to be as good at picking into the heart of a person like he sometimes could.  She wanted to give him this massage for multiple reasons.  One, he gave her so many it felt right.  Two… tomorrow he would face a real challenge, a challenge dear to his heart.  He needed to win.  Losing might not be as crushing to him as losing was in the prior year, but he was deeply emotionally invested in winning.  It was more than just a battle between two people.  It was a battle of ideals, when you lose one of those contests it could take a heavy toll on you.  She would be there to cheer for him regardless, but she also really wanted him to win the day tomorrow. 

She almost never prayed in her life.  But that night she prayed for her boyfriend, who made her heart do things she never understood and still could not explain.  Like how the sight of him made her heart flutter, how his smile made her breath hitch in her chest.  She wanted him to be happy, and he needed a good resolution to an encounter with his sisters. 

For him, please, let tomorrow go well.

___________________________________________________________________

**Well here we are again… you know it is ironic.  When I start writing a chapter I keep thinking there is no way I will hit 10k words with this chapter… I just do not have the content… and in the end I end up cutting several bits out that aren't needed and still end up over the threshold…  Funny how that works.**

**A quick word about feedback.  I wrote this paragraph maybe… 12 times before I decided less is more.  Here is the thing.  Yes I want feedback in all forms.  That includes criticism to praise and everything in between.  However I also try to respond to feedback, I cannot do that easily in some cases.  I felt like I could leave a response to some guest reviews here… but ultimately decided against it.  These chapters might not move the story forwards a great deal but it is important to remember that we are talking a matter of days passing for most of them with 2 weeks finally happening with this chapter.  The story will happen, but these characters and events I Am trying to write as if they were real, at least as real as I can manage.  Real people would have difficult conversations regardless of if they wanted too when they needed too.  I have to write the story in a manner that makes the most sense in my head… I could try to force it but I feel the end result would be inferior to what I normally did otherwise.  That is what I will say on that.  Feel free to IM me if you would like to discuss something further.  I will talk about RWBY, my story, Star wars… the number of topics goes on and on if you want to chat : ).**

**I do still want any reviews/comments etc people want to give.  Naturally hit like/favorite/kudos w/e if you feel you like it.  If you do not, let me know what I can do differently or better.  I am an amateur writer, feedback is needed to improve.**

**Let's see… Uh if anybody is interested in drawing a picture for the story please hit me up.  If you want bonus chapters either canon or non-canon to this story let me know and I will see what I can manage.**

**I think I have rambled enough here, if you want to chat say hello or w/e I would be happy to hear from you, until then thank you for reading and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	19. Year 2 Winter: Intersecting Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of the winter term has arrived carrying with it a long awaited encounter. These two have been on this path for a long time and it is time they meet in the arena. The friends hold their breath as a battle near to the hearts of their group is fought with a great deal more on the line, than just a victory.

2.24  

To an individual, the group hated waking up that morning.  Not just person or one guy or gal.  No, the entire group did.  The morning crew hated waking up early to work out, the later risers hated waking up for breakfast having gotten used to sleeping in.  Basically nobody liked getting up for classes… Naturally the promise of the cold outside their dorm did not help matters.  The cold didn’t bother Katherine or Jaune as they were used to far worse… but they were the exceptions.

None the less they found themselves anxious and arrived at the main arena wing early.  The group naturally was wearing their combat gear given that they had a high probability of being called to fight.  None the less, despite the knowledge that Katherine was going to be attending with them, nobody really anticipated her choice of combat attire would be.  Jaune of course knew… but he did not strictly count.

Kate's 'combat attire' was rather elaborate, yet it came down to layers.  Under it all she wore a formfitting unitard normally Black or Royal Blue.  Very similar to the leggings she commonly wore except it ran the length of her body ankles to neck to her wrists.  Outside that she was an intricate robe with a great deal more fabric than was necessary to do the job cinched tight at the waist with a cloth.  The robe had the appearance of a vest which ran down the full length of her legs.  Overall it was a very pretty black, blue and silver combination that seemed to suit her very well, showing off her various assets without being overly forward about it.  Behind her back she wore her weapon holster and on her left arm was her Bracer Toxo.  Toxo now that the group could see it on her in how she would fight did not appear so bulky, it definitely was smaller than her brothers now that they could see her in how she would use it.

"That looks great on you."  Ruby beamed clapping her hands.

"I… confess I do not know why your robe has so much excess material.  Or why you even wear a unitard."  Weiss admitted… come to think of it she probably has enough of those to not need her leggings… oh well Kate will be Kate.

Kate just smirked "It would take time to explain, you will understand when you see me fight.  About the unitard at first I didn’t, but if something happened to the robe… well you can guess the results."  The girl smiled appearing very confident and not at all nervous unlike her twin across from her.

More than one person present was very obviously thinking about the scenario Katherine described… most wore a smile on their faces.

Ignoring his twins playfulness Jaune was putting up a good front, but he was nervous maybe to the point of being scared.

"Jaune chin up you will do fine."  Kate stated.

Pyrrha picked up on his mindset too "Kate is right just believe in yourself."  She of course remembered some of the wisdom from his mother at this juncture, she needed to believe in him.  She was trying, really trying to be more positive than she felt.

He nodded slowly "Yes, I know.  Just… I do not know how to say what I'm thinking."  He confessed quietly.

Ren sensed his friends unease and picked another topic "It seems that there was another broadcast from the White Fang last night.  They caught another team of Atlas Hunters, It was not at pretty sight."  He stated morosely.

"Yeah… I hope the governments of the world take notice soon before it escalates.  I just do not understand those White Fang people in their broadcasts."  Pyrrha voiced the groups thoughts.

More than one of them could have said that, nobody understood the motives of that group of people anymore.  Even somebody like Blake who at some point in her life was a part of that organization.  They changed and she left, but… well it obviously was not fair treatment for Faunus which was their goal, at least not anymore.

"HEY ARC!!  Who is the hotty!?"  A voice boomed through the hallway.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the room until they came to rest behind the group's circular form.

"Hey Cardin… "  Jaune started to say.

"I must say Arc you are so lucky to room with all these chicks.  Gona introduce me to the supermodel?"  He asked forwardly.

Jaune opened his mouth to speak… but it snapped shut when he saw Cardin's hand make a swiping motion right towards his sisters posterior.  A rather obvious sound echoed through the room.

Kate's face was a mix of emotions and her face lit up in protest… he it seems, decided to give her a squeeze.

"Cardin-"  Jaune started again in warning.

"C'mon Pyrrha, let's get the big guy into the arena, he needs to recover from last night suffering from no sleep and all."  Kate purred quite deliberately.

Jaune nearly died on the spot.

Cardin's jaw openly fell ajar as Kate swayed up to Jaune took his arm and gave Pyrrha a look, a look which the redhead apparently was able to read.  They both escorted Jaune into the arena resting their head on his shoulder.

A flash filled the hallway as it seems Nora deemed his face picture worthy.

The group laughed at the big armored form of Cardin as his face turned beat red.  How the hell did Arc score both Nikos and that gorgeous girl!?!?!

The group chuckled as they decided to move into the room to take their seats figuring out that Kate did that to get under the big man's skin.

The last to enter was Ren who just slowly meandered into the room, wondering if he will ever get used to Kate's personality... 

He was stopped by Cardin as he tugged the Gunslinger back to the hallway.

"Look Ren, we might not get along but you are a guy.  Tell me how does Arc do it?  What is his secret?"  He seemed perplexed at these turn of events genuinely.

Ren crossed his arms and had to admit he was not sure what he was willing to divulge to his onetime enemy.  "Winchester.  That girl, is Katherine Arc.  She is his Twin."  He read the look from Cardin and continued.  "Before you get any idea's into your head she did that for the exact reason that my partner just took your picture.  She is a mystery to me for the most part, but I suggest you keep your distance.  She is one to always even the scales in her favor."  At that, the stoic hunter turned and joined his friends in the room.

He found a seat near his childhood friend more or less in a row at the end with the full team of friends.

"Kate you realize he will think we are dating right?"  Ren heard Jaune mention from the opposite side.

She just laughed lightly "Yes, and it probably annoyed the hell out of him too."  She answered back freely.

"Kate, the school will find out that we are twins.  I do not want the entire student body believing that I am dating Pyrrha and my own twin."  He claimed evenly.

She just sighed "Pffft, please.  I do not care about the opinion of people I do not even know and I would not get embarrassed by it."  She stated honestly.

Jaune just sighed.  Of course she wouldn't get embarrassed by this, she doesn’t get embarrassed by anything.

"Besides once people learn the truth they will change their minds."  Kate stated happily.

Pyrrha could not help but chuckle at the pair but decided she should try to steer the talk away from that.  "Jaune you never did tell me what you named your weapons."  She mentioned simply.

"That's because the dolt doesn’t have a clue what he will name them I bet."  Weiss claimed confidently.

Kate and Jaune just shared a glance.

"Gah I hate it when they do that!"  Yang complained.

Kate was used to reading the looks and unspoken thoughts from her twin… something about that look...

"No Weiss… I do not believe that to be true."  She claimed confidently.

Several of the group just looked at her surprised.  "Kate seriously I know that you are good at reading him but how can you possibly know that?"  Yang asked.

Kate thought for a moment noting the chuckle from Jaune, and answered "Yang, suppose you needed to introduce to your father the man who you just accepted as your finance.  What do you think he would do?"  She asked.

Yang laughed "Freak out I suppose."

"And you knew that how?"  Kate pressed.

Yang blinked "Cause he is my dad, that is just how he would react."  She was able to voice.

"Well… I guess I am similar.  I do not have a reason for knowing, I just do."  Katherine finished with a smile.

Yang scowled… that told her nothing.

"You never gave us a name then Jaune."  Weiss claimed still confident in her claim.

Jaune was obviously nervous while deep in thought and did not hear Weiss at first.  Pyrrha had to shake him to get his attention.

"What?  Oh the weapon names?"  He asked.

"YES!"  Many voiced at once exclaimed.

He smiled and held up his right arm.  "This, is Egrigorsi."  He said simply.

The group just looked at him confused… Pyrrha smiled.

"Wait, who… or … just what is Egrigorsi."  Yang asked curious.

Kate recognized the language, but not the word.  Jaune just looked at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha's smile deepened "Egrigorsi is Mistralian for Vigilance."  She hugged her boyfriend evidently pleased at the name.

"Ok so what about your sword?"  Blake asked… overcome by curiosity.

Weiss just frowned at once again being wrong about the Knight in question.

At that, Jaune smiled "For that one you will need to wait.  I believe Jewel should be the first to know its name."  He claimed trying to appear confident.

"But… you DO have a name selected, right Jaune?"  Ren asked quietly from the other end of the line.

He just nodded his head.  Unfortunately his friendly outset turned very dark… as he saw Jewel arrive and find a spot on the opposite end of the room.  Wearing her hair in a ponytail, the armor plating Jaune used to wear and Crocea Mors strapped to her hip.  It seems the predictions his mom gave him about how Jewel would likely try to fight him seemed accurate.

His friends seemed to follow his gaze across the room.

"Well, it seems this time she showed up."  Pyrrha claimed, still somewhat annoyed that Jaune is the one to face her not herself.

Pyrrha despite trying to put up a brave front felt the best way she could speak her feelings, was to literally not speak.  Instead she just placed an arm on his oppose shoulder as she pulled herself against him side by side.

He seemed to read what she was trying to do and just smiled weakly at her.

"Remember Jaune this was your idea.  I was prepared to face her myself."  Kate stated crossing her arms.

Pyrrha just opened her mouth… it seems Kate was still a bit annoyed over the predicament.

"Yes Katherine, I understand.  I have to do this but that does not mean I am happy about it."  Jaune for the first time that morning, sounded confident and determined.

Kate just smiled at her twin.

"I still do not understand how they communicate so much with so little."  Yang complained, she received several nods to her declaration.

It was shortly after that point when the bell tolled, signaling the start of class.

Pyrrha looked across the room expecting to see a smug look in the face of Lissette Arc… and instead she did not see arrogance or smugness.  Confidence possibly, satisfaction maybe.  But certainly not arrogance.  As much as the Spartan did not want to admit it, she seemed to be taking the information she gained about Jaune and their father to heart.  Jewel might have her faults… but being unable to change might not be one of them.  How serious she would treat this fight remained to be seen, but she came here expecting to fight, not expecting a dance.

That did not mean she was capable of wishing the girl anything resembling good luck.  Jewel Arc was a headache to everybody who crossed her path thus far in the school year and she seemed to relish in causing others misfortune.

In the time between the bell ringing and Jewel's appearance the room had taken up small talk again, it was the arrival of Ms. Goodwitch that prompted the attending students to focus on the central floor.

"Here we are again at the start of a new term of Second-Year Winter combat class.  We have a rather unorthodox match to end today with and as such I will only have time for one request at most following today's pairings.  We all should be somewhat familiar with procedure by now-"

"I would like to claim that request slot Ma'am."  A loud voice boomed out.

Ms. Goodwitch blinked a few times not liking the interruption.

"Mr. Winchester I would advise you against needless interruptions again in the future, however seeing as how you have already spoken I might as well allow you to make your request."  She sounded like her typical stern self.

He pointed at the group "The new girl, the supermodel playing at being a Hunter.  I want to fight her."  He claimed confidently pointing in Kate's direction.

Kate genuinely smiled.

"Easy sis don't look too eager…"  Jaune worded under his breath knowing full well that was exactly what she wanted from the start.

She just chuckled along with the rest of the friends.

Ms. Goodwitch sighed "Mr. Winchester we will discuss your terminology in reference to your fellow students once again after class.  I suggest you be serious about it so the matter may yet not result in another detention for you."  She looked at Katherine.

"Ms. Arc?"  She asked.

Kate smiled sinisterly "I would be happy to accept, do we fight now?"  She asked appearing eager.  She obviously was not familiar with the process Ms. Goodwitch normally held her classes too.

"No Ms. Arc, request or volunteer battles are at the end of the class.  We will have our scheduled matches first.  First up shall be…"  She listed off names to kick off the term.

Cardin looked pleased with himself, he got exactly what he wanted and did not get in trouble.  All he needed to do is beat the girl to make his point and he would have an in to date her having proven his manliness.

… At least that made sense to in his mind.

Just like last year at the same time not everybody got in a match.  Pyrrha absolutely wrecked a transfer student from Haven.  A large male who seemed to have a impressive reputation from his time at his home university.  Unsurprisingly for the group Pyrrha beat him and made it look easy.  Though this might have been the first time in his time with her that Jaune understood why he might be so special to his partner.  It is a very common occurrence for Pyrrha to win and make it look simple as if she was not trying.  In some cases even against superior numbers.  However this time the other student not only swatted away her hand to help him stand, but went as far as to spit at her.  Even at distance Jaune knew that Pyrrha was literally on fire on the inside, but had the self control to just dust herself off and leave the disciplining to Ms. Goodwitch.

When Pyrrha reached her place with the group Jaune gave her a hug and tried to lift her spirits with some soft words, as she he didn't hear the start of Ms. Goodwitch's Rant.

"…. I do not care what you did at the Haven school in this school you will treat your students with respect.  If your pride does not allow you to accept a helping hand to stand that is one thing but if I see you spit at another student I will personally see you expelled from this university.  A Hunter trained at Beacon will not act in that manner and I give you this warning once.  Am I clear?"  The small blond woman's voice quite literally boomed through the arena clearly livid at the situation.

When the chastised student walked solemnly back to his seat the matches could resume.

In a rematch of their combat final from last year Weiss was called against her partner.  This time Ruby won the fight instead of a draw.  Ruby had grown evidently more than her partner and now had an obvious physicality advantage on Weiss as her heavier and stronger blows succeeded in knocking Myrtenaster out of Weiss' grip.  The Heiress had -clearly- been pushing herself on break as she was actually able to fight back briefly unarmed, but she could not stand against Crescent Rose without a weapon.

"Good match you two."  Yang praised both of her teammates once they returned giving a high-five to both.

The next match was between Sun and Neptune, as such the girls felt they could talk a bit.

Weiss just scowled.  She had sweated, she had worked, and clearly she had a great deal more to do of both.  Katherine absolutely was right, she was proven right.  Yang might have praised them both, but if Ruby wanted to kill her she would be dead.  She absolutely needed something else, another reserve of dust on hand possibly another weapon… something, anything incase her sword is forced out of her grip again.

"In truth you did a decent job Weiss, before you would have just surrendered.  You tried this time.  That is a great thing."  Nora supplied energetically.

Kate watched Weiss' face go through various emotions and smirked slightly.  She knew Weiss was rehashing the talk they did over break about needing an alternative weapon.

Jaune caught her gaze and they could practically read each other's thoughts.  Most Hunters tried to travel light and only carry one weapon.  It was a sound practice, in theory.  It might have something to do with being nobles, but most of their family freely carried more than just a singular weapon.  The Twins had their Bracers, all of their family learned to fight unarmed and were conditioned to last under physical strain.  Jaune just nodded and Kate took that as her turn to spout words of wisdom.

"Weiss I can understand your wanting to only carry one weapon as a matter of pride given that you designed it.  But I really suggest you look at a second."  She stated cheerfully

"Ouch that looked like it stung!"  Nora claimed theatrically, she had already lost her attention to the talk.

Sun had just dodged an overhead swing from Neptune, but the blue haired Hunter only used his momentum to further the next swing.  His momentum became more than he expected so the swing missed, but to avoid the attack Sun literally had to throw himself on the ground and a very obvious -BONGGG- echoed through the room as his halberd collided with the back wall of the arena awkwardly.

"The wall more than Neptune… Sun… No I think he actually hit his head on the ground too.  The guy was always very agile right up until he wasn't."  Blake stated simply with a laugh.

"Whatever came about you and he Blake?"  Ruby asked cheerfully.

Blake just smiled "We danced last year but nothing came about beyond that.  I think my comments about him looking better in a tie hit him right in his ego."  She chuckled a touch.

Kate smiled… the Monkey Faunus did have a great set of abs…. though she really couldn't say it was spectacular… all of the morning crew had extremely visible and in her mind… sexy stomachs.  Even Nora and Ren in the little time they spent with them seemed more toned. 

…

She sighed.

Kate realized she was doing to Sun, exactly what many did to her and quickly quieted her thoughts.  Judging people by their appearance is not fair, she was guilty of it a time or two, but she was trying to kill that habit.

Sun managed to squeak out a victory over his teammate.  Neptune had practiced and gotten better, but Sun was simply better in extreme close melee contests.  Naturally Sun was aware of that and of course he used his superior speed factor to ensure the majority of the battle played out in the most favorable manner for him.

That ended up the most memorable match up until that point for the group as nobody else was called to fight from the 9 of them.  However when the first of the two final matches that day were called Kate received far more than one cat-call as she walked in her only slightly seductive manner down towards the base level.

"Am I the only one who kind of hopes that her robe gets sliced off or something mid fight so she fights in that unitard?"  Yang asked with a laugh.

"She did look good in it… then again she looks good in everything."  Ruby agreed.

"It did… accentuate her figure perfectly."  A voice claimed.

Looks converged on Weiss. "What?!  It is called art appreciation I am allowed to look too!"  She claimed sternly stomping her foot.

Ruby just laughed as she gently 'petted' Weiss on her head… The Heiress developed a rather hilarious scowl on her face the longer the patting went on until....

"Ladies for the sake of my sanity if you must talk about my sister's looks please do it out of range…"  Jaune pleaded shaking his head mid facepalm.

Nora gave a polite chuckle to let the previous subject die "Who thinks Kate will win?"

The group seemed consider what they knew of Kate clearly before they answered.  They knew she was skilled and talented as anybody.  They knew she had the same level of aura reserve as Jaune.  Most of them had never seen her fight however.

The old Weiss would have been tempted to make the logical bet and say Cardin.  If Kate is similar in potential to Jaune, and Cardin beat Jaune the majority of the times they faced each other.  Logic would imply that he should have an advantage on his twin.

The new Weiss however, was trying to not be only so logical, and listen to more than her mind.  Jaune beat Cardin, with a parasite sapping his strength, having a bare bones education, with weapons he was not familiar with last year in his combat final.  She knew… hell they ALL knew that Jaune out of anybody had grown the most, that is without a doubt.  Now he could probably beat his former rival fairly easily.  His body wouldn't give out on him and after all Cardin did not work anywhere near as hard as he did.

"I'm going to say Kate wins."  Weiss declared with a smile.

"You think so?  She doesn’t have hardly any experience fighting people compared to him."  Yang argued.

They had nearly reached the bottom floor by now and the match was about to begin.

"What do you think Jaune?"  Blake asked throwing a curious glare at the Knight.

Pyrrha smiled knowingly to herself as Jaune grinned and declared.  "Kate will win.  Not might win, not could win.  She will win.  I would bet on it."

The gambling part of Yang's mind required her at least to ask further.  "What exactly would you be willing to bet Jaune?"  She couldn’t help but ask.

Jaune grinned deeper "Depends, what are you willing to give up Yang?"  He appeared fully confident despite his mood at the start of the day.

Yang… decided against testing destiny on a bet with Jaune… he almost never lost such wagers after all.

"Why don't you tell us why you think Kate will win?"  The Brawler asked changing the subject politely.

Pyrrha smiled again as if she followed Yang's thought track.

"A few reasons." He held up a finger.

"Cardin has never fought somebody who fights like Katherine does.  Not even somebody like Blake who can be similar in some ways.  As such he has no idea how to go about facing her."  He held up another.

"Cardin expects to win, look at him.  He doesn't think she is a fighter.  His mind lost it for him before he even set foot in the ring."  He held up another finger.

"She knows a great deal about Cardin and how he fights.  The only advantage Cardin has is his physical power and his armor.  That is it.  In everything else Katherine has the advantage.  She will win the match and she might even make it look easy."  He brought his arm down and focused on the match below appearing to be absolutely sure in his prediction.

"Well… You aren’t normally wrong when you say that.  Let's find out if you are right."  Ren advised, privately hoping both Yang's thought and Jaune's prediction came true.

***ARENA FLOOR***

Down on the arena floor Kate felt right at home.  Literally.  A person who was bigger and physically stronger than she was wanted to fight her.  The person had more practical experience and likely was used to using that physical strength to get as far as he had in life.

Somebody she could absolutely barely wait to beat.

It was not just about that sexist and prejudice thing he did to her before class.

No, it was the attitude.  The 'this person is pretty so she can't be a hunter' attitude that she encountered for the majority of her time at her home in Cadia or elsewhere.  The moment Jaune told her about Cardin, she felt she would enjoy a chance to beat up the bully.  After that morning… well let's just say she was more than a bit determined to win.

"Ok gorgeous, I will make this quick so I don’t mark that pretty face of yours.  I just hope I can avoid the other attractive parts of you."  Winchester stated with a rather arrogant smile on his face.

Kate halfway expected Glynda to lecture him on his terminology but figured in this case she wouldn’t… it served … kind of… as a means of a psychological attack on her.  The attack didn't do a damn thing, but that is why she believed it was allowed.

He seemed to study her and realize something about Katherine "Wow you really think you are going to beat me?" He laughed "Tell you what sweet cheeks, let us make a wager.  If I win you go on a date with me?"  He suggested holding his mace on his shoulders flexing his arms… like they were somehow impressing her.

So he wants a wager…. ok.

"When I win Winchester, you will wear a dress for the remainder of the school year."  She stated coldly with an odd smile.

His mouth fell open.  "One date for a half a year in a dress?"

She smiled, you aren't the only one who can mess the mind of your enemy Brute.

"Your fault for choosing such a poor selection, do we have a deal or no?"  She asked drawing her two swords from the holster on her back appearing without a care in the world as she dropped into her fighting stance, nearly identical to her unarmed stance except her arms were in front of her body holding the swords angling off to each side.

He literally growled like a bear and launched into a rather hilarious tirade which had the majority of the student body laughing not with him… but at him before he was done.

***UPPER LEVEL***

"Wow, she goes right for the throat…"  Pyrrha claimed in appreciation.  She might not dislike Cardin as much now as she did previously but the man's attitude was still in serious need of a positive realignment.

"You have no idea…"  Jaune stated as if remembering something he would rather not talk about.

"What-"  Ren started.

"Don't ask."  Jaune warned.

His friends took his advise and didn’t.

***Arena Floor***

Realizing that his attempt at intimidation was doing nothing more than embarrassing himself, Cardin decided enough was enough.

He roared as he broke into a run at the girl opposite him with surprising speed given his size and body armor.  He jumped slightly before reaching her and brought his mace down with a powerful two handed strike.

Katherine was simply not there anymore… no other words could describe it for the big man.  She was in the arena, he saw her robe, but the mace just flew by and hit nothing but the air… and eventually the ground.

She had spun away almost as if she was dancing with a clumsy and notice partner.  Her two swords became a dangerous spinning blender of lethality.  From the moment his mace hit the ground to a loud thud there was no less than 3 almost song likes notes in the air.

-ting ting ting-

Not all of her strikes hit the weak points in Cardin's armor, some deflected off only causing minor damage to his Aura, but even so the difference in reaction times and speed was immense.

Cardin gripped his mace two handed and hefted it in a sideways swing across his body aimed at the elusive girls waist.

Kate jumped over the swing as if both the initial dodge and the leap is part of the same dance piece.  It looked that natural, her excess clothing following her form like a water colored painting, doing nothing but distracting her adversary.

-ting ting PFFK- That time one of her swings found a grove in his armor, a substantial lose in Aura followed.

When Katherine landed it was without a sound.  The group never understood how her silence could be used as a weapon until this moment, it HAD to be unnerving to fight somebody and not be able to rely on any audible clues regarding their whereabouts.

Cardin felt more quick strikes against his back and once again spun around this time anticipating a jump from Kate.  He moved the Mace and carried is vertically in front of his body almost guaranteeing a hit if she tried the same ploy.

She didn’t.

Showcasing how incredibly flexible she was she had dropped into a split position with her torso flat to the ground allowing the weapon to pass harmlessly over her.

Once the danger was past she gracefully gave a light push off and got enough momentum to roll under Cardin's legs to once again end up behind the confused boy.

Another swing from Cardin, and another miss.  More notes filled the air and Cardin's aura continued to drop.  Katherine was literally a Black Blue and Silver stream around him matching his movements as she continually stayed out of reach of his Mace.

Desperation began to form in Cardin's mind.  Losing to a girl is one thing when that girl is Pyrrha.  Losing in this manner to a newcomer is quite another thing entirely.

Like an Angry Bull he started to grunt and shout willing his weapon to speed further along to his target. 

All he managed was A sideways swing, followed by a graceful duck and a spin followed by more musical notes against his armor and body.

A lunge followed by a quick strike to the ground.  More dodging, and more musical notes in the air.

A one handed swing paired with a punch to cover more space, once twice three times.  All he was able to see of Katherine was a zig-zag pattern across his field of vision and wince as more strikes continually hit home.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!"  The angry bull roared.

He finally managed to hit Katherine with something as he fired up his semblance knocking her into the air.

She seemed to float and watch the big man take his mace with two hands and aim a powerful strike at her.

"TIME TO END THIS!"  He bellowed once again as the Mace neared.

She vanished into nothing and the Mace passed harmlessly through where she was.

No not like vanished as in she dodged.  Not vanished as in he missed.

She simply was not there.

"What the hell?!"  He voiced quietly to himself.

***GROUP OBSERVING THE FIGHT***

Katherine just activated her semblance and seemed to keep it running for the moment.

"Well she was doing awesome up till then, why hasn't she shown herself I wonder?"  Ruby asked to an open floor.

"Awesome might be the word for it Ruby."  Weiss agreed, while she was pleased for her new friend to be doing this well.  It was one thing to be continually shown up in the weight room.  It was quite another to see somebody with a small fraction of your experience fight this well against somebody who is competent.  Cardin might not be an elite fighter in the group but he performed well against many in the class.  Kate was simply tearing him apart.  It was like a kick in the stomach to a degree.  Weiss never thought Jaune would amounted to anything for a long time, yet he is showing to have an exceptional gift for combat.  Both of the twins did… she really did need to work harder.

Weiss thought to herself for a second or two when what Kate was doing was made clear.

***Arena Floor***

Cardin was starting to wonder just what the hell he could do to win this.  Looking up at the arena readout his aura had taken a beating.  Sure the longer this Arc girl kept hers running the more it drained, but it is like she had an absurd amount of aura, it was draining as she used her semblance but no noticeable effect took place on the meter.  5… 6… 7 seconds and she had yet to reemerge.

-WHAM!-

A powerful kick hit him square in the face materializing from nowhere then immediately vanished again.

"What-" His question was cut short again as once again Kate materialized long enough to kick him again before vanishing once again.

What happened next might be a contender for the next nightmare Cardin Winchester is subjected too.

The attractive girl began to rapidly appear and vanish all over his vision.  A kick here, a slash across his midsection there.  At another point a stab followed by another kick.  Each hit appearing from nothing, and immediately going back invisible following each strike.

"Oh C'mon how is this even Fair?!"  He complained to the room.

***Group Observing***

"Wow… I confess I have no idea how to fight that."  Ren commented.

"She is just making a point."  Jaune claimed calmly.

The group looked at him as Katherine had decided to stay hidden for a time.

"What point is that?"  Pyrrha asked intrigued.

"Don’t piss me off?"  Yang joked.

Jaune chuckled "No.  She just wants to make it known that if you use your semblance against her, she will use hers against you.  And well… Hers can be a nightmare to deal with given that it is that of an assassin in origin."

***Arena Floor***

Katherine finally reappeared a good ways away from Cardin and had her crossbow module lined up at him.

"You cannot beat me, I suggest you surrender."  She claimed confidently.

"No way Sweet cheeks.  You run and run but you do not fight.  All I need to do is hit you once and you lose."  He claimed confidently… though he was also sweating starting to get worn down physically.

Kate just shrugged as she merged her weapons together and began to walk towards him confidently after letting Toxo go back to normal mode having not fired.

"Oh you finally stopped running have you?"  He taunted.

"Tell me Winchester did my brother ever stop running when you enjoyed tormenting him when he couldn't breathe?  Did it take a single strike to drain his aura even though he couldn’t move hardly to defend himself?"  She spoke with genuine anger at this point.

He gulped, she really was his twin.

"Yeah I thought not."  At that, she ran at him rapidly closing the distance.

He readied himself for a blow and grinned when she jumped, she couldn’t dodge now that she was airborne he could hit her!

Thus he tried cranking up a powerful two handed swing expecting her to either get hit or vanish.

She did neither, she put a foot on the mace and jumped off it to the side shoving it to the ground.

The momentum from the swing combined with the force of the push from her as she jumped brought the mace well further to the side than he intended.  Before he could make any correction however a piece of metal jabbed into his throat.  A leg behind him swept his feet out from under him as the pressure on his neck multiplied yanking him awkwardly to the ground.

His head struck the floor with a loud -THUD-.

His body was coiled over his head in a not very flattering position, and finally he opened his eyes.

Katherine met his gaze just long enough for him to realize that he was beaten, when she rotated her weapon in her hand leaving the bladed edge against his throat.

The lights kicked on, he was on the ground, was nearly in the red in terms of aura, and had a weapon at his throat.  It does not get more beaten than that.

"Well done Ms. Arc.  A great first showing in class but I would suggest less talking in the next time you fight, not every person you face will get chatty."  Ms. Goodwitch almost admonished.  In truth she was smiling fully enjoying Kate winning her first match.

Cardin just gulped at the blazing blue embers that was Kate's eyes.  It seems when she fought, or at least she fought something that to her was somewhat personal, she could get quite vicious.

With a huff she removed her weapon from his throat and began to walk back to her seat as she stowed her weapons back in her holster.  It was only then that she noticed the clapping of the crowd.  Not just that of her friends, but most of the year enjoyed the match and seeing somebody who still had the reputation of a bully get beaten.

Her eyes passed right by her older sisters in the audience and she made no attempt to even see her reaction… though if she did, she might have been surprised.  Jewel… was clapping.

Kate walked still not making any sound in the direction of her friends.

"Wait."  A voice behind her called.

She did not want to stop, she wanted to get back.  She wanted to hug her brother for righting some of the wrongs the bully did against him the year before.  She wanted to send angry thoughts to Jewel as she would face Jaune next.  But… she is new to this school, and did not want to take on Cardin's reputation as her own.  So she turned, she turned with an angry expression on her face and her arms crossed, but she did it.

Cardin spoke from his awkward position and was obviously struggling in getting out of it.  Something he might have hoped or expected Katherine to help with.  He would be disappointed in that hope.

While she waited for him to untangle himself she looked around.  More than one friendly glance in the crowd looked at her admirably.  However she didn't take the time to take a mental tally of the viewers.  She specifically sought out two people.  Both of them, were family to her.

Lissette had taken to doing some stretches, as did Jaune.  The latter was probably at the receiving end of some words of encouragement from his friends as they had clustered around him all it seems speaking at once.  Whereas Lissette just appeared determined.

Cardin ended up falling over to regain his balance and moved as if embarrassed towards his former adversary… who still looked hostile to his eyes.

None the less he had gotten within a few steps of his target and stopped.

Kate gave every clue that she was running out of patience with him.  She tapped her feet, she tapped a finger, and otherwise gave every impression that he was wasting her time.  Not at all the somewhat friendly and flirty girl he first encountered.

"I'm sorry."  He said simple.

She just cocked her head. "That's all you have to say?"  She voiced.

He seemed somewhat taken back.

"Do you have a problem with me?"  He asked.

Her gaze went somewhat dark as she moved a step or two closer being practically nose to nose.

"I assume you mean beyond your actions this morning?"  She demanded with a deathly quiet voice burning a glare into his eyes.

The room had began to talk as they couldn't hear what the two were saying… but figured it wasn't good.

He gulped and nodded.

"You tormented my brother because you could.  You continued to do it because you thought it was fun, and it took him saving your life to get you to stop.  This here today is the result of more than a year's worth of soul searching, and these are your results?" 

She could have spat out more if she wanted too.  The person before her having every opportunity he wanted, slacked his way through life, not really working hard instead just depending on his natural strength for most of his encounters.  Compared to her who had literally made a river in the sweat and blood she had shed in her pursuing her dreams along with her twin.

"I do not see why you would bring up what I did last year, I am trying to change."  He claimed indignantly.

"BS you are putting just as much effort into changing as you put into thinking this morning through.  You knew nothing about me and just thought your bigger biceps would mean you could win.  You do not try Winchester and if you do try you are failing miserably.  Yet not only are you failing but you seem to be fully willing to embrace it because anything more is too hard.  We will not get along Winchester, we are different people.  Some people do not deserve the chances they are given in life.  Being a Hunter is a privilege, it is an Honor and it is a Duty and if you will not take your opportunities seriously then we need not waste each other's time further.  Goodbye."  At that she turned on her heel and left him scratching his head in the middle of the room.

She half turned around after a few steps "Also, your biceps aren't that impressive."  She continued her path.

She arrived back with her friends having returned to her normal self, suddenly friendly, playful and good natured once again.

"Way to go Kate!"  Ruby cheered.

She gave several high fives as she crossed back to where Jaune and Pyrrha were at the end of the line.  She received a hug from Pyrrha where the Spartan voiced:

"Nice fight, that was highly entertaining to watch."  She claimed with a smile.

Kate smiled back "Thanks, how's our boy doing?  He is up next."  She was somewhat serious once again given the circumstances.

"Well…."  Pyrrha started and was going to say the obvious… he was stretching and trying to focus when Ms. Goodwitch made another declaration.

"Well we just have the one match to go today.  If you two would please make your down to the arena floor."  She stated simply if a touch hesitantly.  Everybody knew she didn’t like pitting people against those with an obvious advantage or significantly more experience, a second year against a fourth year is not something she wanted to allow…. but had too.

Jaune appeared determined, but uncertain as he began to move through the line of his friends towards the stairs.  He did not pass either Katherine or Pyrrha.  Pyrrha pulled him into a tight hug.

"Remember, you know what you need to know.  Trust yourself and believe in yourself."  She kissed his cheek as she let him go.

Kate just hugged him too.  She looked like she wanted to speak.  Given that they were twins, she didn't need to waste her breath.

'Jaune.  Remember what mom said.  Use your aura trust your instincts and listen to your heart.  That means more than just doing what you think is right.'

Jaune could practically hear the words, but just nodded and hugged his twin back.

"Mr. Arc I suggest you start walking."  Ms. Goodwitch stated simply.

He smiled lightly at that and continued on his path down to the floor.

Pyrrha watched him go, feeling sick to her stomach.  She was so proud of him for taking this matter on himself to see it to a close.  She wanted to choke him given that he is fighting somebody she had desired to face herself for a long while.  Yet… she couldn't help but feel like he needed to do this.  In some way fate had put these two in each other's way for too long and it has come down to this moment.

"You two can take a few minutes to stretch given that you have waited this long.  The match will start in 3 minutes."  Glynda advertised.

Both Arc's below took up various stretches to warm up and stay limber.

"I confess I expected more taunting and trash talk from her."  Yang admitted.

"Yes it is odd… I expected Jaune to keep quiet but Jewel… I rather expected her to say more than Cardin.  Neither has spoken a word."  Weiss put forth.

"What did you say to him after your match Kate?"  Nora asked.

"Not now Nora, ask me again later."  Kate answered putting her entire focus on the two below.

"Yeah I… guess this means a great deal to you as well."  Pyrrha said solemnly putting a hand on her friends shoulder.

"I guess this means much to both of you?"  Ren asked curiously.

Kate could say much on the subject.  She wanted to fight Jewel, in a way that Jaune never did.  Her twin would fight Jewel gladly… if it was an act of protection.  Indeed Jaune felt he was protecting his twin as he put forth the terms of the contest, he did not need to say that to know that as fact.  In an ironic twist the person who she was trying to defend most of their childhoods, ended up defending both of them as they become young adults.  She would have taken his place if he let her, but guessed this was just as if not more important to him.  He did not know if he could win, but he knew he needed to do it.

"Ok you two, 30 seconds, take your places."  Goodwitch announced.

"Well, I suggest we make some noise and clap some hands, we have some cheering to do boy and girls!"  Nora cheered/almost shouted getting her vocals prepped for an intense match.

***ARENA FLOOR***

Jaune was oddly calm, far more calm than he figured he would be.  Mom's prediction was accurate, scary accurate.  Jewel was wearing his armor, carrying his former weapon, and seemed ready to try and beat him at his own game.

Finishing his stretches Jaune began walking to the center of the arena.  He reached up and pulled his weapon down to his left arm and let the shield brace against the floor holding the top of it with both arms.  The sword was clearly visible between his two hands as he observed Jewel walk to the middle of the arena to meet him.

Jewel finally made to speak "You carry a weapon with a commoners mark."  She stated coldly as she pulled out her weapon and expanded its shield.

"We all were common before any of us were otherwise."  He responded simply.

"I suppose this is where you tell me its name and how you are going to beat me with it like some old white knight from fairy tales?"  She put forth almost looking amused.

"HE WOULD IF HE KNEW WHAT ITS NAME WAS!" Somebody shouted from the stands…. it sounded like Weiss.

Jaune was tempted to look back and shout something back, but didn’t, Jewel would probably have taken the time to attack him.

"Are you going to draw your blade?  Or do you plan on surrendering before we start."  She asked pointing her sword at him.

He shrugged and that is when she started the battle.  Running right at him she stabbed towards his chest.

Jaune quickly got his shield on his arm and knocked the thrust away fairly easily.  He nearly took a shield to the face as he had to duck to avoid getting the edge of her shield taken across his face.

Jewel used the momentum from Jaune's deflection to bring the sword over her body over her shoulder as she spun.

That attack was also blocked by Jaune.

They took a step apart.

"If you never intend to draw your sword you will make this very easy for me." She claimed smirking as she made to reengage.

Charging forward with her shield up, her movement became a feint as she changed the angle of her shield before it contacted with his and instead jabbed towards his side.

He noticed the move too late and Jewel was the first to land a hit that match, he batted away the sword shortly after it made contact, unfortunately that left his chest open as Jewel hit him with a shield bash sending him back a few steps.

He still did not draw his sword.

"This is going to be exactly like I predicted at this rate."  She claimed smugly.

Jaune did not respond.

She huffed and decided to end this charade before it took up more of her time.

This time, he responded.

He took aim fired his bracer low at her legs, and seemed to score a hit.  The bullet hit her thigh causing her to stumble slightly.

Jaune had taken a running start and leapt upwards knee first, he scored a solid hit right to her forehead and finally drew his sword.  Driving the blade straight for Jewel's chest.  It got within inches of its target when her own sword deflected it.

They exchanged blows quickly.

A swing right to left deflected by her shield.

A counter thrust aimed at his stomach, blocked by his shield.

Jaune scored a hit as he spun around after blocking a strike keeping his momentum but brought the blade straight at her.

She hit him at nearly the same time bringing her blade high and catching him on the jaw with the flat of her sword.

They separated a dozen steps.

"You have much to lose with this match Brother, you should not have arranged it."  She claimed rolling her shoulders.

He readied his shield and advanced on her as he answered "You will find you have far more to lose."  At that he broke into a run.

The sounds of their efforts sang in the air.  Blades flashed back and forth shining in the light.  Clangs and Pangs rang out as shield blocked sword and every possible combination thereof.

Jaune was holding his own, and seemed to realize it.  The hit's taken tally was just about dead even and they still fought on.

When they ended up several yards away Jewel spoke again.

"That is preposterous.  You hold a title you do not deserve in a match you cannot possibly win.  Of course you have more to lose."  She sounded annoyed at his suggestion.

He actually laughed.

That caused her to freeze.  "You find this fight funny do you?"  She demanded.

"Jewel, it's funny just how wrong you are."  He was interrupted by Jewel coming at him in a run once again.

He seemed to leave himself open until he leveled his bracer at her causing her to freeze and raise her shield.

The shot never came.

Instead he ran at her himself closing the distance quickly while her shield was still raised.

When she realized that no shot was coming she peered out over the shield and saw he was very close but his shield was lowered leaving him vulnerable to an overhead swing.

She performed the attack, and it was exactly what Jaune wanted her to do.

He slid forward putting himself into a slight spin and brought his shield above his head.  Her attack was deflected and his own sword was brought across her waist in a clean hit.

Jewel put a leg against his shield and proved she was not without physical power.  She shoved him to the ground and got a glancing blow against him before he could stand and regain his balance.

They exchanged another score of strikes back and forth with them straining against each other's shields.

Jewel changed her weight balance to the side of her shield and Jaune almost lost his balance given the lack of resistance, they exchanged sword swings, her to his back, him to her thigh as they recovered their stances and footing.

They ended up fair distance away and as such she spoke more.

"You seem to think I have more to lose than you do brother." Sounding highly dubious.

He laughed again.

His laughing was clearly starting to irritate her "Explain fool."  She spat out.

He kept his guard up but realized he might be getting under her skin, and as such it had a possible tactical advantage to answering her question.

"Think it through sister.  If you beat me, congratulations.  You have beaten me again and again over your life.  You have more experience than I do and a more complete education in combat.  You are expected to win."  He answered smirking.

"So?" She demanded.

"So if I win.  I would have beaten somebody who never thought I was worth anything as a person.  Who continually was treated poorly by you and given no respect as a human being.  If you win, you do what many expect.  If I win, then your entire life has been either a lie or that of a misguided pawn.  Either of your own, or of others plans of you.  Who truly has more to lose in this encounter?"  At that, he ran at her again.

She growled like an angry animal as she advanced quickly to him.

They fought on, and Jaune realized a few things about his sister.  She was physically fit, and she was well trained.  But they truly were not so different, he might even have the physical edge.  She rarely made tactical mistakes, but her inexperience with a sword and shield showed occasionally as he was able to take advantage of that in several occasions.

However Jewel was far from incompetent.  She was skilled, she was talented and she landed many blows of her own.

Jewel did not want to admit anything about her brother being right.  It was hard enough just admitting he had beaten her when they encountered each other 2 weeks prior.  It was a shock to her, but he was slightly winning the encounter today.  He did have more experience with a sword and shield, beyond that he also seemed to have more aura.  If she wanted to win, she had to make the first move.

She was not an idiot, she was an intelligent fighter, and she of course realized what he was trying to do.  He was trying to last as long as he could, and give a good enough of an accounting of himself so he doesn’t embarrass himself.  Well congratulations, he has done that.  But she would not let him win their match.  He had been trying to force her into her semblance first the entire fight.  He was about to do that, but that just meant she had to draw out the last few seconds of the match to make a point of it.

Jaune ran at her and made a sideways swing with his weapon.

In one quick moment Jewel brought out her semblance coloring the area a deep purple as her eyes took on a dark red glow.  Her own sword swing empowered by her semblance was enough to knock his from his grip.  A hard bash from her shield took him off balance and after another couple movements found him trapped against the ground.  She had pinned his shield arm to the ground via a leg and the put the remainder of her weight on his chest.

She made a stabbing motion towards his throat with her sword arm.

"JAUNE!"  Was screamed by a couple people from the audience.

He was able to bring out his own semblance and catch the blade with his sword hand before it made contact with his throat ending the match.  Unlike before however he did not lit up the room white, and the blade continued to slowly edge downwards towards his throat.

"JAUNE C'MON!"  Another scream of encouragement.

_AURA JAUNE FIGHT WITH YOUR AURA COME ON!!!_

He kept thinking to himself but it did not seem to matter how much he tried, he could not stop the blade from descending.

"Congratulations.  You succeeded in forcing me to use my semblance first.  A small victory that none the less will result in yet another defeat for you."  She claimed forcing the blade down ever so slowly.

The blade of course ripped right through the leather protective glove and dug into his hand.  Blood was soon flowing down his arm.

"You may have mothers colors but that is all brother.  You lack all of the power which comes from her blood.  I am amazed we share the same source."  Once again she exerted more pressure lowering the blade.

"JAUNE COME ON YOU CAN DO IT!"  The voice sounded both hopeful and pleading.

She huffed at that "Always you inspire these people.  And yet always you disappoint them in the end.  All that time training you and for what?  You get beaten so easily just like always."  She did not smile, despite her words she did not seem to be enjoying this.  Merely her own way of making a point.

"It was never about winning or losing, it was always about what was right."  He stated struggling terribly against the force pushing the sword down.

His arm was shaking terribly trying to hold back the force against it.

"Tell yourself that so you can cope with the defeat.  Hunters make their own destiny.  You were too weak to make your own and had to have somebody craft one for you.  This is your failing.  If you cannot survive on your own merits you have no business being a Hunter of Grimm.  You need to accept that."  She still looked serious and stern.

"You may beat me sister, but that will change nothing.  It is not from within we draw our power as Arcs.  It is from each other.  THAT is your failing."  He claimed in a determined voice.

Jaune decided against listening and instead focused fully on resisting.

Jaune closed his eyes and willed himself to focus.  His mother told him to listen to his heart so many times as he worked on his semblance.  He spent a good bit of time pulling on his semblance to… do something.  'He would understand when he accomplished it'.  Those were her words, and she assured him that was all it was. 

'Listen to your Heart'

He practically heard her words.  He…  Thought just then… he started to understand the lesson. 

"JAUNE FIGHT BACK YOU HAVE TO WIN THIS!" He still could not identify who was shouting… maybe it was more than one.

Semblances were closely tied to a need… He had pulled on his semblance, pulled on that string until he hit the end of the line.  He had a great deal of string now, but it did not seem to matter how much he moved around his arm, he could not stop the pressure against him.

He remembered…  He had decided he needed to …. win….

For his friends… for Katherine… for Pyrrha… and all the things she means to him.

His breathing came in deep gasps.  Time slowed down, he only heard the sound of his own breath.  Finally, that string surrounding his body began to thicken, to do more than just wrap around his body… to become it.

"WHAT!?"  Jewel shouted.

"YES YES YES GO GO GO!"

He opened his eyes.  The blade had stopped its decent.  He could not rightly tell with the red glow from Jewel's eyes, but he would have sworn that shock was in them. 

He closed his eyes again trying to focus.

'You will know when you are ready.  You will feel your aura open up to you and be able to control it more fully.  When I say move with your aura I do not mean pull on the string and tow your body along.  I mean BE your aura.  Take possession of your body with your aura, and move, fight, feel with it.  Your aura knows how.  You have all the power you need at your fingertips Jaune.  You just need to let yourself think you are worthy of wielding them.  Once you overcome that block, your aura will follow your commands.'

He continued to work his way through his mothers lessons keeping his eyes shut oblivious to the changes going on outside his body.

The white flames billowing around his body began to quicken.  Slowly a white light shined brighter around him until he seemed to break through the purple surrounding the room.  Steadily pushing the dark glow from the room and replacing it with the more traditional glow of his semblance.

The blade in his hand, began to reverse back the other direction.

"This … is… impossible…"  His sister worded to herself.

"GO MORE JAUNE C'MON MORE!"  More words of encouragement from his friends.

He opened his eyes again.

Jewel had taken her shield arm and added it to try and force Crocea Mors back down.

"You seem to be struggling Jewel, do you need a break?"  He voiced coming back to his body.

She seemed to open her mouth in protest, and it was then he acted.

He stopped the upwards movement with his arm and instead made a jarring action to the side.

A loud -pop- filled the air as the sword was ripped out of all of their grasps and flung away from them.

Jewel tried to bring the point of her shield down on his throat but his forearm knocked it aside.

Finally he freed his shield arm and caught Jewels wrist with it.  Using a momentum based throw he got his legs out from under her body and sent her rolling over his head where she reclaimed her sword on the ground.

"YES! YES! WHOO HOO!!!"  No missing Nora's voice that time.

He spun over and reclaimed his sword nearby.

The sensory information coming in was amazing.  This being his first time under the effects of the Pure Arc semblance.  He seemed to know everything around him.  The jumping excitement of his friends.  The worried yet proud look on Pyrrha's face… who might even be shedding a few happy tears for him.  The 'about damn time' look on Katherine laced as it was in good humor.  He somehow seemed aware of everything going on around him… like the light was somehow reporting what it saw back to him.

All that and more was made clear to him as he slowly stood with his chest heaving, finally his aura healed the wound to his hand as he made ready to fight again.

"I won the first round Jewel and lets call the second a draw.  You ready for round 3?"  He voiced almost sounding confident.

She seemed to take a breath "Very well brother you might have her power but you do not have her talent, lets end this."  She got her legs under her as she ran straight at him.

As they closed to each other the obvious cheering from his friends… maybe even the crowd was deafening.

It might be his semblance, or a newfound sense of confidence.  But… He seemed to understand battle more now.  Almost like he could predict her attack pattern, in his mind he saw what she was trying to do.

She would come at him with a hard overhead swing keeping her shield ready.

That would lead into A shield bash followed by a sword thrust.

Time sped up for him as he played out the scene his mind predicted.

A strong overhead swing; a block.

A shield bash into a sword thrust; a parry.

Counter with a quick inward slice at her hip; a hit.

She looked at him perplexed, and initiated another engagement.

A series of quick strikes raining down left and right intent on keeping shield in a guard position.

A bash from her shield to cause an opening to exploit.

A quick follow through for his chest.

She was met with him ducking under her strike connecting with her armor plating under her arm.

They continued to trade blows again and again.  Their aura's both began to deplete due to time and damage.  Their aura's sustained them, but even so it was obvious that effort and exertion was displayed clearly on their clothing.

Another overhead swing into a reverse shield strike followed by a sword thrust-

"Oooof!"  He growled.

That time he was wrong and took a hit for his error.

Both were determined to win with neither of them willing to give less than their best.  That much was clear.  It was not long that near explosion level flashes filled the air as both Jewel and Jaune began to channel their aura into their weapons hoping score massive damage with that aspect of their semblance.

They in fact fought so long that Ms. Goodwitch was considering ending it in a draw due to time.  However… a part of her fought that notion.  This problem would not go away, these two needed to do this.  That much was obvious to her, this fight was a long time coming and needed to happen for both parties to move beyond it.

They ended up several paces away when Jewel showed just how serious she was treating this encounter now.  She removed the armor plating on her chest.

About time Jaune thought.  That armor was doing nothing but restricting her movements and slowing her down.

Despite the time and toll the battle had taken on both of them, they continued to fight to their best for minutes into minutes.

Jaune concluded an engagement where they both landed yet another strike on each other and finally got a look at the aura readouts.  He smiled.

"You might want to drop out of your semblance."  He stated with a smile.

She scoffed "Yeah, you wish."  She responded confidently.

He shrugged and triggered the third mode of his shield, it bonded to his arm and he took up a mobile stance.

"You are a fool to give up your shield."  She barked upset by his carefree attitude.

He just dropped down into a stance similar to what Kate just fought in as he switched his sword to a reverse grip.

"Enough of this charade time to end this."  She held up her sword preparing for another powerful blow and ran at him.

She ran closer… and closer… and closer still.

She almost expected him to make another play with his Bracer to fire at her.

Nothing, he didn’t react, he just stood there with his semblance running as if waiting.

Waiting for… what?-

The lights kicked on signaling end of the match.

"WHAT?!"  She half shouted confused.

Her confusion was evident as he gripped her sword arm with his left hand and swung her over his body to the ground.

She landed with a dull thud and found his sword pressed against her neck.  She finally had a view of the aura readouts… hers was in the Red having entered it through the toll her semblance took on her.  His was doing marginally better in the Orange.

She struggled and thrashed but it was not to be, he held her in place nearly identically to how she did to him previously.

"This is Ovoia,"  He raised his voice so his friend could hear "SEE I DID HAVE A NAME!!"

He looked back at his sister on the ground, interestingly enough, Ms. Goodwitch had not intervened yet.

"It means Sacrifice.  Something I have had to do a great deal of in my time here.  You might want to be a hunter out of a desire to live up to our family reputation sister.  But you do not understand what it means to protect.  To put your life on the line for somebody weaker than you.  What do you imagine you will be doing as a hunter?  Protecting people who are just as strong as you are?  No you will be protecting people who don’t even know which end of a spear is the pointy one."

She allowed her semblance to fade but looked at him with utter rage in her eyes, however she did not speak.

"This will conclude our match.  Goodbye, Lissette Arc."  At that he removed the blade from her neck and stowed Ovoia on his back.

He listened to nothing and everything as he just breathed as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders.  They fought, they both fought well.  But he had won.

He could hear her anger fueled gasps for breath almost expecting her to say something, just as he almost expected her to take up her weapon again and take a swing at him.

At some point his thoughts opened up to the world again and he heard the crowd clapping around him.  Some just enjoyed a well fought and entertaining fight.  Others, enjoyed seeing somebody they had come to respect fight a student from another school with more experience than he possessed and win.  A specific group was screaming and cheering  with abandon.

Jaune jogged slightly towards his friends and jumped towards them.  As his jump started to descend down he let his semblance fade and landed not quite gracefully on their level.  Nearly the instant he landed Pyrrha pulled him into a crushing bear hug that made breathing very difficult.

She did not kiss him she did not try.  All she did was laugh, cry, and embrace him as hard as she possibly could.

By the time Pyrrha felt as though she could let go most of the students had moved on to their next class or to lunch, however such was not in the cards for Jaune.  When his hug ended his twin pulled him into another one.

Hugging Kate was different than Pyrrha.  Kate tended to enjoy just being wrapped up against a bigger body and soak in warmth.  She was not crying unlike Pyrrha, but just as much was emotion was shown on her face.  They did not need to speak.  That fight meant as much to her as it did him.  It validated so much to them.  They were not worthless they were not wastes of time.  They worked hard, wanted to work harder still and they had the potential to make that work ethic mean something.

Ms. Goodwitch might have smiled… she might even have had a tear in her eye.  Jaune was dear to her, Kate too.  The twins represented something Pure about being a Hunter that many students did not possess.  They would work harder, and give more than anybody else.  Winning was a validation of herself as a teacher.  They had more work to do, but Glynda did not even need to ask them to do it.  They wanted grow, therefore they would work.  In the absence of work to do, they would find something to do, some other exercise to do some part of their body to strength or any number of things to improve or perfect.  Deborah instilled the same habits in as many students she could, it put a smile on the strict teachers face that her youngest children possessed the same drive as their mother.

The group had long filed out of the room when Glynda decided that the other Arc in the room required some attention.

"Ms. Arc, I think it is time you moved on."  She advised to Jewel.

Jewel was still on her back breathing in deep gasps, but she stirred slightly at the prodding from the instructor.

She opened her mouth to speak, but seemed to be unable to come up with a proper response.  Jewel knew there was much she could say.  Something held her back… not ready to have that conversation yet.  She had just reclaimed her armor and placed Crocea Mors back on her hip when she screamed.

Loudly, painfully and clearly.

"Ms. Arc are you ok?"  Glynda asked concerned.

Jewel felt a white hot stabbing pain in her neck, as clearly as if the injury was being dealt to her.

"Ms. ARC!"  The teacher demanded again.

The pain was making her dizzy, none the less it passed after a moment and she was able to respond.

"Crystal…."  She worded under her breath.

"MS. ARC!!!"  Another demand for a respond.

"Yes Sorry Ma'am, I am ok."  At that she took off at a sprint to her dorm room concerned for her sister.

***Transfer Student Dorm***

Crystal was laying down on her bed trying to steady and slow her mind.  Today was a day where she did not have classes until the evening and as such, had some time on her hands.  She was tempted to go to the arena today to observe the match between her sister and brother.  Jewel she figured at least deserved to have one person rooting for her.  Sure her sister was a stubborn bear to handle sometimes and was not easy to be around in most situations.  But she was NOT evil, she had her faults that much is clear.  But she tried to do good and what is right to her.

A all too familiar pain stabbed through her neck and her arms made to clutch at it out of a reaction.

_Jewel?!?  What happened?  Oh no did something happen in their match!?_

She knew that safety precautions existed in the school but they were not foolproof.  The thought of her triplet being in danger spurred her to action.

"JEWEL!"  She shouted as she broke into a run out of her dorm to the arena.

She moved frantically running around students and the odd teacher alike.  Rounding a corner at breakneck speeds is often dangerous or at least not a suggested behavior at a school.

-CRASH-

She collided with a speeding body about her own size and weight sending both of them to the ground.

"Hey Watch!  JEWEL!"  Crystal exclaimed as she sat up.

"What… Crystal!  I felt… you are ok what…"  She started.

"I know I felt the same I thought you …"  She stammered out of concern.

"No I am … I'm not fine but I was not wounded.  If not you…"  Her gaze grew dark.

"Miyas"  They both concluded.

Miyas, the only none fighter amongst the Arc children Miyas was the final birth mate of the two blond sisters.  Despite sharing a talent for combat like her siblings Miyas decided to study economics and finance to take over the family business one day.  Both Lissette and Patricia of course knew that.  It was that fact which had been a subject of pain and misery for the three girls over their lives.

"We need to call home."  Crystal stated clearly pulling out her scroll.

Normally Miyas loved hearing from her closest sisters, a call where the line rang more than two times was exceedingly rare almost no matter the time of day.  So it was slightly alarming when after 3 calls, no answer was forthcoming.

"What in the world, what happened to her?"  Jewel wondered out loud…

They knew that mom had went back but… the subject of their sisters silence was concern for the pair.  None the less, no answer was readily available, and they could do nothing but go on with their day, however worried they were.

**13k words… AHHH!!  No!!! I cannot keep this trend up somebody help me!!**

**In all seriousness that was an important and necessary chapter and I hope it was a good one.**

**I remind everybody that I welcome feedback.  Leave a Comment/Review let me know what you think.  It helps being told what we as writers are doing well and what we can improve on.  It is almost magically seeing praise come in and that really helps keep writers motivated to churn out more content as quickly as we can.**

**I have several idea's for more romantic interactions both in and out of canon to the story.  Right now the biggest one is a continuation of the latest Arkos scene from the bonus chapter work.  If you have a request send me an IM or Email.  I would happily discuss what you would like to see.  Those bonus chapters I tend to write in between primary story chapters as something of a break.  If you have an idea, or some relationship you would like to see something content wise.  Hit me up and I will deliver it if I can.**

**Any questions concerns comments whatever comes to mind I will happily discuss and address.  Any suggestions for future content or idea's for what you would like to see in the story is also a welcome thing to send my way. I cannot remember everything despite my best intentions, more things being sent my way tends to help**

**I think that is enough for now.  Thank you for reading, thanks again for those people who have been with me from day one.  You all make writing this both a privilege and a pleasure.  See you all next time.**

**-Sean**


	20. Year 2 Winter: Puppets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune has won against his older sister... yet he is given no time to celebrate. Darkness waits for nothing, and the night was about to get very dark.

2.25

It had been a night for Deborah Arc.  The long flight to Cadia technically sent her back several hours.  As such she basically arrived in her home with another half a day of things to see to before being allowed to sleep.  That is, if she was able to sleep.  In truth, her mind would not stop moving in any number of directions.

Being a noble family her home was an exceeding beautiful and large place… even by the standards of the nobility.  It never ceased to astonish her how gorgeous it was when she returned home from a long time away especially in winter with plenty of snow coloring the scenery.  Being built into a mountain of sufficient size to house an airport at the peak the Arc's 'house' was more of an indomitable fortress not including the city below at the base.  It was built to survive a siege of Grimm, and in the darkest days of humanity, it did… repeatedly.  The spanning walls which became progressively taller and thicker the deeper into the mountain you went was a daunting challenge for any attacking force.  It might have been centuries from the last time it was called upon to defend itself, but its defenders were well trained and alert.

The entire city was built thusly protected.  Offering safe harbor for traveler and citizen alike without complaint or taxes.  Arc's historically were generous in and out of times of need.  Granted its location in the mountains meant it was not as well traveled as many locals, yet its position was an important one from a tactical standpoint.  Protecting the edges of multiple kingdoms from threats that could descend down the mountain… like Grimm often tried to do.

Despite its war like origins times were more peace oriented now, but that changed nothing for how the still gorgeous and sprawling structure that is Cadia or the surrounding city was also a somewhat depressing place to live.  Sure it's people were safe, as safe as they could be anywhere in Remnant.  The downside is that every wall, every corner, everywhere people would look or go inside the city reminded them that Grimm existed and nearly won.  That this place was built in a time of need, and despite the peace humanity had enjoyed for years, that peace could be shattered at any time.

Flying in to land on its upper most level granted a unique view.  Sure technically anybody had access to this port, but in truth, only nobles used it.  Another runway was accessible on the outskirts of the gigantic city which most used more commonly.  None the less the ability to fly materials in on the uppermost level was a critical boon which the ruling family ensured would never go away.

So it was that Deborah's plane landed and she descended down into her ancestral home.  The uppermost area which is of the mountain itself looking over the city was the home of the Arc's.  Few people, commoners or otherwise were allowed in.  The servants which assisted and helped everything run were among them as were any visitors of note.  More than those, that was about it.  If the Duke/Duchess or representative was needed for the common folk a rather elaborate grand hall was in place at the base of the mountain. 

With James Arc being disposed as Seneschal and in the absence of Eve, it was left to Miyas, the final triplet from the group Lissette and Patricia to be the one answering questions.

Miyas was happy to see Deborah, just as much as she was unhappy to hear that Jaune was now the Duke and the situation with her father.  She seemed… hesitant to speak citing she needed to organize her thoughts… and Deb did not press her. 

None the less a quick end to business was called that day.  As Deb had plenty to take care of. 

On the flight over she swore that she would rest greet her children who were at home first and foremost.  Secondly she would ensure anybody who was even possibly loyal to her husband would be out of their home… and out of the city as soon as she could possibly arrange it. 

She did not expect her first night in her home to be punctuated by a battle.  Much less a battle where people she knew for years had died.  Her daughter, Miyas, was nearly one of them.

After being awoken in the middle of the night by the aforementioned conflict and finding herself in a fight for her life a great deal of things happened.  Two situations which caused her family to be taken to the family infirmary for care… yet another thing she had to ensure James Masters paid for before his time was done.

"Ma'am."  A voice called cautiously getting her attention.

Deb stirred from her brooding position and turned to the voice.  "Yes Oscar?"  She asked.

Oscar Nulls, a friend of Deborah's for literally decades and a servant in her family's home for nearly a century still looked as if he were in his 60's.  She had yet to explain to her son how and why their family were so long lived and why those near them tend to enjoy the same … if similar benefits.  He would likely guess the Arc family semblance, and he would be right.  But it is something he would need to be told when she had the chance to complete his education.  Pyrrha, she knew would handle the weapons and physical training but She needed to finish off his education on their semblance at some point personally.

"Ma'am… I think you need to see something."  He stated sadly appearing very ill at ease.

"Oscar be direct I have had a long 2 days what do I need to see?" she asked sounding very tired.

"Ma'am… trust me this is something you need to see, it concerns your daughters… and son as the Duke."  He repeated sounding certain.

With reluctance and a hearty sigh Deborah followed.  Her home, just her home not the city below was still being helped back to its normal self.  In some cases the bodies of those who fell were still being attended too.  It weighed heavily on Deb, who took pride and responsibility for these people.  They were betrayed from within, and it was a challenge to keep as many people and life forms alive as they could.  She did the best she could… but it did not feel like enough.

None the less she kept thinking somewhat dark thoughts until she had finally reached the room in question.

"OK Oscar, what do you need me to see."  Deborah asked.

Off to the side on a bed was Evangeline, still recovering from last night.  She at least appeared to be breathing and resting comfortably.

A… and… Miyas… who … what am I seeing?

Deb walked very slowly and started to tremble as she approached the bed on which Miyas rested.  Miyas was nearly identical to her birth siblings.  Around 5'8 in a trim and lean build if slightly smaller in frame like Kate.  She might not be in hunter school but she takes care of herself despite not being as well toned or strong as the rest of her siblings.  None the less it was her open back that demanded her attention.

"That Ma'am… is what I felt you should see."  He sounded sad.

"I… Who … What… How…"

She balled her hands and grew agitated in her appearance nearly reaching an enraged state before she was able to speak again.

"I knew nothing about this?  What is… who?"  She demanded floundering.

Oscar just shook his head implying that he didn’t know.

Last night shook Deb's trust to its core of the personnel in her home, but she could trust this man.  She knew that without a doubt.

"Well, I know who might be able to tell me."  Deb stated pulling out her scroll.  Her eyes grew to pinpoints as she glared her angry glare at the contraption while she worked.

She initiated the call and it rang for more than Deb was comfortable with before the call was answered.

"Hello- Mom!  What-"  Her daughter said.

"Patricia, I have had a trying day and a half so I need you to be absolutely forthright and honest with me."  She put forth sternly, Crystal swallowed and seemed to understand that Mom meant business.

"Mom... sure but-"  She started again, Jewel appeared in the background appearing… depressed about something.

"I need you to explain to me why my daughter and your sister has whip scars covering her BACK!"  She asked harshly.  Both of her daughters eyes lit up with alarm, even as they struggled for what to say.

***Cadia The Night Prior***

Deborah's life had been saved by her instincts more than once.  It was difficult to convince people that she wasn't crazy at times as she spoke about them but she had learned to trust them.  There is a reason she slept with her weapon nearby, and that was especially true when she traveled.  In her home with as much security as she did, she did not think the same habit were necessary.

She might be rethinking her stance on that.

It might have been the light impacts on the floor which woke her up.  It might have been the slight whistling sound cutting through the air.  She did not know or care which.

She woke.

She rolled avoiding the knifes flying in the air.

She drew her weapon as she spun.

Her weapon nearly ended the fight at that moment.  The large man with a hood and mask was able to edge away from her swing and instead it only slightly dug a line in his chest.

"Clumsy… not the best assassin I have ever encountered."  Deb stated seriously.

He drew a small sword and made to engage in melee combat.

He was not without skill.  Deb had fought many times many fighters in her time and trained an equally impressive number.  This person likely went to combat school but was never exceptional.  The knifes he threw were skillfully done, that might have been his specialty.  Likely he expected his throwing knifes to be sufficient to end the battle before it really began.

Deb had seen his kind before.  He will attack hard and head on until he is convinced he cannot win, then try to run away.  The amount of time differs person to person but the pattern existed and was present in this one she felt.

As they traded blows across the room Deb spotted no less than 12 times she could have killed him in just the first few passing of the blade. 

Deb literally grabbed his wrist and held him still.

"You cannot win this fight."  She declared.

He growled, and tried to match power for power.

With a sigh Deb dropped her weapon trying for a solution that didn’t result in his death.

Gripping his hand still holding his sword with both hands a quick jerk broke his wrist.

The sword fell clanging to the ground.

He issued a pained cry and drew a second dagger with his off hand.

Deb knew her aura would shield her but decided against being too forward.  The Dagger could be poisoned after all more than one Hunter died due to underestimating a less trained adversary.

She rolled away picking up the sword he dropped and rose light on her feet carrying the sword reverse grip.

He rushed in trying for a quick stab:  A parry knocked it aside.

A frustrated overhead swing: A lazy sideways movement caused it to overshoot his target.

Grunting with anger a wild sideways swing: A block and a counter punch to his face.

The punch hit him cleanly sending him to the ground.

He just lay there nursing his broken arm breathless looking back at the older woman.  The mask denied any emotional reading, but you would think desperation or anger would be present.

"As you can see, you cannot beat me.  Surrender and I might yet you live."  The Matriarch issued confidently.

He reached up and lowered his hood revealing his eyes.

Deborah almost gasped.

It was like gazing at the eyes of a madman.  Like looking at an insane mask revealing pink filled eyes with no logic or reason to them.

"No Surrender."  He crackled appearing jittery.

In one motion he stood and sprinted at Deborah weapon held high.  He closed quickly… and Deb had just about enough of this encounter.

She threw the weapon low at the man's legs.  Her aim was true and it buried deep into his thigh.

A sharp pained yelp filled the room.

His run faltered.

Deb caught the falling man and flung him over her shoulder hard to the ground.

Before he could take a breath he was completely immobilized and disarmed staring at his own dagger pointed at his heart.

"Stand down you do not need to lose your life tonight."  She commanded.

He smiled madly, and thrust himself upwards into the weapon giggling like a madman.

"Wait what?!"  She stammered…. shocked.

He kept pushing his body up to the hilt and smiled, then he fell do the ground… and went still.

The pink finally left his eyes.

Deb was a touch shocked… as he was so close to her she realized he was young.  Very young.  TOO young.  Before life fully left his body she saw his eyes become scared, then he gasped a couple times, and only twitched…

Deb did not understand what just happened.  This entire encounter felt… wrong.  So wrong that she briefly considered trying to heal the boy, but decided she did not know enough yet to risk surrendering too much of her aura yet.  One assassin tried, more could yet try tonight after all.

After a second she recovered enough to study the man's clothing closer.

He wore full dark clothing that much was already obvious… but.  Still something did not feel right. 

None the less, she did not want to take his life.  It took her a bit before her mind pulled together enough to act further.

She knew this man.  She knew his father and his father's father.  They all were loyal to her family… have been for generations.  He … was too young to die...  Why?  Why would he…

The sound of something shattering outside her room brought her attention outside.

"What in the…?" She voiced to herself as she moved to recover her traditional blade.

A crash outside put her confusion to rest as she pulled her attention outside her room.  Within a few rushed steps she exited her room sword in hand.

It was like the scene out of a nightmare.  Those were the best words she had to describe it.

From her balcony she looked down to her home's interior.  Friend fought friend.  People who had known each other for as long as they had been alive, were suddenly trying to kill each other.

She had been a warrior for as long as she could remember.  She knew what to do in the event of an attack by Grimm or some hostile army.  You ensure the perimeter is secure and as the ruling party ensure everybody is where they need to be as you assess the threat and see to the damage.

Nowhere in her upbringing was she prepared for this… whatever this was.  Bodies were everywhere.  She did not even know who to trust or who to protect, who to rush to or assist.  Occasionally she could make a logical assumption, the person in night clothes is on her side and the guy in black leather was not.  But not in every case was in that obvious.

None the less she started at the top and worked her way down.  If they were deemed friendly, they were helped if not… they were dealt with.  That did not make what she was doing or forced to do easy.  Taking life is not something she enjoyed, but that night would prove she had to do a great number of things she did not want to do.

Such as when she finally reached the area where some of her animals were kept.  It was the choking like whine that drew her attention.  She moved towards them as quickly as her body would allow.  The sight she took in was one that instantly filled her with rage.

Somebody was trying to strangle her dogs.

Tyrion and Teclis were still at Beacon, but the two females, the ones who were carrying pups.  Somebody is trying to kill them.  Somebody was trying to strangle them.

He even looked at her… crazy… he had to be crazy.  He crackled maniacally and just stared at Deborah laughing as he tried to tighten the line around the animals throat.

Deborah has had to kill some people in her life, the vast majority of the time it was in self defense.  That time, it wasn't.  

She marched up seething at the sight.  He did not make a move to protect himself.

She decided against a swing of her weapon… the maniac might just raise the dogs in front of them and that would be horrible.  Instead she cracked the hilt of her weapon into the man's forehead.  She was not in her semblance thus the force of her blow was only that of a strong and angry woman.

Thus he survived the blow, but ended up on his back obviously dazed.

"Stand down, I will kill you if you push me anymore."  She threatened.

It was like a scene where the villain just did not stay down.  He reached into his Jacket… and pulled out a gun. 

That was the limit of the Hunter's tolerance.

One clean motion, one sword puncturing his chest and pressing on into the stone below.  One more life taken.  Once again, the individual did not even have his aura unlocked. 

She glared down at the body of the… madman for an unknown length of time before she remember what she caught him doing.

The weak, pained whining of the golden dogs literally made her heart wrench, none the less she was supremely thankful for her semblances healing.

Once the two Golden's were healed, she could take a tally of what was around her.  Deborah was a softhearted person, always had a weakness for animals.  She owned many.  Several dogs, cats, even horses considered the Arc home theirs as well.  The 2 Golden Companions present seemed to be ok, yet many other animals were dead.  Some stabbed others shot… some strangled.  All gentle creatures who did not deserve their fates.

Deb had knelt down to try and comfort the remaining animals for the moment focusing on them.  Some footsteps drew her attention to behind her.  This man she recognized.  He was in a suit, one of her security staff... the man in charge of it in fact.

"Good you are here, give me some idea of what is happening please."  She worded confidently.  The man before her was somebody she had known for nearly 3 decades.  Somebody who had helped her brother before herself in the duty of ruling the territory.

"Certainly Ma'am.  I passed by the stable on the way here.  Hercules and Megara did not survive the night."  He said flatly.

Deb cursed, Hercules and Megara were her two horses.

"Head back up top and make sure the wounded get cared for, I will head below and try to get a tally of what is going on."  She ordered quickly growing bloodthirsty for whoever was responsible for this.

She started to walk towards the next level down to keep with her sweeping pattern.  The passage became too narrow for her to carry or reliably swing her weapon, as such she stowed it in its holster and resolved to remain alert.

The weapon cocking put her back in an alarmed state.  The soft footsteps in the room echoing down the hallway behind her made it all the more pronounced… they were not going upstairs as she instructed.

"I can tell you what is going on fool woman.  James Masters sends his regards."  He said coldly.

The weapon fired.

A panicked dodge to the side.  A grazed wound on her side ripped through her clothing but protected her body by her aura.  A pained grunt was issued as she span with her eyes and face burning in nothing but anger. 

She ran at him, another shot, another graze wound to her shoulder.  She leapt in the air, another shot, a miss.

Kicking off the wall she landed in a roll and rose to engage in control over the weapon.

His eyes were normal… This man was not under the influence of anything and was simply a traitor.

"I TRUSTED YOU!  MY BROTHER TRUSTED YOU!!"  She roared furiously.

"You will die just like him too."  He responded with a smirk straining against the veteran hunter.

That turned out to be a tactical error on his part.  Mentioning Robert in that manner was most unwise.

With a savage roar she torque hard to the side, hard enough to temporarily lift him off the ground and into the wall.

Deborah had tried to be merciful up till that point.  At this point at this time in her life, she could not.

He did not even have a chance to pick himself off the ground before an equally savage grip was applied to his neck when a sickening crack signaled the end of another life that night.  Tossing the body aside she stood up again.

She could have continued to scream her feelings at the body below her… A large part of her wanted too.  A different part of her won out and decided that the life's of her family or friends was more important than her desire to shout at this time. 

Her thoughts eventually converged to her daughter Miyas.  If she herself was the target of an assassin, then it is possible Miyas was as well… and without hunter combat training she might not be able to fight them off.

After Igniting in her semblance readying herself for potentially more battles to come she sprinted down towards her daughters room.

***Visitors Dorm at Beacon Present time***

Crystal and Jewel just finished an enlightening conversation with their mother…

Enlightening… and alarming might be the right words.

'You need to talk to your brother.  TONIGHT.  I will call ahead and ensure he knows you are coming.  These lies end tonight you two.  We will talk about it ourselves more but this needs to become known immediately.' She had instructed not moments before.

The two sisters were silent for a moment… possibly many moments following the call ending before speaking again.

"I do not want to talk to Jaune… I cannot see him now."  Jewel claimed.  She had finished with her shower after their evening workout just moments before and still seemed depressed over the day's events.

"Jewel.  We need to do this."  Crystal claimed sternly.

"Why?  He was given a title he does not deserve.  Regardless of the fact that he beat me I have yet to change my mind on that."  Her sister claimed.

Crystal smiled sadly and moved over to sit on her sisters bed next to her.

"Jewel.  Human minds will not change overnight.  I will not hold that against you.  But you need to accept fact.  The call from mother, the fact that Jaune beat you.  You need to change just as he has changed."  She spoke softly, but sternly.

"But He-"

"What is worthy sister, who decides who is worthy or not?"  She raised her voice a touch.

Crystal almost never overrode her elder sisters word, but she felt she needed too here.

"What?"

"Was Eve worthy Lissette?  Just because she is older than us?  Was mom worthy when She took the title in place of her brother despite not being groomed for it or a politician?  It is like she said people will grow into the role they are given.  Jaune cares for life Liss.  I think he will do fine once he is given a chance.  Today proved he at least deserved an opportunity."  She stated taking the hand of her sister in her own.

"How… how can I… how can we face him after what we did?  I at least partially… mostly thought it was right you… never did."  She claimed as she looked to the ground.

"Liss… We can face him because it is the right thing to do.  We made mistakes, everybody does.  But I will try to own up to mine.  I suggest you do the same."

Jewel looked up and held her gaze for as long as she could, but it fell away after several seconds.  She shook her head.

"Ok… I will go alone.  I hope you find yourself Sister."  She gave her a quick hug, but turned to leave the room.

The cold air of winter greeted Crystal… Patricia Arc as she opened the door.  She had pulled on her winter coat but even so the chill was noticeable… not nearly as bad as winter in Cadia, but still chilly.

She had made no more than a dozen steps towards her destination when the door opened up again.

She turned and saw Jewel… Lissette Arc step out looking out of place… but determined.

"I'm proud of you… I think you are doing the right thing."  Crystal… Patricia stated with a smile.

"That remains to be seen…"  Lissette commented moving slowly.

They moved crunching the snow in light steps for several paces before they spoke again.

"I was thinking something Liss."  Patricia stated.

Lissette continued to walk, listening but looking down.

"I think we should stop using our middle names."  She suggested.

Lissette stopped moving.  After 2 steps Patricia stopped too and looked back at her.

"Why?"

Patricia put her hands in her pockets as she answered.

"Lissette… Using our middle names was our dads idea.  He just tried to kill our sister… more than that.  He … well you know what he did.  I will not follow his example anymore."  She confessed simply.

"Easy for you to say… I … I did it all with a smile on my face… How…"  Lissette started to say.

"How… I don't know, how but to do what mom is telling us is right… what you are agreeing with."  She finished.

Patricia took the few steps to get in front of her sister and hugged her again, this time the hug was returned.

"I cannot tell you how, but I think you know what mom would suggest."  She smiled sadly.

She was quite for several seconds before she replied… though she instantly came to the phrase Patricia was waiting for.

"Listen to my heart?"  Lissette stated simply.

Patricia just issued a solemn "Mhmm".

Lissette kept her silence for nearly a minute before speaking again.

"What if… What if my heart is confused?"  She asked.

Crystal considered her reply for a moment before remembering another line her mother was credited with regularly quoting.

"It is the small person who cannot admit when they are wrong.  We always discounted moms lessons in the past.  I think it is time we start considering them Liss.  Dad was wrong about Jaune, you were wrong in the same way.  Prove that you are able to admit it and grow beyond that."  She stated still hugging her.

"But… I don't"

"You don't have to fix everything right away.  Jaune is the head of the house now.  He needs to know what happened.  I think you need to try.  Do what you have to do, you have some time before we get to his room anyway to think."

Lissette was good at many things and even excellent in several of them.  Of the things she was good at… This certainly did not qualify as one.  She can't classify it as apologize… as she didn’t think she was sorry for what she did.  In fact she believed that forced under the same circumstances Kate and Jaune would have done the same.  Even so… she needed to move beyond that somehow.

The two siblings were embraced in that hug for several minutes before.  Before continuing on their path.

***Cadia Around 4 am the previous night***

Once she entered her semblance Deborah had a better idea of what was going on around her as information started to come in from everything and everyplace her aura could come into contact with.  It had been a long battle, but it was slowly going in her family's favor no small part thanks to her own involvement.  None the less she had yet to find whom she was trying to find.  The fight was far from over, and her semblance kept reporting back a great number of details about what was happening around her.

What she was gathering was not a pleasant bundle of information to learn.  Her side was winning as she already knew… but that was only because of superior numbers.  Far more casualties were on her side than belonged to whomever the aggressor was.

The citizens below seemed ok, but it seemed like nearly half of her staff had either never truly been hers, or had betrayed her family.  Next to her son being disowned following her knowledge of his infection.  Or her brother Robert dying suddenly, tonight was probably the most painful and hard day of her life.  Her home might never have truly been her home in her mind.  To her Beacon was home.  But this was the place of her birth.  It was a place she was swore to protect and uphold.  Seeing these sights with bodies littering the floor, some of which she herself put down was not an easy thing to do.

None the less she moved as quickly as caution would allow towards her children's wing of the spanning house.

Her instincts told her to run, run faster, there is danger.  She listened to them without a second thought.

Around the corners and down the hallways she ran.  Less bodies were on the ground now, that… she thought was a good sign.

The sounds of a struggle alerted her.  She would not have heard them without her semblance boosting her senses, but she heard them and moved towards it at a sprint.

The word was faint. "HELP"

None the less, she heard it clearly.

Throwing her shoulder against Miyas' door she burst it open… She was not pleased with the sight.

Evangeline… she had returned.  Deborah had neither heard nor seen her eldest daughter for months… yet now she saw her.  That.. was not all she saw, emotions long held down began to surface.

James Arc was also before her… standing with his hands behind his back looking confident.  He wore if anything an even more arrogant smile on his face than he normally did.

"YOU!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?  DO YOU REALIZE HOW MANY LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST!?"  She screamed gripping her weapons hilt still in its holster.

It was then she realized -exactly- what she was seeing.

Eve was standing behind Miyas, with an arm around her throat as her semblance ran.  Her younger daughter looked very pale and was struggling to breath in the semblance powered grip of her eldest sister.

The image preened himself as if realizing what his wife was beginning to see before her.  "Oh there you are foolish woman.  Sadly for you this is just an image of me.  I hope you enjoy the decoration to your home given the additions.  Your daughter has a few things to say to you on the subject of the title being passed to another.  I will leave you two to hash it out."  At that, the image vanished as the projector carried by Eve shut off.

"Eve what-"

She could not speak more.  Eve was dressed in the manner she normally did as a hunter, though she looked like she hasn't bathed in weeks.  She carried Xalphur, her weapon she had specially ordered on her back.  She raised up her right arm using her left to restrain Miyas, and Deb's heart nearly stopped as she saw the knife she carried.

"Eve… listen to me."  She implored.

No effect, like she didn’t hear or maybe even comprehend what she was doing or whom she was speaking with.

"EVE YOU HAVE TO-"

Deb couldn’t speak further.  Her mind froze, she could barely breath.

Eve jabbed the knife through her sisters neck.

Miyas issued a pained howl though she couldn’t complete it.

Eve let her body fall to the ground as she drew her weapon from her back.

Miyas fell, blood pouring to the ground and her breath came in gasps.

Miyas was clutching her neck on the ground and appeared to be in pain… She looked pleadingly at her mother unsure what to do.

"MIYAS!!! EV-"  Deb noticed another thing that terrified her that night.

Eve's eyes were normally sunset orange as she used her semblance.  Right now… it was a very familiar and terrifying pink.  Pink, insane and without a shred of humanity in them.

"EVE GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF PLEASE!"  Another beg.

Eve just took her weapon and held it like a spear.  She put a foot on Miyas' back as she aimed the staff at the wounded girl on the ground.

An obvious threat.  Fight me, or Miyas dies.

She never phased out of her semblance, and she didn’t realize she could cry while in it.  But she did, she hated everything about this situation and swore she would have justice for the lives of those she had to take tonight… whomever still were to be added to that tally.

She drew her weapon hating herself as she did it.  Blood fighting blood never had a happy ending in her experience.  But it was either loose one daughter for absolute fact, or possibly lose more through inaction.

"Eve… Please don't make me do this."  A final desperate plea.

Evangeline, just started to spin her weapon above her head gathering momentum and jumped soaring to her mother.

Blade clashed against Bo staff, both of the women fighting… were shedding tears.  One of them… was forced to do it on the inside.

***JNPR RWBY Dinner Table Present day***

Jaune had a long day.  None the less he got his morning workout in, he … somehow managed to win his match against his sister and had more Aura than he figured possible afterwards.  He got an afternoon workout in.  Through it all he can feel himself getting stronger and improve as a fighter.

He also got to see a rather terrifying side of Pyrrha too.

He was never really one to keep track of his physique or musculature.  He knew he was getting stronger, and that’s all he cared about.  However when a freshman transfer student, a cute blond from Haven walked up to him to give his arm a squeeze while flirting heavily and obviously… well Pyrrha crushing the coffee mug she currently was utilizing was proving enough of the danger at hand.  Flexing her fists so that her knuckles popped just jolted the table awake alerting them to the danger.  It was quickly contained… but the burning glare in the redheads eyes spoke that the girl was in mortal peril for flirting with Jaune.

Jaune thankfully, was smart enough not to return the friendly flirts.

In one of the rare instances that Nora was the more level headed of the group she politely lead the blond girl away to safety as she was clearly unaware of the fact that her life was in mortal peril.  All the while Pyrrha sent a glare strong enough to melt a diamond at her back.

That anyway was his lunchtime entertainment.

The rest of the day passed more or less like any other day on campus.  Lots of work, lots of exercise, lots of studying.

But, no more Jewel standing proverbially over his head.  He felt it in his heart that the matter was not solved.  He won today.  He did do that.  He might not have expected too, but he did beat his sister cleanly… with a fair amount of aura left over.  However… he wanted peace with his sisters.  Not just for his sake but as the head of the house, he needed them friendly towards him.  If not friendly than neutral.  If not neutral than not hostile.

All things he considered as he ate his meal quietly enjoying the fire while the rest of his friends sat at the dinner table.  That night Kate decided to showcase her talents as a chef taking a hand at one of the many recipes she had learned in her travels.  She called it 'delicious', which he knew to be a byword for 'I really cannot pronounce it so just shut up and enjoy it'.  As such, he tried.  He did not much care for conversation right now as his mind was still running through the implications of his fight today, but that did not mean he was unhappy.

They were all energetic and upbeat.  Talk was covered on a multitude of topics, Jaune listened from his spot even if he did not take part in the conversation.

"Kate nice job today with Cardin.  I still cannot believe you beat him and made it look so easy."  Ruby put forth cheerfully.

Kate was busy chewing and did not respond but nodded and smiled.

"Honestly he deserved it for his actions.  If he did that to me I would have removed his arm."  Weiss put forth indignantly, obviously referencing… well the group knew what she was referencing.

Kate finally swallowed "Thank you, it felt good to start out well in the class.  I have a long way to go though so… I can't get a big head."  She claimed humbly before tearing hungrily into her food again.

Weiss observed her answer… looking nearly identical in how she answered the question to Jaune.  A compliment, and a humble answer.  She could have elaborated on what Kate said.  Maybe Jaune and Kate were simply incapable of seeing how they look to the rest of them.  Kate knew she was attractive and Jaune well… he was too.  They both were already in incredible shape… but it was like they didn’t care about how much they had grown.  All they cared about is the next session with how much they could still grow.  They wanted to turn the page to start work on the next thing to improve or work on mastering.  It… said something for their character that they will never stop improving… until they simply can't anymore.

Ruby looked over at her partner and they shared a glance.  Ruby just nodded and smiled reassuringly.

The Reaper almost read the thoughts of her girlfriend.  It was something the girls on her team spoke about sometimes before going to sleep… sometimes more akin to a somewhat heated argument:  How much some of their friends had grown.  The twins seemed to grow every day.  Something about their habits just caused and forced change.  Ruby could tell that just in the brief time Weiss had semi joined in for the mornings, that she had changed too.  Already her body looked more toned and she did not tire anywhere near as easily… in various activities.  Previously her team had spoken of all joining in the mornings.  It was a difficult reoccurring argument but the subject had come several times and if today's performance repeated itself a few more times… well the pressure would be even higher.   All they needed to do is look at Pyrrha.  She was easily the strongest fighter in the class… yet she never quit, never stopped working just like her boyfriend and his twin.  The fact that she was the best did not stop her from trying to improve as much as possible every day.

Ruby looked across the table at her sister.  Yang was a holdout.  Not because she was not willing to join, but because her partner wasn't.  Blake was cautious and did not like being in a crowd.  They normally used the weight and training rooms when nobody else was near.  But even Blake was starting to come around to the rest of the girls way of thinking.  Nobody ever said it… but JNPR clearly worked harder than any other team in the school.  It was only a matter of time until they were equally clearly the best.  The two groups were friends and sister teams… but that did not mean that RWBY wanted to get left behind.

"Pyrrha… We were thinking."  Ruby started cautiously deciding to at least bring the subject up.

Yang just sharpened her gaze… but did not stop her sister.

Pyrrha looked up politely and smiled signaling the other girl to continue.

"We… thought-"

A scroll ringing cut the thought short.  They recognized the ring… it was Jaune's scroll.  However he wasn't at the table and was several feet away.

Kate cleaned herself off with a  napkin and read her brothers look to answer the call by picking up the scroll.

"Jaune… It's mom."  She said slightly alarmed.

"Go ahead and answer it."  The Knight claimed quietly looking back to the table.

"Hi mom….-"  Kate stated… but noted the… abnormal expression and tired expression on the others face.

"Kate is Jaune around?  I need to talk to him.  It's important."  She said simply if seriously.

"I'm here Mom… What's up?"  He stated raising his voice as he moved behind his sister.

"You both are there… good.  I realize that this is probably not what you wanted to hear at all tonight but I just spoke to Jewel and Crystal."  She advised.

The twins expression grew serious and in Kate's case slightly dark.

"Ok… go on"  Kate stated.

"They are going to arrive at your dorm before your nightly workout.  You both need to talk to them.  I would suggest the group speaks to them but… if not all of them at least you two."  She stated simply and clearly.

Jaune could not help but sighing in frustration.  He did not believe the situation with his family was over but he thought he had earned AT LEAST a night where he didn’t have to have it brought up again.

"Mom… we just fought today why would we need to speak so soon?"  Jaune asked perplexed.

"Jaune… Cadia was attacked.  Miyas was seriously wounded and remains in critical condition.  Eve… something happened to her.  She is better now but… You need to talk to Jewel and Crystal.  If not because they are your siblings but because you are the Duke now.  You have to at least hear what they have to say."  She sounded completely serious.

The twins just looked at each other as the table went completely silent.

"Cadia was attacked?"  Pyrrha asked to break the silence.

"Yes… They will tell you more.  I would say it myself but I need to focus on what is happening at home for now.  You two spoke with your weapons already, I hope you will be able to speak with your minds too.  Please promise me you will at least try?"  She implored.

Jaune sighed again… Kate just lowered her face to the table.  Neither of them wanted this.  He put his hand on his sisters back shoulder.  She reached up and gripped it with a firm but gentle squeeze.

"Ok… we will try, when will they get here?"  He asked.

"Well… They will be knocking on the door any minute I suppose…  Jaune… Katherine.  The situation is more complex than you know… I just discovered something today that… Well I am deeply upset by it.  They will tell you.  But you both need to hear it."

She looked off to the side answered something, then looked back.

"I need to go.  Call me if something comes up.  Love you both, be safe."  She smiled and waved, then ended the call.

The group was silent for a good bit of time.  Jaune just found a seat and rested his head against the table mirroring Kate.

"I did not think you would encounter your sisters again so soon."  Pyrrha claimed concerned.

"Yeah… Me either."  Jaune admitted quietly.

"Cadia attacked?  You would think it would be all over the news."  Weiss claimed checking her scroll.

"Nothing… no word of it nothing."  She finished her thought.

 Ren observed his friend and sister, both seemed… out of it.

"Who all do you want with you Jaune?"  He asked his friend.

Jaune put his chin on his hands and semi looked up.

"It isn't my call… Kate and I need to be present… you all can too if you want."  He stated simply.

Pyrrha and Ren shared a look.  From the look in the redheads face there was no doubt about it whatsoever.  If Jewel was in a room with Jaune, she was going to be with him.

From there he turned to his longtime friend.

Nora just shook her head "I might go into leg breaking mode I think I will stay outside."

Several others made their own mindsets known, and a few minutes later as predicted… there was a knock on the door.

Nobody made to move, until Ruby stood.

"I'll get it."  She said simply.

The Reaper put on a brave face as she walked and opened it up.

Jewel and Crystal were indeed outside… and they appeared… conflicted.

Neither of the Blond girls spoke for several seconds until Crystal stated:

"We can do this in the doorway but it would probably be more comfortable sitting down."  She tried to smile… she failed, but she tried.

Jewel just look… very out of it.

"Ok, come in."  Ruby stated standing back slightly.

The two newcomers obviously did not feel comfortable in their surroundings, but they took off their coats and stowed them on a hanger near the door.

What Ruby was not expecting was for the door to sound again shortly after it closed.

Ruby once again opened it revealing Ms. Goodwitch.

"Oh Hi Professor can I ….?"  She started… but faltered.

Ms. Goodwitch did not ask for permission to enter… she just did.

The older Arcs in the room looked at Glynda unsure about her purpose.

"Your mother called me and told me of the situation.  I felt given the history between you all I should at least be nearby to mediate."  She stopped and sniffed.

"That… and whatever that is smells delicious."  She commented heading to the dinner table after stowing her coat.

Ruby smiled and shut the door again.

Jewel and Crystal stood in the commons area for a moment and played with the two dogs for a few minutes while the group figured out what's happening.  Both golden's were surprisingly happy to see them.

After a time Jaune sighed… but gave his sister a nudge.

She nodded in response and they both stood.

Pyrrha stood with them and said "I'm going to get my gear."

"Pyrrha… no."  Jaune said simply shaking his head.

The Spartan stopped, and looked back.

"We won't need weapons tonight, Right?"  He asked looking at his sisters down further in the room.

They nodded back… Crystal a touch more energetically than Jewel.

"Besides that is why we have Ms. Goodwitch nearby…"  He smiled at the school teacher who was digging in quite freely into the excess food.

Pyrrha sighed… and did not appear happy but accepted it.  The two elder siblings did not bring their weapons… The hosts could return the favor.

The 3 of them shared another look… and they basically were of the same mind.  They had a workout still to do that day… but they needed to finish up this business first.

"Where are we going to do this?  In the commons room?"  Crystal asked.

Jaune had moved nearer to them and shook his head "No… we can do it in our dorm commons area."

At that, The Knight, The Ghost, The Spartan, and his sisters all moved into the said area.  A few of the friends were still finishing their meal.

Once inside the JNPR room with the smaller more personal area they all found a seat and just looked at each other for several seconds after starting up the fire place.  It was obvious both parties were nervous, and were unsure of how to proceed.

"I guess I will start us out.  Why did you come here?"  Jaune asked simply, but calmly and in a friendly voice.

Jewel and Crystal both looked at each other.

"We… have much to discuss."  Crystal stated softly as she settled in to her seat… Jewel appeared very out of place… and tried to do the same.

***Cadia Mid Morning the same day***

Deb's mind was moving a mile a minute thinking on a hundred different things.  Her rage at seeing an image of her husband.  That same individual taunting her about the state of her eldest daughter.  That woman attempting to attack her at the very moment, and of course Miyas on the ground looking barely alive.  Every step she took, every breath she took.  Every time she blinked, was another moment draining on the chances of her daughter.  The hourglass had been spun and time waited for no one.

Xalphur was not a bladed weapon, but it could deliver bone breaking strikes just as easily as it could turn into a longbow and deliver lethal shots from range.  Deb had no idea how the weapon would hold up to her own… but she was struggling to fight with lethal force against her daughter.

Eve did not seem to have the same restraint.

She attacked relentlessly.  An overhead two handed swing into a sideways circular spin back into trust.

Again and Again, more attacks more blocking or dodging.

Eve was conditioned, she was strong, she was skilled and she had a great deal of talent in her.

At this point Deb had moved beyond verbal pleas.  Whatever happened to Eve made it so she was beyond her reach with words.  She just hoped nothing irreversible was done to her.

That is not to say that Eve is an easy person to face.  However… it was either possibly lose one child… or definitely lose one or more.

It was a painful thing to decide.  But an easy one.

Eve had to be beaten and quickly.

More elaborate swings and attack patterns came at her.  Some even hit Deborah.  She was not trying to avoid damage to her aura.  She could take plenty of damage when she had too.  For this to have a favorable outcome.  Something needed to happen fast and she needed the right opportunity.

Eve did not seem interested in pursuing Deb as she retreated away.  No it was like she was just trying to keep her away from Miyas.  She would fight, force the older woman to retreat, then go back into a defense stance with her staff.

Deciding enough is enough, Deb acted.  Probably in a way Eve did not predict.

She threw her weapon.  If she moved to block the sword… which she was more than capable of doing, Deborah might be able to close and try to subdue Eve without the use of a potentially killing stroke.

It spun in the air end over end heading straight for the younger blond woman.

That… was when things went very wrong.

Eve smiled.

She phased out of her semblance.

She dropped her weapon.

She closed her eyes.

She… seemed to lose her balance and look down to the side.

Finally she looked forwards then opened them up again and appeared confused… she looked normal again.

Deb panicked.

"EVE!"  She shouted.

Evangeline finally took in the sights… her eyes became huge and saw the weapon quickly approaching.

Not in time to do anything about her predicament however.

A clean hit, right on her shoulder digging into her torso.

"NO NO NO NO NO NO!"

Another body ended up on the ground… it twitched, it shuddered, and it struggled to breath.

Her eyes barely focused, even if they looked somewhat normal…

"Moothherrr…."  She said weakly… then her eyes rolled into her head and her body went limp.

"Eve Hold on!"  Deb shouted desperation lacing her voice.

She dragged Eve's body across the floor back to Miyas leaving a trail of blood on the ground.  Her other daughter had gone very still but was still breathing weakly.

Never before has she focused so much on healing in her semblance.  Something about the situation forced her to focus and try to heal both at once.  Dividing her mind on two bodies was exhausting, draining and beyond demanding… yet with discipline it can be done.  Deborah did not know until nearly an hour later if she knew she was successful or not… not that she was aware of the time which transpired.

"MRS. ARC?  ARE YOU NEAR?!"  A voice called.

Her mind could barely register the call given that the lives of two people were dependant on her focus.

"Here!"  She tried to scream, but couldn't.  No breath, no focus… just… numb.

The staff managed to follow her voice and find her.  Oscar was the man organizing the search it seemed.

Deb did not realize it but roughly an hour passed before she was able to relax.  Help arrived, and with it came multiple people with arms and protective gear.  Medical staff arrived on the scene and aided the wounded.  Eve and Miyas were carted off to the medical wing, not better, but not dying at least.

The Matriarch was being pulled in just about every possible direction with more emotions than she could comprehend clearly at this time.  Her children were gravely wounded… but alive.  Her home was attacked, but becoming secure.  Her husband… or an image of him appeared taunting her, and once again he got out of her grasp.  He might not have been physically near, but she was assured he was in the city.  However with her personal reduced to what it was she could not order a man hunt.  Cadia kept a military on hand, but the activation of it would take time and possibly even cause a panic.  By the time she could have the city secure, he would be long gone.

That brought about the close of a very long and agonizing day for her.  It succeeded in doing something however that was likely not expected for any party.  It proved that James still had influence at her home.  Eve had to be how those not in her employ got inside.  She did not arrive unknown, and Deb was not informed of her daughters arrival.  She did not know if all those not loyal perished in the fighting… but it seemed unlikely.

All her life she hated the political game… several people had resisted her for no other reason than she isn't a politician.   Now… well they had pushed her to the point that she would push back.  A meeting would be called soon.  If they didn’t show up that would be too obvious.  They would be more cunning than that.  Well… she possessed some cunning in her too.  She also held an advantage.  It would not be Deborah Arc the Matriarch pretending to be a politician when they gathered.  It would be a mother who just had her children threatened and her home assaulted by a hostile force.  It would be A Warrior who entered that room, with all the priorities of one.

***JNPR DORM ROOM Current Time***

Shortly after the conversation began Ruby joined in.

"Somebody from my team needs to be here."  She said simply.  She accepted no arguments and deflected any complaints that came… none did… but she held to her beliefs.

The first thing Crystal did was set out her scroll, and play a conversation from earlier that day out for them.  Deb first calling them divulged a great deal of information that included several pictures.  Eve wounded but resting on a bed with bandages covering a horrific wound to her shoulder and torso.  It was the other sibling which was caused the most distress, Miyas with the wound on her neck under control… and the numerous whip scars… over 100 of them.  That was where the conversation ended.

It was that picture which proved to be more than Ruby was able to handle.

"I… please wait…" She stated as she ran out of the room, leaving a trail of tears in her wake.

***Commons Room***

Not 10 minutes into entering the room… Ruby ran out in tears.

"Rubes… what."  Yang asked somewhat alarmed as her sister ran by.

"Ruby did something…"  Weiss started to say… but realized she was misjudging the situation.

Glynda had finished impromptu meal and was sitting down playing with the two dogs observing the scene.

"Ruby, what is wrong?"  She asked.

"Pictures… Horrible Pictures… I couldn't watch anymore."  She said as she sat down... she still let out the occasional sob long after her tears were under control.

Weiss and Yang exchanged concerned glances.  Ruby wasn't exactly squeamish but… she was kind hearted. 

"Somebody from our team needs to be in that room.  This cannot be all on Jaune and them."  Yang claimed.

Blake caught the gaze of her partner as she moved over to Ruby and sat down next to her.

Yang took that to mean it's her job to be present.

"Ok… guess I'll go."  The Brawler stated simply.

"I think I should go too…" Weiss stated cautiously… she was a touch torn.  She wanted to go with her teammate just as much as she wanted to stay with her partner.

"Well they won't wait for long.  This has got to be uncomfortable for everybody in that room."  Ren claimed, he wouldn’t mind being there for his friends either but… felt in this case he should let another go.  There was only so many chairs around the fireplace to go around.

Weiss and Yang looked at each other again.

Weiss was probably more accustomed to politics than Yang… but Yang was probably better suited to sibling concerns than Weiss.  When Yang headed for the door, she went unopposed.

***JNPR Commons***

One sibling exited… another entered.

The group was not really happy with prolonging the conversation… but they gave Yang a brief rundown of the conversation and showed her the pictures which prompted Ruby to leave.

The Brawler had a better handle on her tears than her sister did… even so her eyes turned Red on the scars.

"Crystal-"  Jaune started to say.

She shook her head "Jaune… Lissette and I… we went by our middle names cause it is something dad did and insisted we do.  With him… doing this.  We will not use them anymore."  She said simply.

Lissette looked at her sister… but did not speak.

"Jaune… Lissette and I… we have wronged you.  I will not deny that.  But… we were not completely to blame."  Crystal…. Patricia started to say.

Patricia made to speak more… but stopped when Lissette put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure?"  She asked.

Jewel… Lissette just nodded.

"Jaune… Kate.  You two share a connection, you always have.  We know it, you know it.  You can do so much with so little in terms of communication.  You understand each other in a way that best friends never can."  She stated simply.

That much was true enough the friends in the room agreed on.

She took a breath "Miyas, Patricia and I.  We share a much stronger one.  You two can read each other's thoughts at times… We can literally feel ours, it’s a much stronger more complete binding.  When one suffers a physical injury…we all feel it too.  That is why Miyas has those scars on her back."

Kate and Jaune just looked at each other while Pyrrha gripped his shoulder very tight.

"Why?"  Yang asked seeing the twins were confused.

"He used her… to control us.  There… is a reason Miyas was never taught to fight or defend herself…  why dad insisted that you two submit to the same thing.  I did things to you two at home… in some cases I enjoyed doing it.  I was always different than everybody else… More… cruel.  It is who I am.  It felt natural to me.  So when Father insisted I do certain things… it was easier to get me to do them.  If either of us resisted or did not do as he asked… well those scars are the result.  We did much… but we did not do more."  She claimed with an abnormally sad look to her face.

"No.  No I don't buy it.  No way.  Mom would have stopped it all you had to do is tell her and she would have stopped it.  That is the proof that Jaune and I never had all those years and it was on Miyas' back the whole time.  No I do not, I WILL not believe you not that easily."  Kate claimed, she definitely did not appear happy talking about this or the possibility of them not being fully to blame.

Both of the two visitors made to speak but Jaune stopped it with a raised hand.  He sighed and took a deep breath.  After a time he looked at his girlfriend.

He simply said "Pyrrha."

Her gaze hardened and she huffed… but understood what Jaune wanted her to do.

She walked in front of Patricia and said "Stand up."

Pyrrha crossed her arms… but tried to stay friendly in posture.

Patricia stood… and looked at her right in the eye.

"Go on then."  Pyrrha said.

Lissette took a deep breath and spoke on.

"Jaune… did you never wonder why?  Why I did what I do?  Why Crystal… Patricia went along despite disagreeing?  She did it because if she did not, all 3 of us would be punished.  We did not tell mother because Dad convinced us that he was doing it on her orders.  That she believed the 2 of us were the best children she had, but that she needed to ensure we were tough enough mentally to be hunters.  This was told to us from… a very young age.   We believe him.  He was our father, we believed him.  Miyas wanted to fight… but just because she was always a little slower and smaller than us… I guess that is why he selected her to be the scholar of the bunch."

She took a breath and continued evenly if still conflicted.  All the while Pyrrha kept her gaze steady on Patricia.

"When he said you were weak and not worthy of being a Hunter, we believed him.  When he said that you Katherine were not built to be a Hunter… we believed him.  I might have believed him anyway because I am not … kind by default I suppose.  Some of those instances I sought out… I won't deny that.  However the vast majority of the time we clashed at home… it was under his orders.  Defying him resulted in Miyas being tormented.  She is not a Hunter.  She might be able to defend herself somewhat now.  But she doesn’t share our education or training in combat.  If any of us resisted we… we…"

She couldn’t continue.  She seemed too tough to cry like Katherine… but she could not continue speaking.

Patricia continued for her "What it comes down too… is when mom showed you favoritism… it angered us in a way you could not understand.  Dad always claimed it was to toughen us up… that Mom was testing our resolve by helping our weaker siblings along.  I guess as a result we never really trusted her.  Now… with dad… and Cadia… well.  We cannot believe in those illusions anymore."  Jaune and Kate looked at each other again.

Yang had a question  "This ability to feel each other's pain.  That seems like terrible trait for a hunter to have."  She said.

Lissette nodded, but Patricia answered.

"In battle… our minds tend to shield us from the pain of another.  But… when we aren't fighting we feel the wound as clearly as if it happened to our own body."  She had watery eyes… but was tough enough to keep clearly.

Kate… was angry… and untrusting… but conflicted.

Jaune… was about the same.

Yang… wanted to test that theory.

"You cannot shield each other when you aren't in battle you say?"  She asked looking at Crystal.

Both girls nodded.

Yang slapped Lissette clearly across the face.

"OW!"  She barked out standing up.

Crystal brought her hand to her cheek almost as a reaction.

Yang raised her hands above her head in surrender.  "I'm sorry… I had to test that out."

For awhile nobody moved or spoke.

"Liss… c'mon."  Patricia said.

Lissette clearly did not like Yang's field experiment… but sat back down appearing very unhappy.

"Pyrrha?"  Jaune said simply.

Pyrrha brought her left hand to her face and when she turned the group was surprised.

She was crying.  She was not sobbing or making any sounds.  But she was crying.

"They… are telling the truth.  I saw them talk I … saw the reaction… I … They aren't lying."  She made to sit down… but decided against her own chair and instead choose to sit on Jaune's lap.  She genuinely seemed upset by this as she coiled against him.

Kate… did not like this "Why?  Why would he go through all this trouble?  How could you think that it is normal to be threatened with what amounts to torture or abuse?  I do not understand."  She sounded more open… but not convinced.

Patricia seemed hesitant to answer… but tried too.

"Katherine… It was all we knew.  To us, it was normal.  Mom was at Beacon teaching full time you know that.  Dad… did what he wanted.  Miyas wanted to be a hunter but he convinced her to study instead very young.  Duty means as much to us as it does to you, we believed it was our purpose… Miyas was not happy… was never happy but she did it out of belief.  Dad ensured she wouldn’t ever have been trained and could be used to put pressure on us.  Your next question would obviously be what he wanted all along; I do not know.  He never went into whatever he was planning.  He would always say he was following moms instructions so we became as good as she was in terms of being a hunter."  The talk was starting to bring out emotion from the elder siblings.

Pyrrha was convinced.  It was not easy looking into Patricia's eyes that entire time as she observed the obvious emotion in them.  But… these two spoke the truth.  Whatever faults they had otherwise, they told the truth.

"I'm not convinced yet.  You went out of your way a great deal with all this, you did not need to take pleasure in what you did.  You could just be just as talented as that Son of a Bitch, Bastard of a father of yours.  You could just as easily be trying to manipulate us as he did to you."  Yang… it seems was not convinced yet.

Lissette appeared furious at the suggestion… Patricia just looked sad.

The furious one leveled her glare on the busty blond girl.

"I am a mean person I have a great deal of anger in me Ms. Xiao Long.  But if you think I am so cold as to let my sister nearly die and literally FEEL it happening.  To be shown the injury to her neck.  For our elder sister to nearly die in the event and for our home to become a battlefield then you are obviously never going to be convinced of anything I say.  I nearly lost 2 family members last night and this morning.  I lost a great many of people I have known all my life, people at home killed because of this.  Call me cruel if you must but I am NOT EVIL!"  She appeared fully genuine and was obviously emotional… to the point that Lissette did something nobody besides Patricia had ever seen.  Cry.  Quietly, behind both of her hands, but she did.

Nobody spoke for several minutes.  It was obviously the talk had run its course.

The twins looked at each other and tried to stay as open as possible in their mindset.

"Well… for what it's worth I think everybody in your family needs to organize a manhunt and go after that poor excuse of a man.  Nobody should have to go through all this.  I am sorry for slapping you."

At that Yang left the room.

Pyrrha moved off of Jaune and took a seat near the open fire.

"I am not ready to forgive you yet.  I can understand what you did.  But you still sought out and made our lives miserable and you did it with a smile on your face.  I cannot forgive that in a single day.  But…  I think I can be open about trying to start over."  Katherine stated openly… not quite her normal friendly self but not as closed off as she was to start the conversation.

The two older siblings seemed to expect that and nodded.

Jaune was unsure what to do.  As a man… he could not forgive them yet either.  As the head of the household… he felt he needed to try.

"So where does that leave us now?  We spoke, we aren't going to forgive and forget overnight.  I agree and feel the same as my twin.  Where does that put us now?"  He asked leaning forward slightly as he spoke.

Neither of his elder sisters spoke for awhile.  The time dragged on into minutes.

Finally they looked at each other.

"Are you sure?"  Patricia asked.

Lissette nodded.

"Ok… fine."  She said.

Lissette looked at Jaune and spoke after taking a deep breath.  "Earlier today, you were right.  My life had been a lie up till now.  I will not follow his plans for me or what he programmed in me anymore.  I want to live as an honestly as I can from now on… I want to fight you again."  She said.

Jaune just sighed and buried his face on his hands.

"Lissette what could fighting me now possibly prove?"  He asked running out of patience for the subject.

"Jaune.  I was trying to show you up today I do not deny that.  But I was also partially following fathers orders.  I needed to embarrass you, that was my mission.  With him… proving to be something else.  I want to do it again but be honest about it this time.  We have fought multiple times, in the past.  I want one of them to be an honest dispute an honest attempt to learn about each other.  Something HAS to come out of this.  Miyas being nearly killed… Eve… whatever happened to her.  Let me…."  She stopped as Patricia gripped her shoulder.

Patricia spoke on "Don't think of it as a grudge match.  Rather have it be something more of a friendly match.  We can even have it be a duo battle.  You and Pyrrha vs. Lissette and myself.  Pyrrha has wanted to face us all year… this gives her a chance."  She answered.

Pyrrha looked somewhat sad "I don't see-"

Ms. Goodwitch opened the door quietly and shut it behind her.  She didn’t say or move beyond the door… she just wanted to observe.

"Jaune we fought yes but we both know Crocea Mors is not my weapon.  I want another match, no illusions no ulterior motives.  I want to fight you as myself, not as another's tool."  She both sounded and appeared very determined.

"Lissette… No.  We just fought a match more fighting will not solve this."  Jaune stated.

"Jaune please this is important to me.  I will give you back Crocea Mors-"

"No" He said simply.

"Do you want Durandal then?  Do you want my weapon cause I volunteered to take yours?"  Lissette asked more sounding more desperate.

He shook his head.

"Fine if you win I will give up my studies as a hunter is that what you want?" She stood up appearing agitated.

"NOO!" Jaune shouted and moved right next to her.

"What is wrong with you?  I do not want you to give up being a Hunter why would you even think that?  That is exactly what I do not want.  Regardless of how you are different as a person you have talent Lissette!  I want you to reach your potential and protect people not give that up over some stupid bet!"  He finished breathing hard but his gaze remained hard.

After a few seconds Lissette looked away.

"Mr. Arc."  Glynda said.

Jaune nearly forgot she was there.

"Yes?"  He said turning to her.

"Jaune… it doesn't have to make sense to you.  It makes sense to her.  It if helps her cope and help heal the wounds that your family has suffered.  Then I suggest you do it."  She stated simply.

Pyrrha just opened her mouth in shock.

"You would actually support this match Ms. Goodwitch?  Do you want this to happen?"  She asked perplexed.

Glynda shook her head "No.  I do not want it to happen.  However I have seen the problems students sometimes have.  I have seen families torn apart more times than I care to admit.  Eve IS my friend… my partner and team leader.  You are her family.  Whatever your father is up too… he was obviously trying to tear the family apart.  To build distrust to the point that you would not help or assist each other with whatever it is he has planned.  If it helps you two understand each other more and overcome what has happened, then another fight might be worth it."

The students in the room appeared in thought, when the teacher spoke on.

"You all have spoken with your minds tonight.  Two of you have spoken with your weapons already this morning.  Maybe speaking with your weapons again will help you all forgive what has happened.  Maybe it won't.  I do not know.  But if Ms. Arc here does… I think you should give her the chance.  Possibly not right away.  But I think you should consider it."  She claimed, at that she went silent again.

Jaune looked at Pyrrha.

"Could you 2 leave us alone for a minute please?"  He asked.

Glynda smiled… but left the room, followed by Lissette and Patricia.  Kate interestingly enough also left the room.

"I think this is between you two."  She said simply with a faint smile.

Pyrrha stood and turned to Jaune.

"Jaune I-"

He kissed her.  Her eyes flew open in mock protest.

After a moment they broke away.  She smiled at him and moved in for a hug.

"What was that for?"  She asked playfully.

"Do you have any idea how tempting it was to touch you while you were sitting on me?"  He asked equally playful embracing her.

She smiled at him "Yes your goddess can vicious at times.  What do you think about your sisters?"  She asked still smiling hugging him back.

He thought about it.  "I want is the matter to be closed.  I… can almost think I understand her mindset.  I do not want to fight her again.  But… if it helps…"

"You think it’s a duty?"  Pyrrha asked.

"Maybe."  He answered.

"Then… let's do it.  Set it up for a few weeks down the line.  Talk to Goodwitch about it.  Give her what she wants, and we all can put the matter behind us."  She suggested.

"So you don’t want to fight them just to fight them?"  He asked her.

"If you asked me this morning before this talk I would have said I might have wanted to.  Afterwards… You all are victims Jaune.  Jewel… Lissette I mean and Patricia… They all spoke the truth.  I am certain of it.  I do not want to fight them just to make a statement.  But… if the act of fighting them helps you, Kate and everybody move on and heal.  Then yes, that I will gladly do."  She kissed him back this time.

He just held her and deep in thought once her kiss ended.

"OK… I cannot say I am happy with it but… we can arrange a match for the future.  Ms. Goodwitch I know won't want to take up another of her class time so quickly but… we can arrange it later in the term."  He claimed after a few minutes.

"Your goddess will require more of these for your forwardness tonight sir Knight."  She claimed kissing him again before moving towards the door walking almost like Katherine does in the playful seductive nature…  The last thing he needed was Pyrrha mimicking his sister in that manner.

A short talk later and it was arranged.  Glynda was only somewhat happy with the results… another fight between mixed years was something she did not want set as a precedent.  However she was requested to be here in case mediation was needed.  She did the best she could.

Lissette and Patricia were given a solemn goodbye and left at the same time Glynda did.

Shortly after Kate Jaune and Pyrrha moved on for their night routine, determined as ever to draw every ounce of effort out of their bodies in their third workout of the day… which they intend to keep as a trend.

That however… was not the end of the day.

***On way back to transfer student dorms***

"Jaune sure has gotten stronger… Kate too."  Patricia stated to make conversation.

Lissette grunted "I suppose he has.  He works hard… they both do.  It… will be hard thinking of them differently after so long."

"Lissette!!!!  Patricia!!! Wait up!"  A voice called from behind them.

The sisters appeared intrigued if confused, and turned behind them.

Ruby was running after them… somewhat awkwardly in danger of slipping and falling in the snow.  Behind her was Nora moving along as if in a backup support kind of role.

"Yes Ms. Rose?"  Patricia stated.

Ruby finally reached the two sisters and straightened her body out before speaking.

"First… I know we aren't friends, but we aren't enemies anymore, so its Ruby.  Second… you two need to talk to more people."  She said happily.

They frowned appearing confused.

"Excuse me?"  They asked becoming amused…

Ruby almost expected one of them to say Jinx…

"We talked about it while you all were chatting…  We aren't dumb you know, we realize what you two were doing.  What you have had to do.  Nobody trusts you nobody wants to work with you… you two are isolated.  Even the two people rooming with you don’t really accept you because of your reputation."  She claimed still appearing happy.

Here… they did not look amused anymore.

"Go on."  Patricia stated.

"So… talk to people.   That includes our group.  I cannot say we would be friends overnight.  But… you are students at Beacon.  You deserve the same chance to make friends and develop connections like everybody else who comes here."  The Reaper stated confidently.

Lissette was actually surprised and Patricia… she knew Ruby was good hearted but… not this good hearted.

"Why are you doing this?"  She asked.

Ruby laughed lightly.  "Your brother is the kindest person I know.  He… I suppose he cannot be his normal self with you two yet.  But… I know what he would do if he could.  The job falls to me tonight to ensure the right thing gets done.  You two do not need to keep isolated.  Talk to people make friends.  Be a student at Beacon.  Like the rest of us.  OK?"  She asked still with that same smile.

"No so fast."  Nora put forth walking up to the Reaper.

"You might have had an invisible hand prompting your actions before.  But that did not mean you needed to yank on that bunny rabbits ears the other day over and over.  She might have ran into you on accident, but that did not give you permission or cause for more.  You have to know that is painful for Faunus."  Nora demanded energetically.

Lissette looked down at her feet.

"You want to prove to me that you are trying to break off the path your dad had you on?  Do something the old you could never do."  Nora suggested.

"Like?"  Lissette asked.

"Like, walk to her dorm.  Knock on the door, and apologize.  Do that, and you may yet convince me you are genuine."  Here, she smiled.

Lissette smiled sadly, and it took a grip plus a look from her sister to convince her.  If she… they were going to change.  They might as well start with that this suggestion.

"C'mon then.  We can show you how Arc's do things."  The sisters said at the same time.

Nora would be lying if she was not surprised… Ruby just wanted to get back inside out of the cold… even so the two friends followed the sisters.

Lavender did not expect the 4 of them to call on her that evening.

Nora did not expect the sisters to actually do it.

Ruby was just happy things finally seemed to be moving in the right direction… but was still cold.

The home of these people might be a mess right now… but it would get cleaned up.  The guilty party would get caught eventually and punished.  The ties of blood would prove to be stronger than the actions of one sick man.

That at least… is what she hoped today would be the start of.

"Lavender really looks like Velvet doesn’t she?"  Ruby asked.

"Yes she does… Oh I can just hug her and squeeze her and pet her all night long just like a pet Ursa!  I can …"  Nora continued to speak on various topics continually taking about Velvets 'hug ability' and how Lavender has the same 'huggableness'

Ruby couldn’t claim to understand how Nora came to her conclusions… but she didn’t have too.  All in all it was a good day, and while many things were left un done… she believed that things were going in the right direction… Provided things at home turned out ok with Miyas and Evangeline.

**14k!!  NOOO GOING THE WRONG WAY!!! HALP!!**

**Curse you Interwebs!!!  WORK!!!!   It was frustrating not being able to get back in touch with peoples feedback until tonight.  I do want to hear back what people think.  I did not become solitary overnight I assure you all.  Keep those reviews and thoughts coming : )**

**I apologize again for late responses to reviews.  If you would like to discuss the story and Reviews are broken… as they sometimes are feel free to IM me with your review and or just email me.  You can send inquiries to tyrion1024@yahoo.com.  Might be beneficial to IM me first so I know it's coming in case it gets flagged as spam.**

**I realize this chapter probably came from out of nowhere for many readers and I accept that this chapter is a bit of a risk.  I have been asked to show… not tell.  So… as a result of feedback I tried.  Deb's sequences initially were all learned through conversation.  Hopefully they proved to be an entertaining section to read.**

**Thanks to a reader I am considering changing the rating to M and possibly even putting the bonus/intimate scenes in the main story as it would make things easier for everybody.  Give me thoughts on that please.**

**Thanks to the same reader he has me convinced I need to do another truth or dare before the year is up.  If you have ideas for truths and or dares of funny/sexy/shocking things to see hit me up.  We have a few chapters before the game would be so give me what you can.  Right now the attendees is the group of 9 plus Velvet and Lavender.  Anything brainy could help here.**

**I think that is enough for an Authors Note.  Hit me up with any questions comments you have… of course fav/follow/review/comment/kudos to your heart's content, and I will see you next time.**

 


	21. Year 2 Winter: A Day to Relax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally a time when nothing is happening, that's a good thing right? Nora never did learn how to relax.

**As a reminder I put notes and questions for my readers following most chapters.  Please ensure you check out the AN's at the end of the chapter.**

2.26

Snowing.  It was snowing.  It was snowing in spring.  Why was it always snowing in spring?  Sure it was the mountains… and sure it was Cadia but why did it always snow no matter where she visited!?

It had been weeks from the last time Glynda Goodwitch spoke to her former instructor or her children privately.  To the point that now they had a few days off in a mini vacation allowing her to visit Cadia to check on her friend.

Deborah did not underestimate the view, gorgeous was indeed the first word that came to mind.  Even from miles away the vast sprawling structure that is Remnants most northern city impressed and only grew more so the closer the flight came.  She had never visited the city previously.  Following her own studies to become a Huntress and then into her career as a teacher she never had the opportunity to visit.  She felt a touch out of place given the surroundings.

Jaune had warned her to wear 2 coats and bundle up.  She thought the kind young man was kidding.  Surely in spring a single coat would manage?

It didn’t.  It clearly didn’t.

Her plane landed on the upper most landing pad and the first stream of icy wind hitting her almost made her want to go back into the plane and forget the entire thing.

The most irritating part of it all was she was bundled preparing for an arctic freeze and the people waiting for her was dressed in a sweatshirt seemingly oblivious or just made of thicker skin than the small blond woman was.

That was the first thing she noticed after the beauty the city carried and the awesome views that came with being on a mountaintop.

The second, was that security was 'Everywhere'.  Armed guards patrolled every street.  Guards were stationed on every corner and walkway of note not only in protective gear but with both ranged and melee weapons.  Each and every single one of them looked more than capable of using them.  Inspection locations were present at multiple junctures in some cases they got quite personal.  She had to wonder if all this was necessary just to gain access to the home of the Arcs.

The visit to Cadia to see Eve was a part of why she was here.  Another part was that Deb sent for either her or the Headmaster… personally.  Ozpin was of course too busy, Glynda could have declined.  She could have sent a subordinate from school, or even sent a team of 4th years to offer their services while on assignment.  She didn’t.

Deborah had the place on lockdown, and the security did not go away once they got inside the much warmer mountain halls that served as their home.

Arriving in the room after being escorted through the very impressive and massive house Glynda saw her mentor again.  It made her feel a touch envious every time she did.  Glynda she knew, was considered an attractive woman.  But she also looked as old as she actually was, that combined with the stress of teaching occasionally made people guess her to be slightly older than her actual age.

Deborah was still breathtaking for the Professor.  Deb was nearly 70, but looked better, stronger and in better shape then she herself did.  She didn’t and never dressed as… teasingly or openly as some of her children did, but the woman still was pretty by any standard.

It was easy to see how the Arc's have held on to power for so long given their semblance and how long it allows them and those near them to live.  The combined experience and wisdom they would have amassed would be astounding.  Deborah could probably outperform the vast majority of the students in training at Beacon in the gym or exercises they do to keep in shape without the need of her semblance.  It made her wonder how well Eve had aged… on well that will become known when it does.

"Thank you for coming Glynda, it is a relief to see you."  Deborah stated hugging the smaller and still mostly cold woman.

"You are freezing do you need me to send for another coat?"  She asked noticing the obvious.

Glynda was still partially shivering but her pride didn’t allow her to say yes.

"I am fine for now but I might take you up on that for the return trip."  She answered with a smile.

"I would ask if all this security is needed but I guess after seeing those pictures I cannot begrudge you for being careful."  The professor observed.

Deb smiled sadly "Yes… it was hard seeing my home go through that.  How have the kids handled it at school?"  She asked.

Glynda gave a rare warm smile.  "Well… I suppose I could tell you much.  Patricia and Lissette have done a complete turnaround.  They are helping other students and seem prepared to prove their intentions with deeds not just words.  Arc's have never been unable to change or adapt in my experience… that holds true with them as well."  She took a breath before continuing.

"Lissette… she has really tried to turn over a new leaf I have to say I am impressed with her efforts.  She… is still abrasive but what happened really seemed to take a great deal of anger out of her.  I suspect it will be awhile until she is more rounded but she is trying.  Patricia is of course a large part of her turnaround.  Both sisters help each other… it’s a welcome sight from the walking ticking time bomb they were in the first term.  I… still cannot claim to understand how their connection is so strong but… well I do not deny that it exists and is helping them cope."  She concluded flatly, overall pleased with the situation.

Deb smiled right back looking pleased "Good.  How about my youngest?"

Glynda sat down next to Deb before answering feeling a touch warmer, she needed to think of the best way to voice her answer.

"Deb… Mrs. Arc.   I would struggle to answer in a way that does them justice.  Jaune has gone from being somebody who I was almost embarrassed to instruct his first year… to an elite fighter not just in his year but the school meshing in perfectly with his teammates.  He seems physically stronger, faster and a better fighter every week.  Every time he competes he does better than the previous time.  It is becoming a weekly endeavor for another girl to be found flirting with him, Pyrrha has broken more coffee mugs in a week than Ozpin has in his career."

Deb chuckled happily and nodded for Glynda to continue.

"Katherine… I mean she has just about every male enthralled wherever she goes not to mention a good portion of the girls as well.  But that girl is worthy of the highest praise I can give as well.  She causes me more headaches than her twin but she is also an elite fighter in the school.  They both study and work more than any other student I can name."  Glynda looked totally serious yet it was obvious she was practically bursting with pride too.

"They are acclimatizing well then?"  Deb asked.

"More than that.  Jaune's presence just makes everybody stronger but you already knew that it is a part of his semblance of course."  Glynda responded.

"You think he is close to earning his knighthood then?"  Deb asked curiously if happy.

"I would have thought it impossible at the start of the year, but yes.  I think he will earn it soon.  Katherine seems to be more hesitant to grow with her semblance but she is trying.  I suspect Jaune succeeding will encourage her to open herself up too.  It is only a matter of time until all 9 of them are seen working and practicing as much as the two of them plus his partner do.  Reminds you of somebody doesn’t it?"  She smiled warming if knowingly at the older woman.

"Of course it would… Robert and I."  Deb smiled sadly remember her own time at Beacon with her brother and their corresponding teams.

Glynda nodded but did not press the matter, knowing enough about her friend that her brother is a sore topic.

"How is my partner doing?"  Glynda asked becoming focused in her face.

Deb grew serious, and thought for a few moments before bringing up a piece of cloth and setting it on the table.  Glynda moved to open it and observe the contents while Deb answered.

"She is doing well… and it concerns why I asked you to come here."

She took a deep breath.

"Glynda… As far as I knew my husband was never trained in combat.  He never had his aura unlocked and had no knowledge of his semblance.  I know that now to be a lie.  How he fooled me all these years I do not know.  But his semblance has to be some type of mind control.  After Eve was brought to the Medical Wing my medical staff found that on her.  I found another individuals aura inside it… and made the logical guess that it is his."  She settled into her chair but brought both of her arms over her chest.

"This is how he channels his semblance?"  Glynda asked, that is probably how he got Eve to sign the disownment agreement now that she thought about it.

"I think so, but that isn't it.  Once I found it I had the security staff do a full sweep of the castle.  I had military intelligence do a follow up sweep and a third party check both of them.  I am fairly confident we have found them all but I cannot be sure, however littering this house was a multitude of objects which had his aura merged into it.  I suspect it slowly makes people agree to his way of thinking and when he focuses he could control that person's mind.  It might be why he was so successful as a politician.  I do not know.  But I need this studied.  I need a way to combat it and I need it soon.  That is why I asked you to come here.  I cannot pretend to know the mind of that man but I firmly believe he has further plans."  The Matriarch took a drink after speaking to let Glynda think.

"You have your own people on it too I assume?"  She asked after a few seconds.

"Yes, but I feel two studies should be done.  We have equipment set up to detect subtle aura uses around the castle now but I called you here to pick this up personally."  The stated quietly.

Glynda picked up the medallion after rewrapping it in cloth.

"I will take it and see it carried out… about Evangeline?"  She repeated.

Deb sighed relieved before answering.

"She is recovering well.  As you know she has the traditional Arc Semblance so she heals quickly, even so… the… wound she suffered was severe."  Deborah stated sadly.

"Don't blame yourself it isn't your fault."  The younger woman insisted empathetically.

Deb shook her head.

"I do not blame myself, I blame that Bastard of a Husband of mine."  Here, she looked furious in her eyes, but her face remained friendly.

Glynda nodded, but felt the need to ask.

"Why didn't her aura shield her though I wonder?  She might not have as much as your Twins or yourself but she still had many times that of a normal person.  Why didn’t her aura protect her?"  Glynda asked curiously.

Deb huffed "That, I can only guess at.  Every person I encountered that night acted as if they did not have their aura unlocked.  For some of them I know that to be inaccurate.  I suspect that when his mind control fades from that person, their aura's ability to shield them is temporarily disabled.  I have no proof to back it up but that is how I rationalize that particular mystery."

"Beyond her injury though?"  Glynda asked persistent.

Deb smiled weakly "She is moving around more.  Her and Miyas are walking around a bit every day but they still stay in the medical wing.  They convinced me to unlock Miyas' aura and ensure she gets some type of self defense instruction once she is fully recovered.  Unless I miss my guess Eve is doing that for her already when nobody is looking.  Sitting still always drove my family crazy, that of course includes her."  She took another sip of drink as Glynda took in the information.

"Have you decided to heal Miyas' scars?"  She asked cautiously.

Debs smile faltered and went dark…

"That… is up to the triplets.  They will need to feel the injury again and they have already suffered more than anybody should have.  If they ask me too I will do it.  Eve already brought up the subject to me not last week.  She couldn’t believe her eyes either."  The Matriarch still had a great deal of emotion in her being on the topic, her hand cupped her chin resting an elbow on the table for support.

"I'd like to see her before I leave tonight."  She requested.  She was not in a hurry to leave… but she wanted to spend time with her friend before her return flight in a few hours.

Deborah seemed to read her friend and former student as she made to answer in a somewhat forced smile getting the previous topic out of her mind.

"Of course.  I cannot escort you as I am sure the instant I leave the room somebody else will flag me down but I can have Oscar or somebody else take you to the medical wing."  She stated as she stood and began to make her way to the door.

Her prediction proved true.

Oscar showed himself to be a quiet soul and he didn’t say much.  He gave Glynda a friendly smile and offered a refill of liquids to drink.  Glynda probably would have called it coffee but she was assured it wasn't just coffee, some concoction of materials the locals sold and made available to visitors… supposedly it helped them stay warm.

After drinking a sip, it seemed to have that effect.

Oscar arrived at a door and with a nod advised Glynda to head down to the medical wing.

She thanked him, and proceeded down the stairwell to the medical facility.

Glynda found herself slightly in awe of what she was seeing as she moved around the home.  Despite the fact that Arc's were known for their generosity, Glynda was beginning to understand a few things about their renown.  They kept some of the finest equipment and technology in existence in their home.  She knew from her time with Eve previously that the armor crafters and weapon smiths of Cadia, especially those who worked inside the castle itself were some of if not the best in their respective fields.  Given access to the top tier equipment, materials and machinery to perform their tasks.  The same could be said of the medical facility she learned, making Beacons own offerings seem backwater and dated in comparison.

She was unsure what to expect as she neared the door at the base of the steps.  She knew that both of the Arc were gravely wounded, and according to Deb they were already somewhat mobile.  She still did not expect the sight she found to be the one that greeted her.

Evangeline was standing as was another smaller blond girl.  She was shirtless but wearing a heavily wrapped bandage on her torso… Eve always did what she wanted and not care about remaining decent at all times…. sigh.  None the less, she was on her feet and trying to give an attractive blond girl pointers in hand to hand combat… Miyas she assumed.  Her friend, bandages aside looked to be in fantastic shape.  Eve had a wonderfully athletic and toned body… she always was physically strong… not overwhelmingly so but it was frighteningly difficult to overwhelm her physically.  Yet another thing most Arcs had in common.

Glynda couldn’t say that they were sparing… that wouldn't be accurate, but showing proper form and technique absolutely was in line what the lesson.

She stood slightly out of sight on the other end of the door but peered through the central window to observe the two interact.

"Miyas, you are recovering same as me I think you should take a break."  Evangeline stated appearing a touch tired.  She looked like a girl of 18 years old… no older than the triplets at Beacon.

Glynda was somewhat annoyed at that discovery.

Miyas for her part looked absolutely exhausted.  Her body was drenched in sweat with her clothing utterly soaked through.  Her body moved sluggish and her legs shook from exhaustion as she struggled to keep standing.  The professor smiled… Arcs almost never were credited with working this hard… but they did almost to an individual. 

The girl was small… even smaller in stature than Katherine was.  She stood around 5'8 as did her birth siblings but… it was somewhat obvious looking at her why James singled her out.  She was easily physically the weakest of the group.  Not to say that she didn’t look healthy or out of shape, the girl just was tiny.

"Eve… I just learned that Jaune was able to go to Beacon with a GRIMM in his chest.  I can handle some deep breaths and fatigue."  She stated stubbornly with her hands on her knees breathing in deep gasps.

Glynda smiled once again… Arc's will be Arc's… spirited and proud people.  They had the reputation of being some of the best warriors ever to exist.  Glynda knew first hand that while they were born with more talent than most anybody else… they also tended to work harder than everybody else as well.

"Fine… if you want to keep going suit yourself… but me, I need to sit down."  She walked back to her bed to sit on it.

The wounds Eve took would have killed almost anybody else to mind and if Deb didn’t put over an hour into healing her daughters both of them probably would have died that day.

"Besides it seems we have a visitor."  The older Arc stated tiredly with a smile.

Glynda smiled and opened the door.

"It is good to see you Glyn, this is my sister Miyas."  Eve stated simply.

"Glynda Goodwitch?"  Miyas guessed still utterly breathless.

"Quite so, nice to meet you."  She responded.

They shook hands, the girl despite her appearance gave a firm handshake.

Glynda was unsure what she wanted to say to the younger Arc in the room, to buy time she moved over to her friend.

"Eve… are you ok?"  She asked, now that she got a closer look she was even more concerned.  Eve was moving around well but it was obvious she was in pain.

"I am ok… fine enough to greet my friend appropriately."  She smiled and stood.

The two of them hugged for a long while, neither cared about the her state of dress.

"You had me worried when you went silent for so long Eve… That and when Jaune was disowned I knew something happened to you."  The professor stated.

Eve frowned "I… I do not remember much about that… but mom and I spoke about it.  I… should never have trusted father.  I should not have… accepted that medallion."  She looked away.

Glynda was about to speak… Miyas beat her too it.

"Eve if you say that one more time I swear I will slap you.  It was dad, always it was him.  Nobody can blame you for trying to trust your father."  She was still breathing hard but managed to stand up straight finally appearing more than a touch angry over the situation.

For whatever traits Miyas had… determined most definitely was one of them.

"What happened Eve?  What medallion?"  Glynda asked still in the hug, the teacher made the logical assumption the medallion is the trinket Deborah just gave her.  Despite the topic, Glynda already did enjoy hugging her friend, missed hugging her partner.

Evangeline signed… and repositioned herself in the hug before responding.

"Dad said he was sorry for how he treated Jaune and Kate.  He gave me that and said it was a symbol of his word to be kinder to them.  I felt… I had to accept it.  If I knew then what I know now…"  Eve was a softer person than her siblings, Glynda knew that already.  It was easier for her to cry, she was similar to Jaune in that manner.  Neither liked crying, but they both did.  It seems Eve couldn’t help but shed a few tears at this point.

Glynda did not realize it… but it seems she started to hug a touch too tight.

"Glyn… I need you to ease up a bit… I'm still a touch sore and tender."  She claimed with a humored but pained smile.

Glynda immediately backed away after letting go.

"Sorry."  She advised appearing concerned.

Miyas had just about recovered her breath and went to get a drink of water.

"You were going to rest a bit?"  Glynda asked.

Eve nodded.  "Yes… My wound was… much worse than… I guess what I did to Miyas.  I'm… taking a bit longer to get well."  She admitted sadly, possibly even feeling ashamed for her involvement in the situation.

"Eve don’t be ridiculous, you are lucky to be alive it’s a miracle given your wound."  The teacher claimed.

Eve just sat down suddenly appearing very tired and eventually laid down.  Given the severity of her wound her Aura had to be working overtime to have gotten her as well off as she is now.

"I suppose… doesn’t mean I do not blame myself for what happened."  She claimed closing her eyes.

Glynda just scowled… nothing she could say would change her mind on that.

Miyas cleared her throat behind them.

"Ahem… If you are going to take a break I guess I will be doing the next round alone."  She stated appearing determined.

Glynda looked at the younger sibling, she would probably have turned out to be a fine hunter.  She might be physically weaker than her siblings… but she had the spirit to be a hunter just as her siblings did.

"You could… Unless.  Glynda do you want to give my eager sibling here a taste of Beacon hand to hand training?"  Evangeline stated with a sly grin.

"It has been some time… But I think I can help set her on the right path."  She admitted smiling as she removed her cape and set her wand aside.

It was a nice evening for the 3 of them she decided.  Miyas like every other Arc to ever live, learned fast.  She might have exercised to keep in shape.  But she was not a trained fighter at all.  It was like starting over with Jaune the previous year.  Glynda didn't mind.  She might have judged Jaune too harshly at the start, she would not make the same mistake with Miyas.  Miyas might never be a hunter like her siblings, but she seemed determined to learn to defend herself.  Before she left Glynda said her goodbyes to both of her friends and welcome another warm coat before another long flight back to Beacon.  Determined to help these people who gave so much to remnant and asked so little in return.

***BEACON GROUNDS***

Kate had just dropped off a … surprise for some of her friends before she moved to the commons room.  Her robe had taken some grazes in combat class and she wanted to see if she could repair it.

It was after their afternoon exercise.   Thus far both She and Jaune had gone undefeated in their combat class in the term.  Something which was mindboggling to some of the other students.  Many were not easy and some were even close.  But they had yet to register a loss, due to their own ability and of course the advantage of their abnormal reserves of aura.  Something which absolutely caused her to smile.  Granted the only time anybody from RWBY or JNPR tended to get beaten is when they faced each other.  Nobody really seemed to know how to handle her semblance or fighting style well and Jaune was just overpowering people with his now that he has complete control over it.  It was only a matter of time until they started to meet each other in class and that is when we will truly see where things lay, but for now just about everybody was happy with where they were at.

What she did not expect… was for her sisters at school too really appear genuine in their attempts to change.  They helped other students, they worked with them.  They joined in with other students in their exercises… She always felt as though something was off with the talk they had with the group.  Now, she might have to admit it was her own feelings that were confused.  Anger was always an easier emotion for her to feel than her twin.  She let herself get angry if for no other reason it was hard for him to feel the emotion.  None the less… both of them seemed to take what they learned to heart and break off the path that James Masters set them on.

In other news, she and Ren had spoken... finally.  She ended up approaching him and speaking to him over the course of the term.  They cleared the air, but that is about all she could say came out of the conversation.  She might be ready to try to commit to a relationship… but Ren it seems was not yet.

She … maybe they both were less than happy about that.  She felt an obvious chemistry with the stoic young man, but if it isn't time don't force it.  Something she learned as she was taught archery.

But hey, she had made a friend with somebody who obviously found her attractive yet respected her enough to treat her as a human being.  Very few people have been willing to do that with her.

None the less, she quieted her mind and focused in on her task.  It was a day off, she had some free time to burn.  Pyrrha and Jaune allowed her to get the first shower, then they might be trying to spend some time together.

"Hey" A voice declared startling her.

She looked towards it to see Ren nearby.  She smiled, Ren might not be silent when he moves like herself but he can get close.

"Hey"  She replied neutrally.

He pointed to her Robe briefly.

"Does the image of your Robe mean something?"  He asked.

"Yes, It is something that is of an ancient design actually."  She admitted as she went back to focusing on her work.

Ren sat next to her and observed the detailing.

"It is gorgeous.  I've never seen it up close like this before."  He said simply, his mouth moved like he wanted to say more, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

"Nice of you to say."  She replied coolly not looking at him to notice his movements.

"So?" He asked.

"Hmm?  Oh its meaning?"  She asked feeling silly.

He mumbled a quick "Mhmm."

"The detailing is gorgeous but… I feel like it tells a story I cannot read."  He confessed looking serious.

She smiled to herself before answering and finally turned to him.

"It means 'Visible Shadows'.  My Uncle wore a similar Robe when he fought, my mother ordered this one for me."  She claimed simply as she repaired some light damage to the cloth.

Ren had to think before responding.

"Visible Shadows?  What is that trying to say it seems contradictory?"  He clearly looked intrigued.

She smiled again.

"It references the story of the Arc's origin:  The Darkest Days of Humanity.  The Arcs were the ones credited with leading us in that time of need.  Most people do not remember how many Arc's fell in their efforts, yet at least history remembers their sacrifice.  Yet history often forgets that the Assassin side of the family fought just as hard and lost just as many.  More really as most people at home believed the line died out in those battles.  Only their children carried on the skills and semblance of the original line.  This design tells people that despite their origins and tending to fight isolated battles or ambushes at range… there is a time to close ranks with everybody else.  To fight shoulder to shoulder with each other despite being different, to fight in the sun.  That is what this design reflects, the time has come to stand your ground and fight."  She orated cheerfully with a friendly smile.

"I guess that fits when you wear it.  It is time to fight and be seen."  He agreed nodding.

She nodded but tried to focus on her work again, it was not easy given her company.  Normally she worked on these things alone.

He finally seemed to work up the nerve to speak.

"Kate… about before…"  He sounded nervous.

She looked at him.

He seemed to run out of words.

"If this is about Jaune being my brother believe me, neither of us care."  She claimed quietly picking up the conversation.

"It isn't that…"  He started.

His scroll beeped.

"Saved by the ring?"  She said playfully.

He scoffed and looked at his scroll.

"It’s a text from Nora, she needs me to meet her in the main courtyard."  He claimed simply standing up to leave.

She looked sad, but went back to work.

He took a step, two… three… then stopped.

He slowly turned back.

"Katherine."

She looked at him again.

"Kate… my caution around you, it is meant at a sign of respect.  Were it just my mind, I would have already asked you out."  He appeared a touch nervous.

She smiled a smidgeon sadly but nodded.

"On Winter Break before the snowball ambush… you were listening in on Jaune and I, he kept looking to his side like somebody was next to him… that was because somebody literally was… right?"  He asked appearing certain.

Huh… He really does pay attention.

"Yes… I heard everything."  She admitted quietly.

He took a deep breath.

"Kate… I think of Jaune as a brother.  That… is not why I am cautious.  Your appearance does not intimidate me either.  I know you are more than how you appear."  He said.

Kate put down the robe and gave him her full attention.

"Ren, what is on your mind?"  She asked.

He took another deep breath "I know almost nothing of my home or its customs.  Yet… I know a couple traditions of my people.  My father did not tell me much before we said goodbye and I had to try and escape... but he did tell me a few things he wished me remember.  They are literally the only things I have left of my family or people I remember.  I… need to do certain things before I can proceed in any fashion with you."

This obviously was not the easiest thing for him to talk about.

"Things like what?"  She asked seriously.

"Things that I need to have my mind sure on.  I… Cannot talk to you about them as you can influence my feelings  according to custom.  It is a very old fashioned belief I grant you that… but it is all of my family I have left.  I have to ensure my mind is sure and… do things beyond that.  Just know that my caution regarding you is a sign of respect.  Ok?"  He looked almost like his typical stoic self… but he couldn’t keep his conflict out of his eyes.

He received a nod from Katherine, then went to get his coat and moved towards Nora.

She could have said take your time, but she didn’t want him to.  She could have insisted he tell her what it was he needed to do out of that never ending curiosity she has… but didn’t.  Dating was out of her comfort zone no matter how much she is trying with Ren.

Kate sighed, and was surprised a second time that day after another bit of time spent repairing the robe.  She liked Ren.  She realized she always liked him.  It was somewhat frustrating for her.  Normally she would see somebody she wanted… and go get him or her.  With Ren… something in her is telling her to be patient.  It was an alien feeling for her, something that was not natural.

Mom had encouraged her to try and find one person and build a stronger relationship.  After seeing what Jaune and Pyrrha mean to each other… she was more willing to take that advise beyond just face value.  Somehow mom giving her that lecture with the experience she has had with James… she always discounted it.  Now… she was more open to the idea, no matter how anxious she was about it at times.

She had just folded it and determined she was done before Blake made herself known.

"He likes you, you have to know that."  She said as she settled into another chair nearby.

Kate was startled as she turned towards the voice.  "Seems today is the day for sneaking up on me.  I'm not used to that."  She claimed in good humor.

Blake smiled "I have been practicing being quiet I guess.  You should know…"  She looked away suddenly nervous.

Kate looked at her cheerfully for her to continue.

Blake took a deep breath "Kate… Ren.  You know he just likes being sure of himself in his decision before he commits to anything?"  The cautious girl claimed softly.

Kate smiled "Are you trying to get us together or something?"

Blake smiled again "A few things about that.  First, you know we both are done with the newest Ninja's of Love book so I am already primed for romance.  Thanks again for having 2 copies delivered by the way.  Second, I am a quiet person.  I have had a long time to think to myself."

"Ok… what is on your mind?"  She asked intrigued.

"Kate… I spent most of my life distrusting humans.  To, not let them get close to me.  But… Beacon has changed me."  Blake moved to rest her arms on her knees as she spoke.

"Go on…"  Kate prodded, really not sure where Blake was trying to go with this.

"Katherine.  I came to Beacon to get stronger.  I … did not want to have to rely on anybody in my life.  Yet, I've seen how much Jaune has grown.  Sure Pyrrha brought it out of him but if he wasn't willing, he wouldn’t have grown near as much.  I've seen firsthand how connections can help you improve beyond what an individual could do alone.  Your brother… it took a full year, but he earned my respect though his actions.  I guess the same applies to you now.  Without his influence I would be the same unhappy and solitary girl I was before, if I can help his sister I will." 

One of the two golden's in the room walked up to Blake… who actually returned their attentions by petting their ears.

Kate could not help but think this was strange for Blake to do, there has to be an ulterior motive… sure maybe she wants to help but there has to be something beyond that.

She continued to wear a somewhat confused look on her face long after Blake continued to speak again.

"I mention this.  Because, I guess I am trying to cheer you up.  It took a year for Pyrrha and Jaune to see eye to eye.  Jaune was oblivious and even ignored her for the most part… maybe he was confused but he came around in the end.  If you ask them it was worth it.  So… just keep your chin up ok?  Somehow I doubt it will take you and Ren that long to do the same.  It if it meant to happen, it will happen."  She advised.

Kate smiled warmly, she appreciated the thought… though she was also still suspicious.

"BLLLAAAAKKE!!!!  HURRY UP I'M WAITING!!"  A voice bellowed from down below.

"Yang has been waiting for you this entire time?"  She asked amused.

Blake smiled again as she stood "Well… yeah, I saw you and Ren speaking and I couldn't help but listen in.  Also…."  She hesitated but appeared hungry.

Finally Kate thought she got it.  "You want me to cook the last of the fish you caught the other day for dinner, right?"

Blake nodded furiously if hilariously quick "Yes Yes Yes very much yes I want you to cook the last of the fish tonight."

Katherine laughed "Ok… Thanks for cheering me up."

She figured the Cat girl would go somehow merge fish with cheering her intentions for the evening.  None the less Katherine smiled.  Blake meant well… and besides fish tonight sounds wonderful.  It was now on her to put her feet up and try to catch a lazy afternoon nap.  Her twin senses were tingling at the moment and she didn’t want to intrude, she could ask Jaune about it during their evening workout.

***JNPR DORM***

Pyrrha decided to let Jaune take the first shower, she was also tempted to jump in with him.  She didn’t, but was tempted too.  She had known him nearly 2 years at this point and was starting to feel ready to move forwards in line with her homelands customs.  None the less, she enjoyed the mental image while she waited her turn.

Kate had been kind enough to buy more specialized workout gear for her.  Pyrrha ended up liking that one pair of leggings that when she had the opportunity to obtain more, she took it.  Now she knew exactly why Kate worn them all the time and it wasn't just because she looked good in them.  They were astonishingly comfortable to move and work in.

Once he was out she of course took her turn hoping to be quick so she and her boyfriend could spend some time together.  They had continued their 3 a day schedule and it was starting to show.  None the less she was starting to understand the reputation Arc's had.

Kate and Jaune had the reputation of being incredibly hard workers.  Well, Lissette and Patricia could also be given some credit.  That day weeks ago when the truth was revealed had long passed.  It was something she could not smile at in regards to the memory, but they had kept their word.  Both of the twins had said multiple times that an Arc is bound by their word… despite the very rocky start to the year, their older siblings are proving that true in their own way.

She quickly emerged from the shower dressed in a pair of those leggings and a shirt unsure what Jaune would be doing.  Well… turns out he wanted to lay down a bit.

"Are you sleeping?"  She asked quietly… not loud enough to wake him if he was sleeping.

"No… I… I was thinking."  He admitted.

She walked a touch playfully towards him and sat down on his bed.

"About what?"  She queried.

He stirred somewhat and nearly put a hand on her thigh… but thought against it.  Then again maybe he didn’t know he came that close his eyes were closed after all.

"About… Cadia… my sisters… my….. father."  He stated as if conflicted.

She contemplated for a moment before continuing.

"Jaune, what is bothering you?"  She put forth warmly with an unseen smile.

He took another deep breath and tried to keep his thoughts clear.

"I… I try to do right.  It just never seems like enough.  If I didn’t accept the title, would all of those people have died?  Are their deaths on me?  I-"

She interrupted him by kissing him briefly.

"Hey-"  She interrupted him again with another kiss.

"Jaune-"

She kissed him again.

"-those actions, those deaths are the work of a sadistic creature.  I cannot even call him a man.  You are a man and you try to be one of honor, duty and purpose.  I will continue you kiss you in interruption every time you speak if you continue to think of yourself as responsible for them.  Ok?"  She kissed him once again, this time more in line with how their affection normally goes.  Deep long and passionate, utterly taking his breath away.

It was several minutes later when she ended the kiss briefly resting her forehead against his before pulling back to a sitting position once again.

"Understand?"  She stated lovingly, purpose burning in her eyes.  Jaune takes responsibility for much, she would NOT under ANY circumstances let him feel responsible for the actions of his father.

He smiled slightly and grumbled an affirmative sound before taking a deep breath.

Jaune finally opened his eyes and sat up.  He moved his right hand touched her cheek affectionately for a moment before he put his hand back down on his lap.

"Sorry… every time I see you … never mind."  he stopped his thought.

"Go on."  She stated playfully.

"It is off topic but… you always just take my breath away.  It is silly I know."  He admitted sheepishly.

She smiled warmly and crawled on the bed forward slightly gracefully.  She spun around and put her back against his chest before anybody spoke again.

He made a slight coughing sound which confused her briefly.

"Sorry… your hair tickled my nose."  He admitted wrapping her in his arms after repositioning her pony tail.

She chuckled…. then laughed softly to herself.  He could be so adorable at times.

For a long time neither of them spoke.  She always enjoyed being held against him.  Normally she preferred to be laying on his chest but this was nice for her too.

"Hey Jaune… would you mind drawing me a picture?"  She asked curiously.

She temporarily moved off him to get his book and pencil before returning to the same spot before.

Jaune chuckled… no point in saying no now even if he wanted too.

"Sure… what am I drawing for you?"  He asked as she settled in.  It might be somewhat challenging to see the book from her shoulder but he thought he could manage.

She had to think for several seconds and just leaned back trying to sink into him as much as she could.

"Draw me… a picture of your home.  I don't mean Beacon, I know you consider Beacon your home.  I mean… Cadia.  Both you and Kate speak of it yet I have never seen it.

Jaune did something she really wished he did more often.  He kissed her neck, It nearly made her forget what she just asked him to do.

"Sure…"  He stated, Pyrrha could almost feel the smirk on his face.  He knew how much she loved her neck being kissed…. that had to be deliberate.

He started with an utterly massive mountain range in the background with a setting sun falling behind it.  The upper portions of the mountain took the form of an expertly crafted semi castle in appearance, yet it was literally built into the mountain itself….

He hesitated.  Then put the book and pencil down on his bed.

"Jaune… something wrong?"  She asked.

He hesitated once again… then took a deep breath.

"Pyrrha, I have something I need to tell you."  He claimed.

She was… kind of alarmed by his change of discussion, but let it go.

"What I want to tell you… is not a pleasant memory for me.  But… I feel the time has come to tell you.  I would ask that you not interrupt me… ok?"  He asked bringing his arms around her in a hug again.

She did not even need to think.  She just moved her arms over his and replied back "Of course."

"Pyrrha… you know how I feel about you, and… I think I know how you feel about me."  He paused and took another breath.

She nodded but did not speak.

"I… am aware of what your tiara means.  I cannot claim to be aware of all its customs, but I know what it means for a girl of Mistral to wear one.  Kate accidently informed me earlier."  He took another breath.

Her eyes narrowed and it was hard not to break her work to let him speak.  She managed however and just wove her fingers into his on either side of her.

"You… are saving yourself.  That is a wonderful thing.  I am honored beyond words you would even consider me for that.  That is partially why I am so cautious around you… I do not want to pressure you into something before you are ready.  That… and you know I've never really thought I deserved you."

She opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t say anything figured he had more to say.

"Part of why, is that I cannot give you the same thing."  He claimed sounding very sad.

Here she had to speak up "What do you mean?"  She kept her voice positive but curious.

"You are saving yourself for someone… I already had my first time."  He put forth, it was obvious from his tone he was not proud of it.

She leaned back and off to the side slightly so she could turn her head and look at him as he continued to speak.

He had obvious emotion on his face as he continued "I… Know that must surprise you… and… if you want to let each other go-"

She interrupted him with a very forceful and passionate kiss.

Their hands remained locked around each others throughout the kiss.  When they broke it off she voiced with nothing but love in her voice.

"Jaune, It does not matter to me that you had your first time.  That you bring it up just makes me love you more.  Please don't think like that any longer."  Her eyes both blazed and sparkled at him as she instructed.

He took a deep breath relieved.  "I… just feel bad.  You are giving me so much and I cannot give it back to you."

She smiled again and felt her heart flutter.  "If it means this much to you, you can tell me about it.  About her."  She suggested.

He frowned sadly, but kissed her briefly before speaking.  "Her name was Melody.  She was a visiting noble girl in my family home.  She… well she was older than I Am.  It started out innocently enough.  But it grew very quickly and I found myself overwhelmed."  He said never looking away from her.

She nodded and said "Go on."

"I thought she cared for me.  She was literally the first girl… maybe person aside from Katherine, Evangeline or Mom to treat me well.  So she taught me some things… about girls.  We had sex a few times.  I later learned that she only did that to say she slept with an Arc… a Duchess' son.  I… well I developed feelings for her, I always did bond with people easily.  It ripped me up at first.  Kate helped a bunch but… well we shared everything with each other and she of course knew about it soon after it happened.  She soon left the castle and I never saw her again… I never meant anything to her beyond a footnote.  I regret giving in to her, I have always felt bad for that, always regretted it.  I was not ready for it and she… well let's just say it was her decision to be intimate.  I was open to the idea yes but, I did not want to have sex with her.  Not in that manner."  He stopped to allow her a chance to speak.

She sorted through her thoughts on the matter and voiced "How old were you?  The vampire had to make that… activity hard."

He nodded "It… was draining.  I was 16 at the time.  A few days after it happened I learned that I meant nothing to her and I regretted it ever sense then.  Not the act itself just… that I gave in and ultimately meant nothing to her."  He looked away.

She nuzzled his neck affectionately and spoke on "Jaune, I do not feel like you did anything wrong.  If you are troubled by it, I will simply say I forgive you so you can move on.  Ok?"

He was about to kiss her again when a pounding knock was applied to his door.

"JAUNE ARC ARE YOU IN THERE?!?!"  A voice shouted.

Jaune took up the book and pencil again before voicing back.  "You can come in…. whoever you are."  The last part of the sentence was said practically to himself.

Weiss soon barged in with Ruby right behind her… both looked somewhat agitated.

The blond and redhead both just looked at them unsure what to think until the Heiress spoke on more than a touch angrily "Jaune, what is the meaning of these pictures?  They are so SAD and DARK?!!?"

Ruby issued an agreeing "MHMM!"

Both girls glared at him sternly stomping their foot as if the entrance was rehearsed.

He scratched his head briefly before answering "Show me the pictures."

They both huffed but put their pictures down on his bed.  Jaune recognized the combined scene.

Weiss was carrying a picture of Ruby.  Ruby, a picture of Weiss.  Combined it was the moment when The combined group of friends took their picture before the Winter Dance when they were discovered sleeping resting against each other under the window.  The picture… initially was dark and unhappy.  However Jaune knew enough to realize the truth.

He smiled.

They scowled harder.

He gulped, and spoke on "First of all, that is not a picture.  It is a painting.  That means I did not make it, Kate did.  Secondly, you are being overly judgmental-"

"This picture shows us unhappy it is a terrible painting!  Clearly it says us together is a bad idea!"  Weiss declared stomping her foot again.

He smiled again.

"Have you tried merging the two pictures together?  They were obviously designed as a single piece separated down the middle."  He stated sagely already knowing the answer.

Judging by the surprised and somewhat embarrassed looks on their faces.  The two girls clearly did not consider that…

Ruby picked up both pictures and tried to slide them together.  They merged together perfectly.  The instant the two pictures became one the image changed.  No longer was it dark and gloomy.  The moon was now visible in the window shining its light through onto the couple below.  The unhappy and gloomy look on the two of them were replaced with smiles.  The image went from a dark and dreary image to one of a near childlike innocence and fairytale like good.

"SEE THE PAINTING IS NOT TERRIBLE!"  Kate shouted knowingly from the commons room.

Weiss smirked… Ruby giggled.

"Huh… how did she do that I wonder?"  Ruby asked.

"Weiss, Ruby.  I draw.  Kate paints.  She used a dust coated paint to store in two images.  How she does it I have no idea.  But trust me.  That’s her work, and it was meant as a gift from her."  He smiled and moved his arms around Pyrrha again.

"YES IT WAS!!!"  She shouted again.

"Huh…"  Weiss stated… all her previous venom was now gone.

"APOLOGY ACCEPTED!"  Kate shouted one more time… Jaune could practically feel the smile she was wearing.

"Right uh… We will leave you two alone now." Weiss stated as she shoved Ruby out and exited the room heading across the hall to their own dorm room.

Once the door was closed Pyrrha did something she had wanted to do the entire time she was leaning against him.

She spun and straddled one of his legs.

He seemed distracted by how she was looking at him and forgot what he was talking about previously.

"I uh… err…. hmm…"

She kept studying him intently with a warm and hungry smile on her face.

"Where… where were we?"  He finally managed to say.

She did not answer with words.  Instead she crawled slightly forwards to press her chest against his before moving her arms around his torso.

This time they kissed not out of a passion filled need.  This was more gentle and loving.

Softer and sweeter.  Not rushed for time or concern.

Pyrrha truly did not care about his experience with Melody.  She loved him already, and she loved him more that she meant so much to him, he wanted to give as much of himself as she was herself… when the time was right.

She might have struggled with the words to get her meaning across.  So she didn’t try.  Instead, as if copying a line from his mother.  She chose to speak directly from the heart.  Not out a heated passion, but of love.  That was how they remained, in other others arms sharing their feelings through a different language than what could be spoken.

Their meanings were clear, and both were happy for it.

***RWBY DORM***

It was only a short argument that took place before the picture… now complete was placed in the room.  Ruby wanted it next to her headboard… Weiss next to her own.  In the end, they did the adult thing.

Rock Paper scissors naturally.

37 rounds later and the score still remaining at a tie they decided to compromise.  No nothing like talk to Blake, Kate or Yang.  You know the other people who might like to weigh in on where it ended up.

Above the door on the inside, equally between the two girls beds.

"Knew it would work out.  Told you we shouldn't have gone in angry."  Ruby said equal parts playfully and cheerfully as they both sat next to each other on the floor.

Weiss was tempted to scoff… Ruby was right and regardless of that she did not like being wrong.

"Well… don't get a big head."  The Heiress said instead.

She leaned against Ruby's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Hey, you tired?" The Reaper inquired.

Weiss opened her eyes.  "No… a little worn out after this morning still maybe.  I am still not used to it."

Ruby at this point took on a sinister glean in her eyes.

"Aww… is my widdle pwincess tired?"  She stated playfully slightly turning towards her in a smile.

Weiss definitely scowled here.

"First of all I am not 'widdle' I am tiny there is a difference second of all-"

Ruby half turned into her for a kiss and continued to exert pressure forcing the smaller girl to her back.

Weiss thrashed… she heaved, she bucked… finally she scowled and surrendered laying flat comfortably on her back.

Her pride demanded her to say one thing before she completely gave in though.

"Ruby! You I … this is not fair I've worked hard why!! GRR!"  None the less she finally stopped thrashing when it was clear Ruby would not be outdone.

"That’s fine Weissy… You just have to work harder."  The Reaper stated playfully before going in for another kiss.

"Dolt."  Came the response in between kisses reaching to pull her girlfriend closer.

"But I'm your dolt."  Ruby joked in between kisses.

After a few minutes Ruby pulled back to let both of them catch their breath.  She moved a hand to cup the left side of Weiss' face and brought her thumb over where the scar used to be.

"You are so pretty."  She kissed right where the scar used to be.

Weiss gulped… she did not like talking about her scar.

"Quit being a dolt and kiss me."  She pulled off her jacket and quickly threw it to the side.

Ruby grinned and followed her example.

The two of them enjoyed some private time… Time they have been privately seeking for a great deal of time and something always seemed to steal away at the last minute.  Today, in this instance, nothing came up to interfere.  Various pieces of clothing ended up on the ground and they may or may not have made their way into the shower before their escapades were over that afternoon.

***Beacon Main Courtyard."

Ren always was somebody who lived in quiet contemplation and made sure actions believing them to be the right thing to do, the right action to make… or he tended not to act.

That habit of his was proving to be incredibly hard to keep to with Katherine.

He had not lied to her, he did want to ask her to try and advance more as a couple.  He also did not lie to her that he needed to do something before he could do that.  He admitted it was a somewhat antiquated thing to do… but if he was going to do that and risk damaging his relationship with Jaune… he needed to be certain it was what he wanted to do.

That… and he has not had the opportunity.  Merely asking the question would put himself out there in a way he has never done before.  None the less… Everything in his being told him he needed to do this.  His father told him it was important to abide by those rules as the last thing he ever passed on to his son.  The least thing Ren could do, was try to follow them.

Not that he could actually tell anybody what that something was.

He felt like he understood how Jaune felt about Pyrrha… Jaune felt that Pyrrha could do so much better than himself.  In a way… Ren felt the same about Katherine.  None the less he was certain it was for different reasons…

He continued to ponder and think as he slowly walked his way through the snow to meet with Nora.  It was spring… and they were enjoying probably the last snowfall of the season.

He reached the main archway… stopped…. and froze.

He knew that Nora wanted to make snowman… that was why she left after their morning workout anyway.  He did not expect to see a snowman that should have required a crane to build.

He also did not expect to see Nora hugging around it using it for cover in a snowball fight.

-PAFF-

Neither did he expect to get hit by that snowball.

"RENNY GET IN HERE YOU ARE IN NO MANS LAND OUT THERE!"  Nora called waving him over from the snowman.

He almost smiled but ran up to take shelter next to her.

"Why am I here Nora?"  He asked calmly cleaning off the snowball.

"Cause I asked you here silly."  She asked making a large 'shell' to fire.

"Nora"  He tried again.

"Ok fine well…"  Nora with a  moment of clarify began to explain.

Velvet and Lavender are on the other end of the courtyard trying to have some fun in the snow.  Team CRDL showed up and a snowball fight soon followed.  The two sisters were outnumbered against a full team and sent for help.  Nora soon arrived and tried to flank the hostile team using her snowman as cover.  When it was clear that the wide angle of Nora's position gave her an advantage CRDL called in another team for help… the nearby team SSSN, 'male pride' they claimed.

Thus the two teams got the advantage on both Nora and the siblings.  It was then unexpected help arrived.

Patricia and Lissette Arc reinforced the siblings and were able to hold out.  Now all that was needed was for somebody to storm the barricade and force the two teams out of their cover where they will be 'snowballed down' by the dug in girls down the line.

"Ok… so again why am I here?  If this is guys vs. gals shouldn’t I be… you know… over there?"  He suggested pointing to the two pockets of male teams somewhat confused.

Nora just huffed "Renny you have long hair so you can be an honorary chick for this battle."  She sounded off and hefted her large boulder.

Ren just facepalmed… he would never hear the end of that one later.

"If you are done with explanations are we ready to do this?" A mysterious voice asked.

"Oh opps,  Sorry let me get you in the comlink call."  Nora claimed quickly.

Ren was soon patched in.

"Honorary chick eh?  I will be sure a few certain people learn about that tomorrow."  Velvet claimed maliciously.

"Thanks Nora."  He stated dryly.

"Sorry Ren"  She smiled.

"So, Nora has some big boulders saved up are we using them?"  He asked.

"YOU TWO EVER GOING TO MOVE?!"  Cardin's voice boomed through the courtyard.

Ren looked out, and had an idea.  He didn't want to spend an eternity in a snowball fight he needed a way to end it quickly.  His face lit up with a somewhat evil idea.

"Hey Cardin!"  He shouted.

"…"

"REN?!  Why are you on their side?!"  The bigger man answered back.

Ren smiled… exactly where he thought he was.

He soon patched Cardin into the comlink call.

"If you are here to surrender You know my terms.  One date from each of you… except you Ren."  He answered smugly.

Nora just mouthed 'Why did you call him?'

He just smiled "Cardin, I can assure you, you want to surrender.  I give you 5 seconds."  He declared confidently.

"Why are we including him in this?"  Patricia wondered.

"Yeah I will not be going on a date with him..." Velvet Agreed.

"He would have to kill me first…"  Lissette put in sounding serious.

Ren smiled again… Nora was just confused.

"Ok Cardin.  I tried.  Nora?  You remember last month you tried to have pancakes but you couldn't because we were out of syrup?  So you had to throw them all away."  He inquired.

He couldn’t see it, but Cardin just sharpened his glare looking confused.

"Yes…"  His friend answered unsure, remembering the crime against pancakes in question.

"Cardin threw it all away."  He stated calmly.

"THAT’S BULLS-"  Ren disconnected him from the call.

Nora just roared her angry roar and started to push on the snowman nearby.

"Be ready to act this will flush them from cover."  He declared over the scroll talk.

Ren really didn’t even need to act.  Few things on Remnant can stop an angry Nora especially when pancakes were called into question or threatened.

CRDL ended up literally buried in the snow leaving the base of the snowman free to move around. and use as cover.

A few snowball volleys later and team SSSN soon abandoned the battlefield… not really being friends with team CRDL anyway.

"I just wanted to throw a snowball at Patricia anyway."  Neptune stated with a grin as he walked… jogged…. dodged away.

Nora had to help Lavender unbury herself… the small girl tried to heft up and throw a boulder made for somebody larger than herself.  A brief slip and the next thing she knew the entire thing collapsed on top of herself.

It took at least a few minutes to uncover the Bunny Faunus from her impromptu igloo.

Ren saw something that afternoon he never still struggled to believe is reality.  Both of the elder Arc siblings helping, and even going as far as to give Velvet and hug as the elder sister thanked them for their assistance.

By the time the entertainment was over they all went their own ways back as it was nearly dinner time.  None the less, a great many things got done, and it was a nice if relaxing day for just about everybody involved… not including the still buried team CRDL.  They could get themselves out right?

**Here we are another chapter… maybe now I can sleep ^.^**

**As always I am eager for feedback.  Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.  If that’s broken… as it often is send me an IM/comment email.  If you enjoyed it please hit favorite/follow/kudos whatever.  It all helps keep the mind motivated and churning out new ideas and more content.**

**Some things to bring up:**

**I need suggestions for a catchy Ren X Kate reference akin to Arkos for Pyrrha X Jaune.  What I have come up with are either horrible cringe worthy or both.**

**I remain open to more bonus or intimate scene but requests have stopped… If nobody is interested in them I will stop asking.  All I need is what type of scene you want, who is involved, and a brief idea of what you hope to be included.**

**If you have any suggestions or requests for either funny/sexy/shocking truths and or dares hit me up.  I have another round planned before the year is up ( probably 2 chapters from now ) and if you have ideas I need to hear them soon so I can incorporate them.**

**I need more feedback on changing it an M rated story… haven't gotten much feedback and I grow more tempted every week to do it.  I need your thoughts on the matter, I will assume no dissenters exist to my changing it if nobody mentions it.**

**I am assuming at this juncture that I need another artist for a story picture.  If you are willing, or know somebody.  Help us get in touch…. please.**

**I will happily discuss any questions folks have with the story and am eager to carry on conversations however lengthy with anybody who would like too.**

**I think that is all for tonight.  Thank you for your time, thank you for reading, and I will see you next time.   -Sean**


	22. Year 2 Winter: Paragon at Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the Winter term is nearly upon the group. One class yet remains before a weekend of fun and finals the week after. Pride is on the line as students clash once again, and it might be a turning point for one individual in their attempt to grow.

2.27

Purpose… Her life might not have been many things, but she liked to think it was one of purpose.  Always some goal to achieve or mark to hit.  Another job to get done or another goal to reach.  Her sense of purpose had been challenged of late.

Lissette had been many things in her life.  The roles of an enforcer or bully were perhaps some of the roles she had been utilized the most often in.  The job felt natural to her, she might not have liked the 'boss' or his methods for keeping his employees motivated, but she mostly enjoyed the job.

To say that her world had been thrown upside down would be like saying Grimm have killed one or two people in the history of Remnant.

Not only was her world thrown upside down, but everything she believed to be true… suddenly no longer was.  Her father, who she thought was doing an unpleasant but necessary task.  One that she would thank him for in the end… turned out to be a horrible creature.  Her brother… she still struggled with accepting what she put him through.  The occasional beatings the verbal abuse… all of it for a lie.  The same could be said of her youngest sister as well.  It was a challenge to revaluate yourself and keep a grip on reality given what had been done.

Her youngest family members have beyond proven to be not only capable but exceptionally so at this juncture in her life.  Their growth and physical appearance is obviously telling of that.  Their continued growth helped further the crushed outlook that she formally had with life.

Though it all she had decided on something.  She wanted to change, she had to change and she is trying to change.  Change hurts.  Change is painful and change is hard.  Yet… there is something to be said for the reflection of oneself resulting in a more honest outlook.  That carrying less and less anger around on a daily basis resulted in a more happy outlook on life.

Who would have thought that right?

She was nearly 21 years old… and it felt like she was 21 going on 12.  All of her adult life, all of her adolescent life and the majority of her childhood she had somebody else telling her what to think.  What to do, and how to act.  It was a comfort she used to have… Dad said it was a good idea so I went along and did it.

She no longer had that comfort now.  In a way… this was like learning how to walk all over again.

For the first time in her life… she did things because she wanted too.  Naturally having her sister in her head constantly helped.  Patricia always tempered her anger in a way that nobody else could.  Miyas if anything tended to add fuel to her angers fire.  Miyas was just as fiery and driven as the rest of the Arc children but had been forced into a life of scholarship.  She constantly made her displeasure with that known as often as she could… never mind that her body had been used for a rather grim purpose more times than any child should have been subjected too.

Like a proverbial veil lifting from her eyes… she could finally see the world.  The world was confusing.

For one she always felt that Katherine was an anomaly, that her flirty friendly and rather open view of the world was singular amongst the Arc's.  Well… after walking in on Patricia and her boyfriend for the third time in a week she determined that no… maybe Kate was not so abnormal.  She was happy for her sister but she hoped that she would learn to put a sock on the door… or something.

She even had the occasional person ask her out, a time or two she actually said yes.  She almost did not know how to handle the event when it first came up.  She guessed that herself and Jaune had more in common than what was originally believed.  Jaune had the good sense to not return the friendly flirts he sometimes received but that changed nothing for how Pyrrha seemed ready to declare a duel each time somebody walked up and showed more skin than she deemed appropriate.  Something everybody in the vicinity was painfully aware of as she had been on a couple occasions.

That first fight… she did not quite know what to expect.  Contrary to her nickname of brute or bully she was not an idiot.  She knew when somebody was in shape and Jaune clearly was.  She showed up expecting a fight and a fairly easy victory…

She was not correct in her expectation.  Jaune won, it was not easy, but he won, and he won with a fair amount of Aura left over.  Something which according to her entire life… should be impossible.  He overpowered her… She needed to repeat that to herself several times before it sunk in.  He got in more clean strikes to her glancing blows, he won the battle in nearly every category.  She gave a solid accounting of herself, but she learned underestimating him was not a wise thing to do.

Which brings her back to today.  The term was nearly over.  She astonishingly had made friends, some of RWBY and JNPR even numbered amongst them.  Mostly thanks to the initial actions of his groups friends.

Yet another thing she would have sworn to be impossible at the start of the year… friends… with some of Jaune's teammates.

Even so, today pride was on the line.  Today, she would face him again, because she wanted too.  She wanted to be honest about it.  She wanted to compete for the sake of competing.  Her sister had a large part to play in the equation in how that came to be.  They had to face Jaune for their own sake.  He was somebody who had proven to be a formidable warrior in his own right… basically an immovable object in terms of fighting style.  That combined with Pyrrha's unstoppable force the pair was quickly becoming notorious around the school.

Today, they would do everything they could to try and beat the famous second year pair.  Victory was not assured by either party, and that is what made Beacon great.  Students at the end of the day, being students.  Everybody trying to learn, trying to grow, and trying to be what they can ultimately be.

Huntsmen… and Huntresses.  Equal in desire and purpose… it was an idea to get her head around.

Lissette pondered all of these things as she and her closest friend, her partner and sister walked towards the arena for their friendly match.  Combat finals would start after the weekend, today should be a friendly but hard fought match.  Not so much ideals on the line but pride, a great deal of pride coupled with bragging rights.

"Well… we are going to graduate soon sis… strange huh?"  Patricia asked.

Lissette could only watch unsure how to react as her sister both waved and blew a kiss to her boyfriend across the arena, Neptune.

"I never understood how you can do that and not get embarrassed."  She stated sternly.

"Mostly cause there is nothing to get embarrassed about.  It is people being people."  Her sister replied with an unseen but still obvious smirk on her face.

She turned and spoke on "Besides you are just angry you walked in on us the other day."  Here, she winked.

Lissette crossed her arms and huffed "Contrary to popular opinion I do not appreciate a continual stream of images of my own sister … in those activates.  It is hard enough keeping my thoughts clear when you are otherwise engaged in those activities at times, much less walking in on you performing them."

"You should try it sis, it is a great stress reliever."  She smiled innocently.

Lissette just scowled and crossed her arms.

Patricia laughed lightly like a bird and grew serious "So about our fight today.  What do you think?"

Lissette grew equally serious before responding.

"I do not think I need to speak for you to understand my thoughts."  She responded.

Patricia nodded "No, I agree.  It helps to voice them so as to put thought to record.  I know you brought both weapons obviously, I am unsure why you would do that.  You seem confused about it yourself."  She claimed.

"Well… In truth I do not know why I took both of them today.  I want both with me I suppose."  She answered uncertain.

There was much she could say on the subject of her weapons.  The first, a relic like Crocea Mors but not anywhere near as old.  Used by somebody who like her, was an Avadon, a Dark Knight.  More aggressive and Brutal in her fighting style than that of the second most ancient weapon her family had… that of Jaune's former weapon.  Enforcer… or Protector.  She did not seem to know which one she wanted to use.

Patricia nodded as if following along with her sisters thoughts before she spoke on "Well… I meant more about tactics to be honest…"

The two sisters would discuss this at length for some time, they did not have a large part of their emotional being tied to a victory but they were both 4th year students who each had the reputation of being an exceptional fighter in their own right.  No 4th year student wanted to lose to a 2nd year even if one of those second year students was Pyrrha Nikos herself.

Across the room the group sat in their typical seats.  Ren at the end was growing frustrated with the situation regarding Kate.  So far the girl had been more patient than he dared dream.  She seemed to get daily if not hourly requests to date from various individuals and thus far had turned them all down.  She didn't pester him about his decision on needing time or inquire about what it was he needed to do before he could date her.   Yet despite that, it did not make the way she walked seductively around without a thought seem nearly a taunt to his self control or how much he knew was starting to be effected by it.

He needed to go to Cadia… he needed to do his thing and he needed to do it soon.  A call would not suffice, this is something you do in person, or one does not do it.  Of course getting access to Cadia right now will not be easy but he hoped over the summer he could do it.  He thanked her for her patience… She said she would try to be patient.  However he did not want to make her wait much longer.

None the less they had assembled for the final combat class before a much needed weekend to relax… where Yang may or may not have something planned for the group before finals took place the following week.

Ms. Goodwitch arriving in the center area below getting the attention of the class brought an eventual end to conversation.

"Quiet down people quiet down it is a Friday and that means we have another day of work before we can relax over the weekend before finals.  Today we have another unusual match and thus I have no room for requests today.  We will have our assigned matches first as usual…"

She proceeded to call names with those being called upon moved down to the field.  While the two classmates walked down the group had a chance to speak.

"I never expected to see Lissette smile… yet now she actually appears like a normal person… almost.  If somebody would have told me this is how the year would have gone I probably would have disregarded it completely."  Weiss claimed looking across to the sisters on the other side.

"A great deal has happened… but it has been a good year I think."  Ruby agreed with a nod.

"Plus we need to have some fun over the weekend.  Heavy stuff takes its toll we need to laugh before finals next week."  Yang suggested rubbing her hands together with unmasked glee.

Kate had her arms crossed as she only semi listened to her friend talk.  She … was doing better overall than she was before.  Her skepticism regarding Jewel... Lissette and Patricia has for the most part gone away.  None the less she had wanted to face her sisters in a fight setting most of her life.  All her life she wanted to be trained to defend people… that of course included herself.  She had the opportunity now they were just across the room.  Yet… her heart told her fighting was not the solution… at least, not for her.

They and her brother might have a date on the calendar which is fast approaching but she no longer felt that she had to fight to make her point.  Looking back now she thought more than one about the time earlier in the year where she hit her sister upon discovering the treatment of the Rabbit Faunus Lavender.  She felt justified for earlier actions and her heart said attack… so she did.  Now she wasn't sure what her heart was trying to tell her.

It seems while she thought to herself… the match below had concluded.

"Good match you two, do not hesitate again in the future that hesitation nearly lost you the match."  Goodwitch advised as the current bout had just ended.  Two more names were called down.

Kate watched the battles but didn't entirely focus on them.  She had done her best to honor her words to the headmaster as her studies began at Beacon.  To fight with everything she has, every tool in her arsenal including her semblance.  To try to continually push the boundary of what her body can do both physically with weapons and conditioning or her mind for studies with learning.  For the most part, she has done that, the time she spent with Jaune and the group ensured that.  She had not grown with her semblance as much has her twin in the time between that conversation and now.  Her ability to turn those she wants invisible and share her semblance without having to touch them was the end game goal.

Mom obviously had never experienced that personally and as such could not give the type of picture perfect fine tuned advised as she did for Jaune.  None the less… like a muscle of the body it grows stronger the more it is used.  She is growing with it just… not as quickly.  Jaune… she felt as did Mom and evidently so did Glynda herself, that Jaune was nearly to the point of earning his title… his Knighthood.

Paragon, the title of those with the Arc semblance whose color was white and blue.  Kate had no idea beyond the words what Jaune experienced as he used his semblance.  However she said several times the effect in more than one instance…

'It isn't the effect the semblance has on the user, the true power is what it does for their allies.'

'If a stranger feels small, but noticeable effects.  What happens when two people feel stronger about each other?  Like if they love each other how deep does the semblance effect them in those cases?'

'When two people, and their aura's have developed to that point that a type of symbiosis occurs.  That they resonate so strongly with each other… it will not require conscious effort, just concentration on maintaining his semblance… and the effect will happen.  Once he understands his aura and semblance enough, all he need to is use it.'

Those where the statements, the thoughts that would answer the question.  Something Mother ensured she learned as they traveled through the wilderness should something happen to her before she could properly instruct her son.  Something she was glad to prepare for… but gladder still that she didn’t have to be the one to be the one sharing the wisdom of the elder Huntress in the family.

Her own title she knew was 'Specter' which she would earn when she displays proper usage of it.  The connections are not necessarily the same for her, but basically both twins needed to do the same thing before they would be considered passing their families instruction for standardized use of their semblances.

As always when it came to love… she struggled to understand in the way Jaune knows the word.  She… thought she understood it at times.  She loved her brother as fiercely as Pyrrha herself does… just in a slightly different way.  She is trying to love her friends as siblings as he does.  The emotion was just something she always tried to push away and embracing it was hard.  None the less all she had to do was look slightly to her left to see the obvious.  Nobody doubted the feelings the two partners carried for each other.

Maybe today he would earn make that last step. 

"Just a few more classes and we have the weekend… So far these fights are boring."  Yang complained somewhat pulling Kate out of her thoughts.

"Come now Yang, I think you know the real reason you want to get to the weekend."  Ruby claimed with a wink.

"We aren’t talking about that right now Ruby..."  Yang worded through clenched teeth.

"… Dolt."  Somebody who doesn’t need to be named stated.

Kate just shared a look with her twin, and shrugged mirroring each other.

"Have you two spoke about facing Lissette and Patricia much?"  Ren asked curiously.

Jaune shrugged.  "We have some yes, but a fair amount of it depended on how they showed up which of course we just learned minutes ago.  Lissette seems to be wearing both of her weapons and the armor plating meant for her.  Patricia her own suit of armor and her weapon as well.  Ms. Goodwitch should give us some time to stretch and plan given we have to wait until the end of class but we will see."

Pyrrha looked over at Jaune but decide to hold her peace.  They had indeed spoken a bit, and it was encouraging.  Jaune wasn't nervous, not anywhere near the level he was at earlier in the year.  She knew intellectually that the fight would have at least two phases.  Both groups feeling each other out and fighting without their semblances… and then another once they start using it.  Jaune is practically an entirely different person with his semblance running.  Far more physically powerful, fast on the move and quick to respond which came with a dramatic increase in spatial awareness and reaction time.  It seems to take his physical body and make it only more so the further he pushes himself.  She could expect the same transformation for his sisters.  She knew her semblance would let her hold up to them but the truth is she has never really faced the pure Arc semblance before.  It would be a challenge she had never quite experienced before.

Pyrrha and several others would have continued to think and talk lightly amongst themselves but it seems Ms. Goodwitch had a curveball to throw that day.

"Ms. Belladona, Mr. Lie, please head down to the arena for your match."  She said simply marking something on her clipboard.

The two friends looked at each other for a moment before grinning and walking down to the arena floor.

"Go on Blake! KITTYS GOT CLAWS!"  Yang shouted at her partner as she neared the bottom.

"GO RENNY! CATS HATE WATER!!"  Nora shouted equally loud.

Nora and Yang looked at each other almost like competing rivals for a moment before a sound cut them off.

"Ren doesn’t exactly have a water gun Nora."  Ruby claimed chuckling.

"Good point… I'll need to make sure he fixes that for next time."  Nora claimed looking thoughtful.

"Just hope for a good match guys it's our friends down there after all."  Jaune claimed fairly.

"No Way RENNY is GONA WIN!"  Nora advertised loudly perhaps a bit biased in the coming fight.

"Would you all please stop shouting?!"  Weiss pleaded massaging her temples.

Kate smiled, she wanted Ren to win… but she struggled with openly cheering for him.  Both were her friends after all.

"Ok Nora, I propose a deal."  Yang put forth cheerfully.

Nora froze, but looked at the Brawler and asked "Yes?"

Yang smiled "We each cheer normally and let things go back to normal after the match?"  She put forth.

Her smiled faltered as she turned to look at her friend.

Somehow Nora had produced a gigantic 'Ren #1!' foam hand and was waiving it around happily.

"Sure!"  She claimed with a knowing grin.

Where did she…. never mind.

The friends had long given up trying to explain how Nora does the things she does.  Instead of trying to explain the impossible, they just focused down on the ground.

***Arena Floor***

'I never will understand how Nora does these things'  Ren thought to himself… nearly out loud.  He heard her shout clearly and probably could have been anywhere in the forever fall forest and still been able to hear the cheer.

Blake readied her weapon deciding to keep it in gun mode for now and nearly smirked.  She and Yang had worked hard all year.  They had burned through nearly a truck load of tuna following Mrs. Arcs advise of needing something just out of range.  It took awhile, but she finally was able to use her semblance without earning herself an instant migraine.  The ability to shift between her mirror images was an exhilarating thing to experience, and she felt bad that Ren was the one to have it demonstrated on.  None the less… victory was not a sure thing.  She had learned to do it… but was not 'the bestest' at it yet.

"Nora seemed to have extra sugar in her system this morning."  She claimed dropping down into her stance weapon held at the ready.

Ren laughed freely as he drew his weapons.

"Nora will be Nora."  He claimed calmly.

"YES NORA WILL!!" the girl in question shouted.

"If you TWO are ready…"  Goodwitch emphasized a bit touchy looking at Nora.

"…You can begin at the lights."  She advised at last.

The two in the ring smiled.

The light kicked off, and instantly the sounds of fighting filled the room.

Blake leveled her weapon at Ren's position and fired but stayed light on her feet while keeping herself mobile.

-Ratatatatatat-

Bullets glanced off the ground and for the most part did not find their mark.

Ren sprinted diagonally across Blake and opened fire back ducking back and forth as he tried to close the distance.

Blake switched Gambol Shroud into whip mode and made a quick dancers like spin bringing the weapon across the arena.

Rather than get involved in whatever Blake had in mind Ren jumped going airborne.  He gave one last burst fire with both weapons before flipping his body and coming down on Blake with a kick.

Blake stepped gracefully to the side and jumped off lightly in a tight spin.  She brought a kick across her body before landing and continuing that motion into a sweep across the floor.

Ren ducked the first kick but was caught by the leg trailing on the ground.  Blake pushed herself up into a spin to try and get another hit to his chest in or maybe even bring her weapon down on his throat to score a quick victory.

He brought his legs up and put himself into a spin kicking her leg aside before hitting her squarely evening the tally with his other leg.  He kept that spin going and rose into a handstand before leveling himself out to his feet again.

Blake came at him with the weapon now in sword mode.

Clashes and Ting's filled the area as they traded blows back and forth across the floor.  Blake despite only having the one weapon had no problems both attacking and defending from Ren's double weapon setup.

Ren blocked an upwards attack and brought his other weapon around only for it to be ducked under and for another strike to be aimed at him.

They separated for a few spaces and he got some time to think.  She had obviously been spending time with Yang and was clearly capable of defending herself in hand to hand.  She was every bit athletic as I am and probably even more so.  I cannot play her game to win this.

Blake had a similar moment of realization.  Ren was matching her movements with his weapons, thus far both had taken about the same amount of damage in terms of strikes. 

Before she could think more Ren evidently had decided to reengage.

He sprinted briefly before jumping and torpedoing low at her knees.  She jumped up and over him trying to bring her weapon down on him.  Her attack was deflected by one his weapons and she landed gracefully turning to face him again.

Ren stopped himself putting his arms in front of his body before flying back with greater speed behind him.

_His semblance!_

Blake knew his semblance was some type of kinetic manipulation technique but had no idea he could use it to propel himself.

She blocked his kick but was caught low by one of his weapons knocking her balance off slightly.  The force of his aura augmented push continued his spin and he rained down 3 more solid strikes before she was able to recover her footing.

After retreating several steps Blake appeared shaken, as such Ren tried to keep the pressure up and made to reengage with another powerful overhand strike.

The strike cleanly sheared through her body, the lack of resistance was a shock and he stumbled slightly.

A quick sword strike caught him low before a spin kick landed another solid mark to his face.  More sword strikes and thrusts kept coming at him and he slowly was able to force her back and make another counter swing.

Once again his weapon sheared clean through his target, this time however he kept his balance and was prepared for the riposte from Blake.

Catching her swing as she reappeared with his semblance he propelled her away and into the air slightly.  he got some shot on her as she floated in the air

Another Blake appeared on the ground… followed by another, both ran at him.

Must be trying to distract me…

He thought and focused on the Faunus in the air… right up until it vanished from sustained damage.

The two Blake's on the ground had their weapons held high as they leapt at him.

Suddenly unsure which one was real he retreated backpedaling but keeping his guard up.

One of the Blake's came in for an attack which he made to block.  At the physical contact he determined that one was the real Blake and managed to take her off balance with a kick to her thigh.  Bringing his weapon across in a swing he tried to get another shot against her, only for the other Blake… the one he ignored to hit him with a powerful kick sending him several feet back totally in a defensive posture.

She seemed prepared to catch her breath as they separated for a few moments.

"You can switch between your illusions now… kind of you to tell me."  He joked flatly rolling his shoulders trying to do the same.

Blake just smiled "You never said you could use your semblance to propel yourself to be fair."  She claimed smirking at him.

He shrugged "I didn't know I could until I tried just now to be honest."

She would have responded in with more friendly banter, but a loud booming sound distracted the two of them.

As they both looked in the direction it seemed that Nora felt Ren needed more cheering directed at him.  She now was playing a tuba loudly using a foot to pedal a large drum all the while waiving a 'Ren #1' foam finger in the air.

"Where… how?"  Blake worded taken slightly aback.

The two people in the floor didn’t notice this given the noise from Nora but the entire room to a man was chuckling… even Ms. Goodwitch though hers was hidden behind a rather epic facepalm.

"I have long ago stopped asking myself those questions."  He stated and dropped back into a combat stance.

Blake smiled somewhat sinisterly and promptly made a clone of herself.  Both ran at him angling off to a different side.

Ren found himself slightly unprepared for how Blake used her semblance now.  He no idea she had learned to swap positions and having to face it was a challenge.

She would rush in prepare to attack then switch off to her shadow and allow the first body to take a hit.  While he was still somewhat out of position it was difficult to keep himself protected.

A quick thrust from 'Blake A' to his right; a block.

'Blake A' coiled about brought her sword over her should at the same time 'Blake B' did a thrust aimed at a different point of him body.

Both points of contact felt physical and real.  He learned she was literally switching between both bodies as they strike and switching off as he makes a counter.

This continued for several more engagements.  Occasionally he managed to hit her… she was not a expert on this aspect of her semblance but she clearly was getting better the longer the match went on.  The vast majority of those clashes resulted in his taking a strike with her getting out of range before he could retaliate.

His adversary was clearly breathing hard and was starting to sweat, it was taking a toll on her to do this coupled with how long the match had gone on.

"You are full of surprises today Blake."  He admitted buying time to think.

She smirked… and didn’t give him the chance.

His aura was below hers… sure as she used her semblance it drained but the damage she was inflicting was more than enough to counter that.

He needed a change of tactics.  Thus far he had tried to fight in close range, it had gone in her favor.  He had ground to make up and it was time to stick to tried and true tactics.

Nobody was a better shot, than Lie Ren.  Nobody, he was about to prove it.

Moving in light bounces he continually retreated from the Cat Girl.  Every time she made a clone, both bodies was targeted and fired upon.

Every time, meticulously, religiously without fail.

Blake was not without cunning of her own.  She did not want to face Ren in a distance fight she had to try and get close.  Yet she could not, not by using only 1 image of herself.

Thus she developed a plan to get close, a way to hopefully drain that last bit of Aura he had before the red.

Continually advance on him, make a multitude of images have them encircle him and continually press inwards.

Ren was soon firing in very elaborate ways to trim down the multiple targets arrayed against him.  Firing independently with each arm aiming behind his back in many cases, arms spread out in a T shape, even aiming behind his head picking off as many targets as he possibly could.

He could not see this, but his efforts were paying off, Blake's aura was dropping having to maintain that many clones at once and she even got hit by the occasional round before she could swap bodies.

She still continued to close on the Huntsman in training trying to keep his distance.

Ren kept the occasional glance at the aura readouts as he continued to fight, whoever won the next engagement would likely win the match.

He continued to line up targets and fire, until his breath caught.

\- click click click-

He tried his other weapon.

-click click click-

Out of ammo in both weapons.  No time to reload either.

Blake rushed into a full head on sprint towards his adversary and leapt slightly into the air.

Ren acted quickly and manage to hit Blake before her sword could either strike him or block, he thought he had won.  Right up until the Blake he connected with vanished into nothing.

Spinning around as quick as he could he played a hunch and activated his semblance as if trying to catch an object heading towards him.

He was right. 

Blake appeared from nowhere with her sword already on coarse with a powerful two handed strike.

They strained against each other as they burned their most intense glares into each other.

The room had gone quiet, this was the focal point and deciding engagement of the match.

Blake was not the strongest person around, but even if she was she would not be able to overcome the semblance powered field that Ren had put up.  Yet she couldn’t give up the struggle as if she did, he would be free to put that same force into an attack.

However she didn’t really have a plan for how to proceed, until Ren forced the issue.

With a slight hand movement he edged Gambol Shroud aside.  A nearly collision like crash sound echoed through the room as the weapon was forced out of Blake's grasp.  Ren made a quick but fierce attack with his arm at the exact same moment Blake brought her leg up.

They managed to hit each other and nearly the exact same time.

The force of both impacts sent both fighters to their backs.  Both of them kicked themselves into a standing position… when they noticed the lights had came back on.  As they tried to catch their breath they both directed their attention to the aura readout.

Both of them in the red, a draw.

"Nice match."  He said pleasantly breathing heavily.

He moved forward towards her and stowed his weapons as she did the same.

"You as well."  She claimed hiding a grin mostly doing the same.

"Nice match, that took tactics from both of you.  Head back to your seats please."  Ms. Goodwitch instructed sounding only slightly annoyed.

Ren figured her annoyance was due to the actions of his longtime friend… it might have been.  Yet he couldn’t know for sure and he might never know.

The drum, tuba and foam finger were nowhere to be found or seen again.

He was still more than a touch baffled when he got back into his seat. 

Both Blake and himself was given a round of high fives as they crossed.  Kate was the last person to give him a high five… and did not let go of his hand right away.

"Ok, one more match today, head down all of you.  You can take a few moments to discuss and warm up."  Goodwitch advised.  Unlike the last time she had a mixed years match she did not sound at all opposed this time, she sounded encouraged almost like she believed this would do some good.

Pyrrha and Jaune looked a bit sheepish, but they made their way down to the arena floor to prepare for their match.

Before the two up top let go of the other… they both put forth firm grip on the other.

They looked at each other… and smiled.  Ren dropped his gaze first keeping his smile, and finally let go of Kate's hand.

Luckily for him, the entire event went unnoticed by the rest of the group as they focused intently on the coming match below.

As Pyrrha and Jaune walked down to the arena floor to do some stretches and warm up they spoke eying the sisters they would face on the other end of the arena floor basically mirroring their own actions.

"So… what do you think?"  Pyrrha asked slowing coming into Warrior mode.

"I think we have a tough match ahead of us."  He stated simply with a wry grin.

"Jaune…."  She chided.

"Fine Fine yes I know.  Patricia uses a Halberd, she will come on hard and quick.  Her strikes will pack a punch.  If Lissette uses Durandal her attacks will be even more brutal, the weapon is heavier and has mechanics built in to assist in propelling the weapon faster."  He advised switching to a different stretch.

"What do you expect them to do?"  She asked, talking helped keep him calm and give her crucial information.

He thought about it a bit before answering.

"Well.  They will probably be more aggressive.  Aside from Lissette they do not have a shield, and I doubt she will start out using Crocea Mors if she even switches to it at all.  They will be aggressive and try to be proactive while staying mobile."  He moved to another stretch.

Pyrrha just listened, they had spoken of this previously but it helped both of them to rehash it again here.

"I do not know who they will focus on.  I do however think we should stick with the initial plan.  Stay together and play our game.  At some point they will initiate a switch and that is when the fight will truly start."  He took a breath.

"What do you mean?"  She asked.

He made a head movement towards them "They are used to working as a pair.  Moreover their weapons are specifically designed for what we are going to try and conquer.  Durandal has a ranged mode but it is unique.  It does not fire shells, it fires nets.  Patricia's weapon also has a ranged mode, hers fires rockets.  I suspect they will use the rockets to breaks us apart and net one of us down.  That might be when they try to use their semblance and finish it.  We either need to get aggressive and not let them use that strategy which I still do not think we have a good chance of pulling off, or we need to handle that and regroup quickly.  She can only fire two rocket's without having to reload and it takes a good bit of time to do it.  If we can handle that and recover I'd say we have a good chance to win."  He finished orating his plan and looked at his girlfriend.

"Jaune… just do your best you know-"  She stated miss interpreting why he looked at her.

"Pyrrha, I do not think we will lose.  True I do not want to be responsible for your first loss, I just am glad you are sharing this moment with me… that’s all."  He smiled warmly.

She smiled back and nodded.

"Head to the center you all, just about time to start."  Goodwitch instructed from above.

They stood side by side and walked to the center of the arena running through the established checklist.

Withstand their aggression while defending each other and strike back as they can.

Recover quickly from them initiating the start of the semblance battle if we cannot go aggressive and end it before they choose to engage it

Follow each other's lead and trust your instincts.

Ms. Goodwitch issued a reminder that it is time to meet in the middle and start.

In the seconds before the match began a very different story was told than what might have been predicted at the start of the year.

No heated banter no seething looks, no mocking or otherwise uncivilized behavior.

Instead the two sisters kept mobile, bouncing lightly on their feet as if preparing to launch into an attack.

The younger team just armed their weapons and stood side by side shields meeting in a wall.

The lights shutting off set it off with a proverbial bang.

Jaune's prediction turned out to be accurate as the two sisters sprinted at the pair with Patricia leaping into the air.

Lissette wielded her axe in a powerful two handed swing sideways rotating in a full 360 degree arc.

The attack was stopped by the paired shields of Jaune and Pyrrha.

Patricia came down with an overhead circular swing at the same time Lissette reengaged with another attack.

One deflection followed by another.

The two sisters separated yet it seemed they had this routine practiced in a well choreographed dance.

To the outside viewer it was watching two lines routinely crash into and deflect off a circular bubble.  Time and again.

The two older Arc's have proven to be conditioned talented and skilled. 

The two they were arrayed against was equally so.

Pyrrha had earned the reputation of winning, never taking a shot, and making it look easy.

She could not do that against these two, not thus far.

A powerful attack was blocked by Jaune, but it succeeded in knocking his shield arm aside briefly.  A follow up strike was already en route.

Pyrrha stepped in and blocked only to find herself vulnerable to another follow up swing.

Jaune had recovered and covered for his partner once again forcing the two Sisters back.

"FORWARD NOW!"  He yelled.

Taking the offensive for the first time that day they brought their shields up and moved at a run towards the nearest sister… Lissette.

She switched the two handed axe to a grip treating it almost like a staff as she set her footing in anticipation of the incoming assault.

Jaune lead in first with a hard shield bash attempting to get some room for a follow up swing from his sword.

She managed to block both of those, however they outmaneuvered Patricia.  Her sister expected Pyrrha to support Jaune's flank, she didn’t expect Pyrrha to go airborne and switch her weapon to spear form.

"HEEYA!"  The Spartan shouted driving her spear forward appearing over Jaune's shoulder.

That scored the first hit of the battle.

The redheaded warrior landed gracefully and blocked the counter swing having moved her shield to her back to block the strike.  She continued with her spin going low in a sweep.

Lissette stopped her leg by putting Durandal's pommel on the ground but took a strike from Jaune for her troubles.

Patricia had come to her sisters defense leaping over her bringing the weapon down in a powerful arc.  She missed but succeeded in forcing the pair back.

The two younger teammates rejoined each other side by side and once again seemed ready to handle any type of attack.

The two teams separated for a moment and they took some time to prepare themselves for the next engagement.

Jaune and Pyrrha were still breathing steady and looked more or less fresh.

"At this rate we will be here all day.  They have a great deal of Aura and we cannot plan on continually catching them off guard like that."  He advised as they slowly advanced on the sisters.

"Unless you want to make the first move we have to keep playing the game."  She cautioned.

In truth… he was not sure of the dangers of being the first to show their hand.  He had more aura than anybody on the battlefield.  True Pyrrha finished last in that category it isn't like her Aura reserve was small.  She had advised him against treating the situation without caution, and playing into the hands of two experienced trained and competent students.

Still… he didn’t like feeling like waiting for a bomb to blow up in their faces either.  His sisters were going to use their semblance and go for a knockout punch at some point.  They had to either win before that, or withstand it.  He wasn't sure which was the wiser plan… neither was she.  So… they decided to play it safe.

Across the arena floor retreating slowly still the two sisters traded information at the speed of thought.

'We are going to tire first, and at this rate they will win through bug bites.'  Patricia claimed.

Lissette huffed though she did not question that as fact 'So you want to go full on now?'  She asked.

'I do not see the point in waiting, the longer this goes on the more likely it is that they go aggressive and we lose our chance to play our hand the way we want.  I say go now.'  Patricia stated.

Lissette and her sister shared a glance and nodded.

Jaune picked up on the unspoken conversation and grasped what was going to be coming.

"Pyrrha careful its coming soon."  He advised.

She grew even more serious in facial expression.

"You sure?"  She asked gripping her shield firmly.

He couldn’t respond before the proverbial card hand they were waiting for was played.

Patricia leapt into the air again and transformed her weapon into its secondary mode.

"CAREFUL ROCKETS INCOMING!"  Jaune boomed through the area.

The first shot succeeded in getting them to separate briefly.  Pyrrha dove to the right and landed in a roll.   Jaune dove and rolled to his left.

_Ok… not so bad…_

Barely before he could take a tally of what was happening Patricia took aim again and fired a second time.  This time at him directly, anticipating where his roll would take him.  He blocked the rocket, but the shell sent him flying further along sliding away on the ground.

He tried to stand, and was hit by a net fired by Lissette, as he began cutting his way out of the net he realized something, they were going to try and take Pyrrha out of the game first.

Before Patricia landed she ignited in her semblance.  Her Ice Blue flame and Green eyes came into play at the same time that Lissette's Purple and Red semblance fired up.  Pyrrha got to her feet quick, but could not help Jaune out of his predicament, she had to defend herself using her own semblance to reinforce her shield and sword to be able to block the powerful strikes from the sisters.

"PYRRHA!"  He shouted as he pulled out his own semblance lighting the area up white pushing back their colors.

He soon ignited in his white flame and made more progress on freeing himself from the net.

He was not however, the only person to light up in a flame at that point.

A gorgeous Red flame also filled the room centered around Pyrrha, her eyes became the same blue as Jaune's.

"What the!"

"Seriously?"  The two sisters gasped astonished even as they tried to continue their assault.

***Upper levels of Arena watching***

"What… the hell… am I seeing?"  Yang asked to an open floor shocked seeing the red fire around Pyrrha.

Nobody really could answer her… except.

"I'm be damned… he's a Paragon."  Kate claimed with a tear falling down her face.

Her friends just slowly looked at her before Yang asked "Kate… explain… please?!"

Kate laughed "I have said it before, the true power of the Arc semblance is not what it does to the user, but rather what it does to their allies.  When two… or more people feel strongly about each other the semblance reacts.  His semblance has been strengthening you all the entire time you have known him.  It has subtly, unconsciously even encouraged you to get to know him and bond with him for the exact reason you are seeing now.  When he can use his semblance in this manner, he is said to have earned his Knighthood.  He is a Paragon now."  She responded happily.

Yang blinked.

"So wait wait… the same boons that Jaune gets in his semblance.  Greater strength, speed, reaction time… He can share that with his allies?  Pyrrha has that now?"  Weiss asked shocked.

Kate nodded happily smiling goofy like "This is the test Mom mentioned that he would have to understand for himself… he just passed it.  As long as he can maintain his semblance and his aura resonates with those on his side strong enough, they share its benefits."

That statement sat for several seconds.

"Well… They are screwed."  Yang claimed sounding certain.

A statement that earned the nods of everybody present.

"GOOO TEAM!"  Nora shouted energetically.

***Arena Floor***

"Was definitely not expecting this."  Patricia claimed almost as a joke while she strained against Pyrrha's shield.

Pyrrha was not really trying to focus on herself… but she wouldn’t NOT see it.  She was on fire… just like Jaune was when he used his semblance.  It might be a Red to match her hair… but she definitely was on fire.  To her eyes it was like the sisters moved in slow motion… she no longer needed to use her semblance to assist her in blocking their strikes.

The sisters confusion did not last long.  They pressed the attack regardless… not really having any other choice.  Pyrrha was forced to backpedal using both her shield and sword to block their assault.

She tried to attack back, but her efforts were blocked and she was once again forced on the defensive.

'I'm nearly free hold on!'

She heard the thought, and almost froze.  It took her a few heartbeats before she understood.

She heard his thoughts!  While sharing his semblance she sees and hears what he does.  She can be given instruction through it as long as she was under its effects.

In her mind's eye she could see what he was trying to do.  He had freed himself from the net and switched his weapon to its alternate mode.  The weapon began to glow as he funneled power into it trying for a massive strike.

Trying to keep all hints of his approach out of their minds she rolled to put their bodies between her and Jaune fast approaching at a run.

It seems that despite being experienced, confident, and talented the sisters were not above the occasional mistake. In one of the rare instances they made an obvious tactical error they ignored the person behind them, possibly expecting him to take longer to free himself from the net, possibly expecting him to shout to notify Pyrrha that he was free.

She did not know which was more likely or where the disconnect was.

All she knew was that Lissette's eyes lit up in shock the instant before he connected as he wielded Ovoia in a powerful two handed sideways swing and connected freely with her back.

A powerful flash filled the air and if anybody could see the aura readout you would expect to have seen a gigantic loss in aura on her.

Pyrrha extended an arm as she gripped Durandal with her semblance and gave a shove sending her flying backwards across the room.

His swing continued after connecting with one of his sisters and drove into Patricia's side trapping her arm against her body.

Pyrrha could not have read a better chance to attack if Nora was the one screaming jumping up and down on a fluorescent light which clearly broadcast 'ATTACK!'

So, she did.

Patricia recognized the danger of having one of her arms trapped against her body clearly enough and tried to defend herself best she could, but it was not easy.

Lissette recovered from the shove Pyrrha gave her and stood slowly.  She lost track of Jaune in that battle right up until the point he struck her… it is not easy keeping a running tab on everything happening around you the habits formed of focusing just with your eyes was something she and her sister were still sometimes guilty of.

However as she saw her sister desperately try to fend off the combined assault of Jaune and his partner… she was compelled to act…. unfortunately the shove sent her weapon away.

She ran at Durandal on the ground after spotting it and got within a few inches of claiming it… when she hesitated.

Jaune continued his paired assault on Patricia.  His sister was putting up a heroic effort in defending herself but Pyrrha is hard enough defending against just by herself.  Under the effects of his semblance combined with his own prowess it was proving to much for her.

She had a great deal of aura at her command, but she was surrendering a large sum of it under their combined assault.

Pyrrha would come in low at her legs, Jaune would leap over her and swing across her body.  She could not block both strikes.  She tried to block and dodge, in many instances she could.

In others, she took a strike.

Jaune and Pyrrha already had great teamwork and it only magnified under the effects of his semblance.

He ducked down and tried a sweep.  She jumped over the leg.

Pyrrha brought her weapon across her body in a powerful strike, Patricia blocked it, but the force of the blow sent it flying away out of her grip.

Jaune kept his body rotating and brought his weapon over his head to try and end the fight at this moment.

His strike was stopped by Crocea Mors.

Lissette had left Durandal on her back, and instead chose to take up the shield to protect Patricia.

She and Jaune strained against each other as she shouted "Take my axe!"

Jaune forced her back exerting enough force but Lissette held out long enough for Patricia to claim Durandal and leap over her sister in a powerful overhead swing.

Jaune was surprised by the attack and was not able to get his guard up in time.  Pyrrha covered for him blocking the overhead swing with her shield and the strike from Crocea Mors with her sword.

Lissette realized she might be able to overpower the redhead given her stance and shoved Pyrrha back.

She moved forward keeping her shield up and ran literally into Jaune as he stepped in front of his partner with his shield raised as well.

They both recoiled from the force of the collision with aura energy flowing off of them.  He stumbled backward slightly while she nearly fell to her back instead landing in a seated position.  Patricia leapt over her sister and brought her weapon down in a powerful swing.

He kept his shield raised and blocked the blow, but it was powerful enough to send him to the ground given his unsure footing.

Patricia tried to bring the axe down on him again but Pyrrha intercepted it driving her backward.

Lissette and stood and moved forward again weapon held high.

Pyrrha leapt upwards at the same time utilizing her semblance to force the raised weapon backward.  Lissette contorted awkwardly under the magnetic pressure she was arrayed against.

She was held in place long enough for Jaune to barrel into her in a shoulder tackle lifting her into the air before bringing her hard to the ground.

While Jaune was mid tackle Pyrrha threw her spear at Patricia firing off a shell to give it additional speed.

Patricia was well trained and experience with her weapon but she was obviously not as experienced with the Axe she currently had to use.  She managed to awkwardly bring the weapon sideways and block the thrown spear… and that turned out to be exactly what Pyrrha hoped she would do.

Making a punching action with her shield she caught the older girl in the clavicle and landing taking her to the ground.

Patricia looked up to find her arms pinned to her body with Pyrrha's shield held firmly against her throat.  She held out an arm and summoned her weapon back to her.

The lights kicked on.

Pyrrha looked behind her to see that after Jaune tackled Lissette to the ground he brought his sword against her throat.

Both girls had more than enough aura to keep fighting, but this was an auto win under school rules.

Pyrrha and Jaune both had sustained some hits, but they were clearly ahead in terms of Aura.  As her mind slowed and her body cooled out of fight mode she allowed herself to take in some of her surroundings.  The class was on their feet giving the 4 of them a round of ovation.  It was a close and well fought match with the exception of that one moment the two of them caught the sisters unprepared… which she personally credited to his planning that won them the day.

She stood with a full smile on her face as she looked down at the older girl.

She was unsure what to expect on the face of the older Arc sibling.

It was a slight smile.  She accepted Pyrrha's offer for a helping hand to stand.

After the arcs dropped out of their semblances Jaune included and the red flame vanished from her body.

"Well… You are the champion of Mistral… that was supposed to be tough.  Good Match Ms. Nikos."  Patricia stated in good humor catching her breath.

Pyrrha issued a wry smile and responded "Call me Pyrrha… I think you two have earned that much."

Patricia smiled and moved in for a hug surprising the Spartan.

"Take care of my brother, ok?  He is always getting into trouble."  She asked in good humor.

Pyrrha had no idea why Glynda pushed them into having this match… until perhaps this moment.

These two might have lived under terrible circumstances… but in the end?  They were Huntress' in training.  They were trying to do right and be a boon to the world.  Keeping old wounds in view only helped the man who was responsible for them in the first place.

"Of course.  I hope… I hope you and your sister keep on as you have been.  You are a good person Patricia.  Don't let your father keep you down.  OK?"  She answered in a sly smile herself.

The two women embraced for a second longer before turning around.

Jaune kept his position on top of Lissette as they just looked at each other.  He had removed his weapon from her neck and even sheathed Ovoia on his back… but he stayed on top of her catching his breath as they just stared at each other.

In hindsight… it might be harder for these two to move on.

Finally he stepped off of her and helped her too her feet.

They still just looked at each other for several seconds catching their breath.

Pyrrha could not guess what was swirling through their heads... but if a chance to repair the relationship between these two existed, it would be now.

The first to speak, was the older sibling.

"So… You are a Paragon now."  She claimed evenly.

He nodded.  "Yes… I suppose I am."

She looked down and away briefly.

"I would not have believed it possible at the start of this year… You have grown strong Brother."  She finally looked back.

He nodded letting her speak her mind and feelings.

She continued to gaze at him almost hopping he would speak… but seemed he was being silent giving her a chance to speak freely.

"Jaune… I… cant…."  She faltered and stopped.

He sighed and spoke "Lissette.  You did things you regret doing now.  But you do not feel you can apologize for them.  Is that correct?"  He asked.

She nodded.

"I… cannot pretend to know how I would have responded if what happened to Miyas happened to Kate… More likely it would have happened to me and Kate would be the one who had to do things she did not want.  You… I am not going to ask you to apologize.  Just do not follow the path he set you on anymore, and I think we may yet recover from this as a family.  Can you do that?"  He asked quietly.

She hesitated, it was what she wanted… but she couldn't bring herself to ask for it.

"I… I think I can do that.  I am already trying."  She stated seriously.

"She isn't alone either."  Patricia claimed walking up to her siblings.

Pyrrha it seems was content to stand back and let them speak… So ironically enough was Ms. Goodwitch.

Jaune looked over his two sisters… and tried to follow the advice given to him so many times by his mother.  Listen to his heart.

He was finding that hard right now.

These two made his life miserable at home.  They did the same to his twin.  That was a strong point of contention against what he was trying to do.

However… they also proverbially had a gun pointed at their head… would he truly have acted any differently?  They had done everything reasonably expected from somebody trying to change and improve.  They had tried to move on and off the path they were walking... what their father made them walk and set them on the path himself.

Maybe… he should do the same.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to the side.  Kate had arrived at his shoulder.  He naturally didn’t hear her approach… nobody ever does.  But evidently she felt the need to be a part of this discussion.

Lissette once again was the one to break the awkward silence.

"Here…."  She held out Crocea Mors collapsed into his sheath form again.

Jaune had to take a deep breath before he accepted the weapon.

"This was never mine to begin with… I… I'm sorry for taking it."  She claimed barely able to look at him.

She made to turn and walk away.

"Stop." He instructed.

She turned around again slowly to look at him appearing unsure and out of place.

Jaune had thought long and hard all through this semester about what to do if this situation came to pass.  Prior to this moment… he had not made a decision.

Crocea Mors might have been what he claimed from home.  But it was never his weapon either.  He was barely trained to use it.  He had hoped to prove himself worthy of it yes… but that was another time by somebody else under different circumstances.  He was Jaune Arc the Duke now… not Jaune Arc the embarrassment to the Arc family.  It might be time to act like it.

He had a weapon now, it would not feel right of him to reclaim Crocea Mors.  No… the weapon ended up in the hands of his sister.  Maybe the weapon could help guide her though the difficult time she was going through as she tried to change.

He looked at Kate, she seemed to read his purpose from his face.  She contemplated it for a moment, then nodded.

He moved back in front of his older sister, and looked at her solemnly before talking.

"I think, the time has come to do this right."  He stated as he held out the weapon with a single hand.

She looked at it for a handful of heartbeats before her face lit up in understanding.

"You are sure?" She asked appearing uncertain.

"I may not like the circumstances that meant the weapon ended up in your possession.  But as mom says… sometimes things happen for a reason.  Crocea Mors ended up in your possession as did Durandal.  Maybe it was always meant to be that way I do not know.  But yes, as the Duke of Cadia, I offer you this weapon."  He smiled lightly thinking he just made a corny speech… no he probably knew he did.

Lissette struggled with herself for several moments before she received a slight prod from Patricia.

She smiled as if hearing a thought from her sister, then slowly reached out both hands to accept the weapon.

"In my hands this weapon will hopefully fulfill its purpose."  She stated simply.

"May it keep you and yours safe."  He smiled at her.

Somewhere in his being… he felt he was doing the right thing.

What he was not expecting was for Lissette to move forward to initiate a hug.

Neither of them spoke as he just casually brought his arms around her.  He had never known her to get emotional except in the rare instance a few weeks back as they discussed the attack on their home.  He didn’t think she was crying now.  But shaking, she definitely was shaking.

Kate was unsure what she felt at this moment.  She couldn't call it happiness… on some level she believed Lissette was getting off easy.  On another level… she like her brother had no idea how she would have acted if she and Jaune were forced under the same circumstances.  She wanted to help bring everybody back together like her twin did. 

In the end, she moved up and put a hand on both her siblings in that hug.  She couldn’t join in, but a look at Patricia caused her to do the same on the other side.  She left the arena that day with her twin and redheaded friend.  All of them feeling better about the situation.

The friends watching had long given up clapping with the class but they elected to remain behind and wait for their friends down below.

Ms. Goodwitch smiled looking over the entire event.  From the moment she and Eve spoke.  The instant she encountered Miyas… she knew that she had made the right decision in encouraging the 4 siblings to figure out some way to work towards a mutual understanding.  She did not like James Arc the few instances when she had interacted with him.  She always described the feeling as though sticky slime was covering her body afterwards.

She knew at this moment why.  Miyas was just like every other Arc to exist.  She wanted to do work for the world.  She wanted to protect people.  Every one of the siblings down below wanted no more than to make a difference.  Even Lissette as different as she was and can still sometimes be.  She wanted to fight Grimm, to have a positive impact on the world.

What happened with the triplets was just as bad as what Jaune and Katherine endured at home.  Now, finally.  Just like Miyas and Eve's wounds previously in the year.  Those wounds have started to heal.  It felt great.  Deborah often spoke of fulfillment as a teacher.  That it is often times worth it to share in the hardships of your students, so that when they overcome their burdens, you are uplifted too.

She absolutely understood that feeling now.

Lissette and Patricia will soon be full Huntress'.  Jaune and Pyrrha were well on the way to accomplishing the same thing.  More work needed to be done, but just like before.  She, Jaune and his twin would not shy away from work, they also seemed to be dragging their friends along.  It would be interesting to see where everything ended up.

"Well, now all that’s left is to plan another Truth or Dare match before finals next week!"  Yang put forth clapping her hands together as the 3 of them reached the upper level. 

Patricia and Lissette it seems decided to leave through another exit to go about their day.

"Wait… what?"  Jaune asked.

"That’s right, we have another round of Truth or Dare starting tomorrow.  Attendance is NOT optional!"  The Brawler put forth happily.

Jaune looked at his twin and they both smiled.

It had been a long and strenuous semester and they still had finals before it would be done.  Maybe a night of fun was in order?

**I will try to keep the A/N brief this time.**

**Thank you for reading and thank you for your continued support.  Naturally hit me up with a review/IM/comment for any feedback you wish to provide.  Naturally remember to hit kudos/fav/follow yada yada.  I do read and value all feedback.  Obviously I can read praise all day but constructive criticisms are welcome as well.**

*****WARNING*** the next chapter will include another truth or dare.  If you have any suggestions regarding any fun/sexy/shocking dares you would like to see put into place I need to know SOON to be able to write it in.**

**3 Chapters away from the end of the second year… seems like the world is both unending yet rapidly progressing along.  I want to thank all of you who have been with me from the beginning.  Support MATTERS to fledgling authors like myself.  Believe me even if it is just a simple sentence like "I really like this chapter or wow that was funny."  They are worth their weight in gold to keeping people motivated.**

**Thank you once again for reading, and I will see you next time.  Feel free to hit me up with any questions you have or if you would just like to chat a bit : )**

**-Sean**


	23. Year 2 Winter: Truth or Dare Round 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title says it all not much to say. The group relaxes before finals in their second year at Beacon.

**A/N**

**Basically a true story:**

**Reader: So you need to do another truth or dare.**

**Me: I will… next year around the same time as I did the other two rounds.**

**Reader: Not what I meant.**

**Me: What did you mean?**

**Reader: We need one soon, like NOW in fact.**

**Me: I have more planned… just have to wait for them.**

**Reader: But we need more of them!  Way more than four!**

**Me: Why!?**

**Reader: Cause… funny!**

**Me: Funny isn't good enough!  I have a plan a set schedule I cannot craft a chapter from nothing!**

*****Uncomfortable Pause*****

**Reader: … What about those dares we were talking about?  You wouldn’t have to wait so long to use them!**

**Me: … God…  Damnit…**

**Welcome to Truth or Dare Round 3!**

2.28

As if summoning some demon from a dark abyss the figures met in a dark room with a singular light in the center.  All of them sitting down wearing bathrobes… err hooded cloaks and carrying sharp objects aka 'Knives'.  Some were late arriving, but now that they were all present the gathering could finally get down to the matter at hand.

The night was the final day of class on Friday to finalize their plan.  While the 'targets' all met for their evening workouts the group in question began to plot their downfall.  Too long had certain actions gone unpunished, no longer.  Tonight they set the final pieces into play, and tomorrow night the fruits of their labor will fall.  Sweet delicious revenge, it had been a long time coming.

"We have worked long and hard for this goal, the results are nearly ready for the taking."  Leader claimed with an authorities tone.

Leader looked around the circle taking in the measure of all her underlings… and found them mostly satisfactory in focus.

"Has the secret weapon been prepared and properly… persuaded?"  Cultist B asked turning to the neighbor on the left.

W, Cultist W was a bit touchy on the subject.  She did not like getting the hardest job, she only agreed because it was also the most important.

"Yes… The secret weapon will be prepared on schedule."  She claimed.

"I am a bit unsure about our purpose, it isn't like all 3 of them are guilty in the previous instances." Cultist N claimed.

Leader twitched, obviously not liking the challenging tone at this part of the game.

"N this is necessary.  We will take the strengths the newcomer brings and turn them against her own side.  She is the means by which we finally will have our revenge."  Leader claimed edgy.

"Yang is this really necessary?"  Cultist R…

Sigh…

Ruby asked appearing bored.

"Ruby… YES this is necessary we need to be clear here they have weaseled out of our grasp the last 2 times we have played!"  The Brawler claimed lowering her hood.

Cultist W… Weiss spoke up next lowering her hood "I am tempted to remind you that it was your own making which drove the 3 of us apart last time.  We had a decent chance to win last time."  She claimed indignantly.

"Yes… well… ok I got nothing… just yes I did.  THIS time we must win Jaune, Pyrrha and Kate CANNOT win this game!  Winning 3 times in a row is unheard of we must unite and prevent that from happening!"  Yang advised with a hard strike to the floor for emphasis.

"Fine but if all of our teams will be uniting against them why do we need the secret weapon?"  Nora advised sagely.

The group turned to Yang to answer… however much Ruby wanted to speak for her.

"Because they are cunning and might find some way to fight back in a similar way.  Her presence gives us another added advantage, one they would not expect to encounter."  Yang might not be a mastermind or leader like Ruby but she understood revenge in a way Ruby never did.

"So we continually put pressure on Kate to find something she is embarrassed about and use that to do… what?  What if we cannot find anything she is embarrassed about at all?"  Weiss claimed not having any faith in a plan from Yang actually working.

"She has to have something that she would be embarrassed about or at least be hesitant to share.  We just… need to find it."  Yang answered making herself sound far more confident than she actually is.

The quiet ones movement brought the groups attention to her "We could also make the challenges not about her… but her teammates.  She might be willing to share anything about herself, but she has to know something about Jaune that HE wouldn’t want known.  That is our way in I think.  Use her to get information, and use that information as a weapon."  She stated shyly.

The group looked at each other in turn with a progressively more evil grin appearing on their faces.

"Velvet, we will make an evil mastermind out of you yet!  It is settled then.  Tomorrow, the 12 of us will assemble and finally, these three will go down!"  Leader declared confidently driving her knife… aka toothbrush into the picture of the 3 of them below on the ground.

The rest of them did the same.  A pencil here, a pair of scissors there, all of them puncturing the picture with the promise of doom for the Blond, Redhead and Raven haired people in question.

***Next Day JNPR/RWBY Commons room***

Velvet was not one for revenge.  She was one for fun… but not so much revenge.  She figured in helping Yang even the tally a bit… she could have some much needed entertainment coupled with a chance to unwind.  She might have other ulterior motives… but nobody needed to know about them!

She welcomed the chance to have some laughs before finals.  The invitation for herself and her sister was well received.  Lavender took a bit of minor persuasion… ok some serious persuasion and handholding in the end.  The older sister thought her younger sibling wanted to go in the inside…. despite being naturally shy.  Shy to the degree saying hello to a friend was sometimes a challenge, Velvet was sure it would be a fun time for the group of friends… she just hoped they wouldn’t terrify her younger sister.

She was shy herself, being around the group had of course helped with that.  But none the less she welcomed getting to her destination early.  Nobody in the group was ignorant regarding the amount of attention the trio received from other students around the school.  Katherine Arc was a byword for angelic grace and sleek feminine curves balanced out by a naturally playful walk and personality.  Pyrrha not as restricted to that of a dancers skill set was considered a more complete total package.  Yet her accomplishments meant the vast majority of callers never got within speaking distance.

Both of those women have earned every bit of the attention they received, they were also her friends.  People who had been good to her because it was right… not without an ulterior motive.

… Despite claiming Velvet was very 'huggable' … whatever that meant.

People she was lucky to meet and know.

Right now however… a certain blond male was dominating her attentions.  When she requested a moment to explore the upper level she really did just want to look around.  She didn’t realize the upper roundabout area of the joint dorm room the two teams shared would give her such a… superb view of the workout room below.

It was such a good view she couldn’t help but jot a few things down in her diary. 

Her diary was such a well kept secret that she didn’t think anybody beyond her sister knew of its existence.  Even her sister, as close as they were, only knew about it due to stumbling upon it on accident.  Likely not even her team leader Coco was privy to that knowledge.  A very deliberate fact and she was careful to keep it that way.

However at the sight of her onetime savior from bullying, the friends very own White Knight and first non teammate friend at Beacon below… well she couldn't help but feel the urge to get a few things into paper.

Before she even pulled it out she took one almost paranoid sweep of the room just to ensure no unseen eyes were nearby.

It was enough to make her ears twitch in excitement… not that she knew it was happening.

She knew that Jaune worked just as hard if not harder than anybody she could name.  It was telling by how much his physical stature had grown coupled with his skills and talents in the relatively short time they had been friends.  Almost none of that was she able to consider as she eyed his form moving through the various workouts he did routinely. 

His white shirt was so thoroughly matted with sweat it was practically not there.  Giving her an overall superb view of… well everything her Faunus eyes could see. 

The toned deliciousness of his chest and stomach.  The rippling impressive mass that was his arms and shoulders.  The powerful and sturdy body he had constructed for himself somehow kept himself athletic and able to move without his mass slowing himself down.  In short… it was damned impressive, Yummy, extremely easy on the eyes and-

"Velvet!!!"  Somebody called from the kitchen.

Her ears fired straight up on her head as she immediately sat at a ridged attention hitting her head on the wall in a loud -clang- forgetting where she was hiding.

"Anybody up there?"  The trio below called out hearing the clang.

The Rabbit Faunus went utterly still and silent until the sounds of exercise resumed below ignoring the head pain.

"Velvet!" The voice called again sounding closer.

Velvet started to panic, nobody could know about her diary!   Not before a truth or dare game!

Scrambling to get to her feet and hide her secret book she managed to get semi presentable a faction of a second before a body rounded the corner… that of her younger sister… phew.

"Yes?"  She asked trying to sound casual deliberately trying to slow the still accelerated beat of her heart and flushed face best she could.

Lavender looked suspicious "Acting odd much?"  She asked curiously… she probably heard the clang if not the mad scuffle to get up and presentable given her hearing.

Velvet tried to brush it off and start to walk away.

Lavender had other plans "You were writing in your diary weren't you?"

She seemed to figure something else out as her eyes lit up in understanding.

"Did you get a good view OH I want to see too is Jaune down bel -KULP-"  She accused appearing certain of her belief.

Velvet vanished from view and reappeared with a palm over her sisters mouth.  A glare implying world ending devastation was directed at her sister.

Lavender quailed a bit under the intense glare of her sister and nodded.  She wasn't suppose to talk about the diary ever!  Never Ever! … even in a room surrounded by friends.  Possibly especially surrounded by her friends.

As the two sisters walked away having reach another mutual understanding… in the case of Lavender under threat of something not very sisterly… they seemed to forget something.

They were not the only ones with good eyes or even the only Faunus in the group…

Faunus eyes and ears had the annoying habit of hearing or seeing everything.  This Faunus was unsure how to treat the knowledge of the diary… but figured some good may yet emerge from its existance.

All she had to decide now… was whether to tell Yang about it or not.

***Later After Their workouts***

It had been a rollercoaster of a year for Jaune.  It started out with him disowned and It ended with him as the head of his house.  As an Arc once again.  At the start of his Beacon career he would have put both of those right next to 'Successfully Asking Pyrrha out' or "Make Peace with Lissette and Patricia".  It was obviously less impossible than he believed as he did manage to do both of those things… doesn’t mean his mind didn’t occasionally have trouble accepting it.

Jaune, Pyrrha and Katherine all worked hard.  They worked to the point most people expected them to give up.  They only ever wanted to do more at the end of the day.  Yet there is a limit even with Jaune's healing ability, limits regarding what their bodies could do.  They are approaching that barrier but to a person they are all determined to continually push that threshold further and further.

As usual he let the ladies in the group take the first shower following their last session of the day before the game.  It gave him plenty of time to think.

He was a Paragon.  The title was no more than a meaningless prefix he could add before his name.  Yet it meant more to him than most would understand.  He felt no need to discuss this with his friends but technically before an Arc child would be allowed to attend a Hunters school they would have earned their title.  Up until the moment he accomplished it he had no idea THAT was the test… but it made a certain amount of logical sense.  It was something so routine at home that ideally before they even attend a combat school it would have been accomplished however that was not strictly enforced.

It served as a way of standardizing the knowledge of their semblance.  The goal was not meant to be exceptionally challenging but it did display some degree of competence.  To him, his earning that title meant he truly had a place at Beacon.  He had possession of his semblance for less than a year and it was telling of how much he had learned to control it. 

Like all the other Arc children who had learned how to use their semblance from the elder in the family, he was now worthy in deed to stand next to them.  They had earned their titles through the normal methods… now he has as well.

It felt great.

He knew that Kate would figure her own test out.  It was more difficult for her… she obviously doesn't have any firsthand knowledge being passed on to her.  Only the wisdom of what Mom had been given for future generations.  She would figured it out, she always did.  He would help if he needed too, but he almost never did.

Yang insisted that the 3 of them balance eating with showering so as to not waste any valuable game time.  Jaune personally thought it was a trap… every bone in his body told him danger was approaching.  Still… the game normally meant some fun was to be had.

Right?

The verdict is still out on that.

He moved into the RWBY dorm for the night of fun being the last person to arrive… he thought.

Kate was already present as was Pyrrha, both were dressed in the legging and shirt setup Kate preferred which she had gotten Pyrrha hooked on… what he did not understand is why everybody was sitting around in small clusters.

"Jaune… take your seat next to them if you please"  Yang claimed smirking.

She had an unreadable look in her face he couldn’t quite place.  None the less he just moved over and sat between the two women.  He noticed the majority of people went quiet when he entered… but was unsure what that would mean.

Seated around room were 4 groups of 3.

Pyrrha, Jaune and Kate made up one sitting comfortably nearly identically to the last time they played Truth or Dare.

Nora was sitting in the middle between Ren and Lavender.  Ren was next to Kate but even so a fair amount of distance separated the two of them.  Is Yang dividing us into teams for this one?

It… does make a certain amount of sense it makes the game easier…

She would have to have some rules and an explanation for why the teams weren't balanced.  At least that’s what he figured.

Jaune could make the logical conclusion that Weiss, Ruby along with the nearby shy looking and …  an oddly red faced Velvet were also A team.

That of course leaves Blake and Yang…  I must be missing something.

The two twins shared a glance as if they had the same thoughts and were unable to come to a proper conclusion.  Pyrrha just looked at each of her "teammates" in turn before sweeping over the room… and came to the same conclusion.

Yang had decided they had enough time to think and it was time to start phase 1.

"Welcome friends, teammates and newcomers to round 3 of our Truth or Dare game.  We have already taken the liberty of coming up with some rules which I will explain now:"

"Rule 1: No targeting, pulling, coloring or otherwise threatening hair what so ever of any kind under any circumstances."  She thoroughly scanned the room looking for any dissenters at that.

Ruby looked a touch guilty… Jaune just looked amused… Kate actually chuckled.

"Rule 2:  Dares and truths must be unique and cannot be reused."

Nobody really reacted to that.

"Rule 3: Each cluster of people shares a single pass between them.  When the bottle is spun whoever spun it can select any individual from that group for a choice of Dare or Truth.  If no passes remain and an individual finds themselves unable to complete a task, that person is out of the game.  A team loses when all players are removed from play."

Yang took a deep breath before continuing noticing the surprised looks on Jaune's team.

"Rule 4: No removal of food products no matter the source or type."

More than one person was appearing a touch smug at that announcement.

Yang took on an evil grin and finished her pre game prep speech.

"A few announcements.  First.   You 3"  She said pointing at Jaune and company "Will not win this time.  I have made steps to ensure that is impossible."

She took out the picture the girls used the night before still bearing the marks applied to it the previous night before setting it down on the floor.

"Interesting picture…"  Kate claimed moderately amused.  She had never seen the picture before, it was a poorly hand drawn image of her team present… numerous holes were all over the image.

"Where is your final teammate Yang?"  Pyrrha asked appearing to get into the game mentally feeling right at home with a friendly challenge.

"Oh… yes.  That.  I suppose I should introduce you to my final teammate."  A grinning brawler claimed.

At that she went and opened the door.

The teammate in question was already waiting for them and promptly entered the room.

She was blond like others in the room.  An attractive girl who took great care of herself… somebody who got plenty of attention from the guys at school.  She moved with a familiar balance of grace and natural born athletic ability found with others in her family.  Her hair was down not in her normal pony tail as she slinked her way to her spot in the room.

Joining the game, was Patricia Arc.

She appeared with an almost sinister smile dressed casually more openly than her siblings typically did.

"My sister had to decline citing something about stress relief, taste of my own medicine and she would rather spend the night alone.  None the less I assume I will suffice as your final teammate?"  She claimed with purpose as she took her place between Blake and Yang.

Yang was practically bleeding joy seeing the looks on "Team Jaune".

"You will find that she is well aware of the rules.  To be clear.  My team is playing for blood and we are playing to win.  Victory will not escape Yang Xiao Long a third time… tonight she gets vicious!"  She gave a barking laugh before she also found her seat.

Lavender was suddenly less sure about being here.

Velvet was still trying to clear her head from earlier… her crush's presence in the room made that hard.

Jaune, Kate and Pyrrha shared a look at each other… this just got a great deal more complicated.

Yang wore a look of triumph but realized she still needed to ensure that she won the game… if not her then somebody else…. in any case definitely NOT Jaune and his team.

A bottle was quickly produced and spun… the first to receive a Dare would be Nora's team… and the first to give it would be Yang's team.

"Dare" Nora requested for her team.

A brief powwow took place with Yang eventually putting for the first dare of the night.

"Nora, I dare you to drink an entire pot full of regular coffee by yourself!"  She claimed

"PASS!"  Was issued by several people across multiple teams… most notably Ren.

"But Renny!"

"No" He said sternly.

"But-"

"No!" He insisted.

"But but!-"

"Nora, no.  We keeping our pass but destroying the world is not a fair trade."  Ren put forth finally ending the argument.  A stern glare at Yang implied he was less than thrilled with the first dare of the game.

Yang smirked appearing pleased with herself… Alliance or no she is still playing to win.

The bottle next landed on Yang's team… and the pleased look vanished… Karma shows its head so soon…

"Truth"  Yang requested.

Nora's team took a moment to think, until Nora put forth:

"Yang, what is your greatest fear?"

Yang went pale… but didn’t want to surrender a pass so quickly.

Oh well, Weiss will get over it.

It was an internal struggle, but eventually she was able to say "My greatest fear is waking up and looking like Weiss."

***Arc home in Cadia***

Deb was just stepping into the shower to try and relax from a trying day of politics when she covered her ears in alarm.

"What the hell is that noise?"  She asked herself.

***Back in the RWBY dorm room***

Weiss was not known for her physical power… but it turns out when enraged she was capable of some impressive feats of strength… Not to mention roars capable of shattering time.

Dragging both Velvet and Ruby… both struggling while pulling with all their might… she still managed to move headlong towards Yang.  Weiss more than a touch determined to give a honorable attempt at getting within strangulation range.  When it was clear she could not both overpower her teammates and catch Yang… she gave up.

Mumbling something about shaving her head or dying it like a rainbow in her sleep… as they managed to get the enraged and furious Schnee back to her seat.

Yang wasn't upset… nobody died and she didn’t have to surrender her pass.  She of course knew the first goal was to not let Jaune and his team win but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to go all out this time.  Weiss HAD to be kidding about her hair… right?

Kate and Jaune just shared a glance.  They could practically hear each other's thoughts.

'I guess there is no warm up period this game its play hard or lose.'

Pyrrha could practically feel the thought pass between the twins and knew she had to focus if her team would prevail.

The bottle next landed on Jaune's team with him requesting "Truth."

Weiss and her team put their minds together for a moment before Weiss asked:

"Pyrrha, have… have… …. have you ever thought about… how your first time with Jaune would be?"  She stuttered out.

Yang facepalmed… that wasn't anywhere near the level of brutality it would take to win this game.

Jaune just shrugged and let his girlfriend answer.

"Of course I've considered it but it cannot happen for awhile given my pledge… so it isn't always on my mind but yes I've thought about it."  She answered only slightly red in the face with a smile.

Well… that wasn't so bad.  They thought.

The bottle next landed on Nora's team.

"Dare!"  She demanded… possibly a bit over eager.

Jaune didn't want to scare away Lavender in her first game with the group.  She did appear a bit overwhelmed by how direct the challenges have been thus far…  He decided to take it easy on the group.

"Nora, I dare you to scratch Lavender's ear for the next 15 minutes."  He claimed.

Both Velvet and Blake's ears perked up while the girl in question seemed a bit unsure… but quickly relaxed her body when Nora began her work.

Lavender definitely looked pleased while enjoying the scratch as the game continued.

The bottle ended up right back on Weiss and her team.

"Dare" She declared.

Nora's grin took on a slightly evil aspect as she issued:

"Weiss, I dare you to draft a love letter from Dr. Oobleck to Professor Goodwitch!"

Weiss at first scowled… then realized a key part of the dare was forgotten… all she had to do was draft it not actually deliver it.

With a smile which spoke her mindset she did her best to mimic the frantic coffee induced writing style of the eccentric Professor… Doctor.

A few moments later… and with some revisions on wording from Yang the letter was done.

"Done!"  She announced cheerfully setting both the letter and writing utensil on the ground.

It took 30 seconds for Nora to realize she forgot the key second half of that dare… grr.  Too late to do anything about it now.

The bottle next ended up on Jaune's team.

"Dare"  He declared.

… He felt the chill of the void at how long the 3 girls collaborated for their dare… but eventually came to a conclusion.

"Katherine… we dare you to streak to the middle of Beacon's fountain AND deliver the love letter to Ms. Goodwitch!  You must provide proof that you were at each location."  Weiss declared with an evil grin.

Kate just smiled and stood up.

"Kaaaaaaate!… Oh no."  Jaune exclaimed alarmed.

Patricia laughed freely at the situation.

Yet Katherine was not without cunning, not in the slightest.

She smiled and asked "Would A Picture at each location suffice?"

"Yes it would!"  Ruby responded for her partner… oh the bribery those pictures would fetch!

Kate's smiled deepened… until she vanished.

"Oh c'mon that’s hardly fair!"  Yang complained.

Ren was just glad as much as he was disappointed… the nosebleed he was suffering from was real and possibly life threatening.  He nearly passed out from it in fact.

A pair of leggings appeared as if being dropped from an out held arm followed by a pair of underwear followed by her top.  The picture near Weiss soon vanished… as Kate picked it up and went about her task.

"Told you we should have targeted Jaune…" Velvet worded just loud enough for her team to hear…

"I swear her semblance is cheating." Patricia claimed fully voiced.

"Yeah we should have considered that…"  Ruby complained.

Of course that meant Lavender and Blake both heard it as well.

A tapping sound surprised the group and it took a moment for them to discover what exactly was making the noise.

Nora had continued to scratch Lavender's ear and the bunny Faunus was starting to kick and tap her feet uncontrollably as her eyes seemed to have rolled back into her head.

Velvet started to giggle but otherwise let her enjoy the scratch… much to the enjoyment of the group.

Jaune just let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.  He KNEW Kate would do that dare without a second thought and was just glad she had the decency to use her semblance.  Technically it wasn't outlawed so… I guess that means she out still completed the task.

Unbeknownst to him the rest of the group plotted and planned while Kate did her challenge.  Most notably with Blake, Yang and Patricia deciding a greater degree of brutality is needed.

A few minutes later a scroll appeared falling to the ground… Nobody realized it but Kate had also grabbed Weiss' scroll and had taken pictures of the fountain and Ms. Goodwitch's desk.  In both pictures the letter was present.

Her proof it seemed.

The clothing on the ground soon vanished as she picked it off the ground and moments later emerged fully clothed again.

Ren finally recovered from his nosebleed.

"Simple."  She claimed with a playful smile as she took her seat again ignoring the annoyed look from the Heiress.

Yang's team was the next up.

"Truth."  The Brawler declared… not quite willing to face another dare from the evil trinity.

Kate just looked at Jaune as if she had one pre loaded.

He just nodded at her.

"Blake.  Do you read Ninja's of Love for the plot… or the smut?"  she asked.

Blake smiled initially…. and it quickly became a scowl.

The answer of course was the smut, but she could never admit that, not ever.

"Pass."  She declared.

Yang did not like that decision… Kate just smiled.

"Blake, pass?  At that one really?"  She couldn’t believe it.  Her and Nora's teams are already out of a pass!

"I couldn’t admit it Yang!"  She claimed.

Yang just grumbled while Patricia chimed in "Pretty sure passing amounts to admitting it Blake."  She had a slightly knowing grin on her face despite the friendly smile she put forth.

Blake definitely crossed her arms very unhappy at that realization… But too late to change her mind.

The next team up was back to Weiss' team.

"Dare!" The Heiress requested.

Yang and Blake smiled evilly… Patricia just seemed a bit out of it… maybe even with slightly flushed cheeks.

"Velvet, I dare you to read out loud the last entry of your diary!"  Blake declared viciously.

Velvets ears shot up in alarm and her face went an even darker shade of red than Pyrrha's hair.

"PASS PASS PASS!" She squeaked out nearly hyperventilating.

Her ears continued to twitch awkwardly for several seconds after and she kept stealing glances at Jaune.

Yang's smiled deepened… she had just thought of her next dare.

"Interesting…"  She claimed as if she had just received target acquisition on a missile.

The bottle next ended up on Nora's team.

"Dare" Nora declared.

Velvet was still mumbling incoherently to herself even as Weiss and Ruby discussed the best next use of their challenge.

They came to a conclusion and Weiss issued her dare.

"Ren.  I know you have something to do before you can ask Kate out… you don’t need to deny it…"

Kate and Jaune shared a glance… with the male in question sharpening in gaze on the Heiress.

"…I dare you to demonstrate to the group what you will do once you have done everything you need… assuming everything you need to do has worked out."  Ruby and Weiss gave each other a high five thinking there is no way he could do that.

Ren appeared thoughtful.

"If I have done what I need to do and all parties are ok with it?"  He clarified.

Ruby and Weiss nodded… Velvet was still trying to semi hide.

Ren looked at Kate… she smiled semi innocently and just shrugged as if to say 'Do what you must… I won't get embarrassed.'

Ren shrugged and began speaking "Nora, Yang, you want to earn some pancakes tomorrow?"

Both girls nodded… Nora far more energetically.

"Tackle Jaune to the ground and don’t let him interfere."  He claimed.

Jaune's eyes lit up in alarm and before he knew it both girls were clamoring over him in some wrestling hold which should be illegal.

He couldn’t tell what Ren and his sister were doing, but he could make an educated guess by the cheering.

"YOO WHOO!!!"

"YEAH GO ON YOU TWO!!!"

Various people continued to continued to praise the… er… technique involved.

"Wow… Kate is a great kisser.  Ren is a lucky guy."  Yang claimed.

Jaune still could not move… but he tried heroically.

"YANG!! NORA GET OFF ME!"  He continued to thrash… but could not overpower both of the women arrayed against him.

Pyrrha caught his gaze, but she just shook her head revealing a face of pure scarlet.

He turned his head the other way.

"Velvet help me!"  He pleaded.

Her ears perked up and she crawled over.

HA!  Good with Velvet distracting one of them I could finally get free-

His world went dark.

Velvet had decided to use her hands to cover his eyes.

"VELVET!!!"  He complained.

"Sorry Jaune.  I think those two needed to do this."  She put forth happily with an unseen but assumed smile. 

What Velvet claimed she believed to be true… granted she also got a superb view of Jaune's muscular body in this position as well.

"Yo Kate!  I never thought you'd be happy on the bottom like that!"  Yang admonished.

"Wai wha HURK!"  Ren claimed.

A brief scuffle was heard in the room as they evidently repositioned themselves.

"Wow… guess she can kiss both on bottom and top."  Nora agreed.  "WAY TO GO RENNY!"  She then cheered.

"PYRRHA!"  Jaune pleaded.

His girlfriend finally acquiesced and gave him a hand… right over his mouth.

"MMMGHBBBGGRRGGHHH!!"  He objected.

Finally a couple minutes later Ren believed he had sufficiently demonstrated his intentions and the room more or less calmed down… yet Patricia still seemed to be … occupied.

The first to let go was Pyrrha… followed by Velvet.

The last two finally let go and found their seats when Jaune pulled himself back into a seated position.

Velvet still had a beat red face as did Ruby… but everybody in the group was smiling.

Ren wore a wolfish grin on his face and Kate just looked rightly pleased with herself in a somewhat sated smile.

Jaune… thought… Well… He figured that had been building up for awhile… if they like each other it can happen as far as I'm concerned.  He would treat her right.

"Sorry Jaune, I felt that needed to happen." The Spartan claimed seriously… though the fluttering eyes implied a more impish purpose.

"Satisfied?"  Ren asked his challenger.

Weiss nodded in a sigh "Yes… yes I believe you made your stance known."

The bottle next landed on Jaune's team.  They pondered for a moment until Jaune said:

"Dare."

The three of them spoke briefly when Lavender surprised the group by whispering something.

"Trust me.. do that!"  She claimed.

"You are sure?"  Nora asked to confirm.

"Yes trust me it will drive them bonkers!"  The tiny rabbit girl whispered softly but still heard by the group.

The partners on the team shared a glance and shrugged at the same time.

"Jaune we dare you to take off your shirt for the remainder of the game."  Nora claimed simply.

"EEEPP!!!"  Velvet issued as she ducked down behind her teammates only to peep out occasionally.

Jaune thought about it… but realized he certainly wasn't going to burn his teams pass on this.

He removed his shirt to the open whistles of Yang and the silent reverence of Pyrrha, Blake and Velvet.

"No way those abs I see on you belong on my brother.  Who are you and what have you done with Jaune?"  Patricia joked… she knew Jaune was in shape but not to that extent.  Though she still seemed occupied mentally and her legs kept fidgeting.

Velvet wanted to agree… but was too busying trying to hide her drool.

That statement was fair enough even Weiss had to admit… she was questioning her sexuality slightly at the image before her… eh she still preferred girls.

He just shrugged and tossed the shirt aside nonchalantly before spinning the bottle again.

It came to rest on Yang's team.

While Yang was still thinking what she wanted to request Jaune made an observation.

"Patricia… are you ok?  You seem… off."  He asked.

She smiled revealing a flushed face.  "I'm ok just… now I understand what Lissette means.  It's… not easy… I'm ok."  She claimed… definitely sounding not ok.

The trio had a brief confab "She said Lissette was trying to let off some steam on a date… you don’t think?  Does it even effect her through their connection?"  Kate asked quietly.

Jaune shook his head.  "I have no idea but… maybe.  Should we take advantage of it?"  He questioned.

"I don't know… Yang is clearly out for blood but it's like she doesn’t care whose… removing her might be a good idea."  Pyrrha advised just as quiet as the others.

"Truth."  Yang decided ignorant of the soft discussion taking place.

"Patricia… I want you to explain to us why you are flushed and fidgeting."  Jaune requested simply.

She just opened her mouth a bit aghast at the question but struggled to speak for a moment.

"Its… Lissette… I can't…"

She sighed unable to focus.

"I… I have to withdraw."  She claimed sadly.

She moved back to a one of the girls beds and laid herself down comfortably trying to take deep calming breaths.

Yang clearly didn’t understand the nature of her distress and just ranted a touch:

"Great… Secret Weapon… officially the first one out.  Awesome job Weiss."  She claimed with a not-so-friendly glare.

The Heiress just scowled and pushed Xiao Long even higher on her hit list tonight.  She of course remembered that technically they were suppose to gang up on Jaune's team so they don’t win another time but it isn't like Yang was pulling punches for anybody… why should anybody else do the same?

None the less the bottle spun again pointing at Nora's team.

A brief discussion later they decided on "Dare!"

Yang didn't even need to think about it.

"Lavender…"

The girl in question shrank down slightly.

"… I dare you to perform the task your sister passed on."  She issued.

Jaune turned to look from Lavender to the other rabbit Faunus in the room… to discover she had mysteriously disappeared…

A nudge from Kate signaled that she had found the person in question… hiding under a bed.

It was a challenge not to laugh at the ensuring struggle.  Lavender wanted to perform the task… and Velvet was determined not to let her…  Seeing them tussle under the bed would have been a hilarious event under any circumstances… come to think of it, it WAS hilarious.

None the less eventually Lavender managed to claim the book in question… an act which only caused Velvet to retreat further under the bed.

Lavender took her spot again with glee and found the latest entry.

She read through the paragraph or so Velvet had written before going back to read the entry out loud.

"Well… I can't claim to understand it all it seems to be in some kind of code…. But I can read it I suppose."

Whimpering was heard from under the bed as she started to read.

"His chest was perfectly muscular and his arms rippled with power…."  Lavender continued to read oblivious to the meaning of the words… or at least was a professional in acting.

She continued to read for several sentences with more and more whimpers emerging from the bed.

Jaune for all he was considered oblivious could NOT miss the message here... Velvet had a crush on him.  Might have for a very long time.

"Was I that innocent last year?"  Ruby worded quietly to Weiss.

She received a shake in reply "You were innocent but not THAT innocent."  The Heiress claimed.

Lavender finished her assignment and tried to slide the book back to her sister… Sadly the book was intercepted by Blake.

"Interesting material… I think I will read it."  The Cat-Faunus began keeping her word nearly the instant she issued them.

"BLAKE!!!!"  An angry bed…. angry Rabbit exclaimed… just not angry enough to leave her hole.

The next dare would be directed to Team Weiss as the Heiress promptly said

"Dare"… rather pointedly.

Yang crossed her arms in annoyance.  They can't gang up on Jaune's team if the bottle never ended up on him!  Ugh this is infuriating!

Team Nora was considering her dare when yet again the tiny Faunus girl had a stroke of evil genius.

A written note was delivered to Ruby.

"Ruby, we dare you to read that."  Lavender claimed sinisterly…

It seems that despite being similar to Velvet she gets into games just like Pyrrha does… interesting… and dangerous.

Ruby read the note intrigued… then went pale, started to sweat, and appeared angry.

"This… is a crime against weapons…"  She claimed showing Weiss the note.

Weiss read it and laughed… loudly.

"I dare you say that 'Crescent Rose is the stupidest, ugliest, weapon to ever have been made?!'"  She read out of a sense of glee.

Ruby just crossed her arms and tried… really tried to fulfill the dare.

She tried to start several times…

In the end… she just couldn't.  Couldn't finish her own weapon name in fact.

"I withdraw"  She claimed sadly as she went over next to Velvet.

Team Nora shared a round of high fives with Lavender appearing very much in the game.

The bottle ended up right back at Nora's team yet again.

"Truth."  The bubbly girl requested.

Weiss would have conferred with the remnants of her team but Velvet was still in a self imposed exile under the bed.  As such she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Nora I want you to tell us what you think about everybody in the room.  Just the first thought you have."  She stated simply.

Nora laughed and pointed her thumbs at herself.  "Nora" 

She said simply.

Then going around them in a circle she pointed at each target as she spoke.

At Lavender "Cutest most huggable girl ever!"

Pointing at Patricia "Cutest blond in the room."

"HEY!"  Yang objected.

Nora ignored her and moved down the line "Sexiest blond in the room."

Yang stopped her objected and nodded satisfied.

At Blake "Kitty has claws."

At Velvet Under the bed "Second cutest most huggable girl in the room."

Velvet actually laughed at that and managed to poke her head out from under the bed at last.

At Ruby "Nicest girl in the room."

At Weiss "Meanest girl in the room."

"HEY!"  Another objection from the girl in question.

At Pyrrha "Sexiest Redhead in the room."

"I'm the only redhead in the room-"  Pyrrha stated a touch baffled… but figured that didn’t make the statement any less true.

At Jaune "Fearless Leader."

At Kate "Legs for Days!" She issued simply.

Kate smiled to herself a touch.

Finally at Ren "Pancake Kin…. Prince!"

Nora almost had a moment of clarity but none the less did manage to complete the task… with mixed reactions across the room.

The bottle was spun once again this time landing on Jaune's team.

"Truth"  He requested.

Nora smiled and didn’t even have to think.

"Kate, what did you think about kissing Renny?" 

The bubbly girl was practically giggling the entire time she awaited on an answer.

She did not wait long.

With a sultry and playful smile Kate answer "He shows promise.  It was fun."

Ren even blushed a bit… while Jaune just facepalmed again.

"It was like that for me when Ruby kissed Weiss too, don’t worry Jaune.  It never gets easier you just get used to it."  Yang advised sagely.

Jaune just nodded his head in a groan.

His team had to get his attention given that the bottle was spun again and ended up back on Nora's team.

"Dare!" She said with a smile.

He smiled.

They gulped.

Jaune did not collaborate with his team either… it seems he had a good one already.

"Ren… before you think this is revenge for kissing my sister let me set the record straight.  This is NOT revenge for that…"

Ren exhaled.

"… This is revenge for leaving me high and dry in the snowball ambush from earlier…"

He held his breath again.

"… I dare you to go to the kitchen and cook all the pancakes you can-"  He continued.

"OH! I like this dare Renny!"  Nora interrupted.

Jaune held up a finger as he finished "AND not let Nora have any."  He finished with a  smile.

***BACK IN CADIA***

How odd… it was like the screech of a thousand Nevermore's had descended on Cadia for a moment there… then went silent… I wonder what…

!!!!

"SON of a… AGAIN?!"  She cursed into the air covering her ear's

***Back at Beacon***

Jaune had long ago accepted that Nora was capable of breaking the space time continuum.  He just had no idea she could do it on demand.

He almost expected having to dive for cover and hide… yet it was almost like Nora felt a touch guilty over the snowball incident.

That didn’t stop her from screeching like an … well an angry Nora.

None the less it was after that which Nora did one of the infamous acts which she was famous for…

She vanished… both from her seat and the room.

Never mind that a door never opened or closed.

Only to reappear with a stack of pancakes which should have been big enough to shatter the plate they were carried on.

"All the pancakes we could make."  She said at the time.

Those pancakes were not long for this world.

…

Anyway the fact that Ren issued an instant and frantic:

"I withdraw!!!"

Did not stop any of that insanity from taking place… it might have encouraged it in fact.

Through all the madness Yang seemed to realize something.  Jaune's team STILL had its pass!  How is this possible!

None the less the bottle next ended up on Weiss' team… of which Velvet and the Heiress remained.

"Truth."  She decided.

Team Nora collaborated briefly for a moment before issuing their challenge.

"Velvet, we would like you to inform Jaune how long you have had a crush on him."  Nora claimed gleefully.

"LAV YOU TRAITOR!"  She exclaimed.  At this point Velvet came to the realization her sister is no longer on her side… at least for this game.

Jaune just coughed uncomfortably.

Weiss leaned her head over to Velvet to talk in hushed tones "Vel, at this point the cat is out of the bag he already knows the truth.  You might as well answer."

Velvet looked scared "But I don't want either Pyrrha or Jaune to hate me!"  She whined.

"Velvet they won't hold it against you, besides Pyrrha only hates it when strangers flirt with Jaune… she wouldn't mind… a friend… as much… maybe…. kinda… right?"  Ruby whispered but not really helping matters.

The 3 women looked over at the Spartan… and turned back to one other after gulping.

Velvet was not encouraged.

"Velvet Pyrrha has always said be honest… she would want you to be honest."  Ruby tried again.

That almost worked…

"Velvet the real point here is I need you with me I cannot be the only one on my team in the game!!"  Weiss barked out a touch louder than the rest of the conversation thus far.

Thus the point was made.

Velvet finally left her "rabbit hole" and sat next to the remnants of her team… aka Weiss.

She cleared her throat and answered back "I had a crush on him following the time he stopped Cardin bullying me… but it didn’t really begin until I saw Yang and Him fight before the year started.  I walked my sister to her orientation and we caught the latter part of the fight…"

Pyrrha took it reasonably well… he did look good with his shirt off after all.

Weiss just hurriedly moved the bottle around again before it came to rest on Nora's team again.

Yang was starting to panic… they could not go after Jaune's team if they kept destroying each other!  Please decide on an easy challenge! please!

She looked at Velvet…

No… definitely was not an easy challenge incoming regardless of the selection.

Nora… in typical Nora fashion instantly declared "DARE!"

Yang facepalmed.

Velvet grinned evilly… eager it seems to repay her sibling.

Weiss just nodded when Velvet looked at her.

"Lavender… I dare you to kiss everybody in the room on the lips!"  She declared eagerly.

Lavenders ears shrank down her head…

Her eyes looked like a kicked puppy and/or bunny rabbit… how could her own sister be so cruel!

Nora almost encouraged her teammate… but the bunny girl just couldn’t do it.

"I withdraw."  She whined sadly.

Velvet looked a bit encouraged by the quick revenge.

Yang's team was the next up.

"DARE" The Brawler declared, appearing and being VERY eager to get the game back on track.

Nora had a mission it seems.  "Blake I remember your crime against pancakes over winter break.  I dare you to go and convince the two dogs outside that you believe dogs superior to cats!"

Yang cursed.

Blake just said "I withdraw."

Yang opened her mouth to speak.

"What?  I'm not as invested as you are at winning… I have this book to read after all."  She held up Velvets diary.

Yang facepalmed again.  How can a general lead an army without troops!  Easy… do all the work herself.

Velvet's face flushed again… but couldn’t muster the courage to try and reclaim her diary at that time.

Patricia finally sat up appearing a bit better… whatever fit was bothering her it seems had passed… though her face was still a bit red.

The bottle ended up back on Jaune's team.

Jaune thought for a moment then said "Truth seems the safer option."

Yang smiled…. now is the time to play for blood if any ever existed.

"Kate… tell me something embarrassing about your brother he doesn’t want me to know.  In your mind the most embarrassing thing you ever caught him doing."

Kate… actually hesitated.

Jaune just nodded… no point in hiding the truth.  He figured he knew what it was.

"I hesitate calling her a girlfriend.  But at home he had a … partner for a few days.  I walked in on them once."  She claimed calmly.

Patricia gasped "Really!?  Who… Wait it had to be Melody De'Rosier"  She guessed.

Kate nodded.  The rest of the group was just interesting in hearing more about it at all.

"Huh… she did seem rather eager… now I know why."  The elder sibling looked like she wanted to squeeze more info out of her sister but decided against it… at least for the moment.

Yang… was less than pleased.  She didn’t get near the firepower she wanted from that.

She was even less pleased when the bottle ended up back on her.  At this point she was terrified for either direction in the face of Jaune's reprisal.

"Dare"  She stated cautiously.

Jaune took a moment to think, and after a second started to scribble his challenge on a piece of paper.

Pyrrha moved a touch closer to whisper "Jaune… why didn’t you tell me your sister walked in on you and Melody?"

"It didn’t seem important.  I said she found out… I might have left out that she walked in on us but I was so distracted I didn’t even realize it until she later told me."  He said simply.

Pyrrha looked at the twin… and received a nod.

Kate whispered "You’re a lucky girl."  Into Pyrrha's ear with an impish expression on her face.

Pyrrha was left pondering her meaning for several moments while Jaune declared his challenge.

"Yang… I dare you to send this message to Professor Port."  He shoved the note across the floor.

Yang read it once… and went an even paler white than Weiss.

"Jaune… you cannot be serious."  She claimed hoping for mercy.

"Deathly.  You obviously want to win… how bad do you want to win Yang?"  He responded appearing a touch smug.

Yang just swallowed…

"What's it say?"  Velvet asked.

Yang shoved the note over for her to read it.

Velvet didn’t even get a sentence into it before she started giggling and had to give it to Weiss to read out loud.

The Heiress raised an eyebrow but began the narration.

"Professor Port;

I have been a huge fan of your stories from my first day in your class.  I wanted you to tell me more about them.  Especially that one time with the Grimm, the naked man, the mustache, and the flying Ursa.  I keep thinking you leave out details when you tell the story and I just cannot wait another day without hearing them all in a single sitting.  If you have more to say than a single afternoon could allow I would be willing to give up all of my afternoon free periods next week to listen to your wonderful-but true tales.

Please let me know,

-Yang Xiao Long"

The room was in stitches… except for Yang… who really didn’t know what to do.

"Jaune… you are an evil genius.  That is sooooooooooo perfect."  Ruby praised clapping her hands together gleefully.

Weiss just made mental note to herself:  If I must get some dirt on Jaune in a Truth or Dare game… don’t go through his sister to do it.  At least not during the game.

Yang was still a touch baffled on what to do… but… she did send the message.

"Why do I feel like I just signed the next year of my life away…"  She groaned.

"It might be because you just did."  Her sister answered for her needlessly.

Her giggling refused to go away.

The bottle next ended up on Weiss' Team.

"Truth."  The Heiress requested.

Yang felt better being back in the punishers chair and felt ready for a battle after that Dare from Jaune.  She just was unsure how to get her revenge… she HAD to win this!  It might be a pyrrhic victory at this point but she COULD NOT allow Jaune to win a third time in a row.

"Velvet, I understand you have a big family… is that because they are bunny Faunus?"  She asked.

Velvet blushed up a darker shade of Red than any previously seen… and struggled with an answer that didn’t embarrass her to death.

In the end… she said:

"I withdraw."

Weiss facepalmed… but spun the bottle…

Coming to rest on Nora.

"DARE"  She predictably requested.

Weiss… thought she had a way to force Nora out of the game.  At this point she just wanted Yang to keep facing dares from Jaune… she didn’t think it was possible for her to win.  She was not willing to sacrifice her dignity to win either like Yang might be.

"Nora, I dare you to read these nutritional facts about Pancakes with Syrup."  Nora just froze stunned.

Pyrrha had a realization:

"I GET IT NOW!!!"  She screamed… Then blushed darker then her hair as she looked between Kate and Jaune.

The group had looked at her questioningly.

"It was just something… never mind!"  She if anything blushed even darker.

Nora still had not recovered from the dare she had to do.

"But… but… but…. but…."  She frowned.

"No… I withdraw.  Pancakes are awesome and not unhealthy at all this has to be a lie!"  She pouted and went silent… only glaring at the most recent offender against pancakes in white.

Weiss smiled… all she had to do is arrange pancakes in the future for Nora and she would be back in her good graces.  The time had now come to do HER plan.

She spun the bottle, and it ended on Jaune's team.  However before she could issue her challenge she said.

"I forfeit.  You all can have fun… I will be entertained regardless."  A smug looking Heiress claimed.

Yang blinked… Weiss literally left her alone against Jaune's entire team.  Oh boy this won't be good.

With no need to spin the bottle Jaune was left with little choice but wait on Yang's selection.

Yang for the briefest of moments considered just getting out of the game.  Her gambling nature took over and squashed that.  Facing them alone would only make her victory that much more sweet!

"DARE!"  She declared with a  happy grin.

…

The grin vanished as Jaune began to write again.

Why do I feel like I might regret this?

He finally shuffled the note over… and she went a very familiar shade of pale white.

"Jaune… why me?!"  She whined.

"It doesn’t have to be you… withdraw."  He challenged.

Once again the note ended up in Weiss' hands.

"Dr.  Oobleck,

I have heard you like coffee.  How could I not it is obvious you live on the stuff.  I have come across a few cache's of hidden Mistralian coffee the level of deliciousness and caffeine levels the likes of which the world has never seen.  I would be happy to give it to you… but I need to discuss the subject with you thoroughly to make sure you would appreciate it.  I would like to discuss with you in the early morning before classes next week.  If we need more than one meeting to fully flesh things out I could give up my mornings throughout finals week.

Let me know your answer;

-Yang Xiao Long"

Patricia could not stop laughing if she wanted too…

Kate just giggled…

The rest of them just swore to never get on Jaune's bad side.

Yang was about to accept the challenge… when Jaune gave one more bit of wisdom Yang.

"Yang, I say this cause you are my friend.  If you wish to keep playing by all means keep playing… but I have 3 more worse than that.  I will get to them if I must.  I suggest you accept your losses and withdraw."  He stated with absolute certainty.

Yang… really wanted to keep the game going.  She really did… but she could not do it.  Not this.

"I… withdraw."  She fell to her back in defeat… she already sent the message to Port.

The group laughed lightly while the winning group celebrated.

"What were those additional challenges Jaune?"  Velvet asked.

"I lied.  I didn’t have 3.  I only had one more."  He admitted.

Yang sat right back up.  "You lied!"  She declared.

"I exaggerated.  Kate had more, believe me hers are worse."  He stated with a smile.

He might have elaborated… but his scroll beeped it annoying beep.

He pulled it out briefly while the group made their attempts to figure out sleeping arrangements.

His eyes shot up in surprise.

"What's Up?"  Ruby asked curiously.

He appeared startled but turned to answer her "My team has a mission starting Monday.  It will take the place of our finals."  He stated flatly.

That momentarily halted movement in the room.

"A mission?  To where?"  Nora asked.

He showed Pyrrha his scroll and moved to the nearby window.

"Cadia… We are going to Cadia."  Pyrrha answered trying to appear normal.

Jaune going back home could not be easy for him.

"It’s a mission from Ozpin directly… we aren't going to the home of the Arcs… but a far northern village inside Cadia's border.  Wonderful… We have a nice and wintery vacation before summer."  He didn’t appear upset just… annoyed.  Even as he smiled at his team.

"Am I going?"  Kate asked.

"No… Ozpin said JNPR and JNPR only.  So… as much as I would love to have you with me, I have to say not this time."  He answered sadly.

Kate smiled sadly but moved in for a hug.  She wanted to go with him… but it would be poor form to defy the Headmaster in this regard.

It was only several minutes later that the group had figured out sleeping arrangements and settled down.

Before Kate could fall asleep she felt a poke to her shoulder… she looked over to find Yang the culprit.

"If this is about the dare's I had saved up you are going to have to wait until next time Yang."  She complained in a whisper trying to get comfortable again.

"No… it isn't that."  Yang whispered back.

Kate opened her eyes "Fine, then what? I'd like to get some rest we have a busy day of work tomorrow before JNPR leaves for their mission." 

"Just one question.  Jaune… stop me when I'm there."  She held up both arms and a finger on each before starting to widen them.

Kate rolled her eyes.

"What hey c'mon Kate this is important!!"

"Keep going"  Kate answered softly in a yawn.

Yang kept moving her hands wider… and wider… and wider still…

"Kate… What… Are you even looking anymore?!"  The Brawler demanded… still talking in hushed tones.

She was snoring softly…. but held up both hands to a very impressive length.

Yang groaned but smiled and laid herself down to sleep… Pyrrha was certainly a lucky gal if Kate was telling the truth.  Which knowing her… she probably was.

**A/N**

**Well this chapter is the direct result of a readers feedback… I did not plan on writing it.  None the less I hope it was fun and entertaining.**

**I combed through this to try and catch all the grammar errors… I failed.  I know I did.  But I tried.**

**I had hoped to show you all the new picture I am having created to serve as the new title pic on the story.  Alas it is taking a while to be made and I confess I am a bit of a tyrant for what I want.  But it is coming along and looks AMAZING!  Trust me on that.  If you want a sneak peak shoot me an email or IM.**

**As always Kudos/IM/Comment/Review/Fav/Follow yada yada yada.  It helps new writers like myself with our wee egos… trust me on that too : )**

**Any questions comments concerns or requests let me know… and I will always do what I can.**

**Thank you for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	24. Year 2 Winter: Finale Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JNPR's mission takes them to the frozen north of Cadia. How goes their mission and what are their friends doing back at Beacon? Ask Weiss, she loves questions.

CREDIT: Story picture by AgentWhiteHawk of DA( AO3 I will figure out a format soon... I hope).  Thank you for surpassing all my expectations and blowing me away again and again with every step of the picture.  Be sure to give a kudos to her if you like the image ( if you don’t… I don’t have the words ).  She worked her tail off on making it as awesome as possible and that is about the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen.  If you want a link to the picture to get more detail than that tiny thumbnail… and believe me there is a great deal of detail to see, email or IM me.  Naturally you could go to DA and see it on her profile.

**A/N I have a rather large note at the bottom of the chapter, please be sure to read it.**

2.29

The world had switched to its summer season.  The time when green tends to replace brown, things tend to bloom and more or less life returns to the world.  Normally the outdoors in such times were warm sunny and pleasant. 

It would be nice to experience that right now.

Right now all they had was a snow filled mountainous view  paired with a biting cold.

The bullhead flight from Beacon did not stop over in the Castle like Jaune initially expected. Citing that due to an approaching storm they couldn’t risk getting caught mid flight.  Time only allowed for the bullhead to drop off the team and return.

At least they said as much.  As such they were shuttled directly to the most northern village found on any map known to man or Faunus… however cold and shivering those individuals may or may not be. 

The more Jaune learned about the assignment the less pleased he was… recalling the talk he shared with the Headmaster before they started out on their long flight.

'Headmaster I cannot help but wonder at the wisdom of sending my team on this mission.  By your explanation it sounds like something a 4th year team would be needed for.'  He had argued.

Ozpin not only expected his argument he was prepared for it… possibly even welcomed it.

'Mr. Arc.  I think you know why your team was selected for this mission.  Huntsmen are required to adapt and grow.  Even so not only is a 4th year team not available along with any third year team I deem satisfactory for the job.  They would all lack one thing that you specifically bring for the mission.'  He claimed.

Jaune crossed his arms and tried to keep himself respectful… he of course knew what the Headmaster wanted him to come to.

'It's my home.'  He said simply.

'More than that Mr. Arc.  I am fully aware that your home does not hold many happy memories for you.  I Am however also sure you are aware of the dangers being unfamiliar with Cadia in its snow season… of which it is still currently in.  The paths become highly treacherous, the cold is biting and it becomes frigid very quickly.  An outsider team… like RWBY for example would not come with personal knowledge regarding the elements of nature which by my reports are the biggest dangers you are likely to face.  We are expecting a minor Grimm presence if anything.  You, and you alone have the expertise I find necessary to take on the job for an under experienced team.  Will you accept the assignment Mr. Arc?'  He asked.

'You are giving me the a choice sir?'  He asked humoring the Headmaster.

'I won't require you to do anything but remember, this is being treated as your teams final for the year.  It would be unwise not to attempt it.'  He stated with a smile.

Jaune almost smiled back.

'I will accept for my team…'

He pulled himself out of the memory… not really feeling the need to rehash everything he was supposed to do.  Show up at the village.. make sure it is secure.  Stay the night, do a search for Grimm the following day and assist the village as needed.

A rather simple assignment.

It felt wrong.  First and foremost he figured his mother would have sent him a communication advising him that she had requested a Team from Beacon to investigate something in Cadia's Borders.  She probably would have requested him specifically if she did have need of a team.  That completely disregards the fact that a team from Atlas would likely possess all the knowledge he did himself.  

He knew first hand that Cadia keeps its own military being its own nation.  It cannot compare to the standing forces of the major nations given its smaller territory and population.  It was however as well trained and well equipped as any other.  Certainly capable of taking care of a few Grimm wandering around within its borders.  If this was indeed a small problem… he was confused about why a Team was needed.  He almost voiced those thoughts to the Headmaster.  He wanted to voice them… maybe Ozpin even wanted him to.

He didn’t.

Instead he just nodded, ensured his team had plenty of supplies loaded into their packs with an abundance of gear to keep warm.  He might be used to the cold given that he grew up in the harsh northern environment but that didn’t mean he was immune to the cold either.

Cadia basically had 2 seasons… 2 short months of something resembling not a winter… and the rest were varying degrees of winter.

That meant 2 things…. he was the only one of his team who was not shivering terribly.  Something which they utterly hated him for.

Secondly… if you like snowy mountains with awesome views… well it would be hard to beat the current one.

His home… the Castle of Cadia had multiple towers built for the purpose of defense and observation which made Beacons own tower seem tiny.  Yet even as massive and formidable structure his home invariably was… the mountains in the far north were even more impressive. 

The mining in Atlas… of which of course Cadia is a part of… drives its economy.  Mountains have always held a necessary but dangerous place in Cadia.  They helped power its enterprises.  Mining kept its merchants and crafters with the best materials found in Remnant.  There is a reason why the best gear for huntsmen was found in Cadia… most notably the castle.  The craftsmen and smiths go where the materials and equipment is to be found.

Well there is no doubts what so ever regarding where that best stuff comes from.  It has been proven by time, performance and history. 

Such that the trip to this small…. unnamed mining hovel had become warranted. 

Yet Jaune could not help but suspect… once again… for an unknown purpose.  It was not large enough to interrupt flow of materials.  This entire mission seemed wrong to him.

Not that he was going to defy the Headmaster in his order… He took the job and he would see it out as an Arc should… to the very best of his ability.

He thankfully now that he had his health suffered much less from the motion sickness which plagued him earlier in his life.  Now… all he did was keep one hand firmly wrapped around a roof mounted grip, and enjoy the view… with the help of some medication for nausea.

It made the conversation his team tried to keep going less painful for the blond Knight… and by extension his team.

"Jaune… next time Ozpin asks you to take a job in Cadia do me a favor… say no.  I would be happy to flunk and redo the year then put up with this cold."  Ren only semi joked huddling with the rest of the team for warmth.

"Seriously Jaune how are you not dying in that outfit?"  Nora whined with a frown.

"T-t-t-t-t-t-his…. i-i-i-is… v-v-v-very d-d-d-different t-t-than… M-m-m-mistral." Pyrrha … shivered out through tittering teeth.

Jaune nearly laughed.  He had some thoughts of self preservation, they prevented him from doing something that potentially lethal, but he couldn’t help but joke at the situation.

"I could ask you all the reverse… how can you not be overheating given all those clothes."  He … almost mocked, then had to hide his face.

They glared…

and glared…

and glared some more.

He got the point. 

Namely… shut up.  We are cold, you could potentially be used as a source of fire.

Jaune figured the best way to get his friends to not feel as cold was to not think about it.  Nora was probably the easiest to do that with.

"Nora why don't you tell me about those shells… I understand you and Ren were working on a new shell all year long?"  He asked… of course remembering the multiple instances where they were slaving over a new more 'punchy' shell for Nora… even dating back to their first day back at Beacon where they encountered his father.

That worked… rather well.

Nora went from freezing to being a proverbial ray of sunshine in a breath.

She earned a glare of anger from both of the cold people nearby as she launched into her excited answer.

"Renny and I worked all year but the new shells are totally ready to go now.  They… well…it's…. well its more visible-" She started to explain.

"She means dangerous."  Ren translated.

"It's much more awesome-"

"She means explosive… or dangerous, I never knew which" He mumbled.

"I only have 1 with me sadly…" She looked at her partner sideways.

"I would only let her carry one" He confirmed looking back.

"It's labeled do not fire under any circumstances." She scowled at her translator.

"Something else I made her do." He finally smiled.

Nora at this point was getting tired of his translation and frowned…. however accurate he was.

Pyrrha decided a different subject was needed… possibly for the safety of the passengers.

"You know Ren I always figured Nora was the one who influenced you.  I guess you influence her just the same.  Is she the reason for that hair strip of yours?  You never did explain why you style your hair that way." Pyrrha inquired…. feeling a touch warmer or just being better about hiding it.

His smile grew smaller into a wry grin and he shook his head.

"No… Nora is not making me do this."  He claimed indicating his strip of dyed hair.

Ren.. seemed oddly hesitant to talk about it…

Nora would have none of that.

"C'mon Renny might as well tell them.  It isn't like it is a big secret."  She admonished… sounding encouraging.

He smiled sadly and looked at the ground briefly.

"It’s a memento of my village.  It is a tradition to keep at least a part of it free like mine until we were considered adults.  They never did tell me what that was… So I will keep it this way until I decide otherwise."  He admitted.

"So why do you dye it pink?"  Jaune asked.

Nora laughed and rose an eyebrow while tapping her foot.

Ren sighed withholding a chuckle.

"The color is because Nora's family took me in.  Normally your hair would be in the color's of your family crest… but given I do not remember my home I decided on her families.  A … small way of saying thanks."  He put forth simply.

"That seems like a nice way to treat the situation.  Finding some good out of it."  Pyrrha commented, she of course knew Ren's history regarding his home.

Jaune just smiled and responded in a pleasant voice.

"Thanks for telling us Ren.  You have nothing to be embarrassed about in my mind.  Pride for your heritage is a good thing."  He had been curious about that strip of hair for a year now.  Good to know Ren was feeling more comfortable around the group.

He… probably could have tried to embarrass his friend and if he was Yang he would have attempted it. The truth is there was nothing embarrassing about this in his eyes.

Curiously Ren just smiled and looked away keeping his feelings to himself.  Ren moved a few steps away to observe the scenery in relative peace.

He of course was very near Cadia Castle… a place he needed to visit.  Yet… right now he couldn’t… despite the relative close proximity.  As a Huntsman… his mission had to come before his personal desires. 

He could have pulled out his scroll and made a call weeks ago.  But… every bone in his body told him this is something you do in person… or you do not do it.  Kate was happy that they had a moment in the game together… no less happy than he himself was.  If nothing else it proved in intentions and himself as being serious. 

It also showed that Jaune was open to the idea.  Something Ren was very grateful for… ruining his friendship with his friend and team leader is something he very much hoped to avoid. 

Smiling to himself he could not help but think back.

From the instant he saw Katherine all those months ago… she had caught his eye literally from the moment he first saw her and had done nothing but grow in his eyes in the time they shared together.  Getting to know her was a joy, it felt natural.  Ren often was confused or doubtful listening to Jaune or Pyrrha describe how they felt about the other.  He was starting to understand how they felt.  It was a new sensation.

He wanted to stop by the Castle… yet… he couldn’t do it just yet.  He couldn't do it while on a mission.  It wouldn’t feel right.  The timing would be weird.   The trip would be one thing to make a point… it would be lessened in meaning if done because he was close and might as well do what he needed to do.

The journey was every bit as important as the destination he was told as a youth… he is trying to live by those words.

Sometime later the quant mining village came into view on the horizon.

It seemed to barely qualified as a village from the eyes of the team in the air. 

From his view in the air he could count 3 buildings.  Jaune knew all this from the report the Headmaster had given him… but he still rather doubted that this could be all the village had to offer.  However the report proved to be accurate.  3 buildings in close proximity separated only by walls and a brief journey of a couple dozen steps.

It had a building which looked like an inn and it appeared to be the most homey of the structures.  A structure made of brick with a central chimney was its defining trait.  The building Jaune knew doubled as a general store and was the place most residents would take their meals. 

There was a dormitory for the workers, which was the largest of the locals structures.  This was made of wood and seemed more designed to maximize seating and or sleeping area.  No chimney was found present… must be uncomfortable sleeping but given how exhausting a mining job would be.  Well it was probably just a matter of find an empty bunk and pass out. 

A third building which was assumed to store the mines equipment was also present.  It was rather indescribable as nothing stood out except the rather large double doors which would of course allow heavy and large equipment to enter and exit the building.

"Doesn't seem like much does it?"   Nora claimed taking in the village.

Jaune knew enough about his friend to realize she came from a military background… while on assignment it tended to be easier for her to focus.

"No… There isn't much here.  Just a … well never mind about the paths.  I wonder if all this snow is new?"  Jaune observed.

The bullhead was slowing down now and making to land on the open pad several dozen yards away from the main buildings.

"Odd… you would think they would at least clear the paths for their own people to walk around."  Pyrrha complained.

Jaune… could not help but agree.  Cadia is rather known to dislike Hunters from another location present and seemingly set to interfere but you would still expect at least a cordial greeting.  They were after all here to help at their own request.  However nobody was waiting for them.  No Head Coordinator no Mining captain or company representative… nothing.

"Here's hoping the Quarry has more going on than this setting… this will get boring for some of us frighteningly quickly."  Ren advised.

Jaune nodded but didn’t respond.  The Quarry… that hole in the ground which was the entire purpose for these structures.  The very reason they are out here.  The one place they were not allowed to visit without supervision.  The headmaster made it very clear they were not to go around the mine without an escort.  It was too easy to get lost and cave-ins were a threat for older locals such as their current position.

Jaune didn’t like it.  The rules surrounding the order were sound being based in safety… he still didn’t like it.  How can they be expected to do their jobs if they were going to limit where they can and cannot go?

Jaune shook his head, he could not lead his team if his own thoughts were muddy and unfocused.

"I hope I don't need to remind you all our instructions."  He advised pleasantly… trying to make sure everybody was focused and on point.

"No visits to the Quarry without supervision."  Nora suggested… remembering the brief he gave them shortly after setting out.

"Don't interfere in day to day operations if at all possible."  Ren put forth recalling the same talk.

"Be on the lookout for Grimm activity and."  Pyrrha stated.

"Be ready to assist however necessary should the people have need of your services."  Jaune finished pleased.

He smiled… they knew what they were supposed to do.  If only they knew the where when and how to those same questions.  That was going to be the important part.

Finally the craft sat down and the 4 friends took a single step off.  The team sank into the snow at least a foot before finding solid ground.

Keen to be back before the incoming storm hit the bullhead promptly set off again back to its place of origin… presumably Cadia Castle.  It lifted off with a powerful whine and soon was headed away and out of sight.

Jaune looked around to see if he could spot anything new he missed from the air… and could not.

"Well… here we are.  Stay here a few days wait for pickup… use emergency signal if we must.  Awesome way to end the year right Pyr?"  He joked as he turned to face her.

She just pulled a third winter coat on and tried to boil her abnormally warm boyfriend via a glare.

"I do not understand how you can be used to this.  The wind alone just cuts to the bone."  She complained.

He shrugged "This is not that cold.  Remember Pyr, this is summer.  In a month the temperature should raise enough to melt the majority of the snow on the ground but … well this really is not that cold compared to what I'm used to."

He frowned noticing the look on his girlfriend.

If looks could ignite a body… he would have already been ash.

… Come to think of it the ENTIRE trip would have been warmer if that were possible… they had several pieces of kindle available in the bullhead.

Pyrrha didn’t feel guilty at all about getting close to her boyfriend to enjoy his body heat as she looked around.

"It doesn't get any more impressive down on the ground does it."  She observed moving her arms around him.

"No… no it doesn’t."  He looked around agreeing wrapping an arm around her.

He noticed something was missing…

"By the way where is … Ren… or…Nora?  They were just … over… there?"  He seemed a touch baffled pointing at her former location next to them… No footsteps indicating where she could have gone were left in the snow.

Pyrrha initially shared his confusion until she looked around…

She pointed "Jaune… look."

Jaune looked at his lovely girlfriend… who looked a touch worried and followed her finger.

He sighed and struggled not to facepalm.

The walkways had suddenly been cleared miraculously without any equipment.

He sighed again.

There is only one thing capable of instantly plowing the streets of a village with a literal foot of snow on the ground.

Nora… an energetic and driven Nora.

"NNOOOOOOOOORRRRRRAAAAAA!"  A passerby yelled further in on the village.

… Amendment… An energetic and driven Nora…with an objecting yet helpless Ren in tow.  Jaune could only wonder at how cold it had to be being tugged around by his ankle zooming around the entire village for his partners entertainment.

"Wow… even Professor Oobleck would be impressed at the speed."  Pyrrha commented.

"Its Dr. Oobleck!" A voice behind them declared.

Jaune and Pyrrha turned their heads…

 And spotted Nora…

This time… Jaune did facepalm.

It took Ren several moments to regain feeling in his legs to stand and he couldn’t help but send a venom filled glare at his partner when he was finally able to stand.  The group let him regain some measure of dignity and un-snow-ify himself before they began to move through the village.

For Nora it was somehow like seeing a brand new place.  In a way it was… it was plowed unlike before.

Never mind she was the one who did the plowing.

As they moved both towards and around the central area connecting the three structures the team could not help but speak again.

"I do not know what to make of this place."  Jaune stated simply.

"I think I get what you mean.  I was not expecting it to be a lively market place… but it seems dead.  I wonder if most people are at work or just sleeping now?"  Ren said thoughtfully.

"Just seems odd… A bullhead arriving had to be something you would hear.  It would normally bring supplies and such.  You would think people would be more anxious to head outside and see what the sound brought.  Nothing.  We have nothing no response to us landing."  The knight stated voicing his thoughts.

"Well… Nothing to do but try to find somebody to talk to I suppose."  Pyrrha suggested.

Jaune just shrugged and figured that was as good of a place to start as any.

In the sleeping quarters they did find somebody to talk to.  He was not very talkative stating it was his time to sleep and they needed to find the 'Chief' whoever that was.

So they decided to head to the centralized area to look for him expecting to find him.  They didn’t.  The only thing they found was that the general store was open and serving lunch.  The place was not quite full a few workers were still trying to finish their meals… likely before they headed off to try and get some rest.

"You all don't look like miners… what brings you here?"  They were asked.  The large male behind the counter gave Jaune one of the rare instances of him being forced to look up at somebody.  He towered a full head over the blond Knight.  Of course he was equally round hinting at a life of indulgent whims, but to each their own.

Jaune shrugged.  "We were requested to come here, we are Beacon students."  He answered.

Jaune almost wanted to ask the guys name… he didn’t.

"Odd… Normally I am told when visitors will be arriving.  Mistakes do happen from time to time I suppose.  You like a bite to eat?"  The large man suggested taking it in stride.

When a belly rumbled loudly Jaune did not even need to turn to realize whose.

"OF course food sounds awesome!"  The offender in pink stated.

"Do these things happen often?  Visitors show up?"  Jaune probed.

"Not as often as it used to, but it is fairly common for us to not know about them.  Communication is less than dependable up here"  He claimed evenly.

Jaune took it at face value.  It was believable enough given the scenic location and ordered some food.  Given that Beacon was picking up the bill he really didn't need to be hesitant but didn’t want to take advantage of anybodies generosity.  Spending other people's money was never something he was good at.

His team found a booth while he ordered food for the group.  After ordering he looked around and spotted a map on the wall.  Figuring the local map might be more exact than the rough sketch Ozpin showed him he decided to move over and study it.  He barely spent 3 seconds looking at it until he noticed something new.

A lake… nobody mentioned a lake.  It would be frozen nearly year round.  But he guessed that would be a good source of water year-round.  The path to the Quarry was not all that difficult by the standards of a Cadian winter but that really just meant it would be highly treacherous anywhere else in the world.  The precious ore's and crystals found in these mountains apparently made it all worth it.

None the less hot drinks and food sounded wonderful.  They had a chance to get some fuel in their system and nobody could think of a logical reason why they shouldn’t take advantage of the opportunity.

***Back at Beacon***

Weiss was unsure what to think. 

She almost wanted to ask Ozpin if she could go with JNPR to Cadia.  The place was a storehouse of technology and good business opportunities just waiting to happen.  She didn’t particularly want to be cold.  However given her interactions with the Matriarch… and the fact that she is friends possibly even allies with its Duke that logical part of her mind said strengthening the relationship between the Arcs and the SDC seemed like an easy move.

Her finals were already done,  The Heiress normally was days ahead of schoolwork as she had the final assignments and projects finished basically the same day they were announced… she is as Ruby would say "special" that way.

Which is why she was kind of annoyed at having been called to Ms. Goodwitch's office following the classes for the day.

… Somehow it felt like Yang's fault.  It normally was.

None the less the blond combat instructor let the smaller girl in through the door and showed her to a seat.

Weiss just smiled nervously while she wanted for Glynda to talk first.  She had to wait nearly a minute, of course that minute seemed like an hour.  Yang, remember to blame Yang, whatever it is.

"Ms. Schnee do you have any idea why I called you here?"  The Professor asked.

Definitely Yang's fault.

"Honestly no Ma'am."  The Heiress answered trying to appear completely innocent of … anything and everything.

Glynda just gave Weiss a demonstration of a proper Ice-cold stare for several moments before she proceeded forward.

"I spoke to Dr. Oobleck today.  We had a rather interesting conversation."  She claimed grinning evilly.

Don't react Weiss don’t react!  Keep it out of your face keep calm!

"It seems he wrote me a letter recently…"

Weiss tried not to gulp.

"… despite the fact that he has told me repeatedly he hates using paper.  As an archeologist he dislikes using paper because of the damage to the environment…"

She definitely gulped.

"… So… Ms. Schnee… are you positive you have nothing you feel like telling me?"  Glynda if anything hardened her gaze as she leaned slightly down closer to the small student.

The Heiress shook her head nervously and answered "N-nothing comes to mind."  She failed but tried to keep her voice level.

Glynda smiled and pulled herself straight backed again.

"May I have your scroll please Ms. Schnee?"  She asked casually.

Weiss had a very good idea of what was being referenced at this point.

"Sorry ma'am I left it in my dorm room this morning."  She told a half truth… she couldn’t find it following the Truth or Dare game.

Glynda smiled again and held up a very recognizable piece of paper… with something she definitely did NOT put on it!

"Pity, because you see this letter, which Dr. Oobleck does not remember writing.  Is adjourned with your symbol.  Rather curious would you not agree Ms. Schnee?"  Glynda's smile deepened.

MY SYMBOL!  I DEFINETELY remember writing that letter and my symbol was most definitely NOT … KATHERINE!!!  That cunning… tricky… minx!  She added my symbol on the letter after delivering it!

"Its Yang's fault ma'am!"  She begged, believing Yang has been proven to be a more likely antagonist than Kate.

Glynda's gaze sharpened as her eyebrow twitched "Your symbol is on this letter.  A letter to me from Dr. Oobleck.  Yet it is Ms. Xiao Long's fault?  Somebody who has zero artistic talent made a perfect replica of your symbol on such a letter?" 

Weiss got the feeling Glynda was just toying with a mouse like a sadistic cat at this point.

"Well… Yes!  Yang normally is at fault with these things!"  She sputtered out.

DAMNIT XIAO LONG!  You HAD to insist on that Truth or Dare game!

Glynda rolled her shoulders and moved into the next point to address with her smile growing in size.

"Ms. Schnee, I have your scroll.  It had some interesting photos on it as well."

Weiss fought not to sigh.  This just kept getting better and better.

"Ms. Arc was kind enough to deliver this to me."  The professor was practically glowing in her smile at this point holding up the scroll in question.

That leaves 3 possibilities… though it was probably Kate.

"But I was Dared to draft it!"  Weiss blurted out.

Glynda stopped smiling.

"Yet you have no knowledge of how it got on my desk?"  She accused.

Yang I swear to GOD if I get detention because of this!

"It was a truth or dare game Ma'am, I was dared to write it!"  She admitted frantically… desperate to avoid unpleasant detentions in finals week.

Glynda smiled again not out satisfaction… but pure evil glee.

"I figured as much.  So imagine my surprise when Dr. Oobleck showed me a similar note also with your symbol on it addressed to him, from me."

WHAT!?

"Ms. Goodwitch, Katherine delivered the notes not me!"  She squeaked clearly praying that a way out existed.

Here… Glynda issued a chuckle.

"So now Katherine enters the tale.  So far it involves you for writing it.  Yang… because… Yang.  Katherine just now and Patricia for delivering the scroll to me.  That is a great deal of culprits for this issue Ms. Schnee.  I haven't even gotten to the best part."  She claimed

The Heiress gulped nervously.

"Best part?"  Weiss asked hesitantly.

Wait Patricia gave my scroll to her?!

"Yes, best part.  You see Ms. Schnee, you have already finished with your final projects and essentially have nothing to do all week.  Yang is already occupied attending some type some type of extra credit lecture in Professor Port's class.  Patricia was kind enough to present me with the scroll showing those pictures and Kate… Well no physical evidence exists that Kate was ever here…."

Glynda breathed deeply as if enjoying this.

Weiss held her breath definitely NOT enjoying this.

"Dr.  Oobleck was beside himself with these notes fearing that our relationship as friends and coworkers would be damaged through no fault of his own.  As such he fell behind with his grading.  Due to that he has no time to review these reports he drafted given his work load.  We believe you are the best person suited to the job.  Consider it duly earned for putting decaf coffee mixed with ice dust in the teachers lounge machines last night."  She finished… possibly twitching due to said decaf coffee.

WHAT!  BLAST the entire Arc clan, I did not dare her to do any of this!

Glynda just sharpened her gaze waiting on Weiss' reply.

Weiss had very little to do but replay the events of the previous night.  Kate was gone for awhile…  It is easier to blame Yang… that normally works.  I'll go with that.

YANG I WILL GET YOU BACK FOR THIS TENFOLD!

Weiss mentally was waiving an angry fist in the air but none the less picked up the first report titled 'Mating habits of various animals as it relates to Grimm activity in old archeological sites from 7 centuries ago book 31 by Bartholomew Oobleck.'

Weiss snapped the pencil she was carrying… and just began to read… even as she began to plot her own version of sweet revenge.

***Head Masters Office***

Ozpin has had a long and in his humble opinion, fruitful career.  He had served as Headmaster for a long time.  He has made friends and has lost some of them.  He had formed relationship with countless people as he did his duty to the school.  He liked to think he had been a force for good in the world.  Basically he had been a teacher for a long time.

Once somebody has taught for a number of years you tend to have this… 6th sense when a student is up to something other Professors might call… Shenanigans.  He tended to use another word for such actions.

Entertainment.

See last night he was taking a bit of an evening walk around the Beacon Grounds and had the sinking suspicion he was being followed right around the time he had reached the fountain in the central grounds.

Imagine his surprise when he realized that also taking a late night… and curfew breaking stroll was Katherine Arc.  She was wise enough to stay out of sight… but they shared a brief conversation.

It was enlightening… talking to the Arc family normally was.

He was never above students burning off steam in their free time and this was harmless enough.

A little… -too- harmless in his mind.  He would have none of that.  If a deed was to be done, it would be done right. 

He couldn't help but suggest a few alterations to the plan… once the letter had been dropped off on Ms. Goodwitch's desk.  He assured her that Glynda would not punish her for the transgression given it would surely provide him with an amount of entertainment.

Their reprisal… well that was anybodies game.

He had a name for that too.

Sequels.

Entertainment was needed when you are the King… or… Headmaster as it were.

None the less the term was nearly over, it had been one of the most eventful and moving he had ever experienced.  The drama with Cadia… the situation with the Arc's.  Not every year does one see a family try to stitch themselves back together.

In any case he could call it, he thought, a good year.

He was surprised when he got a video call from an old friend that afternoon given the time of year and the caller's busy schedule.

"Deborah a pleasant surprise, how is life in your humble hovel?  I know how much you enjoy the game of political maneuvering."  He asked pleasantly though laced with sarcasm.

She smiled through the picture.

"I'm pretty sure you can guess the majority of my answer Ozzy."  She replied pleasantly.

He smiled at the nickname.  It had been years from the last time she called him that.

"Ozzy, been awhile hasn't it?"  He said casually.

She smiled further "Yes, it has.  To answer your question-"  She grew more serious "-The news about James… the changing of the title to my son.  It all causes political upheaval… pieces move at the slightest touch and the title changing hands in that manner was not a light touch.  Most leaders accept the change but Ironwood has been giving me more trouble than anybody else.  An irritating amount of trouble to be precise."  She grumbled that last bit.

Ozpin grew equally serious and responded "You and the General never did see eye to eye.  What is his concern?"

She sighed and responded back "His concern is coming from a good place but you know how we are in Cadia.  We do not like outsiders telling us how to run our territory.  We were always independent, we care about the world as a whole but all we ever wanted to do is live how we want to live."

Ozpin had to be careful here… it was one of the few subjects they did not see eye to eye on.

"Go on."  He prodded.

"Ozzy… You know me well enough to know why I am upset.  I doubt I need to answer your question."  She grumbled

He nodded "True… but you are stressed… I would suggest talking about it."

"Ozpin you know you don't have to listen to me rant you have to get enough of it from Glynda."  Deb stated simply.

Ozpin smiled "Deb, we are friends.  Friends help each other and are willing to listen.  It at least is something I am good at… when I choose to employ it."  His smile was genuine and completely unforced.

She took a breath as she seemed ready to launch into a potentially epic tirade.

He slightly regretted his offer to listen to her rant.

"Oz.  No kingdom, and I mean no kingdom sacrificed more in our darkest days than Cadia.  We had more loss of life than any kingdom.  WE took the brunt of the Grimm offences and more of our warriors fell than in any other nation.  In thanks we had to surrender most of our territory and give up our sovereignty or risk another war that we had no chance of winning.  That act set a precedent which lets people like our 'dear' general do what he wants.  Every time James Ironwood tries to stick his nose into Cadia's politics it gets harder and harder not to punch it.  We were betrayed from within I do not need his agents or special operatives snooping around my home.  I find it infuriating that people cannot leave well enough alone.  Basing the actions of today off those of the past is a fine theory but there is no subject matter to draw from that implies Cadia is dangerous to the world when left alone.  Even today with as large as my family is, every one of us to an individual is either serving as Hunters to protect the world, or in Cadia's or Atlas' military.  We want to do well but we will not have anybody tell us how that should be.  You know all this.  That is why I am upset.  It is the same argument being gone through again and again when He and I share each other's time."  Her eyes were deathly hard and even semi lethal as she spoke.

Ozpin sighed himself.  Deborah… Indeed every Arc he had ever known over his life had been a good person.  A boon to society.  They wanted to serve as protectors of the world as their ancestors did.  Yet they all had some measure of pride.  Everything Deb claimed was absolutely correct.  She was not wrong in any of those points.  However the decision to weaken Cadia was also, he believed not wrong.  Cadia might not have been able to win a prolonged war but they easily had the single strongest military and at the time the Arc's with their combined forces were battled hardened veterans.  It WOULD have taken all of the nations had it come to battle to even the scales given their battle experience and technological advantages with weapons and armor.  That amount of might should not have been in a single place.  He truly believed that.

This was another argument they shared.  It was not the Arc's fault that they were blessed with their semblance.  It was not their fault that the Grimm attacked and that ultimately resulted in them having a supremely well defended point of power and a military to match.  Why are they being punished by the world for WINNING the war against the Grimm in times past?

In that sense… Deb is not wrong.  They took the brunt of the Grimm's focus.  Sure no kingdom was spared… But Cadia took the brunt of it.  In thanks the nations decided to strip Cadia of much of its territory and forced the ruling family to give up their royalty crown.  The Arc's did not want to see the world set into another conflict… and as such they acquiesced to the majorities demands.  The territory has been touchy about that essentially ever sense it happened.

In another sense however… So much of what makes weapons and technology work is centered in Atlas with the best of it being within Cadia's borders.  The people of authority from ages past believed evening the playing field with other nations to be the best decision for the world.  That no one nation should be that much more powerful than the rest.  It is one he personally agreed with, weakening one power to strengthen every other.

That doesn’t mean he didn’t understand the stress and frustration Deb HAD to feel every time other powers tried to meddle in her home.

"Debbie, you do understand he is just trying to help?"  He stated cautiously.

She appeared like she wanted to scoff… but didn't.

"Ozpin… Other nations have offered to help too.  After the attack I welcomed the assistance.  That was months ago now and while we remain on high alert I do not need foreign agents in my own home.  He is the only one that required an eviction notice to take his people home.  Even then he only did it grudgingly.  Gods above I despise politics."  She rubbed her temples.

Ozpin chuckled.  She always did have a warriors mindset… if something is causing problems punch it until it goes away.  Her tenacity made her an exceptional teacher but her equally good heart made politics beyond difficult for her.

"You did always have trouble telling people no when their intentions were good."  He smiled sadly.

She smiled back sadly "Well trust me the longer I stay I politics the easier it gets.  Everybody claims to have good intentions yet they so rarely are willing to state them.  Like I said I hate politics and everything to do with playing the game.  The world was simpler when it was just Life and Grimm.  Now everybody can be both an enemy and ally at the same time.  It is rather infuriating." 

She shifted in a stretch before appearing a bit more calm.

"Thanks for listening to me rant… It helps just like it always did in the old days."  She admitted warmly.

He laughed "Well… some of us look more old than others."

Ozpin knew from personal experience it is both a blessing and a curse.  As long as individuals remain strongly bonded… their Semblance grants them a vastly slower aging process.  Deb looks like she is in her 30's for a reason.  Those near them in their home get the same benefits. 

It was something else they had spoken about in the past.

She smiled slyly before speaking again as if following his thought process… she was good at that.

"Honestly as much as I had hoped to talk about our semblance I had hoped more to talk about my kids.  Specifically my son."  She stated… he felt as if she was moving the conversation on in another direction.

"He is doing well… His team set out and arrived at their destination on schedule and avoided the storm."  He answered evenly.

Deb blinked.

"Oz, what do you mean?"  She asked.

He blinked back, and explained more.

"The request for a team of hunters… JNPR was selected to go.  Jaune's team landed a few hours or so ago our time.  You know that though Deborah the request for a team-"

"OZ!  What are you talking about?"  She interrupted him.

He grew deathly serious "Deborah, my office received a request for a team to respond to Grimm activity within Cadia's Border.  The request bore the Arc Seal and all proper identification checks.  They sat down in … well I cannot pronounce it but the northern most mining village within the hour."

Deb grew angry "Ozpin, I put in no request for a team and as far as I know nobody in my office has.  Did you check the originating source?  I guess it doesn’t matter at this point there was no request for a team from me!"  She exclaimed motioning for somebody nearby to … probably go investigate.

Before Deb even finished Ozpin had pulled up the request and began looking through the validation once again.

Deb seemed occupied and as such he made a quick call from his personal scroll.

"Yes… Headmaster!  Is there a problem?"

"Glynda send the signal and get JNPR out of Cadia, information is starting to hint the mission was not genuine."  He ordered without his typical sarcastic or good natured smile.

"I…. Of course I will get on it immediately."  She claimed and visibly moved away to perform the instruction.

Deb spoke up again seeing Ozpin free again.

"Oz the order did not come through Cadia are you positive the order originated within my office?"  She demanded appearing back in her infamous 'warrior' mode.

He rubbed his temples "The only people who can mimic an order from an outside client… I can't even do it without the board's approval."  He claimed.

Deb suddenly became deathly serious in the face as it seems… she was the first to come to a realization.

"Oz, a FORMER board member could do it though, in theory?  Provided they still had the access codes.  Or possibly used influence to gain access to them?"  She strongly hinted, her eyes looked very hard.

He grew a shade pale.  If so…  JNPR was being lead into an ambush by somebody who specifically knew they would be sent.  Ozpin could only wonder at why he would do that.

Ozpin picked up scroll back up.

"Glynda give me good news."  He stated.

Glynda looked around before responding.  "Headmaster…"  She sounded quiet… as if speaking so no one could hear nearby.

"Sir… the lines of communication are not getting through as if they have been jammed.  It mimics the other times this has happened with other schools."  She confessed sadly.

Deb seemed to pick up on some hidden meaning with what her former pupil stated.

"Oz.  What does that mean?"  Deb demanded sternly but clearly.

Ozpin put both hands on his desk and had to take a deep breath before he responded.

"Deborah, as you know hunting teams have been lured into ambushes by the White Fang all year long… I fear we have just discovered who the next team is meant to be."  He admitted solemnly.

Deb face grew even more tighter and focused.  Now that he mentioned it… she did remember the news broadcasts of White Fang ambushes… Damnit.

***Back with JNPR***

The storm was just arriving when JNPR finally met the man in charge of the operation.  A rather rude and direct individual who looked the part of a miner.  They had only waited an hour after finishing their meal when he arrived and promptly requested that they head down to the Quarry.

His team bundled up then followed him out of the building and down on to the path to the mine.

"Why exactly are we heading into the mine?  I was under the impression that was exactly where we weren't suppose to go."  Nora complained.

Jaune smiled… he didn’t object to the question and was curious about it himself.

"Because my workers have complained about sounds and shadows in the mine.  I won't waste my people chasing after shadows but if you kids want to, feel free." Their guide answered bluntly.

"Have you encountered Grimm previously?"  Ren inquired politely.

"Yes"  He answered simply.

"How many?  What types?"  Pyrrha asked pleasantly trying to get some arguably important details.

"Several and I do not know."

"Can you describe them?"  The Spartan asked.

"Black red and dangerous."  Came the reply.

"Anything you can tell us would-"  Ren started.

"Look kiddos, I do not like you all being here.  If I am told I need put up with your presence I will.  We do not like it when outsiders meddle in our affairs."

He stopped moving as if trying to force an incident.  Jaune had seen this attitude plenty from many Cadian citizens.  They are open and friendly to visitors but do not like it when those visitors tried to meddle in their affairs.  It seemed like he was looking for any excuse to not assist the strangers.

"Sir-"  Ren started.

Jaune interrupted him with a held out arm.

Their guide appeared to smile given his actions.

"Let me tell you how this is going to work."  Jaune stated simply.

Their guide… who still did not give his name crossed his arms appearing amused.

"Look at me, see anything familiar?"  He instructed.

"I see a blond haired outsider brat who is barking up the wrong tree."  He answered.

"This blond haired brat has a name.  You might have heard of it.  It is Jaune Arc."

The guides eyes hardened.

"Before you ask.  Yes, THAT Jaune Arc."

He swallowed slightly. 

"This entire mining colony is under the employee of the Arc family. Now let me explain a few things to you.  If you cannot perform your duties without giving us attitude then you can kindly see yourself out of this establishment as your services would no longer be needed.  My team is trying to protect the people of this colony which of course it includes you.  Giving me attitude is something I have had quite enough of and it stops, now.  Period.  Now kindly describe the Grimm that you have seen or have others describe to you so we may complete our assignment and get out of your hair as soon as possible."

That turned out to be the only thing he needed to say.

Turns out he has never seen any Grimm… but had something similar to a Beowulf described to him several times.

They more or less walked in silence having reached a mutual understanding the rest of the way.

Jaune did not find himself a fan of the situation.  He did not like throwing the fact that he was the Duke at the man.  He had to accept hard facts however.  A storm was fast approaching, they had to get into the mine or risk being caught out in it.  They could not risk a lengthy argument that ultimately does nothing but cause frustration for both parties.  Ozpin might lecture him about that later when he gives his report but… it felt the right thing to do, to try and keep everything focused and moving forwards.

Pyrrha and Ren mostly continued to talk to their now a touch more amiable guest while Nora and Jaune preferred to observe the surroundings.  The entrance to the mine was more or less a hole in the ground.  Yet it was very near the lake which Jaune noticed on the map… essentially directly across what would be a rather large road.  Surrounding both the lake and the mine entrance was some impressive yet steep literally walls of ice and rock.

"Won't leaving be difficult once the storm arrives?"  Jaune asked curiously.

"A bullhead can land on the lake if it has too, but no.  Snow storms are frequent Mr. Arc, the miners could not get back to town if the passage was always snowed off."  Their guide stated a touch more respectful.

Not the best reply but at least acid wasn't dripping off him as he spoke anymore.

That feeling of something being wrong with this entire situation just would not shut up in his mind.  But he did his best to quiet his thoughts.  The headmaster sent him here on a mission from the Cadian government.  Those things had to check out for this mission to happen… right?

***Later in the mine***

Their guide left them at the entryway and told them to follow the path down.  He admitted that there was multiple paths but the central stairwell down will eventually take them to the operational supervisor.  He would direct the team to the location in question.

The first thing the group noticed was that it was warmer.  Much warmer, to the point that they all had to stop and trim off some of the layers before it got to unbearable as they continued to descend into the depths.

The mine itself was of a cylinder like design corkscrewing down into the mountain.  The stairwell anchored to the rock itself and was not the most refreshing of things to traverse.  Every so often they came across branch off path to the side.

"I cannot see the bottom… Wow."  Nora advised amazed looking very obviously down.

"Please… don't remind me.  Scared of heights is killing me already."  Jaune only halfway joked.

"I thought this was a small operation, this seems like a giant undertaking."  Ren admitted.

"Still… it seems like we are a bit … I don't know out of place here.  This place is huge it would take months to search it all."  Nora stated… probably factually.

To the team she actually appeared a touch nervous… being buried under a mountain of rock likely was not in her ideal plans for her future.

Jaune shrugged "Well it is supposed to be a small operation but it is possible it was a larger one at some point.  It is common for a mine to get mined out and to largely move operations elsewhere but keep some men on hand digging to try and find another vein.  It is a common way things operate in Cadia and I would assume mining operations across Remnant." 

The Knight didn’t feel anything he was particularly sagely… but it seem to calm down Nora a bit.

Jaune tried to put forth the best and most collected outward image he could.  He realized that this was suppose to seem familiar to him given that this was his homeland.  If he was nervous it would potentially just cascade into everybody and he really didn’t want that.

Especially Nora with those grenade shells…

Once the enormity of their surroundings settled in the team did relax a bit.  Encountering workers helped more.  Being expected helped further still.

As they approaching the half dozen or so people at work in the mine one of them stepped forwards.

Found waiting for them on the primary stairwell was a small and squat but rather powerful looking male.  Jaune assumed… he hoped correctly that this was the supervisor they were seeking.

"Welcome, my name is Irvine, nice to see you all."  He stated.

"Hello… I assume you are the supervisor?  We were told to seek him out."  Jaune queried.

He shook his head.  "Nay, I am not him.  Follow me I will take you to him."

He turned and moved on as a steady pace without offering a further explanation.

"Have you encountered many Grimm Irvine?"  Pyrrha asked pleasantly.

He short man shook his head.  "No pretty miss, I have not.  Most times when Grimm appear in the mines we gather a few lads and deal with it."

"Does that happen often?"  Ren asked keeping pace with the group but remaining alert to his surroundings, he seemed troubled... but didn’t voice his thoughts.

"More often than we want, not enough to become a serious problem." 

"How often do you have an incident?"  Jaune asked curiously.

"Eh, It is hard to say for certain.  Every few months I suppose"  Irvine admitted in a shrug.

Jaune felt like he could talk to this guy and get some useful… or at least willing information.  Still… he couldn’t let go of the fact that he knew more than he was letting on.  None the less he saw very little choice in the matter beyond to just keep on moving deeper down and follow their new guide.

After an unknown period of time… probably a matter of minutes the group spotted a door which was chained off with a sturdy looking lock.

Jaune veered towards it assuming the Grimm in question was on the other side of the door.

"Lad, not that way."

Jaune turned… Irvine had moved towards a door on the other side of the walkway.

"That pass suffered a cave in.  Here-"  He indicated a door with an obvious light behind visible

"You will find the supervisor through this door.  Have a good day kiddos."  Irvine then saluted and began to walk towards the dig site to work more… evidently.

Before they opened the door Ren spoke on… once Irvine was a good bit away.

"Jaune, I need say something.  Something is off about this entire mission.  The entire situation does not feel right."  He stated plainly.

Jaune for his part… was unsure how to react. 

He might as well try and converse to clear the air.

"Ren… what is on your mind?"  He asked.

Ren shared a look with Nora… as if to see if she had the same thoughts… she just looked unsure of herself.

"Jaune.  Something does not add up here.  I think we should head back to the village and check in with Beacon to confirm our goals and objectives."  He stated quietly.

Jaune crossed his arms to give him a second to think, the rest of the group formed a small circle with the two males on the team.

"Ren… I understand where you are coming from.  To be honest something has felt off with me too but… this is an official mission.  We have little choice but to try and complete it.  Are you suggesting that we all leave now without looking into the matter?"  He asked.

"Jaune… It might be something to consider.  Every single one of the people we have seen has been wearing something with the Arc symbol, either a ring, medallion or watch.  I find it highly irregular that they didn’t recognize you.  You are the Duke of this territory Jaune, isn't it odd that nobody recognized you as such?"  He insisted.

Jaune had to admit… he had a point.  Ren… might not be entirely right though.  He didn’t notice the situation regarding accessories with the Arc Double Crescent…  Figures that Ren would notice it though.

Thinking back… yes everybody did wear something like what his friend described.

"Ren… Yes I am the Duke… and yes I am an Arc but.  Remember most of my life I was sick… an embarrassment.  I did not leave the Castle much.  Sure people know my name but they do not know my face."

He stood hands on his hips in thought.  He wanted to fully agree with Ren.  His friend summed up his own thoughts on the mission very well.  He did not like it -something- felt wrong about this entire situation.  But what could he do?  He is the team leader charged with investigating Grimm activity and assisting however he could.  This was the job… wasn't it?  He couldn’t in good faith just give up call for home and leave.  Not without definitive proof something was wrong.

"For what it's worth Jaune… I believe Ren is right.  However I also do not think we have a choice but to try and move forward.  There is a storm outside or soon to arrive it isn't like we can leave for some time anyway.  We might as well try and learn more about the situation and try to complete our mission."  Pyrrha claimed trying to be diplomatic.

"They are right… something doesn’t feel right.  But we have little choice but to do what we can."  Nora advised.

Jaune smiled to himself.  It certainly made him feel better that his teammates agreed or at least had their own concerns regarding the situation.  It meant something to him that they would have their own doubt yet still continue forwards.

"We will talk to the supervisor at least, then decide what we are going to do."  He decided voicing his mindset.

At that the team shared a nod, and followed Jaune through the door Irvine directed.  It opened without a hitch.

The door revealed a passage which curved slightly to the right with lit torches giving light to the area.  Irvine didn’t exactly say how long the path was… just that the supervisor was this direction.

"I wonder how long we will have to walk."  Nora asked sounding very bored.

Her answer was not long incoming.  After a fair amount of distance the room became fully lit revealing a single figure.

He stood fairly tall and trim.  Wearing a black cape spun over his shoulder around his upper body.  A full length coat covering the rest of him dressed lavishly nearly identical to the last time they saw him.

"YOU!"  Pyrrha roared the first to identify the man.

Jaune gulped and really struggled to keep himself calm, he REALLY did not want to be right.

The man turned…

… He was right.

Nearly identically to the last time they crossed paths.  Same arrogant smile, same look, same long blond hair.

Waiting for them was James Arc.

"You are dressed in appropriately for a noble… much less a Duke.  You always were a disappointment."  His father claimed with a smile.

Jaune just hit his limit.

Striding forward with long steps he quickly closed the distance.

"Oh… does the small boy want a hug?"  James asked patronizingly.

Jaune increased his tempo and in a matter of seconds made his intent known.

It was not a hug.

His right cross flew sure and would have made perfect contact… if it was a man he was dealing with.

His arm passed right through causing his target to flicker in the air for a few moments until the image stabilized.

"Pathetic.  You can't even recognize a projection when it is in front of you.  You owe much to your team boy.  You have yet to learn how to stand on your own two feet."  He admonished.

Normally it was hard for Jaune to feel anger… he was not having that problem now.  It was practically visible in the air around him.

"You have no right to call anything or anybody pathetic.  You run away when things do not go your way.  You lied to everybody who called you family and you abused your own children including myself.  You KNEW I was infected with a parasite and you STILL treated me as you did.  I always tried to respect you as my father in the past.  I can say I am far more disappointed in you than you have any right to be disappointed with me."

Jaune's voice boomed through the room echoing off the walls.  Finally he could try to gather his breath and try to calm his heaving body.

His father grinned, and started to laugh.

"Your entire family is so foolish, it is amazing really.  All that power from your aura and your semblance, yet you have no thought capacity at all.  If you are going to accuse me of various things you might as well have it accurate."

Jaune looked confused.

"Can I shoot it now Renny?"

Jaune didn’t realize it until now but when he rushed forward to try and punch his father, his friends had armed their weapons and prepared to fight.

"No Nora… let them talk for a bit longer."  He answered with his eyes burning.

"Good, it is always nice with the insects know their place."  James said looking at the team before turning his glare back on Jaune.

"You must think you are special or lucky idiot boy.  You, Jaune Arc, the only child to ever be able to function with the Vampire parasite affecting them.  Never once did you question why.  What made you special, the only anomaly out of generations of study.  You were special because I did not just know you were infected boy I infected you myself.  A needle right to your heart while still in your mother.  The rule of 1 was never broken with you boy.  It pertained to your foolish mother just like all of the others to bear a Vampire.  I infected you with the parasite foolish child."

He preened his clothing smugly while Jaune just seethed.

He was almost too angry to even speak on.

"WHY?  For what purpose?!  What could you possibly be trying to DO?!"  He screamed, rare anger easily overpowering his self control… yet now it was not up for debate.

"Wouldn't you like to know.  In time, before you die.  You might know."

The ground started to rumble.

"WHY AM I HERE?  You lured ME HERE MY **TEAM** HERE?  **WHY**?!"  He roared at the image putting things together finally.

"Let's just say that I have a vested interest in this playing out a certain way and I needed you here to do it.  Before you die failure… remember this, you will not be-"

A furious boot crushing the projector brought whatever taunt was incoming to a quick close.

"EVERYBODY OUT NOW!"  Jaune commanded.

As they ran towards the door and out towards the surface more thoughts were shared.

"WHY?  I… ARGH."  He punched the wall as he ran.

Pyrrha looked at her partner concerned.  His body was heaving… and it wasn't from exertion.

"Jaune, relax.  Letting him get to you is letting him win.  Be angry after we get out."

Deep furious breaths were the only thing to answer her.

His … 'father' not only knew about the parasite but had deliberately infected him with it in the first place.   That same person lured him AND his team here… for what…. for what purpose?

"Why did he do that what purpose did he have to lure us here?!"  Jaune asked forcing himself to look more calm.

Ren was a step ahead of him, already having his scroll out trying to make a call.

"Still no communication."  He stated.

"There is this."  Nora claimed holding up her scroll.

A familiar scene was on display.  A scene they had seen played out multiple times over their Beacon careers this term.

A White Fang broadcast.

"It is on every channel, that is all anybody can get right now…"  Nora advised appearing concerned.

They had reached the big main staircase at this point and paused to collect their thoughts.

Jaune was still trying to calm and steady himself.  He was not the same boy from earlier in the year where meeting his father would sap the will to move from his body.  Right now he is angry, angry like he could not remember being ever before in his life.  Thinking tactically right now was proving to be a nigh impossible task.

"Well… It seems we are the next targets for an ambush.  But they are waiting outside the mine above the exit… Why?"  Ren.

"Guys… look down."  Pyrrha advised.

Jaune was still breathing in deep gasps as he looked down and did not see right away what Pyrrha was trying to point out.

It was after a few seconds that he finally noticed the movements on the walls… all around the walls.

Beowulf's… dozens… hundreds of them.  All of them trying to scale the rock wall.  If that wasn't bad enough… Ursa's were pounding along the steps climbing on the stairwell itself.

"I guess this would be a bad time to ask if anybody remembers our friends assignment from last year about stopping Beowulf's from climbing walls?"  Nora asked.

***Back at Beacon***

Ozpin did something he has not done in years… curse.  A team under his supervision was lured away to be ambushed just like so many others over the year.  Just like before he could do nothing for them.  He was too far away and had no other teams nearby to render assistance.

He had long muted the broadcast being displayed.  A smug White Fang supporter doing their broadcast on truth and justice as they mow down the mine workers trying to leave.

There they waited, waited for the team in question to try and leave.  He did not know when or what the team in question was doing.  All he could do is watch and hope.

Jaune and his team was well prepared, they worked hard and they were all talented.  He prayed they could hold out until help arrived from Cadia.  He was unsure what Deborah would do… but he knew when her children were threatened she tended to do one thing.  Fight back with lethal force.

For now… like a captivated audience.  All anybody at Beacon could do… is hope, pray, and believe in their friends.

The Headmaster decided on doing one more thing.

"Robert, I do not know if you can hear me now.  It has been some time from the last time I tried to speak to you in this manner.  But if you can, watch over your family.  They will need your guidance now, more than they ever have in the past.  Your sister needs you, your nephew needs you.  Please… watch over them."

Ozpin did not know if any entity heard his quite hope.  Robert Arc, a man who he considered a close friend, a brother even.  Had long been killed.  The man was an icon of what nobility used to stand for.  Generous with his time and energy, willing to help in any way he could.

He hoped… maybe somehow.  That his prayer would be heard.  For now all he could do… was watch.

**A/N**

**AGGGH!!  A cliffhanger!  I know I am sorry I hate them too as a reader but I am guilty of them from time to time as an author.**

**Hopefully not as many errors remain... I am  sure some do but... well hopefully the number of errors is going down each chapter.**

**So I have been asked what song I think of when various things are happening.  For the most part I do not have a readily available answer.  I will however state that when Jaune, or an Arc is using their semblance that the Knight Blazer theme from Wild Arms 2 or 5 seems to fit.**

**At this point I need to remind everybody that the appearance of my characters is not necessarily staying true to canon.  They will appear more realistic in terms of shape and tone.  The story is not a static environment, characters will grow, alter and change as it progresses.  I felt the need to remind folks of that at this juncture given we are roughly halfway through the story in terms of chronological time.**

**A Question for everybody:  I am considering seeking out artists to have scenes made to give specific instances from the story a visual image.  I obviously have things I would like to get into physical form.  If anybody has something they would like to see then I have 2 questions.  1)  What scene are you talking about?  And 2) would you be willing to contribute to getting them paid for and created?  This was not something I foresaw happening when I started writing this Fic… but the more time I invest the more I grow attached and would not mind seeing some scenes brought to life.  If you have something to say or anything to suggest on this point… let me know.**

**As ever I would like to hear more of what people think of the story and its characters.  I appreciate all forms of feedback.  Praise is always welcome as is constructive criticism.  Flames will not be welcomed, people are here to have fun and enjoy a story.  If you do not like it, do not read it.**

**A note about feedback… I do welcome and encourage feedback but I also like to respond to feedback.  I cannot do that when people post anonymously or when PMing is disabled.**

**As always if you enjoyed the fic please remember to hit fav/follow/kudos and leave a comment/review with your thoughts.  Every little bit helps.**

**Thank you for reading, it has been a ride thus far and I hope it will continue to thrill as I go forward.  I will see you all next time.**

**-Sean.**


	25. Year 2 Winter: Finale Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JNPR is ambushed while on their mission and find themselves between the Grimm... and the vicious White Fang.

**Memo:  Author Note's are at the bottom of the chapter.**

2.30

In most cases Deborah Arc was a calm and well mannered person.  The day even started out ok.  She woke up on time, had a short meeting with various political groups and finished with plenty of time to make a personal call to an old friend.

She thought the day was going well.

Now… she really only had one thought swirling around her head:

**_I'm going to kill him… I'm going to rip off his arms and beat him to death with them._ **

Deborah was not prone to needless violence and normally she would always try to find a peaceful solution.  It had been something she was known for as a hard earned reputation of hers.

All that went out the window upon learning that her husband… soon to be former husband if things went her way… had been responsible or at least had his hand in several grievances;

He falsified a request to Beacon for a Team to be dispatched to deal with a minor Grimm problem.

Had lured Jaune and his team into an ambush….

An ambush by the WHITE FANG of all organizations.  Out of everything he could stoop too it had to be a terrorist organization that had a violent string.

Basically add all that up and it amounts to one simple fact.  Deb was in a bit of a mood… to say the least.

The type of mood that causes people to just get out of her way as she stormed through the Castle while everybody around her flew around like a maniac trying to get up to speed.  Nobody was brave enough try and force her to alter her path she was on… wherever it lead.  All of them, everybody on the route to her destination cleared out of the way.  They knew that Deb was a good kind hearted person… and right now was not the time to remind her of that.

The timing of the incident in question was rather nefarious.  A storm was most definitely hitting the northern most area of the territory, as such an official response was limited in what they could or could not do.

They WOULD do something.  They might not be able to respond in full force… but they had some tools they could employ.  They were expensive, experimental and hardly perfected like a Bullhead.  However they did have the option to use them.  The Hummingbirds. 

An experimental flier developed by Cadian engineers.  The newest model was capable of flight in the worst of storms, able to ward off wind gusts that would cripple a Bullhead and fly on through almost any type of natural phenomenon.  They were expected to phase out the older Bullhead's over the next few years for use in its home territory.

The problem was… Cadia did not have many of them at the present time.

Those new fliers were Deb's destination.  The nation might not be under attack directly, but at least this might have one unexpected consequence.  Something that whoever was responsible for the situation with JNPR probably did not expect.

Jaune, was the Duke of Cadia now.  An attack on him, is essentially a declaration of war to her mind.  Given the circumstances she could not mobilize everything at her disposal… but load up the 3 Hummingbird's which were up and running to send them off is something they absolutely could and will do.

"MOM!"

Deborah was so inside her own mind that she, at first, did not hear her daughter calling after her.  More frenzied footsteps was the only answer she gave.

"MOM!!!"

The shout was repeated again sounding closer.

This time Deb heard it and turned… reluctantly stopping her march towards the transports.  Her eldest daughter was the one calling after her.  She had long ago fully recovering from the battle months ago, and now appeared dressed for a conflict.  Wearing the armor made for her, her weapon on her back and had her padding under the armor to keep warm.

"Eve, I do not have much time… what is on your mind?"  Deb still had to get into her winter garb before the trip, and did not have much time if she was going to arrive to affect the outcome of the conflict.

"Mom, I think you know what I want to say."  She said calmly.

Deb might have been able to guess… but at this time she did not feel like guessing.  If Eve was going to run out here to talk to her she could speak her mind.

"Eve, I might be able to guess but I won't.  What is on  your mind?"

Eve put on an annoyed look but proceeded forwards.

"Mom, we both know you should stay behind."  Eve stated simply coming to a halt in front of her mother.

Deb put on one of her glares in annoyance… the effect was rather minimal.  Eve was one of the few people who could weather it and not cringe.

"Evangeline are you seriously telling me I need to stay behind while my son is being threatened?"  She almost could not believe what Eve was asking her to do.

Eve just crossed her arms and held her ground.  She knew Mom would want to go… but she also believed she shouldn’t.

"Mom, you KNOW I am right.  You Both cannot be there.  Gods above forbid something happens to both of you we do not need a power struggle for our home.  You need to stay back… I will go instead."  She claimed trying to be calm.

Deb took a deep breath.

Eve spoke on "As the seneschal you should stay behind-"

"Eve I cannot I will not sit here and do nothing!  Too much has happened to him without my involvement I MUST go!"  The elder Arc's torso was heaving… unable to stay calm.

"Mom I am not saying you need to do nothing.  We need somebody to stay here.  Either way I Am going.  You should stay back and coordinate."

"I will go too."  A voice declared from the side.

Both women turned towards it, the caller was moving at a jog towards them.

"Annabelle"  They said at the same time.

Annabelle… One of the Arc children who did not follow the hunters path, instead enlisted in the Cadian Military to serve.  She was dressed as a woman of her station… as an officer in the military dressed for battle.  She was in excellent shape like every Arc child… but was less carefree in her appearance keeping her looks in a more militaristic fashion.

"I did not realize you were free to help Anna."  Eve stated simply.

"I intend to go regardless of if I am free or not.  I was last ordered to respond as I see fit… I am."  The younger sibling stated.

"None of this means that I cannot go as well!"  Deb argued.

"It means Jaune would not want to risk our home being put through another event like before.  He would want something secure.  You should stay back."  Eve argued right back.

"She is right Mom."

Deb turned to the NEXT individual joining in the debate.

"Miyas… you are seriously going to try and convince me to stay behind?"

Deb was nearly struck silly given that she is really being asked to stay behind with what is happening.

"It is a sound decision mom.  People are going to want to know what is going on.  Anybody but you talking to other nations… especially Atlas would likely result in them bringing their forces into our territory.  We do not need that."  Miyas claimed looking strangely at Anna…

Anna picked up on that "Our brother is the Duke now… he basically is my commander in chief.  I have not been ordered to go but I doubt anybody can say anything about my going.  You should stay behind mom they are right."

Slightly more collected now she looked from one daughter to the next… and ultimately lost the staring contest.

With a heavy heart she sighed and allowed her shoulders to drop slightly.

"Fine… you two bring him home and come back safely."

She gave both daughters a hug before she and Miyas returned inside to help coordinate.

Eve and Annabelle jogged towards the Hummingbirds and traded friendly jabs at each other.

"You ready for this officer?  I wouldn't want you to damage that fancy uniform."  The elder sister joked.

Anna scoffed "Please, you and your 'Stick' will be hard pressed to keep up with me."  She pulled out her weapon… in police baton form.

Eve laughed "It’s a Stick that shoots sticks… compared to your what… metal spewer?"

Both women had climbed into the craft and gripped a roof mounted handle for stability.  Several other members of the military were present, not exactly a full battalion but a team of people per vehicle.

The police baton morphed… elongating and with a series of clanks and shinks came to rest in its second form… that of an assault rifle.   Anna fashioned it to a strap around her neck with the weapon resting against her chest.

"Spewer is such a… derogatory term…"  She smiled slightly as the Hummingbird began to lift off.

Growing more serious the two sisters shared a glance.

"Let's go get our baby brother."  Eve stated as she gripped the antiquated communication device the Hummingbird uses as an emergency measure and tried to keep herself busy. 

Her thoughts were not as focused as she might have preferred.

In the past… Anna might not have been the kindest to her younger sibling.  Now… none of that mattered.  He was the Duke… he was family and he was being threatened.  The flight of 3 Hummingbirds proceeded forward as quickly as possible.  Nobody knew what they would find when they arrived on the scene… but they would find Jaune and bring him with his team home.  Or somebody was going to be very unhappy before they were done.

***Beacon Commons***

Kate… was Mad.  Like really REALLY mad.  As in 'Nora has been deprived of pancakes for a month while being forced to watch others eat pancakes' mad.

Jaune was once again in danger… and just like before, she was nowhere nearby.  She had WANTED to go, she was even tempted to use her semblance and sneak aboard.  She could have done it.  She could have revealed herself midflight.  Jaune would have been upset given the duplicity but she SHOULD be there with him.  It was killing her to think that she could do nothing but watch as the same hate filled speech was put out.

"This is Mercury Black with another episode of Justice…"

She zoned out before he could proceed forward.  Surrounding her was the friends she had accumulated throughout the year.

Team CFVY looked on Irate… RWBY looked worried.  More and more teams looked on concerned for their friends and comrades.  SSSN was always friendly with the group… even CRDL seemed concerned for their fellow students.

"Your brother will be fine Kate… everybody always underestimates him.  He will be fine."  Ruby stated with forced cheer noting the bleak expression on her friend.

Kate crossed her arms and smiled sadly to herself… really wanting to believe that.

"I mean it Katherine.  Believe in him more.  He has Pyrrha, Ren, Nora all of them with him.  They won't go down so easily.  The White Fang doesn't even know what's coming at them I wager."  Ruby put forth again trying to force confidence into her face.  Unfortunately when Weiss put an arm on her shoulder it proved more than the Reaper could handle… and she started to cry.

Weiss fully hugged her partner and continued to steal glances at the screen.  She was a bit upset about the ordeal with the notes… but right now that didn't matter.

A glance to her side revealed several professors were even watching… Glynda… Port and Oobleck were all present. 

I suppose they would have an interest in seeing how this played out too, however painful it was to do so.

It might have been the hardest thing Kate ever had to do short of waiting to meet Jaune after meeting with Nora and Ren.

Ren… He better come back safe after all this too. 

Despite her normally strong and tough exterior… she felt herself start to crack a bit.  Tear's would not fall… but they threatened to.

***JNPR in Mine***

Jaune wanted to be livid.  He wanted to scream.  With an effort of will… he forced himself to do neither.

Grimm were climbing the walls and pounding along the stairwell.  He did not have time to be angry.

"Jaune, what do we do?  Do we fight this?"  Pyrrha asked with her weapons ready scanning the room.

Jaune kept thinking to himself.

"Jaune we cannot fight both the Grimm and our way through the White Fang ambush.  We have to do something."  Ren advised.

Jaune knew that already… but he couldn't just order his team to run out and into the ambush.  That would be just about the stupidest thing he ever heard.  Moreover that would still leave the Grimm as his backs… that… huh.

This is a mine… and like any mine they would have prepared for a cave in.  One of the first things they would do after digging down so many levels is build a secondary shaft up and out… right?  That is something miners always spoke about…

"Ren head upstairs quickly look for a map of some form there has to be a second way out of here."  He believed Ren the best suited given his attention to detail.

Ren hesitated.

"Hurry man Go!"  Putting his command tone into the order.

Ren nodded and took off at a run up the steps 3 at a time.

Jaune risked a look down, they did not have much time until the first Grimm arrived.

Already Jaune heard Pyrrha open fire with Milo on whatever she could get a clean line on.  Beowulf's were soon raining down from the wall as she her targets hit more and more often.

"Nora don't fire just yet, cover Pyrrha I am going to help Ren look… we need that map."  Jaune ordered and began to head up stairs.

"Map for what Jaune?"  Pyrrha yelled at him straining as she concentrated on aiming.

"One of the first things a mining team would do is dig a secondary shaft out in case of a cave-in.  I'm trying to find out where that point is."  He yelled back already having cleared several steps.

As he continued to roam upwards while scanning his surroundings.. he almost heard himself think:

'If it hasn't already caved in… if they did actually make one… if his team can find it and IF they can get to it given all the Grimm.'

It was not a fun thought.

"JAUNE!  GET UP HERE!"  Ren shouted from above.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts he took off after the voice.

He had to climb several stories up until he could finally spot his friend.  Given the height he had plenty of time to look down, already Nora and Pyrrha were fighting both in melee and ranged combat trying desperately to keep the stairwell clear.  Most Grimm did not get close and those who did encountered Nora's hammer… thus far they were holding steady.

"JAUNE!"  Ren shouted at him again.

Jaune at first didn’t realize it wasn't a shout to get moving… it was a warning.

A pair of Jaws snapped shut inches from his shoulder, Jaune spotted it a mere fraction of a second before his arm was caught and dove away… literally at the last possible moment.

The Knight had armed his weapon but kept his sword sheathed in the shield given the climb.

One, two, three blows were rained down and deflected off the shield before Ren was able to drive it away with a hail of firepower.

Jaune kicked out with his leg striking it in the knee before pulling himself back in a summersault to rise to his feet.  As he stood he pulled out his semblance and ignited in his white flame lighting up the area white.

Jaune was not an expert at reading a Grimm's facial expression… but fear, fear is what he would classify it as.

"AArrrrcc!"  The Alpha croaked out pointing a wicked finger at him as it stood up towering over the two Beacon students.

Jaune pulled out his weapon at the exact moment another set of Beowulf's dove at them from the wall.

With his semblance slowing things down he was able to perform relatively well.

Stepping to the side and making an upwards cleave with his sword he sliced the first Beowulf in two, another leapt forward which Ren handled moving his weapon in a circular motion around his body.

The Alpha lurched forwards with a  roar… the roar became a whelp as the two teammates set themselves upon it in a coordinated attack. 

The ancient Grimm took a swipe at it with a deadly claw.  Jaune struck it at the elbow sending the limb away dissolving into nothing while still mid air.

Ren got in close ducking under a swipe from its healthy arm and unloaded into its shoulder socket.

The Alpha could not fend off both men with just the one arm.

Jaune ran forward and went airborne driving his sword through the Alpha's chest.  He twisted and yanked on the blade carving out a section of the Alpha's chest.   Each motion of the weapon cause another help of agony from the Grimm… however it could do nothing with only one arm engaged with both teammates.

Seeing the healthy arm had been rendered unusable Ren spun away making a swipe at the back knees of the Alpha.  Finally that made it lose its balance and fall to the ground on its back.

Jaune used the momentum of the fall to roll upwards towards the Grimm's head and brought his sword straight don’t through its skull… finally killing the ancient Grimm.

"Wow… this is pretty cool."  Ren stated.

Jaune was breathing as he tried to steady himself but looked over at his friend… and understood the comment.

Ren… was on Fire.

A green colored flame, it seems their Aura's had bonded enough for him to share in with the Arc semblance.

"Yes fancy that… why did you call me up here Ren?"  Jaune asked eager to get back to getting to business.

Ren grew more serious as he responded "I found a wounded worker, he asked to speak to you.  Go on I will cover you he is just a few levels up."

Jaune ran upwards as quickly as he could and stole another glance down below.  Both Pyrrha and Nora appeared to still be embattled… but Pyrrha succeeded in thinning the crowd with her rifle such that Nora did not have much difficulty in crushing anything that got to close. 

Ren opened fire on what he could to help with thinning the pack before they reached their teammates.  It seemed like they would weather the first wave of Grimm without much damage…. Course he had no idea what else could be climbing up the walls or what has yet to emerge. 

The Knight have very little desire to discover the answers to either question if he could manage it.

Jaune found the wounded man in question without much difficulty a few levels up… The rude individual who had brought them to the mine in the first place.  The man was barely breathing and was obviously dying.  He was bleeding from several points via what appeared to be bullet wounds on his body and was obviously trying to carry something… though he had dropped it from lack of strength several feet away.

Jaune didn't care about the man's rudeness at the moment… he was a human in need of aid.

"Don't move I will try to heal you."  Jaune stated as he knelt down next to him.

He looked at Jaune weakly and coughed "Don't… don't bother…."

"But-"

"Don't… bother lad.  Not even your mother could save me from these..."  He coughed again sputtering up blood.

Jaune looked down and collected himself before looking at the man again.  It was difficult to see, but he appeared ghastly pale.  He reluctantly lowered his arm down to the ground again to focus his attention on the wounded mans last moments.

He was breathing hard and for a few scant seconds just stared at Jaune intently.

"You are your mother's son."  He said simply eventually.

"Don't talk save your strength."  Jaune stated shaking his head.

He shook his head "I… need to say this.  You…r father… I … worked with him.  Must… stop him.   Brings chaos to world… Promised Return to glory for Cadia…  Lied.  I… I am sorry."  His breathing slowed.

"Take… That-"  He pointed at the contraption on the ground next to him.

"Find… Shaft… Get away…"

"The alternate path out yes where!  Where is it!?"  Jaune asked gripping his shoulders lightly.

He coughed again.  "Supervisor… level… chained… wall…I… Hector.  Wrong… about you.  Get… away."

The man… Hector apparently, slowed once again in his breathing and his vision went out of focus… then ceased to move.

Jaune let go of his shoulders and balled his fists.  The sounds of battle echoed through the mine… yet he couldn’t hear any of it.  All he could hear was his own thoughts.

Yet another life wasted, this man was even loyal to my father, and he still was thrown away.  Cast aside and left to die… for what?  Maybe all of these men were his.  Was this entire village loyal to him?  Have they all been thrown away in this manner?  Was all of this to get to me?

Jaune did not know the answer to any of those questions.  All he knew was that enough was enough.  He picked up the contraption Hector had pointed him towards and examined it.  He did not recognize it right away but he did after a moment's study.  An old fashioned communication device.  Before scroll technology these were used to send messages long distances.  He had no idea why Hector had such an item on him but picked it up and attached it to his belt.

"JAUNE!  We gotta move!"  Ren shouted.

Jaune stirred and was brought back to his surroundings.  He stood and started running down stairs towards his friend.

"Ren follow me."  He stated as he ran right by.

"Down?!  I thought we were trying to go up!?"  None the less Ren took off after him keeping pace.

"Hector… the guy you found indicated the way out is on the level we spoke to the supervisor at, behind that chained door."  Jaune answered still sprinting down.

Pyrrha and Nora had began to retreat upwards fighting off the Grimm that got close, but were already engaged and could not easily handle an Ursa which was quickly approaching.

Jaune leapt off the stairs angling down towards his partner and friend below.  As he was in the air he realized he probably didn’t need to do this as both Pyrrha and Nora managed to free themselves enough to handle the Ursa… but he was concerned that they wouldn't notice it in time… oh well he's in the air already.

Bringing his sword down on its Neck he landed on its back and drove the Ursa to the ground with a powerful yank severing the spine.  Jaune landed in a skid in front of his two female teammates and did a quick spin to take in his surroundings.

The Grimm climbing appeared to try and regroup down below and were edging away from the team above.  As such Jaune felt he had time to get everybody on the same page. 

Ren appeared behind them and it was only then he noticed something as he turned to face his friends.

They were ALL on fire.  White on himself, Green on Ren, Scarlet on Pyrrha… and Orange on Nora.  Every single one of them.

"Wow… that is something to see."  He stated simply.

Pyrrha looked around… and realized his claim but didn’t get a chance to speak before Jaune went on.

She observed him looking down the mineshaft and appeared deep in thought.

"Follow me everybody."  He stated simply and took off down deeper into the mine again.

"Jaune what's the plan?"  Pyrrha questioned.

They continued to move quickly towards his destination as they spoke softly.

"According to a worker the secondary shaft should be on the level were we saw my… father.  It was the passage chained off."  He claimed skidding to a halt as he realized he was in danger of running right by his destination.

"What if he lied to you?"  Ren questioned.

Jaune thought about it… to be fair he never considered the possibility.

"It was his last words… they are genuine."  He stated simply arriving at the door in question.

Pyrrha had another thought "Ok… but what is to stop the Grimm from following us?  We would still have the same problems in the meantime."  She stated simply.

"Nora bust this open."  He stated as he turned back towards his partner and friend.

He looked oddly at them… then looked beyond them as if staring into nothing.

The Lake.

Of course the Lake!   That is how they handle this mess.

He smiled.

"New plan Nora I will get the door open.  Fire on that wall."  Jaune stated pointing at the wall on the other end of the chasm.

Nora just grinned and prepared her launcher.

"Jaune… what are you doing?"  Ren asked cautiously.

Jaune made a single swing of his sword and sheared through the chain holding it shut before speaking on.

"The water from the lake will drain, it will not ALL be frozen.  The water will force the Grimm up to the surface where our friends in the White Fang will keep them company."  He answered simply.

Nora fired a shell and connected with the outer wall on the other side.

"Jaune it is going to require more than one shell!"  She advised shouting back.

"How many do you have?"  He shouted back.

"Now?  11."  A tremendous impact was visible on the wall, but it held still.

She fired again "10."  Further damage and some water could be seen leaking through the rock now.

She fired another time "9."

That time the wall crumbled and like a river magically appearing water began to flow out of the hole.  The sound was nearly deafening.

"Come on then everybody get in here and lets go."  He instructed.

"Jaune you do realize that you are banking everything on your hunch that the man did not lie to you, right?"  Pyrrha stated concern evident in her voice.

He nodded in a sad sigh.

"Yes… Pyrrha I do know that.  I also know we cannot fight both the Grimm, the White Fang plus whatever else is waiting for us outside.  Other teams have tried and it has not gone well for them.  We have to do something they do not expect.  I do not believe they have planned for this-"

The roars of Grimm brought his speech to a halt.  What sounded like hundreds of Grimm began to climb up making the walls and floor shake with their weight.

Jaune phased out of his semblance as he spoke on.  "C'mon we NEED to move."

He moved through the door.

"Wont other Grimm follow us Jaune?"  Ren questioned.

Nora was next in having came back to the group.

"No, we will shut the door and seal the passage behind us."  He stated.

"Jaune, that won't leave us any way to escape if you are wrong."  Nora worded… accurately in her summation.

"Yes… that is true.  But trust me when I say; I believe this is the best move."  He answered.

"What if the Grimm STILL open the door and clear the passage?  They might be able to do that."  Ren questioned hesitantly.

Jaune smiled as the answer was made evident.  The water level was already visible outside the passage.

"Ren, this entire floor and likely that of several up higher will be flooded, I doubt Grimm will be able to do that.  They will either drown, or march up into the White Fang ambush.  Either way… both are occupied while we try and get out of here."

"What about the White Fang broadcast, we have to assume it is still running and waiting for us to try and leave."  Pyrrha asked.

Jaune was getting frustrated with all this debating but knew he needed to get this put behind them to move forward.

"Pyr,  one of a few things will happen.  They will continue to record and broadcast them fighting the Grimm.  Showing that things aren't exactly going as they planned.  Or they will cut out and lose the focus of their audience.  Either way WE do not care.  They will be focusing on other things while we can move and try to get out of here."

With that the team ceased their objections.  He was right, the move was already have been made.  It might be a gamble, but it was a calculated one.  In any case… they could not rebuild the wall containing the lake.  They had little choice but follow him into the exposed shaft.  A few hammer strikes from Nora later and the path was sealed shut behind them.

A good thing to stop any Grimm that might try to follow, not so good at stopping the water.  Already the water from the lake was beginning to fill the pass behind them.

Jaune through it all put up a good mask of appearing much more confident than he actually felt.  He was playing a hunch… several hunches in fact.  He had no definitive proof that Hector told him the truth.  Granted the passage they were told was caved in and unusable… thus far they had seen no proof of that.  He was gambling with his life and those of his team that he was being truthful in his last moments.  Beyond that he was also hoping he could get the communication contraption working.

He might have made a reckless decision in ordering Nora to destroy the wall… but in his mind it was what gave them the best chance of succeeding.  For now all he could do is march along while his team reloaded their weapons moving as quickly as they were able.

***Beacon Common's***

A brief amount of cheering took place in the area when the White Fang commentators seemed confused if not downright baffled at the presence of the Grimm emerging from the mine.  The team they were waiting for still had not shown themselves.  Something which the students and staff initially were happy for… until their minds took it in any possible direction imaginable.

Turns out there was a great deal of possibilities to consider… not all of them were good.

"If the Grimm got past Jaune and his team… what does that mean for them?"  Yang had asked to an open floor.

That single sentence more or less silenced the happy and humorous thoughts of those present.

Indeed… it was a fair question… if one with a dark purpose.  The only way Grimm could have moved beyond the team in the mine… is if they were no longer there… or were gone.  The former not seeming very possible, and the latter more likely.  It was not a pleasant thing to consider.

The broadcasters seemed to pick up on that reasonably quickly… only a few minutes of confusion existed until they themselves pulled themselves together… or whoever was feeding them a script adapted to current circumstances.

"JNPR… I don't know."  Ruby claimed.

The Reapers look implied that she DID know… she just couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Katherine more or less watched on silently keeping her peace.  It was painful to be unable to act… the inability to do what she felt she must plagued her throughout her youth.  It never got easier feeling helpless to the worlds actions.

"Kate… what do you think?  Is Jaune and his team still ok?"  Weiss asked pointedly.

The friends mostly focused on her as Kate put together her answer.

"It is difficult to say what I think."  Kate tried after a few seconds of uneasy silence.

Yang and Ruby shared a brief glance before turning back to Katherine wearing the same concerned look.

"What do you mean you aren't sure what you are thinking?"  Blake asked cautiously.

"Look… I know what you all are thinking.  It is logical, the Grimm could not move beyond the team unless they were already gone.  But… That is not what my feelings are telling me."  She tried again.

"What are they telling you in this case?"  Weiss asked.

Kate shifted her weight to her other leg and crossed her arms again.  How could she possibly make them understand…

"My brother and I have shared a connection all our lives.  It might not be as powerful as what Patricia and her birth mates share but it was something which we have always known and relied on even when we did not understand it.  Most times we do not need to speak to communicate effectively.  Just reading each other's body language and feelings gave us a very clear understanding of each other.  It has however always given each other an idea of what the other is experiencing.  I know when he is in pain, I know when he is afraid.  Both of us have always known that about the other."

She took a breath and looked around the gathering.  She knew that many of them were unsure about the connection the twins shared… it was a difficult thing to explain.  Yet Kate found talking about it seemed to help steady her nerves.. as such she continued with her explanation.

"The triplets can get very exact information… they can mirror each other's feelings and reactions.  Feel each other's emotions to an extent.  I get raw emotion unfiltered and directionless without knowing as exactly as they do.  I fear for him terribly right now.  He fears for himself.  I get the impression that he is nervous, anxious, he is not calm or collected.  But he is not wounded, that I am sure of.  I am certain I would know if he is wounded or dead.  I do not believe he is either of those.  Concerned for his safety and that of his team absolutely.  I do not however believe he is in mortal danger right now, he at least does not believe so.  If you were forcing me to guess."

Ruby and Yang smiled… the rest of RWBY looked on thoughtfully.  They had seen firsthand the effects of the connection the siblings shared.  A glance across the room spotted Lissette and Patricia.  Both girls wore the same look.  Nobody believed their concern was forced.

"I guess all we can do is watch… They have been fighting Grimm for nearly an hour by now, I wonder how many more of them are left in those tunnels?"  Ruby stated simply.

Kate smiled to herself and really tried to believe her words.  She believed without a doubt that she would know if Jaune was wounded.  That didn't mean his team couldn’t be trapped in the mine or potentially lost in the same structure.  Either result was potentially life threatening given the current situation.  Something about that tingling she felt in the back of her head spoke otherwise.  Something has him FURIOUS.  So angry that she struggled to understand what could make him feel that much anger.  At this point she really could not make a guess.  But if he was angry, that meant he was not dead.  That, for now, was enough.

***JNPR in MINE***

"Well… at least we have stopped moving horizontally, it is nice to be moving upwards again."  Ren stated calmly.

They had put in an unknown amount of time into moving headlong into… the unknown, and they continued to move at a steady pace.  They did not really have a choice in the matter… but the rising water level might have spurred them on slightly.  It was difficult to know where exactly they were going.  At times they would swear they were going deeper into the mountain.  In other instances it would corkscrew in various directions.  Right now… they did seem to be going vertical in a tight circle upwards.

More than one JNPR team member stole the occasional glance at their friend and team leader as they moved their way through the mostly abandoned passage trying to gauge the moods of those present.

It was an inexact science.

Ren had long ago made a torch and moved forward at the lead position the rest of the group following him. 

They needed to keep moving, it was difficult to judge time, distance or any real aspect of modern concerns when the only thing to keep you company is the steady footsteps of your travel companions coupled with Jaune's still furious breaths to try and calm himself down.

He was doing a good job of convincing them by appearance that he is doing better.

If they had just met him and began to spend time with him, odds are they might have even believed the calm façade.

Those who knew him could tell he was the eye of a storm.  All around him his emotions were raging and pulling in every direction possible.  Yet he did his best to keep up the calm and collected outward appearance.  With the situation he had little to occupy his mind but his thoughts for the day.

Ren shared more than one look with the women on his team.  The two girls shared a similar glance.  They all basically said the same thing.

'I've never seen Jaune this mad before.'  Nora mouthed at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha just nodded sadly.  Nobody needed to tell her how angry Jaune was.  SHE was livid to the level of violence just at seeing the utter Horrible excuse for a human being known as James Arc.    

How Jaune MUST feel upon seeing him… and what he learned from the brief conversation must be difficult beyond comprehension.  To think that Jaune shares blood with that man… it nearly denied logical possibility.  Both of the twins seemed… too good too pure of people to have anything to do with what James had shown from his character.  Come to think of it… that might be why Jaune is so mad.  This is his father… and his father is trying to be a force for evil in the world.  James might not view it as evil… but most evil people probably didn’t view their actions thusly.

An un measured amount of time went on as they continued in their jog under the earth.

Pyrrha had seen Jaune emotionally distraught before.  This… did not appear to be that.  He continued to keep pace and seemed to continually attempt at getting himself more composed.  In the end… she decided some light conversation might be a good idea.

"Jaune… what is that thing you are carrying?  I do not recall seeing one before."  Pyrrha asked.

Jaune continued on as if he didn’t hear the question for several moments… possibly as long as a minute.

"Jaune?"  She repeated.

The Knight finally stirred.

"Yes?"  He asked.

Pyrrha could have tried to lecture him about letting his dad get the best of him… but really given the circumstances there is very little else that could dominate his thoughts.  As such… she went with another option.

"That thing you picked up?  What is it?"  She asked again.

They reached an upwards path of the mine which seemed in poor repair… the path was crumbled and while it clearly was in an upwards direction… many stairs and ladders were either missing or to damaged to be safe.  As such they had to assist each other in climbing safely hefting each other up the levels as they go.

"C'mon gimme your foot."  Jaune stated setting his footing.

The team took advantage of the offer and continued to climb.

"Jaune?"  Pyrrha asked again trying to remain patient.

Jaune just leapt up and grasps his teams hands as they pulled him up higher.

"It is a communication device.  Very antiquated but it worked wonders before scroll communication." He answered hefting his team up another level.

"That must be very old."  Ren commented simply.

Jaune let himself get hefted upwards and gave Nora a turn at giving others a lift.

"It is very old.  Honestly I don't even know if it works.  Cadia used these frequently ages ago but I've never seen a working one or used one before."  He answered back.

Pyrrha and Ren caught Nora as she jumped and pulled her up.

"How was it used before?"  Nora asked setting her feet again.

"It was aura based as I remember.  It didn't have a power source.  You charge it by putting some of your aura into it.  It basically communicated like a radio but only to like…"  He stopped as if thinking about something.

After getting everybody else up to the next level they didn’t have to go through the leapfrogging anymore to proceed… they encountered actually maintained ladders assisting them further.

"I will take this as a good sign.  You were saying Jaune?"  Ren commented as they continued to climb.

"Well… it only communicated on … certain… frequencies…."

He paused… and smiled.

"I cannot be the only one feeling that wind, right?"  He queried feeling much better.  Hector…kept his word in the end.  The thought that he had lied on his finals word were a disconcerting thought.

The group stopped moving and cocked their head.

"I don’t feel anything."  Nora stated.

Ren and Pyrrha both agreed with their blond friend.

"Makes sense if we are getting closer… thankfully we already had a warm-up."  Jaune said simply.

They nodded… but a further travel forced them back into at least another layer of winter clothing.  It was, as they realized, FAR colder outside now than when they arrived. 

Basically, it was night out now.  They could see the opening now just a few feet above them, one more stairwell up would take them to that level.

Jaune knelt down on that level after everybody had reached it and spoke on in hushed tones.

"Ok guys.  This might be a time for an appropriately inspiring speech… but alas you all are dealing with me.  So, I have nothing for you.  Just some things to keep in mind."

His good humor might have been forced… but it succeeded in getting his team to smile and focus again.

"Seriously everybody no lights.  No talking unless we must either.  I do not know what will be waiting for us at the exit and we do not want to get seen before we are ready."  He paused and let others speak if they needed too.

"Right… we know the White Fang is outside, we know the Grimm might still be pouring out of the mine… though I doubt it given the flood.  If they are still broadcasting they might be waiting for us to emerge."  Pyrrha cautioned coming back into her typical fighter self.

"Exactly.  We need to be slow and cautious.  No lights, no fires.  We go up and get a look around."  He paused and cocked his head to the side.

"Nora pull out your scroll again, can you get the broadcast now?"  He asked curiously.

Nora whipped out her scroll and in no time at all found the stream she was looking for.

"Yeah they are still going… look."  She held up the image.

The group studied the image and broadcast as best they could.  It was hard to say… but HOURS must have transpired while they were navigating the tunnels out.  The fallout of a major conflict around the mine entryway was evident.  Some Grimm were even still dissolving.  Many White Fang casualties were obvious.  However the most important detail was something that Jaune really did not expect to see.

"Hummingbirds."  He said smiling.

The remaining teammates shared a glance.

"What's a Hummingbird?"  Nora asked as she doubled checked her weapon to ensure it was still ready for use.

Jaune pointed out two fliers in the broadcast.

"Those are Hummingbirds.  The announcer was being rather smug about witnesses to something which was already being shown to the world.  That obviously hints that they are not under White Fang control… given that it is something developed by the Cadian Military… I think it is safe to say those crafts are friendly."  He advised.

Nora smiled evilly and looked at Ren.

Pyrrha spoke on.

"What what are they doing?"  She looked thoughtful as she studied the picture.

Jaune wanted to just speak freely… but he forced himself to take a steadying deep breath before talking on.

"I cannot imagine word not reaching the Castle about our situation and regardless of the fact that I am here… I believe Mom would offer assistance.  Maybe even come herself to help."  He answered.

"Then why don't they attack?  If that is a military craft surely it could outgun a Bullhead."  Ren asked.

Jaune nodded in agreement before speaking further and nodded for his team to follow him towards the opening.  Sure enough they could see the scene play out fairly well.  A Bullhead bearing the White Fang emblem, coupled with 3 other crafts which Jaune recognized.

Jaune pointed to them before ducking back down into the cave and out of the view of prying eyes.

"I would agree with you.  However they would obviously be mostly interested in helping us… not starting a fight against superior numbers and unknown skills.  Besides I bet they just arrived."  He stated.

Maybe…

Jaune pulled at the old communicator he had tied to his waist thinking it might contact the friendly fliers… only to find it completely broken.

Ugh… somewhere I must have been less than gentle with it.  Oh well.

"So what do we do Jaune?"  Pyrrha asked… this was the heart of the matter.

He took a deep breath and answered after looking at each of his teammates.

"I understand this is a gamble.  I cannot prove my theory one way or another.  However I suspect the instant we show ourselves those friendly crafts will unleash havoc on everybody and everything around us.  We clear a path of any personal in our way and make our way to a flat point for them to land and get us out of here.  There are still a terrifying amount of White Fang personal outside we cannot hope to engage them all.  But surprise them and give us a chance to get away, I think we can do that.  You all ready to make some noise?"

Nora grinned an evil grin and armed her hammer.

Ren smiled and pulled out Stormflower.

Pyrrha just looked at him admirably and armed her own weapons.

"I will take that as a Yes…. Let's go.  Nora listen to the broadcast as best you can while we move.  They might say something important."

Nora nodded and switched her scroll to comlink mode to listen in while remaining alert to her surroundings.

Jaune lead them out trying to stay out of sight as best that he was able.  He did not have Blake's or Kate's natural affinity for stealth but given the situation it really was not all that hard to move out of the cave.  Initially they made a great deal of progress.

They moved out and down to the more level area and finally got a very good look at the situation that wasn't restricted to a broadcast image.  They emerged above the wall of rock and ice surrounding the entryway to the mine.  The Bullhead bearing the White Fang symbol was the lowest of the fliers in the sky.  The 3 Hummingbirds were all holding ground above it, and now that Jaune had a firsthand view of the situation he had to admit… he was unsure what exactly to do.

"I confess I am unsure how to get their attention without getting ALL of their attention.  There are still dozens of White Fang personal on the upper wall not to mention possibly down below.  We cannot possibly fight them all."  He stated in hushed tones ducking back down behind a snowdrift for cover.

Ren poked his head up as did Pyrrha.  Nora just put a finger on her ear as if listening to something intently.

"Well Jaune if you are asking for opinions I think you know what Nora would say.  If you cannot avoid detection you might as well cause the biggest ruckus possible.  We need to notify those friendly allies and at the same time cause some serious damage and confusion so we can get out.  I do not see a way to be quiet and accomplish all that."  Ren stated calmly.

"I do not think you are wrong."  Jaune admitted.

Pyrrha nodded and began to voice her mind "Yeah… if we cannot get by without a mess we might as well make the biggest one-"

"HUSH!"  Nora demanded.

"Jaune pull out your scroll you NEED to hear this."  The hammer-wielder instructed.

Jaune did and listened in via comlink mode missing the first part of the announcement but catching the important part. "… They have obviously refused to heed our warnings.  It is time to swat these pests from the air…" 

Jaune immediately focused himself and sat up spinning around to see the act of the threat start to get fulfilled.  On the ground several White Fang personnel had pulled out an armed a heavy piercing weapon designed to take down what conventional weapons couldn’t.

"Pyrrha Ren open fire take them out."  He ordered.

"You are sure?"  Ren asked lining up his shot.

"Yes I am sure, if they take down the transports we will be here a VERY long time.  Open fire and take anybody out that points at them.  Nora don't use everything you have but try to start some snow drifts.  Bury as many hostiles as you can."  He reached up and pulled out his shield.

Pyrrha and Ren opening fire succeeded in taking down their target and causing confusion to flow all over the battlefield.

Nora fired off two grenades and said "7 left.  What are you going to be doing?"

Jaune smiled grimly before replying "I am going to be visible."

***Hummingbirds in the Air.***

Eve never wanted to consider the possibility that Jaune could have fallen to the Grimm.  She did not want to be forced to accept that these people could perform this act and get away with it… at least initially.  However given the numerical disadvantage paired with the fact that these terrorists did have weapons capable of taking down the transports they were utilizing… she nearly was forced to doing something she did not want to do.

The smug broadcaster's voice along made her want to gag.

"Well… I need a decision… do I shoot or are we pulling back?  I cannot take out all of those weapons before they can fire."  Anna asked keeping her weapon trained on the targets below.

The sounds of weapons firing took her attention.  More shells… yes actual shells detonating causing some mini avalanches continued that trend.

Neither of those actually succeeded in stealing her focus.  No, it was the sight of a male jumping down from the upper rock and igniting a very familiar White color made her scream.

"YES!!!  BOUT TIME!"  She called out pointing at the figure… knowing full well who it is.

The figure had landed and began cutting a swath through the White Fang personnel in the confusion.

"Is that who I think it is?"  Anna claimed cocking her assault rifle.

"Hell yes, it is.  I think it is time to reverse the situation on these fools."

She switched her scroll to comlink mode.

"Ok guys listen up.  Birds 1 and 2 clear a path on the upper level to pick them up.  Put down covering fire while 3 gets into position to pick them up."

She pulled out her weapon set to longbow mode and started picking off targets at the same time that the main Gatling guns on the Hummingbirds began to spin to life and start to unleash their payloads.

"Uh… Eve… is that who I think it is?"  Anna asked as she reloaded her rifle.

Eve loosed the arrow and tried to follow her sisters gaze. 

Her hands balled tightly as she believe she spotted the individual in question.

"If it is… I should shoot him."

An explosion in the sky rocked the transport and forced their focus to themselves.  The other aerial Hummingbird supplying support fire just exploded.

"What the?!"  Anna exclaimed.

"What was that?"  The pilot asked up front.

Eve finally found the figure…. she thought.  Following the glow of energy back to its… supposed source.

A woman, in a dress of all things red to match her eyes.  The dress showed plenty of leg… even somebody from Cadia would be freezing in that dress given the temperature and the night chill.  What… How is that possible?

"I wonder if that is the boss.  We need to avoid whatever happened to the other transport…"

She looked down at her brother before stating "You are going to have to clear the path bro… we might be occupied up here."

***JNPR down below***

Jaune's initial push did exactly what he wanted.  The Hummingbirds up top were safe… for the moment.  He had forged a path from the alternate exit down through the White Fang personnel below.  As usual things were going too well for fate's tastes.

A woman appeared and somehow… blew up one of the friendly transports.  The loss of its firepower was already being felt as more and more White Fang supporters recovered and got in position to fight.

That was the second thing on his mind at the moment.

The first thing… was that blocking his path was James Arc, who contrary to most times he had been seen recently… seemed prepared to fight…

Through his semblance he knew that his teammates were starting to move down while keeping firepower on the enemies they could see.  None the less the Hummingbird would be vulnerable while landing… they needed to leave quick or lose the chance.

"Sorry boy, I cannot let you leave."  His father stated with a  smug smile.

"I doubt you can stop me old man."  He fired back.

His father lost his smile.

"You doubt I can stop you?  Willing to wager your life on that?"  He challenged pulling out a small coil of cord…

Jaune identified it as a whip.

"Are you willing to wager your life in it?  Regardless of your confidence in your ability to face me, do you really think you can face my entire team?  I suggest you surrender.  It seems to be what you do when things don't go your way."

James smiled again, and make a lightning quick slash with the whip.

The speed of the strike took Jaune by surprise and despite him blocking it with his shield it did not stop it from coiling around it to strike at his arm.

More circular swings were directed at him as his father had drawn a second whip utilizing one in each arm.  The constant attacks forced Jaune back and rethink his plan.

"All bark and no bite boy.  This is remarkably easy for me even by your abysmal standards."  He taunted.

As much as Jaune did not want to admit it… He was running out of time.  The Hummingbird trying to pick them up could not stay low like that for long.

"You know Mr. Masters-"  His father bristled at the implied statement.

"-you know what your problem is?  You do not know when to shut up."  Jaune put forth and promptly took aim with his bracer and fired.

The bullet hit cleanly right to the chest knocking the wind out of his dad.

Jaune ran at him and switched his shield into its third mode to bind to his arm.

"I have Had ENOUGH of you BOY!"  His father roared and once again began the rotating spin with his arms.

Jaune ducked and slid forward in the snow under the first few overhead swings.

James paused his spin and brought one of the whips up and over his head down on top of his son.

Jaune shielded himself with his left arm and let the whip coil around him.

"So you will let yourself be disarmed for nothing?  Seems fitting for you idiot boy."  He taunted.

Jaune smiled, and laughed.

James tried to pull the whip away… and just then noticed in addition to it coiling around his arm… Jaune had caught it with his hand as well.

"Did you actually think you could pull off whatever scheme you had in mind?  It isn't like you to actually stand up to people capable of killing you."  Jaune started to move in closer keeping a firm grasp on the whip.

"You wish to speak of death?"  James asked as he brought the other whip across his body.

Unfortunately for him he also underestimated the power of the Arc semblance.

Jaune pulled tight with his left arm totally unbalancing the older man at the same time he brought his sword across the now pulled tight cord and severed it cleanly.  He rotated spinning with the pull and brought a fist around in a powerful stroke.

Time might as well have slowed for Jaune.  The fist edged closer and closer.  3 feet away…. 2 feet away… 6 inches away…

Only to miss as James recognized the danger and was able to take a quick step back avoiding the blow.

"You accuse me of running away."  The knight stated confidently as he strode forwards again.

"Taking needless hits is not courage fool-"

-BANG-

"JAUNE GET DOWN!"

Jaune figured it was Nora yelling that from the voice but did not hesitate, unsure what the danger was that she noticed…

It was several heartbeats later when he realized there was no danger she just wanted a chance to break his legs.

Firing a grenade shell to accelerate her she flew towards James and brought her hammer around into a vicious roundabout swing.

The elder Arc had no desire to test his luck against both his son and his teammate.  He dove off the elevated wall and slide down towards the ground below.

"Running away again?!"  Nora shouted.

Jaune could understand the feelings of his teammate but at the same time he did not have time to care.  The Hummingbird in the air had drawn the attention of the White Fang supporters but it was equally obvious it was outgunned.

"YO!  IT IS TIME TO LEAVE KIDDOS!"   Somebody in the uniform of the Cadian Military shouted from the craft as it set down.

A couple passengers stepped off to provide covering fire while the craft was down.

Jaune basically agreed.

"EVERYBODY ONBOARD!"  He roared as he moved towards the craft and stepped on it.

Nora had spun around and fired another shell from her grenade launcher as Ren and Pyrrha ran past and joined Jaune on the craft.

'They made it'

He thought and dropped out of his semblance.

'It did not seem possible… but everybody...'

Oddly above the dim and sounds of everything around him, he heard a bowstring tense up and pull back.

He heard the 'Thwack' of the arrow being fired.

A pained cry filled the air a moment later.

"NORA!"  Somebody yelled.

Jaune's breath caught in his throat at the sight in before him.

An arrow had taken Nora clean through her leg to the point she toppled sliding down the wall to the lake below.  Her weapon fell out of her grasp and slide down on a completely different trajectory… she was literally weaponless on one leg.

He followed the arrows path back and found who he believed fired it.  The woman in a dress showing an abundance of thigh.

'How the hell is she wearing a dress in this cold?  I thought I was resistant to it but she… she's basically fully open skin… how?"

He shook his head and forced himself to focus.

"JAUNE!!?"  Ren called out looking frantically as his friend below.

"Duke Arc we need to go, we are vulnerable this close to the ground."  The pilot called as the support crew climbed back up.

"We CANNOT LEAVE her BEHIND!"  Ren roared.

"Pilot set us down we do not leave anybody behind!"  Jaune called out.

The sounds of stray shots whizzed past the Hummingbird now as it started to lift off.

"Sorry Sir I cannot do that it is far too dangerous, we have to take off now."  He answered the craft began to lift.

"Jaune we aren’t actually going to leave Nora behind are we?"  Pyrrha demanded.

Jaune continued to look around and think frantically.  They are a team… teammates do not leave each other behind.  But he could not ask anybody to risk themselves in a situation that seemed hopeless… the Hummingbird did have to leave now or it was in danger of being damaged and inoperable.  The entire crew could die along with the team.

They were well into the air now…

What would Nora want me to do?

"JAUNE!?"  Ren pleaded.

"Keep going."  Jaune instructed the pilot looking behind him briefly.

"Jaune what?!"  Ren demanded as Jaune stepped back from the open port a few steps.

"Jaune seriously you are-"  Pyrrha could not believe it… but she couldn’t finish her objection either.

Jaune made a running leap off the Hummingbird activating his semblance once again.  Driving back the black of night once again bringing the light of hope to the battlefield.  He landed in a shoulder spin and promptly slide down wall to the lake below.

"That… damnit.  Cover him!"  A crewman commented taking aim with his weapon.

Ren and Pyrrha needed no further encouragement.  Both of them pulled out their weapons again taking aim on the White Fang personal raining shells down on Nora below.

Sadly… their ammunition did not last long given the amount they had already burned through that night.  As their weapons were clicking on empty cartridges they finally lowered their weapons and watched.

Jaune, was on his own.

***Frozen Lake below***

If Jaune had more time on his hands he might make a comical statement about charging headlong into danger in a way that even Professor Port could appreciate. 

He did not have that type of time on his hands.

Switching his shield into tower mode he of course knew a few things about the situation.

First, that the lake was drained… a fall would prove fatal.

Second… even if he survived the fall… he was not a good swimmer… equally fatal.

Also… the water was cold.

There was also that, which made the fact that he was getting fired upon most troubling.

Holding his tower shield in front of his body he reached down and poured as much of his aura as he dared into the ice to try and hold it together as he looked around.  Nora has slid down to the middle of the lake and was trying to crawl to her weapon.  The hammer was about 30 yards or so away from her and given the wound to her leg… she was not making much progress.

"Hang on Nora!"  He yelled in encouragement.

Keeping his sword sheathed for now he pushed off and got a nice acceleration going on as he closed in on Nora's hammer.

The enemy shells deflecting off his shield was causing it to shake on his arm even with his semblance powering his grip… it was a supreme amount of firepower to handle.

None the less he got within a gripping distance of the hammer and promptly claimed it. 

The knight did not care about what exactly he was aiming at.  All he knew is that he was being fired upon… and if he caused an avalanche in the meantime so be it.

Pushing off again towards his friend he fired off a shell.  It sailed over all possible targets on the ridge above him.

He didn’t care.  He kept firing until:

'YIKES!'

The shell in the chamber was currently labeled as 'Do not fire! EVER! -I mean it-'

That might have been bad…

None the less he kept his shield up until his slide took right next to his wounded teammate.

He held out her weapon and tucked it right into her abdomen.

"Hold ON!"  He ordered.

Nora nodded and tried to sound cheerful as she responded "Got it!"

He picked her up with his left arm having switched his shield to his back and tried to make his way back to the upper ledge.

"I hope you can jump for both of us."  Nora advised sounding pained.

Huh… fair question…

Jaune continued to feel his back ricocheted shells off as the shield continued to hold.  However Ice chips were starting to get frayed off the lake itself.

_Gotta get off this ice… My aura won't hold it much longer._

As he approached the wall he thought of another problem… he cannot clear the wall alone.

He would have to climb it at least partially.

_If only I had a sharp object… I cannot get my sword off my back while I'm carrying Nora… If only I had a blade or knife or… !  Knife!!!   I am carrying a knife!_

"Jaune we gotta go the Bullheady thing is getting high!"  Nora warned looking up.

Jaune drew the knife at his waist and took a running leap upwards.  His semblance propelled him a great deal upwards in the air but could not take him the entire distance.

Driving the blade into the ice he hefted himself upwards and kicked to propel himself higher.  He had to repeat that process another time before he finally caught the ledge and pulled himself up.

Sheathing his knife again he began moving towards the Hummingbird when he heard another arrow in flight thanks to his semblance boosting his senses.

With a  quick duck to the side he brought his bracer around and literally swatted the arrow to the ground sending an intense look back across the chasm to the shooter.

"C'mon Jaune we gotta move!"  The somehow still cheerful girl advised.

Jaune was wondering how he would ever manage to reach something so high up that he didn’t notice the hiss in the air signifying another arrow in flight.

"Believe me Nora I am try-"  He began saying but it became a pained hiss before he could finish.

Another arrow clipped his thigh cutting deep into his leg.

_Ignore it Jaune, you jump with your aura anyway not your body._

He had no time to study the wound, as much as his body told him to drop down to a knee and rest… he knew that to do so would be a fatal mistake.

"Jaune just jump trust me!"  the happy one advised.

Okay… if she is sure.

Putting as much power into the leap as he could possibly muster he dug deep into the snow and pushed off into the air.

As he expected his semblance gave him a great amount of upwards movement but it was barely even half the height needed for the task.  As such he considered his options…

What he did not consider is what Nora had planned.

She had switched her weapon out of launcher mode and back into hammer mode.

_The special shell!_

"Nora be careful-"

She pulled the trigger.

The resulting explosion filled the sky with a pink cloud of dust in the shape of a heart as the two took off like a rocket upwards.

"NNNNNNNNnnnnnNNNooooooooOOOOrrrrrrRRRRRRAAAAAAaaaaaaAAAA!!!!"    He screamed helplessly.

The shell thrust both of them well above their target.

As the explosion lost its thrust and they started to fall he could really only think of one thing to do.

"PPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

If his partner heard him or altered his course… he really did not know.  All he knew is that as he fell he reached out with his right arm and with a stroke of luck… caught the outer rung of the Hummingbird.

***Beacon Commons***

"WOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  A nameless student exclaimed as the student body erupted into cheers via a standing ovation and applause.

The entire time Jaune was in the air nobody spoke and probably nobody breathed.  That all ended the moment the Blond managed to catch the bottom rail of the Hummingbird.

The friends were appropriately happy.

"Nora was working on that shell all year… rather frightening to finally see what it can do."  Ruby stated with a  huge smile on her face squeezing Weiss with a potentially deadly amount of force… at least judging by the look on the face of the heiress.

Both women however… had wet eyes and a smile on their face.

Kate just sat down and finally let her body relax… this has been an exhausting day.

"Well uh… this uh… is not uh… going as uh… say what?  Oh uh.  Right.  Well you can see that uh this has been a bit of duplicity and…" The White Fang news broadcaster was clearly a bit flustered unsure how to treat the situation, however as the camera panned forward again the talk in the room went silent.

Jaune had helped Nora into the Hummingbird and was himself getting assistance into the craft.  However once he was in, he had other plans for the remainder of that broadcast and its message.  He kept his semblance running and even through the imperfect picture started to funnel what little energy he had left into his bracer.

"Uh… what?"  The broadcaster stated confused.

Jaune leveled his bracer on the craft, and fired.

The shell sheared clean through the craft literally ripping it apart.  The camera panned to the side to clearly capture the damage until it was pulled out of the grasp of the camera man and landed in the friendly Hummingbird.

"This is NOT Mercury Black and this is NOT another episode of Justice.  Here we are in the middle of nowhere and-"  Ren's voice was heard speaking while capturing the scene of the incident.

KABOOM!!!!  The Bullhead crashed to the ground in a violent explosion.

"Ouch, that looked like it hurt.  We can only hope that no innocent wildlife was harmed in the crash.  Remember children, this is why you always get your license before you fly.  It can clearly be dangerous to-"  Ren was clearly enjoying this.

"Ren…"  Jaune's tired and breathless voice was heard.

"Oh right."  He stated and zoomed in on the woman wearing the red dress down below, her eyes began to glow showcased how mad she was.

"See this 'woman'-" Ren started.

"Bitch"  Nora translated.

"If you know her, she is not your friend.  She is not your ally.  She is the enemy regardless of what she appears to be-"

"I'd say she appears cold given the dress she is wearing."  Nora suggested again.

"This ladies and gentlemen is what She stands for"  Ren stated panning the camera around.

"A lost mining village and needless loss of life.  If you see this woman please alert the local authorities.  Smile for the camera please Miss!  May we have your name?-"

The woman smiled sinisterly and finally turned around to walk away.

"I'd suggest leg breaking… or at least this."  Nora input once again as she grabbed the camera out of Ren's hand and placed it on the ground.  A powerful stomp crushing the camera brought an end to that nights broadcast.

The Beacon students were all laughing hysterically towards the end of the broadcast and even Kate had to admit she was smiling.  Jaune was ok… Ren was ok.  The team and her friends were ok.  Thank god.

A glance to the side proved that the staff were taking the matter very seriously and were already at work trying to spread the word about the image regarding the woman in the dress.

"Told ya they'd be ok Kate!"  Ruby put forth happily.

Kate looked at the ground and smiled in a wry grin.

"Yes… you did.  I suppose all we have to do is wait for them to get back… we have a summer to look forwards too after all."  She admitted.

A part of her wanted to ask Weiss about the 'mysterious detentions' she was subjected to… but she was too happy to care at the moment.  They all made it… it was practically a miracle… but they did.

**A/N**

**Well… 4 years of Beacon… 2 years completed.  Probably 40% of the story… maybe.  Those of you who have been with me from the beginning and continue to provide me support throughout, thank you for making the ride that much more enjoyable.  Those  of you who are more recent to follow along, welcome aboard.  I hope the remainder of the story continues to grow and prove an enjoyable read.**

**A note about future chapters… I release chapters when I deem them ready.  No chapter is ever going to be perfect and as much as I try to find grammar and such errors… I know I will never find them all.  I have a Beta reader who I have learned to rely on.  Both of us work full time.  My ability to write, and her ability to read is directly dependant on the amount of bandwidth we have left over after work.  I try to get content out as quickly as possible.  But I cannot in good faith say every chapter will be released a week or sooner apart.**

**Please Kudos/Fav/Follow/comment/email/IM your feedback to me and as always I remind folks I read everything sent my way.  Constructive criticism and praise along with everything in-between is going to be welcomed.  Flame attacks are not.**

**If you have any questions or would like to discuss the story/share any idea's you may have:**

******INCLUDING IDEAS FOR SUMMER ACTIVITIES*****

**Please let me know.  The summer will not be a gigantic section but it should be 3 chapters… plenty of time for some type of shenanigans and fun having** **J**

**I still could use some more examples and ideas for any story scenes folks would like to see made into picture form.  I cannot promise all requests would be met, but if you have something you want to see, let me know.**

**I think I have rambled enough.  Thank you for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	26. Y3 Summer:  Arrival in Mistral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished with their second year Pyrrha Kate and Jaune all have decided to spend the summer months with Pyrrha and her family. From the frigid north of their home... the the hottest climate Remnant has to offer. It might be interesting to see how they cope : )

3.1

The buzz of the aircraft was all that Jaune could hear… that and the sound of his own breathing.  More than that was of course happening within earshot, yet for the most part it all eluded his notice.

Thinking back… he could not help but feel lucky.  Very lucky, far luckier than he had any right to hope for.  It had been days from his encounter with his father along with the White Fang that night.  It was like his mother always said.  Those encounters Huntsman will come to be known for will happen regardless of if they are ready for it or not.  He did not feel that he was ready for it.  Now he was wondering if he ever would.

In the aftermath of the encounter with the White Fang the group briefly stopped in the Arc home for a few nights.  He fully expected to be transported back to Beacon… technically he was a student.  The fact he carried positions outside that of his status as a student was not lost on him.  He might be a Duke now but to his mind he was still a Beacon student.

He had a brief but fitting conversation over scroll communication with two of his sisters.  He did not of course realize that Evangeline and Annabelle were both on the other craft until they greeted him as he sat exhausted in the craft next to his team.  He suspected somebody from his family would come, but he did not know those two had assisted in his rescue till that moment.

The Hummingbird was named due to the rather pleasant and calming hum of the engine, utilizing parts of technology which had been present in more large scale transports and adjusting them down to smaller craft.  They were basically the cutting edge for transportation craft in terms of what they could withstand. 

He still issued a sigh of relief when the craft sat down in the upper airfield of his home.  He recalled being fully capable of walking himself to the medical facility… his leg was still functional despite it being damaged.

None of his family or friends would have anything to do with that.  When a transport arrived for the use of the wounded on the team.  Well… some decisions are made for you rather than by you.

He recalled both himself and Nora being carted off to the medical wing.  Neither of their injuries were life threatening.  In time, both of their aura's would have handled the injury and have them back up on their feet in a matter of hours or days.  That fact did not prevent them from being given the best medical care possible.

He remembered talking with some members of his family.  Most of it was small talk from siblings who have not seen each other in months… or in some cases years.  Jaune was trying to be friendly and open with his family.  With his mother and eldest sister it was easy.  Eve did not care the title was now in his hands and was simply interested in doing some good for the world.  Anna… well as he later explained to his friends, she was not the kindest to him in his youth.  But it seems that both of them were more interested in moving on than rehashing old memories.  It was a learning experience for all involved.

That first night in the medical wing he recalled being horror struck that his sisters wanted to have some "serious girl talk" with his team.  The seconds after the door was shut he of course realized they really only meant Pyrrha… and possibly Nora too.  He could not begrudge Eve or Anna from trying to get to know Pyrrha, she was well known after all.  But talking to his partner not as "The Invincible Girl" but as his partner and girlfriend was oddly terrifying for him in a way he couldn’t really explain.  It was the first time many of them met his girlfriend and partner after all.  The Knight shivered at the thought.

His lovely girlfriend did not say everything that came to her mind… but he remembered clearly getting the impression of some of her thoughts.

Throughout it all Pyrrha literally remained locked at his side, at least when he was out and moving again.  He realized it was quite possibly for an additional source of warmth given the climate she was contending with.  She acted exactly as he figured she would, pleasant and cordial with everybody she encountered, at least when she wasn't openly shivering.  He knew that she had her own suspicions for the situation regarding his wellbeing.  Most of them were not a pleasant thought for her given her body language.

She naturally knew of his injury.  Technically it was just the slice wound to his leg, as it turned out only minor damage was done to his body.  Nothing his aura could not handle, really she shouldn’t have a worry at all.  Given his aura use it would take a day to rebuild… but nothing an afternoon nap couldn’t fix.

He knew that wasn't why she was concerned.  He could draw up a list of possible bullet points if he wanted too.

For one simply being in Cadia was putting a strain on him.  It was not a place he recalled with positive emotions, she of course knew that.  Beyond that point now that he was the Duke… people expected him to do certain things, he was expected to be a true Arc given his new standing.  To act not just as the youngest of several children, but as the leader of the nation.  Both of those points she would likely have guessed were causing him stress.  She would not have been wrong with either one.

She observed as he answered questions, assured them the wound to his leg was minor and was healing already.  Nothing to be concerned with at all.  Nothing he said was untrue.

Of course he was not asked a question that would require a dishonest answer.

Such as what he might have had to say if he was asked about his psyche.  Thankfully he was not asked about that.  That is what he suspected she had picked up on.

A few days passed.  His aura naturally healed his wound over a night and he was back on his feet.  Nora's took longer to heal as her aura was much less powerful.  Several members of his family including himself offered to assist in the healing process.  Nora was not against the idea but the medical staff advised it is best to let her body heal as naturally as possible.  As such she was in a bed for a few days.  Probably the longest Nora had ever been stationary in her life.  Finally a reprieve presented itself.

Jaune blinked a few times and tried to steady his mind.  It just could not be done right now.  He lay awake having woken up in his bed in the morning while in transit and had remained there for an unknown amount of time.  They had a brief layover in the Vale airport where they picked up Kate having said their goodbyes to Nora and Ren for the summer.  Jaune had resigned himself to a summer in his home when Pyrrha invited him to stay with her and her family in Mistral.  She even graciously extended the offer to his twin.  He did not feel at all ashamed of saying yes.

To be fair, it was a generous suggestion.  His home would be buzzing with political insanity following the presence of such a large White Fang force inside Cadia's borders.  He was not at home for long… but the brief time he was proved long enough to eat his fill of the type of thing that drives his mother crazy on a regular basis.

Going back into his mind he remembered another incident he might later come to regret.  Jaune only attended one such meeting after he recovered from his leg injury.  He sought out his mother to discuss Pyrrha's offer and quite literally on accident walked in on a video conference.  In the conference was his mom representing Cadia… General Ironwood of Atlas, Ozpin of Vale and several others he could not recall.

For a time… he held his tongue and let his seniors do the talking.  At some point… he could not anymore.

Jaune stepped forward to stand next to his mother and decided to speak on a subject they seemed to be ignoring.  He learned very quickly it was much to the delight of his mother and the detriment of the Atlas representatives.  Namely that they should look more internally and turn their investigations away from his home to another direction.

'Cadia is obviously inside Atlas' border.  To get to our territory they naturally had to go through yours.  Before you levy accusations against Cadia about a lack of diligence General Ironwood I suggest you reevaluate how they got there in the first place.'  Jaune went on in further detail just letting his mind put forth a thought and then speak it as if it was natural… but really he could have stopped there if he wanted to.  He didn’t… despite being aware that he might regret doing that, he felt he needed to.

Jaune feared he made an enemy of the General that day.  Ironwood very promptly tried to call an end to the meeting and wanted to end the voice conference… something the other attendees vetoed.  Ozpin might even have had a slight grin on his face as he suggested more business remained to be done.  It was obvious to Jaune very plainly: the General and Deborah did not see eye to eye on just about everything.  It was equally obvious Ironwood expected Jaune to be an easy target when it comes to political pressure.  Following that meeting Ironwood might have been forced to reevaluate his opinion on the new Duke of Cadia.

He had been in Cadia for a few days and already he had enough of dealing with people.  Another fact which reinforced his desire to go to Mistral for the summer with Pyrrha.  How she constantly maintained face and dignity under the constant pressure from the public from an even younger age than he… Jaune really did not understand how she did it.

Thinking of his redheaded girlfriend…

The gorgeous crimson haired woman remained where he last saw her… curled up on his chest sleeping without a care in the world.  Her hair ran free over her body out of its normal ponytail and that seemed only to accentuate her beauty.  Most adorably of all… was the equally innocent and happy smile she had on her face.

They ended up in the same bed in the flight due to what he has affectionately called… "The Pyrrha Effect."

Namely she asked him about something with a smile on her face and an innocent look in her eyes.  He… as if possessed by some magical spell just nods and says yes… even if his first thought was to say no.

He always had problems telling her no dating back to the first time they encountered each other.  Not that he wanted too in this or really any case where she asked him something.

'I'm cold, can I sleep with you tonight please?' She had asked hugging her limbs close to her body.

To be fair… she might have been suffering from that affliction.  That didn’t think stop him from thinking the manner in which she asked was something of a cheat code programmed into his DNA.  He just had no defense against it.  He did have to admit that even in the expensive craft they boarded in Vale to take them to Mistral it was hardly in the temperature range she was used too.  She had advised him to be prepared for 'extensive heat'… what she called a proper climate.  She also said none of his 'summer clothing' would work as it was not built to handle the humidity and pure temperature a Mistralian summer carried.

Basically… bring a pair of shirts and shorts… we will give you more to wear.

Kate was far more willing to accept those terms than he was.  It wasn't that he was modest… well maybe it was.

His twin welcomed the offer to visit Mistral and enjoy a summer of heat instead of snow.  Both of them shared a similar resistance to the cold… that doesn’t mean sandy beaches and warmth was something either of them shied away from.

He got to spend time with his girlfriend and get to meet her family.  Kate got to do the same… and possibly get a tan in the process.  A win-win for everybody in theory.

_Hopefully she is sleeping better than I am… Feels like I've been awake for an hour… it might have been that long._

Accepting Pyrrha's offer brought one of the brightest happiest smiles to his girlfriends face that he had ever seen.  He didn’t even think it was the prospect of getting out of the Cadian climate and into a more normal one for her upbringing.  Her silly smile was reason enough to go, even if his mind was clouded at present.

As is most common in those situations, he found the simple things life sometimes offered tended to help the most.  Pyrrha had always been his pillar, his rock.  When he had nothing… not even his weapon… he had her.  Having her nearby helped steady his thoughts.  Stroking her back as she slept seemed to help him now even more so.

She had given him so much… a future… a reason to keep living… possibly even more.  None of that stopped his mind from replaying previous facts over and over in his head.  Like a song you cannot get out of your mind… the feelings and sensations continually plagued him of late.

His team was in danger.  He nearly lost one of them.  If the archer-woman who had shot Nora aimed to kill, she might well be dead right now.  Instead she aimed for her leg… probably in some attempt to spread her terror and deception filled message further.  Thankfully he was able to rescue his friend from that lake… and they were able to help each other out of that precarious situation.

Jaune knew… he knew he had to let those thoughts go.

He also knew at this moment that was more than he could do.  His mind always seemed to come back to one specific point.

His father…

His dad was always one step ahead of everybody.  He got the mission in and through Ozpin under Beacon's nose.  He simulated a Cadian official request to do it.  Were it not for some very small chances… JNPR may well be dead now.  Dead… or worse.

None of that escaped him.

That didn't even get to the fact that his father had threatened his team.  His Father.

What was worse… is that he felt he should have ended it.  He shot his dad… he could have powered the shell in an attempt to end his life.  He could have been more aggressive in trying to fight him.  He might have been able to do it.  If no avenue of escape existed to his father Jaune was confident it would have resulted in a victory for his side.

He would be remembered for all time as somebody guilty of patricide… but he would have rid the world of his influence.  Hector had even warned him his dad is trying to spread chaos.  If he had done that… if only he had tried harder to end the fight not just to win it.  Whatever James had planned would likely have suffered.  Thereby bringing stability to those he could still threaten and manipulate.

Jaune could not help but think… in failing to push more…  In failing to fight more to end James Arc… he has allowed further crimes to happen.  If another village is lost to his father's actions… does that not make him directly responsible?

It was not an idea he wanted to contemplate.  Yet… he couldn’t help it.

He succeeded in getting his team out alive.  But in doing so did he fail in his duty to Cadia, Beacon, or even Remnant in general by not being more determined to strike him down? 

_I…  I did didn’t I?_

That was what plagued him… he kept playing over the facts trying to think of things from a different angle.  He always ended up right back at that point.. it was a rather crippling thing for his spirit at the moment.

"If you are still thinking the same thing I am going to tickle you."  An amused if concerned Spartan voiced.

_One day I am going to figure out how she does that to me all the time…_

Pyrrha smiled at him as she looked at the clock.  A frown found its way onto her face.  She then looked back at him with concerned eyes.

"Jaune, its 3 am.  Go to sleep."  She implored.

"Pyrrha, I… I cannot right now.  I've tried I keep replaying it over and over.   You know what I keep thinking about I cannot get it out of my head."  He claimed closing his eyes bringing his hands to his face.

Pyrrha looked at him and pondered what to do for a few moments.  Her mother often spoke to her of advice given her upbringing and lack of friends growing up.

'Don't always listen to your head and do what you think is proper.  There are times to listen to your heart, to follow what it says even if your instinct says that’s not the -proper- thing to do in that instance.'

It was not easy for her to do those things… even at times… when she wanted to.  The spotlight and camera's are always playing was what her many advisors had told her.  The lesson evidently was learned as she almost always had to check in with that part of her brain if this was something she should do or not.

Thankfully… thanks to the influence of her boyfriend… when she needed to act out of love it was getting much easier for her.

As such she pushed off slightly with her leg and span a touch.  Ending up higher on his chest with her own pressed firmly against him.  She had said previously, that she refused to allow him to take responsibility for the actions of his father.  That vow had not been forgotten in the slightest.

She gently pulled his hands off his face and set them on her hips.

"Jaune… Listen to me."  She stated looking right into his eyes… even if they were closed.

She wanted to kiss him… kissing him might help cheer him up but something about the incident really shook him.  He needed to move past that.  Just as he would face any danger and help her with any problem… she would do the same for him.  Right now… he NEEDED her, she knew that without a doubt.

He opened his eyes and just… looked at her.

In that moment… she truly had never felt closer to him.  Never mind that they were in their night cloths with their lips inches away from each other.  Something about how he looked at her, the devotion laced with respect… it just radiated in her heart on some primal level she did not fully understand yet. 

As she gazed at him Pyrrha could not help but think about a few points.  She… had never truly understood what her readings and investigations about his semblance meant in terms of completely understanding the meaning of the words.  That the Arc semblance encouraged people to bond closer.  To pull each other along in a way that they never could alone. 

It might have been the fact that their aura's were bonded very strongly now… but looking into his eyes… it was like she suddenly knew what to say to help him.  That maybe his aura just needed the words from her, to help himself through the night.

She kissed him lightly on the lips letting herself sink if anything even more fully into him before speaking on.

"Jaune.  I won't go into my life experiences as a tournament fighter this time.  I will simply say this.  I know you blame yourself.  Instead of blame… I suggest you start thinking of it as you accept credit, you do that little enough."  She gently gave him another kiss.

She could tell how utterly exhausted he was… sleep had not come easy for him the last few days.  None the less he just looked at her as if captivated by magic.

"You got us out alive Jaune.  You saved Nora.  You brought attention to the people behind the plot.  There is nobody else on Remnant who would have done that in my mind.  Before you start second guessing yourself you need to consider what would have happened if you were not with us.  We might not be alive now.  Some deeds separate the good side from the bad.  Nobody can be expected to take care of everything at once… I think you should remember that."  She kissed him gently again on his lips trying to convey love with her actions.

He more or less just listened soaking in the words and continued to look at her after the kiss.

"Go to sleep."  She cooed softly moving her hands over the side of his head.

He smiled reluctantly but closed his eyes again and brought his arms around her body.

"Go to sleep."  She repeated equally soft.

She moved higher up on his body slithering like a snake until she could put her head down on the pillow near his ear while she kept repeating her 3 simple words.

They would take a breath and breath out.

Every so often she would quietly repeat her words, with a decaying frequency as the breaths succeeded in lulling her down once again into a slumber as she without conscious effort nuzzled into his neck.

It was just before sleep claimed her again she realized.  He was already asleep with his arms coiled around her.

Pyrrha was not sure if the matter of what happened was truly behind him… but she suspected given how easy it was to calm him down and get him sleeping he must be better off internally.

He always did have trouble in not doing what she asked of him after all.

***ACROSS THE HALL SOME HOURS LATER***

Kate woke up that morning a bit later than she normally would and briefly considered going to see if her traveling companions were awake. 

It was only a brief thing to consider.  She knew Jaune was struggling to sleep and something about how calm and composed he felt right now caused her to just let him sleep in.  Ignoring the twin senses had proven awkward for both parties on more than one occasion.

When she saw a flashing light on her scroll however…

2 unread messages.

_Huh…_

She quickly had her scroll in front of her going through the first message…

'Hey sweetheart, just letting you know Ty and Tec got home safe and sound, the girls were happy to see them.  Have a safe trip and don’t cause problems for Pyrrha! - Love Mom'

She scoffed.  That sounded like mom.

'No promises ;-)'  She replied.

The next was very recent… as in 4 minutes ago recent.

'Hey, you awake?'  From Ren.

Sitting herself up in a hot second she replied back: 'Yup!  What's up?'

She sat for a response for probably as long as a minute before the response came in.

'I just wanted to say I'm sorry for worrying you.' -R

Kate thought about it… No there is more than just that.

'I was concerned… I admit that.  Did you do… whatever it was you needed to do?'  She asked.

She got the impression that Ren just sighed deeply before responding:

'No… I did not get a chance too.   I am sorry for that too.' -R

Ren probably got the impression Kate just sighed trying not to feel frustrated… if he did it absolutely would have been true.

'I still do not understand why you cannot tell me what you need to do Ren.  It would be easier to be patient if I understood.'  -K

Kate had to wait long enough to use the restroom and take a shower before Ren was able to reply… her Twin senses were telling her Jaune was still sound asleep.  No need to rush she guessed.  We are suppose to be relaxing a bit.

'Kate I am sorry.  I … I need to talk to your mom.  I would have done it already if I had the opportunity.'  He replied back.

Kate sighed again.  She could not understand what her feelings were telling her about Ren.  She had more partners than probably anybody in the RWBY JNPR group with the possible exception of Yang… yet a relationship was brand new to her. 

'Do what you need to do when you can.  How is Nora?'  She asked keeping her confusion to herself.

The reply was basically instant.

'Nora is fine, recovering nicely.  Won't slow her down at all… Pancakes might have had something to do with that though.  Speaking of which… I need to get started.  See you soon Katherine.'

Kate smiled briefly to herself as she placed the scroll back down at her side and let herself fall back to the bed.  He had asked her to be patient following their talk.  She somehow… for some reason agreed to do it.  She liked him.  She saw what Pyrrha and Jaune meant to each other… she wanted that for herself.  She practically felt what he felt about his partner at times… it did make her slightly envious in some instances.  It also however reinforced her mindset to be patient with Ren.

Nobody ever really said that relationships are easy however.  She did however hold out hope that it might be worth it.

Her scroll buzzing again once again brought it in front of her.

_Huh… a message from Yang… This better be good._

'HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good Morning Kate!  How is my favorite invisible-turning-sister-friend doing?'  She asked.

Ok… that is too obvious even for her.

'What do you need Yang?'  she replied.

Kate got the impression Yang just scowled and scratched her head briefly before a grin took its place.

'I am hurt Kate… always you assume I'm up to no good.'  Kate could practically feel the smile on Yang's face.

'To be fair.  According to Weiss… you are.  Possibly even according to most people.'  Kate sent back.

Kate was smiling herself as her scroll basically instantly buzzed again.

'I will just ignore that… mostly cause it is true.  I need a favor…'   The blond texted…

Huh… a favor… odd turn of phrase normally Yang just went forward.

'What kind of favor…-'

Kate had a thought. '- If this concerns my Brother my answer is the same as before Yang you will have to ask Pyrrha or him directly.'

Katherine almost had a smile on her face as Yang replied back 'No… No believe it or not it doesn’t concern him… or them.' 

Kate brought her eyebrows together for a moment as she considered what to say.

'I… need advice on what to do.'  Yang sent again.

'Advise about what?  Ruby and Weiss?  They seem to be happy Yang why rock the boat?'  Kate queried.

She… was unsure what Yang would need her advice for and really couldn't figure out a possibility for each second she lay there waiting for more.

'Blake… I need your advice about Blake…'  Yang admitted.

_Blake?_

Kate definitely didn’t expect that.  What would she need my help with about Blake…

'Need advice on how to cook fish or something?'  Kate guessed.

Somehow Kate didn’t think that was it… but was unsure what it could be if not that.

'Well… Can I call you?  Might be easier…'

_Call me?  What could it possibly be._

Kate might have thought a bit longer… but Yang basically called the moment the message was received.

_Huh… wonder what has her all up in arms._

A few minutes into the conversation Kate determined it was not at all what she expected.  What she didn’t understand till much later is why Yang sought out her advice.  If the Brawler even knew why herself.

*** Later in the shared kitchen ***

The 3 of them finally emerged well after their normal wakeup time and did a routine with the limited fitness room the craft had to offer.  Granted it was more than they expected… but far less than they were used too.  Even so they felt they accomplished their morning goals.  Their routine would likely need to be altered given the summer heat of Mistral… but they all wanted to exercise at least 2 times a day still… once more traditionally and another with weapons practice.  Morning and night before bed… basically when the temperature allowed it.

Arriving back in their shared rooms Jaune made skillets with a very health amount of egg for each of them with veggies and potatoes even included.  None of them were particularly keen to enjoy the pastries the craft had available and instead opted for something a smidgeon healthier.

But they had plenty of details to hash out in truth before they arrived.

On the advice of the redheaded one they all drank more water than normal in preparation to arrive.

"Ok Pyr… what's the plan when we land?"  Jaune asked sitting back into his chair enjoying the drink.

Pyrrha smiled was like a warm sunrise on her face as she … it seems, thought about her family.

"Well… we are suppose to land in under an hour.  Take a Bullhead to a dock and take a boat from there to my families Island."  She advised pleasantly.

Kate's eyebrow rose up "Island?  You have your own Island?"

Pyrrha shrugged "It isn't as outlandish as it might sound.  Mistral is known for two things.  First, its warrior culture, and second, its fishing.  People get around with boats often and it isn't uncommon for a family to have their own island."

Jaune added in "Your family fishes I assume?"

Pyrrha looked down before back up "No, not really.  The fact I am wealthy has allowed them to be different than before.  I have a couple siblings who are trying to become Hunters, Cara and Conner."

"They are trying to follow your example?  They must be held up to a high standard?"  Jaune asked curiously.

Pyrrha nodded "They are expected to do great things…  though they are admittedly more middle of the pack compared to their classmates.  They knew that going in but that didn’t change what they wanted to do." 

She appeared a bit embarrassed having to refer to his siblings that way. 

"Why don't you tell us about them?  Give us some idea of what to expect."  Kate asked

Pyrrha considered what to say for a few moments before continuing.

"Well… My youngest siblings are twins.  Cara and Conner like I said are their names.  They are always getting into trouble with my parents… especially Mom.  They are like I said trying to become Hunters like me, currently they are attending Sanctum in combat school.  They hope to one day enroll at Beacon I understand."  She voiced.

"They aren't… as blessed though in terms of skill or talents?"  Jaune worded cautiously.

Pyrrha frowned "No… Not to insult them, but they would not be considered exceptional.  They are not poor at what they do just…  Well… They were tested like I was as youths and didn’t shatter any records.  Those tests are occasionally wrong but the majority of the time they are accurate in regards to the potential of the individual.  They knew that going in.   Mom has said it's hard being my younger siblings at times, but they do try and they are good people."

Pyrrha hated referring to her siblings like that… but it was the truth.  She was blessed physically like few others and her siblings in generally did not measure up.  It might not be doing them any favors but lying to her boyfriend and near sister would not do.

"There is a saying from Cadia… those who follow another's path are often doomed to walk it poorly.  Better to find your own path than follow the lead of another without purpose."  Jaune quoted.

Pyrrha seemed to pick up on what he was trying to say.

"They aren't necessarily following my lead they are doing what they want to do.  But the fact that I am their sibling does put pressure on them… I am sure you understand that."  She claimed.

Jaune nodded in understanding.

"Isn't it odd introducing your siblings that way?  Making it clear they aren't exceptional before we even meet them?"  Kate asked.

"It is difficult to explain Kate.  I am known in Mistral, much is expected of my siblings to match what I have done.  They have tried their best but the truth is they are just not as gifted.  That takes away nothing from the fact that they are my family and I love them."  She claimed.

"Still… It sounds rather harsh to say that about somebody who clearly is trying."  Kate pressed.

Pyrrha shook her head before responding "In Mistral lying about another to protect their feelings is often deemed an insult.  It would indicate they are unable to accept reality or worse than that implies you do not trust them to be honest with them."  She responded calming but with purpose.

Kate cleared her throat before talking on "Well, so we have Conner and Cara as the youngest.  Who else?"

Pyrrha smiled again "Well… there is my oldest sister.  Victoria, she's finished with her schooling and is pursuing a job as an engineer."

"She's fairly intelligent then I imagine?"  Jaune asked.

Pyrrha nodded keeping that smile on her face.   "Yes, she is very book smart.  She reads multiple topics I understand but she is known to have a wide scope to what she likes.  I think she might even have things you would like Kate."  She grinned happily matching the look in the Ghost.

Jaune just shook his head.

"Any friends we should know about?"  He asked.

Pyrrha chuckled "Well… I never really had any friends.  My siblings do but I doubt you are going to see them.  At least right away."

Jaune knew she had said she had no friends growing up but… that did not make it any easier to hear.

"So what uh… what about your parents."  Kate asked.

Pyrrha looked at Jaune and grinned.

He suddenly felt a touch nervous.

"Oh please relax they will love you both I know it.  I've already told mom so much about you two."  The redhead admitted with a look that bled innocence.

"So much meaning?"  He probed.

"Everything!"  Pyrrha admitted smiling wider.

"Everything?-Everything?"  Kate probed.

Pyrrha nodded "Everything!-Everything!"

"Joy."  Jaune groaned…

"Oh stop they will love you.  Mom's name is Phaera(Fayhera), she's nice!"

Jaune had the distinct impression the father was being avoided here.

Kate seemed to pick up on that too.

"So… how about your dad?"  She asked curiously.

Pyrrha still did not lose her smile as she responded "Oh he is a big teddy bear he will love you both too.  He might be intimidating for strangers but trust me he is a big softy."

The twins shared a glance… Jaune appeared more than a touch nervous.

He could only imagine how the first interaction with her parents are likely to go.

'Hi Mr. and Mrs. Nikos!  My name is Jaune!  I am dating your daughter! :-)'

'Greetings my boy!  Allow me to show you my collection of knifes… and automatic weapons… amongst other assorted wonderful and potentially deadly items…. /muahahahaha.'

Jaune cringed.  Great… survive the heat and the trip over the water only to be stared down by the big 'teddy bear' himself with more firepower than a full team to greet him.  Who of course would consider no man to ever be good enough for his baby girl.  He didn't even want to consider what her mother might think of him.

_Suddenly I am less assured of the decision to come here…_

Kate gave him a playful elbow to the ribs at Pyrrha unspoken behest upon seeing him trapped inside his own mind again.

Pyrrha chuckled even as she thought it was a bit unfair that the twins could understand each other so well without real effort on her part.

The previous topic was left largely unfinished as the craft's trajectory adjusted as it seemed to be going in for a landing.

"In any case once we land there is a clothing store nearby where we can pick up something for you two to wear, then we just have to board the bullhead and we will be well on our way to our destination!"  The Spartan announced oddly cheerful.

The group moved towards a window to observe the scenery.

"Wow… it's pretty.  That ocean is gorgeous."  Kate admitted.

Jaune agreed with his twins assessment… Mistral he knew was composed of a large mainland where the majority of the populous lived dominated by fishing piers and docks.  Inland was the school Pyrrha attended… Sanctum.  Beyond that various islands dotted the horizon forming the houses and estates of the those able to live way from the mainland.

"I agree but I tell you I can feel the heat from here…"  Jaune complained.  He might have already began to sweat just at the appearance of the sun in the sky.

"Oh I know isn't it wonderful!!"  Pyrrha stated… not quite grasping the nature of the previous statement.

"Well… at least the sun means I can work on my tan."  Kate stated with a smile.

"Take it easy… it tends to burn visitors easily."  Pyrrha warned still wearing that happy smile.

A short wait later the landing process was completed and the trio exited the flight… eager to let off some steam and enjoy some time with each other.  Though the twins would continue to wonder how anybody ever moves in this heat… and why Pyrrha just seems to be energized by it.

The 3 emerged into Mistralian land eager… yet in the case of the Arcs… overheating.  All 3 anxious for what the summer would bring.

 

**A/N**

**Well… took me awhile.   Much of the summer has had to be redone given how the story progressed compared to my initial vision.  I ultimately believe this is a good thing and hopefully the summer months prove to be an enjoyable read as we move forward.**

**A few announcements.**

**Holy F!   200 fav's follow's and reviews!  Well that official blows what I ever thought this story would garner out of the water.  Thank you for following and reading the story.  I hope what is to come is even better than what has been before.**

**Please Follow/Fav/Kudos/Review/Email/IM me your feedback.  I am as always very eager and willing to discuss this story and any aspect of it you would like.**

**Thank you for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	27. Y3 Summer: First Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang arrives in Mistral and make their way to the Nikos family house. Will they EVER get used to the heat? And whats happening in patch? Zwei probably wouldn't even tell you if you asked nicely.

3.2

Pyrrha ALWAYS loved warm weather.  A concern she had in selecting Beacon over other schools was the fact that Vale did have a much more harsh snow season and in general was much more frigid than what she was used too.  In the end none of that turned out to be something more than a coat and dressing for the cold could not result in a comfortable enough setup.

Basically that was her life at Beacon in terms of the temperature.

Right now…

All anybody could say about the redhead.  Was the smiling girl spinning in circles arms outstretched almost as if she as dancing strongly resembled the champion fighter.

"Oh isn't this heat wonderful!"  The redhead asked the floor as she continued her impromptu dancing towards her destination as if singing.

The twins just looked at each other… and pressed on as if chained to a harsh overlord.

Jaune eyed Pyrrha's form moving gracefully around the airport as she lead the way to the clothing store.

"Jaune… I am going to strangle your girlfriend.  I am sorry but this heat is a new type of torture and somehow she is immune to it."  Kate complained panting for breath.

She was sweating every bit as much as he was as her body tried to cool itself.

"Remind me to plan for this heat in the future… or at least bring along some ice packs…"  he agreed.

Jaune looked around and could not help but chuckle to himself at how he and his twin must look.

At home he never had trouble identifying who visitors are.  They dressed as if their body was experiencing hypothermia as everybody else around them wore at most a sweatshirt.  They never stopped shivering and seemed chained to a coffee mug or other stronger beverages to try and retain body temperature.

Right now the reverse is true… kinda.

Both Jaune and Katherine just carried a modest pack which included their weapons and some supplies meant to help settle down for the summer.  They knew Pyrrha had a planned stop to gather some Mistralian clothing…. something she assured them would help keep everybody cool.

Frankly he was starting to wonder if she made it up just to make them sweat themselves to death for the cold they put her through in Cadia.

The few people they encountered looked at the twins and did not even try to hide their amusement.  Frankly they made a comical picture, both of them panting and sweating profusely as they marched on in their sloppy posture and thirsty facial expressions.

"Hey you two!!!  Keep Up!"  The Spartan called ahead of them waving her hands in the air.

"Coming!"  Jaune called back trying to increase his pace.

"You can still take me up on my offer you know."  Kate joked trudging on matching his movements.

"I hope they have air conditioning indoors…"  Jaune did NOT joke as he carried on same as before.

The twins could not mistake the style Mistral had in its garments.  They knew to expect a great deal of skin.  Both genders seemed to willingly display a great deal, however Pyrrha did warn them about a specific aspect of Mistral culture.

Jaune thought back to the conversation they had as they exited the craft…

'In Mistral, warriors are known to display their physiques more than in other cultures.  Even the most conservative individual would be expected to dress similarly to fit in.'  She had said.

'What exactly are we talking about?'  Kate asked.

'Well… I guess it would be about the equivalent of a swimsuit where other parts of the world are concerned.  My home is heavily surrounded in warrior culture.  It is highly common for our warrior's to wear clothing which showcases their figure.'  Pyrrha claimed happily.

'You're talking about being essentially naked?'  Kate asked a touch confused.

Pyrrha shook her head 'No, not naked.  The clothing protects your dignity but you can expect it to show off your physique and musculature.  Granted neither of you are required to do that, you both do not have to dress that way.  But people of Mistral will expect it of you.  You two are hunters in training like I am.  You will be expected to dress as a warrior.  I tend to wear things which are more conservative than others of my social standing but even so it is still a warriors outfit.  I won't tell you what to wear.  However if you want the people of Mistral to respect you, you will need to follow their customs.'  She claimed.

Pulling himself out of the recent memory they caught up to the redheaded girl waiting for them and continued in a rough cluster.

Pyrrha was indeed known to those around them… and contrary to his expectations they for the most part kept their distance.

Kate seemed to pick up on that.

"I was expecting more camera's and interviews.  Pyrrha has basically been ignored… it never works out that way for us at home."  She said.

Kate forced herself back into good posture and after a moment forced Jaune to do the same.

"Might as well get used to it Jaune but I think they might recognize you.  You are a Duke now and I would wager a fair amount they know you from the White Fang broadcast.  You should try to give a good first impression."  She advised with a smile.

Jaune smiled sadly.  He was indeed a Duke now… and he needs to act like it… even in his off time.

"You are right of course."  He agreed with a sigh straightening his body upright.

They continued to follow the Spartan through the airport and finally seemed to get into a more cool section of the building… that or they were starting to adapt slightly to the heat.

"Easy to tell who can fight huh?"  Kate claimed softly as she observed the people around them.

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah… I don’t think I've seen this much skin even on a beach."  He agreed.

"Pyrrha wasn't kidding… you can quite easily tell who is shy and who isn't."  Kate claimed smiling looking around casually.

She at least seemed to be enjoying the eye candy.  Toga's seemed to be the clothing style of choice… though many wore so little it was practically a loin cloth.

"Kate I am going to veto that right now before you get any idea's."  Jaune only somewhat joked.

Kate responded with a look that basically said 'Orly?  Is that a dare?'

Jaune just shook his head.

It was only a few minutes later that they arrived at the store in question.

"Odd that they have a clothing store inside the airport."  Jaune grumbled to his friends.

Pyrrha laughed.

"It was not always that way true.  However wearing things designed for this environment does genuinely help.  I understand having the store here has increased travel in Mistral, though I cannot claim to know exactly by how much."

Her happy and silly smile just refused to go down or go away.

Jaune really didn’t feel a need to challenge the point as they moved into the store.

A fresh wave of comparatively cold air hit them which instantly brought a sigh of relief to the two visitors and an even bigger smirk to the face of the smiling redhead.

"Ms. Nikos!" 

Jaune looked off to the side to see a conservatively dressed woman who appeared to his eyes around 45 ish years old.  She was in good shape… though her clothing clearly marked her as somebody not of the "warrior" class.  She had brown hair and brown eyes… looking strikingly close to an earless version of Velvet by comparison.  She moved up and got a surprised look out of both the blond and raven haired people present as she hugged the Spartan like a friend might.

"Helena it is good to see you… and I told you to stop calling me Ms. Nikos!  It makes me sound old!"  Pyrrha chided with a smile.

The older woman responded with a smile of her own "And I will continue to force you to ask me just the same."

Helena looked at the traveling companions present and made a logical conclusion.

"I assume the two overheating people there are acquaintances of yours?"  She asked.

Pyrrha smiled warmly and nodded.

"Yes, let me introduce some of my friends."  She claimed.

"Friends?  Your friends?  My my times have changed."  Helena claimed surprised.

Pyrrha moved up to Katherine and touched her on her shoulder.

"This is Katherine Arc, a friend and fellow student."

She moved her arm to indicate Jaune as she continued "Next to her is Jaune Arc… her twin.  Jaune is my partner and team leader at Beacon."

Helena smiled wickedly.

"Partner you say?"  She gave a very intense almost professional up and down glance to both Arc's as if scrutinizing their souls.

Pyrrha blushed profusely but nodded and responded "Yes… I hope to teach him some Mistral traditions over the summer break."

Jaune and Kate shared a glance and shrugged.

"Nice to meet you Helena, happy to meet a friend of Pyrrha's."  Kate stated as she offered a handshake.

Jaune also extended his hand.

"Indeed, it seems you know Pyrrha well.  I assume you knew each other previously?"  Jaune inquired noticing the firm grip from the woman.

Helena hesitated before speaking "You will forgive me I do not often entertain the nobility or one who carries a title… how should I refer to you two?"  She asked.

Jaune gave her credit for trying to be polite as he figured she must have caught part of the broadcast and probably recognized him.  He rather doubted she was familiar with Cadian politics but it would be silly of him to make further assumptions.

"Just Jaune is fine or Mr. Arc if you are feeling formal.  I see no need to throw my title around casually." 

Helena looked to Kate.

"Kate or Ms. Arc if you must."  She smiled politely.

Jaune had looked around now and more than a few shoppers and possibly even store employees had turned their attention to the trio.

Helena nodded pleasantly and spoke on.

"Very well.  To answer your question yes I know Pyrrha fairly well.  I was one of her staff in charge of her public appearance.  I decided the outfits she wore and had a large part in the design of her combat attire.  She had very specific specifications and it was a challenge to meet them.  However I do not deny that I benefited greatly from the experience.  I like to think we grew close."

Helena looked at the girl in question warmly as she paused.

"Yes… Helena was by my side nearly the entire time I was at tournaments or in the public eye.  Though I didn’t think you would be back working in this store?"  Pyrrha inquired curiously.

Helena bowed her head a touch as she answered "Well, as you know when you got out of the tournament scene to attend Beacon you had no need for me to accompany you.  As such I decided to go back into fashion.  I did not expect to end up in this store but given my talents in picking out fitting outfits I thought it best to be here." 

Pyrrha nodded.

"Ok, yes I suppose that is true.  I hope times have been good to you?"  She inquired.

"They have been good enough I suppose.  I help people get more comfortable in their skin just about every day.  Speaking which…  I assume your friends will be needing some of my expertise today?"  She took on a much more professional body language and her eyes sharpened in anticipation.

Pyrrha nodded happily before answering.

"Yes.  You have my preferred garments prepared like I ordered?"  She asked.

Helena nodded "Yes, they are in the changing room waiting for you.  I left out white with more colors available for you to take home if you wanted more."

"White sounds perfect.  I don't think I will need more though I am going home for the summer after all.  I have more at home.  However these two…"  She said indicating the twins.

"Will be needing enough clothing for the summer.  At least a few outfits and probably some swimwear too."  She stated happily.

Jaune gulped appearing nervous while Kate just smiled… swimwear meant working on a tan after all.

Helena looked pleased almost to the point of being evil as she declared.

"Of course, why don’t you run along and get out of those outlander clothing and into something more comfortable?  My staff will take care of your two friends."

Pyrrha gave Jaune a brief kiss on the cheek before moving off to get out of her clothing and into something more fitting at the same time Helena motioned for the twins to step forward.

She looked over both of them with a studious eye as she walked around both of them.

The twins just shared another glance as Jaune murmured to his sister "Why do I feel like a cattle up for slaughter?"

Kate just chuckled happily.

Helena finished her loop around the two Arcs and nodded in appreciation.

"Well I must say I never thought I would ever say it, but I do believe Ms. Nikos has found her equals in terms of stature.  Both of you should be very proud of your figures.  I believe you will fit right at home in Mistral.  You both have the look of a warrior."  She claimed speaking almost to herself but loud enough to be heard.

Jaune brought his eyebrows together but had to remember the warnings Pyrrha gave them.  They are very forward and open in Mistral.  Telling you their opinion and speaking their minds is expected of them.  Her forthrightness should be taken as a compliment, not criticism.

Kate met his gaze and blinked as if following his mindset.

Helena moved in front of Kate and spoke on.

"Well you pretty miss I feel can wear almost anything in my store and look great in it.  What type of clothing would you tend to prefer?"  She asked.

Kate chuckled but was very pleased at the compliment… getting that type of openly un-bashful praise on her figure was very new to her.

"Thank you for the praise.  I just want to be cool and comfortable.  I am not shy at all but I don’t want to walk around naked either."  She stated simply.

Helena nodded.  "Very well.  For you sir… I get the feeling you are a bit more conservative?"

Jaune noticed the amused look his twin gave him as he nodded back.

"Yes… I want to wear something that would be expected of me but at the same time I don't feel a need to put myself completely out there."  He answered.

Helena nodded again "Very well.  Ms. Arc if you would follow me I believe you would be easier to start with so we can give your brother some time to look around."  She held out an arm to lead Kate around the building.

His twin gave him a playful smile with a wave looking back at him before focusing on her task of finding some suitable clothing for their stay.

Jaune watched her go with a pleasant smile on his face before doing a full 360 degree turn  to look around the store.  He never really had a mind for fashion so he really did not have a very good idea for how to start his search.  None the less he more or less just let himself go wherever his feet took him as he moved through the building.

Some styles he could not even believe people would wear in public.  Some women's clothing looked like they were so small and revealing that they might not even be worn in the first place.  He really REALLY hoped his twin had the good sense not to wear something like that.  He knew full well she could probably pull it off… as could Pyrrha but he might just die if both of them walked around with some of these outfits on.  He briefly considered sending a picture to Yang before ruthlessly crushing that idea stillborn in his mind as he moved on through the store.

Finally he found himself back in the men's section.  Some outfits were indistinguishable from their female counter parts.  He could only imagine what would happen if Sun or Neptune found themselves in Mistral for a summer.  The Speedo-Thong on display is something only one of them would try.  Thankfully he was not tempted in the slightest to go that route.

He continued to mull around the place for probably as long as 15 minutes just trying to get a feel for what he would wear.  He did have a couple ideas, however his mind was about to be put into a dazed mode.

"Jaune… what do you think?"  He heard Pyrrha's voice behind him.

He jumped slightly and turned around casually.  Jaune's mind might have clunked loud enough to be heard as he did a triple take at the literal goddess in front of him.

Almost as if on cue she gave a slight twirl.

She appeared freshly showered wearing a white toga the style of which he had seen in the store already.  However… he has never seen Pyrrha in one of those toga's.  Now that he has he really is not sure if his mind was prepared for it.  Her happy yet shy smile was enough to cause him to freeze not even including the manner of her dress at the moment.

In the time he spent with her he had seen her drenched in sweat with various garments showing a fair amount of skin.  They have even slept together in night clothing in very close proximity to each other.  None of that prepared him for this.

She wore her hair in her customary pony tail with her headpiece in its normal space.  The toga itself seemed to start at her neck and wrap around her torso covering her breasts while also serving as a bra.  It coiled around her stomach to her sides where they entered into a bronze ring.  As the cloth exited the ring it became a flowing dress on both sides cut very high on her legs.  The toga was obviously meant for  a warrior and made it very obvious the wearer was in phenomenal shape showcasing her figure while also protecting her dignity.  She looked quite literally as a goddess made flesh.

So much of her body was visible… yet it still somehow made her seem elegant and conservative.  Compared to some of the things he had seen, this absolutely was conservative.  Yet it showcased so much of her physique.  Her incredibly sexy and toned stomach.  Her full and alluring top.  Her lower body and legs were utterly breathtaking.  Not even in the dress she wore to the winter dance has he seen her showing that much leg. 

"Jaune?"  She inquired grinning evilly with a pleased smirk on her face.

About 30 seconds later his mind had finished rebooting and he was finally able to speak.

"Pyr… Pyrrha… you look.  Wow...  Very very good."  He managed to say.

She shyly dipped her head down to the ground and blushed as her smile deepened.

"Glad you like it."  She admitted happily.

His body has not yet regained motor function so he was forced to stand stationary as he continued to speak.

"Uh… is that what you normally wear in Mistral?"  He managed to stammer out.

She nodded still looking happy as can be.  "Yes.  I am expected to dress as a warrior but I am pleased you find the look to your liking."  She admitted.

Jaune figured he didn’t need to say that she could wear literally anything and look amazing in it.  He probably could have said it… yet he didn’t feel a need too.  In any case his mind was not exactly operating at peak performance either.

Something about how Pyrrha acted and how happy she was when he agreed to go to Mistral put such a smile on her face the likes he has never seen.  He found himself utterly powerless to change his gaze off her.

She just sauntered her way up towards him and embraced him in a gentle hug.  Despite a large portion of his mind being offline at that moment he could still feel a slew of emotions and thoughts flowing off of her.  For the moment all he did was return the hug and let her think.

"Jaune thank you for agreeing to come to Mistral with me… It means a great deal to me."  She appeared fully genuine despite having her face buried in his shoulder at the moment.

"You know I don't need to be convinced to spend time with you."  He replied honestly.

He felt her smile into his neck.

"I still felt the need to tell you.  Thank you again."  She kissed his neck before pulling back and out of the hug.

"Have you decided on something to wear?"  She asked curiously.

"Well… I have a few ideas yes-"  He started.

"Hey Jaune!  Whatcha think?"  His twin called from the side.

Both of them turned towards the voice.

_Just kill me now…._

"Wow Kate.  You look great!"  Pyrrha praised happily clapping gently.

Jaune called Pyrrha a goddess… well if he were not related to the girl in question he would probably make a similar claim about Katherine.  Like Pyrrha, she appeared to have freshly showered.

She wore light jewelry along her arms and a necklace.  Her top was blue very similar to Pyrrha with the exception it was tied up tight to her waist showing even more midsection than Pyrrha was.  Her bottom piece was basically that of a bikini… she wore a skirt around her legs for some reason.  The entire ensemble was very flattering on her body showcasing her stature in a way that Pyrrha's did as well… just not as conservative as the others.

"Gotta admit… these fit well and I already feel cooler.  Thanks Helena, I love the look."  Kate praised.

Helena nodded appreciatively "Thank you again Miss.  Here, take these."  She handed both Kate and Pyrrha an umbrella.

Pyrrha laughed "Thanks Helena."

Jaune was a bit perplexed… they need the umbrella for the sun maybe?

"Why exactly are you giving them an umbrella?"  Jaune asked.

Helena motioned for Jaune to walk with her leaving the two girls behind to talk happily as the clothing expert assisted the Knight.

"There is a saying in Mistral, if you have a stick.  Use it."  She said simply.

_Yeah… that went right over my head._

"Sorry, I do not follow."  He admitted.

Helena chuckled politely.  "It is quite simple Mr. Arc.  I believe your friends might need a stick to beat back the tidal wave of men following them, so I gave them one."

_She has to be joking…._

_No… She does not appear to be joking._

Well… I can't see Kate or Pyrrha actually needing it, but I guess I don't see the harm in carrying one.  At least it would help shield them from the sun.

"Come along then Mr. Arc… let us see what we can find around here for you."  She smiled mischievously as she directed him around the store.

Helena gave very good and pointed suggestions for what Jaune would feel comfortable in.  It took a few minutes and more than a few questions but finally he made his way to the changing rooms with a few outfits to work with.

"Remember to shower before you try on the clothing."  His advisor reminded him.

Oh… that would explain why they appeared to have showered.  If visitors come in here drenched in sweat it would make sense they do not buy everything they try on.  Having them shower seems to make sense to protect the clothing from unwanted dampness.

None the less… he jumped into the shower and appeared eager to see how these selections fit him.

***Miles Away at Patch***

Yang found herself questioning the wisdom of the situation… she could not help but smile at her misfortune.

'Beat her at her own game.'

'Make her laugh, show her a good time.'

Those were the great pieces of advice she was given.  They sounded great at the time she did have to admit…

Though as she was currently falling helplessly in the air seemingly destined to make a rather large splash in the lake below… she had to question its merits…

**5 minutes ago…**

"YOU'RE IT!!!!"  Yang screamed as she dove forwards in the air.

She had her dead to rights.  Completely unaware, stationary and with her back turned.  She had successfully practiced 'Stealth'.  A first time for everything.  She managed to get within leaping range… and promptly -joyously even- took the shot.

She still missed passing harmlessly through.

"BLAKE!" She whined skidding to a stop to reengage.

DIVE!!!!

Another miss.

"YOU!!"

Another miss.

"ARE!!"

Yet another miss.

"IT!!!"

Another miss punctuated only by heavy breathing and a frustrated Brawler trying to catch an elusive kitten.  It was not easy even before Blake learned to shift between her images.  Now that she had that ability Yang somehow felt less wise in suggesting this game.  Ruby had her semblance and basically cheated at the game… Blake had her own advantages… Basically... Yang lost at Tag.

Ruby observed from the sidelines playing with the ever lovable pooch Zwei.

The adorable one gave a slight whine.

"Yeah I know Zwei, Yang is outmatched."  The slightly less adorable one said.

Another whine.

"YOU!!! ARE!!! IT!!! IT IT IT!!!!"  The blond girl shouted in vain with each attempt to catch the elusive girl.

"Yes I know you want to help her, but this is something she needs to do alone"

Zwei whined again… but accepted the attention without complaint.

Ruby tried not to laugh at the image of her sister trying so hard to catch Blake.   The three of there were currently on a picnic of sorts.  Having moved into the woods to get out of the house while Taiyang did some remodeling with Qrow.  Something about needing a better weapon crafting setup.

As such the 3 teammates moved up the cliff on the back side of their property overlooking the lake below which of course was near to their house.

"BLAKE YOU ARE IT!!! STOP!!!  IT IT IT!!!"  More attempts by the Brawler… yet still more misses.

Ruby could have guessed her sisters eyes had turned to their typical angry red by this point… that didn’t stop either herself or her furry friend from laughing over the situation.

Another whine from the doggy.

"Oh where is Weiss?  She might be dropping by after a couple weeks.  She needs to do something at home before coming here for the summer."  Ruby advised.

'Ruff' * wags tail *

"Yes I know you like her, she likes you too."

'Ruff Ruff' more tailing wagging followed the happy declaration.

"You want to help Yang?  Sorry Zwei like I said Yang needs to do this alone."

The dog cocked her head to the side and whined again.

-BANG!!-

Ruby ducked her head down and looked around to find the source of the sound.

"YOU ARE IT NOW!!!"  Yang screamed again.

"Wow… she means business."  Ruby observed.

Yang had fired off a dust shell to propel herself faster and faster.

-Bang Bang-

More attempts to pick up speed.

Zwei whined again.

"Yes I know its hopeful for her… I just hope she….!  Oh no!"

Yang fired another shell as she dove forward and passed right through 'Blake' on the ground realizing she was chasing a Mirror Image the entire time.  Her shell propelled her much further than she likely intended as she found herself sailing well over the side of the cliff down to the lake below.

"BBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."  She yelled.

Ruby zoomed forward with her semblance towards the edge of the cliff in time to see Yang make a huge splash into the lake below.

"She will be fine right?"

Ruby turned to see Blake next to her.

"Yeah she will be fine.  We dove off this as kids… she will be perfectly ok."

A golden explosion of energy advertised the Brawlers physical state as she flew out of the Lake utterly soaked and once again began to run the path up to the cliff top.

"Well... I should probably hide… she is likely going to AH!-"

Blake fell backwards and began to move away from the cliffs edge.

Ruby turned around fully.

"Zwei!"

"NOOOoooooooooo." Blake crooned.

Zwei had taken a mouthful of Faunus ear and was 'gently' towing the Cat-Girl away.

"Zwei I told you Blake is not a chew toy!"  Ruby admonished.

'Ruff Ruff!'

The dog answered before continuing to drag her prize on the ground… Blake just surrendered at this point and allowed the motion.

Like a golden light appearing next to her Yang reappeared appearing breathless.

"OK…. Now… I Am serious… Where… Is that Kitty Cat?!"  She demanded.

Ruby just pointed a lazy finger to the dog a few dozen feet away and blinked.

Yang looked at the scene… and fainted falling to her back.

"Not a bad way to start a summer."  Ruby said to herself.

Oh well… Zwei will get bored and Yang will wake up at some point and want to keep playing.   For now… I think some bribery pictures are in order.

***Back In Mistral***

"You could have warned me about how rocky boat rides can be."  Jaune groaned.

Pyrrha didn’t seem to hear him over the sound of how warm the weather was.

Kate just smiled even as she remained in the shade courtesy of her umbrella.

Jaune for the relatively briefest of moments thought he had finally gotten over the motion sickness which he had suffered from over his life.  To the point that he tried a test run without any medication on the boat ride over from the mainland to the Nikos Family home.  They had rented a boat from the mainland.  Pyrrha assured them her family owned several boats but needed to hire the equivalent of a taxi to take them to their destination.

All around him he looked he saw evidence of how Mistralian people lived.  Summer was in effect and as such school was out.  Yet the tournament fight scene was alive as it normally was in Mistral.  Rows upon rows of warriors, both men and women were seen performing drills both with weapon practice and various actives everywhere he seemed to go.

It wasn't until he got out on the water that he thought… maybe… possibly.  It was for his benefit.  He is a Duke of another national power.  One with its own warrior reputation and fierce set of national pride.  It would not surprise him if some local leader had orders to appear as active and capable of possible where he was likely to go on the mainland.  They did not come across any type of news camera which he was very grateful for.  He did not want to get involved in the media as much as possible. 

Pyrrha assured him it was normal, the lack of media attention.  In the wake of a tournament victory yeah they would typically follow that individual around, but otherwise it was not uncommon to grant more space than other parts of the world.

The scene was totally different now that he was on the open water.  On the water the other half of Mistral culture was plain to see. 

Fishing.

Fishing boats of all sizes were visible from the larger yacht type vessels to the smaller individual crafts.  Fishing was literally and proverbially everywhere.  The further away from the mainland you got the less populous those individuals seems to be, but they were still visible. 

Another thing he noticed is that many business men and women seemed to operate on the water itself.  Bringing fresh vegetables, fish and other items to the more wealthy individuals further away from the mainland. 

How Pyrrha's family could live away and not fish was becoming clear… they obviously purchased what they needed.  Likely from those traveling salesmen.  Why he never considered that before he really had no idea.  But it did cement a few things for him about their way of life. 

"You know Jaune, I would not have thought you would take after Sun and what he wears normally."  Kate observed.

Reluctantly he tried to focus on the conversation and put his stomachs unease out of mind.

"It seemed a sensible option and it is remarkably cool.  Helena knows her stuff I admit."  He claimed.  The female salesman suggested the vest and shorts setup as it would assist him in staying cool but also speak enough so as to represent him as a person.  Something which Mistralian people in general consider to be very important.

"I think he looks great in that personally Kate."  Pyrrha stated with a rather obvious smile on her face.

"Still… I was expecting something… more I guess."  Jaune couldn't tell if his sister was serious or kidding.

He was not all that inclined to defend his choice of garments and as such chose a new subject matter.

"Pyrrha why don't we talk about your family home?  Tell us about it."  He suggested.

Pyrrha spun around and looked thoughtful for a few moments before answering.

"Well… to be fair isn't my family's home.  It is my home."  She claimed.

The twins shared a glance.

"Your home?"  Kate asked.

Pyrrha nodded.

"Yes… My home.   Technically our family home is some small house on the mainland.  We are not a wealthy family Kate.  My success as a tournament fighter and assisted by my sponsorships allowed us to move out and buy an estate on a private island."  She claimed seriously.

"So you bought the house then?"  Kate asked.

Pyrrha shook her head.

"No.  My mother was my manager in my career… technically she still is.  She purchased the house with my consent.  It is legally my house but… well I have no problem with them living in it."

Jaune crossed his arms and considered for a moment….

"Why don't you tell us more about that?  I know a few things but why don't you explain how those sponsors worked?  I mean you had excellent training growing up how did your family pay for it if they were poor?"  He asked cautiously.

Pyrrha cocked her head to the side as she considered her answer.

Jaune did not even need to look at his twin to know she was curious about the answer as well.

"Well… I said that all children are tested.  I… do not like to brag.  But my results were the highest they had received in generations, several people hinted it might be the best ever.  The government doesn’t let individuals who test that well go without an education as I might have otherwise been forced too.  They gave my family a grant of a sort.  Something I would have to pay back once my education was complete."  She paused for a moment before continuing.

Neither of the twins felt inclined to interrupt her.

"Following my first Mistral tournament win I had the funding to pay off those debts and basically opened the doors that my family never really had before.  Mom is a trained Hunter, she had to give up her career to raise her kids.  Dad… well he is good at a few things but he struggled to provide for us all.  That stopped being a problem with my first win."  She claimed.

"I know you won 4 years in a row… and to be frank you probably could have won more if you wanted to reenlist."  Kate claimed.

Pyrrha nodded simply.

"Yes… I would have been an easy favorite should I felt inclined to participate another time.  Certainly the Vytal tournament last year brought back speculation that I might return… many expected me to do so.  I obviously did not… there is something to be said for competition but I found the tournament environment to be an ugly dollar driven business more inclined towards making money and less about the perfections of one's skills and talents.  As such once I no longer needed the tournament funding and my sponsorships were sufficient I got out of that game.  I still fight obviously to retain my sponsors but my days in the Mistral regional is over.  I did not want to grow old in that business like many others have."  The Spartan stated matter of fact.

Jaune had to admit he was surprised.  He had spent untold hours with his girlfriend and he never knew this about her…

"You mean there is no age restrictions on the Mistral Regional tournament?"  He asked seemingly perplexed.

Pyrrha nodded cautiously again.

"Correct… I had to fight several people much older than me to win."  She admitted.

Kate looked at her twin…

…She really tried not to be irritated.  Pyrrha had earned all of her success nobody with a brain could deny that.  She was blessed and she used her blessings to their full effect.  That did not make her feel a touch conflicted.  She made it seem so easy… it was hard to measure up at times.

Pyrrha smiled as if reading Kate's mind.

"Kate… Jaune.  I know what you are thinking.  Believe me I have had it told to me multiple times.  I want to be a Huntress and protect people.  Fighting just for myself and my own battles is something I do not want to do anymore.  I know that might make me seem selfish… but I am trying to live how I want to live."  She claimed.

Kate shook her head.

"Pyrrha… I do not fault you for doing what you can do to the best of your ability.  I just… I know Jaune and I have a reputation which we have earned but… I don’t know what we have done seems small by comparison."  She claimed.

Pyrrha genuinely laughed at that.

"That is just silly.  You both worked to enter Beacon without formal training and were willing to die just for the opportunity.  You two really are similar you do not take credit for your own actions and accomplishments.  It is ok to not always be so humble you know."  She advised smiling happily.

This time the twins actually chuckled… Jaune more cautiously than Kate.  His stomach was hardly happy at the moment.

"What else can you say about your family?  Speaking which how long do we have to go?"  Kate asked.

Pyrrha considered before answering.

"Well… like I said my success opened up the door for many other possibilities my family never really had otherwise.  For example It let my older sister into a school to pursue her engineering classes.  She was a late enlistee but… well she has made do best she could.  Conner and Cara my two younger siblings probably would not have been able to attend Sanctum without it either.  Never mind that without it they would all still be cooped up in that small house we previously were living at.  It’s a blessing I do not deny but I am grateful for it."  She concluded with conviction plainly evident.

"It is a wonderful thing for them to have an opportunity I freely endorse that premise myself."  Jaune claimed.

"Glad you agree.  I'm pretty sure mom and dad will want to introduce themselves… Hmm-"  Pyrrha rambled a bit.

"So… how long till we arrive?"  Kate repeated.

The small fast transport boat was obviously moving along the waves quickly.  Nobody was really pressed for time and as such nobody really tried to keep track.  However it was starting to drag on a bit for the raven haired girl.

Pyrrha bounced lightly remembering the question.

"Oh right… Sorry!   Well… probably another 10 minutes at max.  We can see it on the horizon."  She pointed at a distant island further away from the mainland.

As the boat closed over the next few minutes Jaune and Kate could not help but observe their home for the summer months.

"Wow, that’s awesome architecture."  Jaune praised.

"Mhmm"  Kate agreed.

The Island first appeared very small in the background no different really than the multitudes of islands they had literally flew by already.  At first glance, it really was no different.  However as they got closer and the boat started to slow.  Several things became obvious.

Firstly the dock was impressive in its own right.  Pyrrha had said her family owned many boats.  Of which there were several docked.  Including a large luxury Yacht, a smaller but still impressive pontoon type boat which he guessed was suited mostly for fishing, including other recreational vehicles.

Pyrrha was the first off the boat and helped both of her guests on to more solid land then took off at the front with a silly smile on her face.

"If I didn’t know better she is humming… why is she so happy?"  Jaune wondered aloud just loud enough to be heard.

"I have no idea…" Kate admitted.

None the less the two readied their packs and proceeded after the Spartan noting that the rented boat took off within seconds of them setting down on the ground.

"You know… I still expected more camera's."  He observed.

Kate shrugged "Meh, it's our first day here and people probably didn’t realize Pyrrha was on the way home.  They may still show up." 

He grunted in a shrug and essentially admitted she is right… but hoped she wouldn’t be.

None the less the two Arc twins moved their gazes in nearly every direction possible as they took in the sights.

The buildings were no less impressive up close.  The designs were very open and took on a very old feel.  High pillars dotted the area and it took a moment for the two siblings to realize something.  It was not all one big house. 

The house was actually broken up into several different structures.  They were able to gather a fair amount of information as they followed the path in a circular path around the island moving closer to the center. 

"We probably do not have to follow the path you know."  Kate advised.

Jaune just nodded but continued to move along as before.

He obviously did not get inside any of the buildings as he was quasi following Pyrrha still.  Yet he could gather a fair amount of information about the various locations on the island.

First was the largest structure, what he presumed the primary house itself in the center.  It was tall, he would guess 2 stories high with detailed engravings all along the outside.  Windows dotted the building completing the open and overall very impressive look of the home.

Another building seemed to be more centered around exercising.  Several pieces of equipment was seen visible which would be used for both weight training, cardio work or any of the various routines Pyrrha continually lead them through.  It really seemed to rival what Beacon seemed to house in the offerings they had available first year.

A third structure seemed to be a more arena focused area for practice matches.   Seating was plentiful for a fairly large crowd as it surrounded the circular area in the center.

More buildings were seen in the nearby area with purposes he really could only guess.   Some could be for more relaxation.  He thought he spotted a forge in one which would be ideal for weapon modification and maintenance.

Neither of the Arc's felt the need to voice it.  Compared to their own house… this was not all that large.  The entire island could probably fit inside the grand hall at home and the house amounted to one of their rooms at first glance.   That did not mean anything in terms of how much … friendlier this place looks.  Built more for personal enjoyment and use than practicality and wartime precision. 

_I just hope the people are as nice as the exterior._

"Uh Jaune… where is Pyrrha?  We seem to have lost her."  Kate asked looking around.

"Huh… I have no idea."  He admitted looking around

"There is her pack…"  He said pointing to the object on the ground.

At the top of the small hill they were climbing a VERY tall large and obviously strong man appeared.  He wore a skin tight shirt and glasses along with matching pants.  The man had Jet black hair much like Kate's cut close to his head.  A full goatee was displayed on his face as he more or less crossed his arms wearing a scowl.  To the twins he appeared every bit of 7 feet tall and looked every bit of 300 lbs.

"There you are!"  A voice behind them declared.

The two of them pulled their attention off the large male and found Pyrrha approaching behind them.

"Hey… we got sidetracked."  Kate admitted.

Pyrrha shrugged and moved towards them.

"The bouncer doesn’t look too friendly."  Jaune mumbled to his sister.

Kate nodded in agreement…

"DADDY!!!"  A voice shouted.

Pyrrha zoomed right by the pair arms out stretched.

_Daddy?!_

"Oh There you are Daughter how are you!?"  A booming baritone blasted out practically shaking the walls as the large man lumbering down towards her.

"Uh… Jaune…I don't think he is a bouncer."  Kate advised pointing at the Redhead.

Pyrrha leapt forwards only to be caught by her waist hefted into the air and spun around giggling the entire way.

"Oh your mother and I have missed you Pyrrha!  Why didn’t you say you were close!"  He asked.

Jaune gulped.

'Oh stop my dad is a big teddy bear he will love you!'  He of course remembered his girlfriend claiming.

"I didn’t think she meant that literally…"  He grumbled.

Kate just chuckled.

The two siblings began to walk slowly towards the happy father/daughter pair.

"It is good to be home.  Where is everybody?"  Pyrrha asked.

The father finally set her down and proceeded to observe the approaching siblings.

"Good to meet you my name is-"  Jaune started.

"Jaune Arc… and the lass is your twin sister.  We know… your teammate has informed us already."  Mr. Nikos cut in.

Pyrrha looked down at the phrase teammate instead of partner… probably deliberate use terminology on his part.

"Mr. Nikos-" Kate started.

"Hey Sis!  How are you?!"  Another voice declared.

"Victoria!"  Pyrrha declared.

A smallish woman of about 26 or so on appearance moved forward.  She was very petite standing about 5'4 in height with probably just as much hair worn in a pony tail like her younger sister.   Only instead of bright red it was black to match her fathers.  She dressed very conservatively even compared to Pyrrha.  None the less the two siblings hugged briefly before separating.

"Good to see you!  I was just introducing Dad to my partner and friend.  Jaune and Katherine Arc."  Pyrrha advertised with an open arm to each individual respectively.

Jaune noticed the fathers eyes tightened sharply at the term 'partner'… but couldn't help but think it was a rather on purpose of Pyrrha to say that…

"Good to meet you Jaune… Katherine…"  She shook hands with each siblings.

"Was dad just introducing himself too?  His name is rather unique amongst Mistral folk it is-"  Victoria started.

"God.  My name title and ability might as well be a God as far as you are concerned.  I understand that you carry a title but you should know when it comes to my baby girl I might as well be THE highest power."  He continued to talk not noting the progressively irritated look on the face of Pyrrha…

None the less Jaune gulped feeling more than a touch alarmed at the directness of Mr. Nikos… such that he didn’t notice another figure approaching steadily.

"… Before anybody can date my baby girl they need MY permission got it?  I will not have anybody taking advantage of URK!"

The figured grabbed the large man by his ear and rather comically lowered him down to her level.

"Lucia… I thought we discussed this.  The hard line stance was not going to be given this time."  The speaker sounded so similar Jaune would have swore it WAS his girlfriend speaking.  She appeared above average height and for all intents and purpose WAS Pyrrha.  With the exception of being a touch shorter, looking a bit older around say 50 years old and had a very dark red hair.  None the less it was obvious that Pyrrha got her size from her father… and her looks from her mother.  On her head was a tiara very similar to Pyrrha's except….

_Wait… LUCIA?!_

Huh?

"Darling I thought we agreed I am allowed to greet any prospective boyfriend of my girls in the manner I choose!"  He objected smiling slightly despite the ear tug.

Mrs. Nikos smiled sinisterly as she let go and moved forward towards her guests.

"Don't let my husband get to you.  He is over protective of his daughters even if Pyrrha never needed it.  My name is Phaera Nikos.  Pleased to meet you.  It is good to finally see you in person."  She did not offer a hand and instead just moved forward and into a hug.

He didn’t object and just returned the hug before the smiling mother moved a step to the side and repeated the process with Kate.

"Well I dare say Pyrrha.  You did not overstate them physically at all."  She stated amused not hiding her studious eye on both Arc's.

Wow… these people are direct.

Pyrrha just blushed hard "Yes… I have had to help Kate far less than Jaune given his… condition last year.  However they both work very hard and have earned what they posses through honest work."  She admitted stealing a glance at Jaune occasionally.

"Helena was wise to give you both umbrella's.  I am surprised you did not have to use them already."  She concluded.

The conversation paused long enough for Kate to go into something she wished.

Kate couldn’t help herself.  "Sir… your name… is it really Lucia?"  She asked.

Mr. Nikos scowled but it seemed to be done in good humor.

"Yes… My-" He started.

Mrs. Nikos cut in.  "His mother swore that her oldest was going to be a girl and already had a name picked out.  She didn’t change it when she turned out wrong in her prediction.  Right Honey?"  She teased.

He just sighed.

"Normally I go by Luke."  He claimed.

His wife moved over towards him and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"I am going to check in with the kids… hopefully by now they have cooled down enough to be cordial with our guests."  Mrs. Nikos advised as she started to move inside. 

Only now did he realize that she was still dressed as a warrior wearing a Green version of a toga similar to Pyrrha… that and her Tiara was Green and Orange… not bronze.  It also was adorned with a very large and impressive ruby in the center of its top.

Pyrrha just smiled shyly as she looked at Jaune.

"I think I will head inside… make sure it's safe for my guests."  She giggled before following her mother into the house after picking up her pack.

_Safe for guests?_

The twins shared a glance in a moderate state of alarm but none the less both smiled before bringing their gaze forward again.

Victoria evidently chose to follow the two redheaded women inside leaving Mr. Nikos with the Twins outside.

Jaune had the distinct impression Mr. Nikos wanted to tell him something… just as he had an equal impression he might have been worried about how his wife might react for saying it.

Kate just chuckled as she sauntered forward following the group.

Leaving Jaune obviously alone with the eager father.

"Well boyfriend of my daughter.  Let us… head inside… you can meet the rest of the family."

"We appear to be arriving in the middle of something."  Jaune probed curiously.

Luke laughed heartily.   "Kids will be kids.  Our twins seem determined to prank each other into submission.  At some point I hope they will outgrow that aspect of their personalities."  He admitted.

"So… What's on the agenda?  I have to admit travel lag is starting to kick in for me."  Jaune asked/admitted.

Luke smiled again "Yes that is normal for visitors.  Once the situation has calmed I plan to get some dinner going for us all.  We will be having fish tonight cooked in the Mistral way."  He announced.

"Mistral way?"  He queried.

"Spicy… Properly Mistral level spicy!"  Mr. Nikos genuinely appeared a touch evil at the declaration.

"Always happy to try something new."  He stated nervously.

"Yes… I hope you like it.  Fish is a common dish here."

Jaune was about ready to make a pleasant remark when he realized the protective father might not be done yet.

"I think we might have time for me to show you my collecting of knifes and various hunting rifles.  I don't have to start right away after all."  He looked just a touch maniacal as he indicated Jaune should head inside after his twin.

It was only several steps later that he realized he was joking… probably joking….

Hopefully joking.

**A/N**

**Thanks again for reading another chapter.  I combed the hell outa this chapter for errors… some of which inevitably still remain.  But hopefully they are getting more difficult to find.**

**I have some pictures of The Trio in  Mistral clothing, No Jaune yet sadly.  If you are interested in seeing them let me know somehow and I will arrange for you to view them.**

**For those of you worrying that I am not writing as much and am gona breeze through the summer… Fear not.  I am basically resigning myself to the fact that I will need to give MUCH more time to the summer than I initially thought.  I originally wanted 3 chapters in total… well I probably have 3 more to go at minimum before they can be done and as normally more things are probably going to come up I need to spend more time on before I am done.**

**As always please fav/follow/kudos/review/IM/email me any feedback, suggestions or questions you may have.**

**Thank you again for reading, and I will see you next time.**


	28. Y3 Summer: The Nikos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surviving his encounter with Pyrrha's Bear of a father he must now brave the house fully... there are after all more family members to meet. 
> 
> Crazy... might be the word of the day.

3.3

Despite the fact that Jaune along with Mr. Nikos were the last to head into the house, and the fact that he at least was accepted by "The Bear" for the moment -He was exceptionally glad for that-  That also meant potentially lots of new people to try and remember.  Not getting kicked off the island had a downside he supposed after all.

Ok Jaune, you have survived your first encounter with Pyrrha's parents.  Now you just gotta remember everybody's names.  Not so bad so far we only have a few to keep track of…

Lucia "Luke" Nikos:  The Teddy Bear dad;

Phaera Nikos: The shockingly similar to Pyrrha mom;

Victoria Nikos: The book smart Engineer recent graduate;

He moved towards the open house as he went through his mental list noting the detailed engravings on the walls.  The door was a depiction of a battle scene one might expect in ancient mythology.  Men armed with spears along with other more basic weapons fighting supernatural creatures of ridiculous sizes in various forms. 

He recalled A history lesson from his studies… it was never proven but the theory was some of those more ancient creatures could in fact have been some of the earliest Grimm.  Nobody really knows how they spread or where they originated… but if these stories many still consider to be myths are true… they might be more accurate than anybody really considered.

It was a rather outlandish theory that few people in the Hunting world bought into, but none the less like most things related to mythology it was rather fascinating for the Knight to read over those topics.

In any case Jaune walked into the house keeping as open and optimistic mindset he possibly could. 

The engravings on the door led into the material of the house properly.  Marble seemed to be the construction material of choice.  He may or may not be correct in that assumption but the silver and white colored stone made for a very pretty house.  Black granite counter tops and padded chairs provided a sharp contrast to marble.  Providing color was the red and gold emblem -identical to that which adorned his own weapon of which he of course borrowed from his partner- was present in the house.  The symbol was displayed proudly over doorways and was even in the main floor of the primary living room.

Now that he had a bit longer to acclimatize to his surroundings he realized the material and color combinations have been present in just about every building he saw.  It was only that he was inside the house that he managed to realize it.

He knew there were two more siblings to keep track of both a couple years younger than his partner… Conner and Cara.  He had not yet met them but-

"YOUNG MAN YOU GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!"  'Not-Pyrrha' roared through the house.

Jaune snapped his attention off the building to the scene in front of him.  Pyrrha was standing off to the side with Katherine.  The two Beacon students were arrayed around a dinner table with a sofa of a sort and made to sit down.  The redhead looked amused while his sibling looked a bit confused. 

Victoria sat a fair bit away and was already intently focused on a book.  Behind her ran an upwards stairwell to the second level.

Somewhat between the two camps of people was Mrs. Nikos.  Hands on her hips wearing a look of annoyance and severity he had seen on his partners face when the mood struck her.

Jaune had to wonder what caused her to get put into this state… none the less he had reached his traveling companions and sat next to them.

"But Mooooom!  It isn't safe down there!"  A nervous male voice complained.

That would probably be Conner… Jaune figured.

"It will NOT be SAFE for you up there much longer at this rate!  Get down here NOW and greet your sister!  She just got home!"  Phaera demanded.

Pyrrha met his gaze as she leaned in to whisper in his ear "The twins are almost always causing mom problems remember?"

Jaune nodded cautiously watching the scene.

"But-"

"NOW!"  The mother had began to tap her foot.

"Ohhh….. okay." The voice declared sounding dubious but obedient.

Conner Nikos slowly became visible lowering himself from the upper area of the roof, what's more he appeared to be flying.  He wore shorts and a loose fitting sleeveless shirt with more brown hair than anybody else from the family Jaune had seen.  Seems despite being a student at Sanctum the younger brother was rather conservative.

The flying individual however… could not reach the ground.

From the upstairs a door closed shut loudly followed by some rapid pounding steps advertising another's fast approach.

"Oh no I knew it!  No no no no no no!"  Conner issued as he tried to ascend back upwards…

He could not manage the feat in time.

A golden flash in the air collided with him and drove him into the wall on the other side of the room.  Both bodies rebounded off the wall before tumbling down to the floor.

Another voice from above cried out "AVA!  We said we weren't going to do that!" 

More footsteps from the upper level pounded along to the upper balcony as more bodies approached.

Now that figures from the air settled down the twins could see what happened.

The boy was quite literally pinned to the ground by a female … dog?

The Faunus had a golden tail twitching back and forth.  She wore short jean shorts along with a short tank top which seemed to be of a very much not-Mistral style.  She had dog ears which were similar to Blake's standing at attention at the top of her head.  Essentially she looked like a golden retriever made into Faunus form.

"The plan changed!"  The dog faunus… Ava apparently announced with a dog-like growl.

"Ava?"  Jaune whispered to Pyrrha.

"Not sure… must be a friend of Cara's"  She answered.

2 more female's began to descend down stairwell as Ava spoke again:

"You got GREEN GOO in my ears!!"  Her tail twitched again.

_Green Goo?  Ears?  Huh?_

She kept the male completely pinned to the ground despite his attempts to thrash and buck her off.

"Ava let me go!" He demanded managing to rise slightly.

"GREEN GOO!! EARS!!!  Do you have ANY idea how long I had to spend cleaning them out!?"  She repeated pressing him firmly down to the ground once again.

The two women walking down the stairwell now seemed to come into view.

The taller of the two seemed to be dressed as a warrior… Jaune assumed that was Cara.

She was about 5'5 in a toga similar to Pyrrha… except instead of a full length dress it was more of a skirt down to the mid thigh.  Her hair was more dark red like her mother's down to her mid back.  She did not have it done up in a pony tail neither did she wear a Tiara on her head however.  Beyond that she was similar to her elder sister just… well the best word he could come up with was average.  She lacked Pyrrha's incredible physique and musculature.  She didn’t move with Pyrrha's near superhuman level of agility and grace either.  This was more of a normal girl on appearance in spite of her manner of dress.

Come to think of it the male still pinned seemed very similar.  Yeah those had to be the twins.

Ok… updating names registry…

Conner Nikos: Guy pinned to ground by Ava…

Ava….:  Unsure… Dog Faunus?

Cara Nikos: Dresses like a less conservative Pyrrha.

Jaune turned his attention on the girl walking next to Cara.  She seemed very short dressed in a more formal toga.  She stood probably about 5'1 and was obviously not an athlete or fighter.  The only real physical attribute he could pick out about her was the fact that she was … shall we say well endowed.  She already blew past Yang in that department despite being probably about 16 years old.

Pyrrha stood up and moved at a quick walk towards her sibling on the stairwell.

"Hi Cara, you keep getting taller!"  She stated friendly holding her arms out for a hug.

"Pyrrha!"  She answered throwing her arms up in the air.

"Pyrrha!  Help Me! This wild animal-!" Conner begged still unable to free himself.

A threatening growl silenced that sentence.

The Spartan just chuckled and mostly ignored him… the dog pinning him down gave a happy hum with a smile…. her tail continued to twitch back and forth.

The two sisters hugged briefly, their family relation was obvious as they hugged… however it was equally obvious that Pyrrha was correct.  In terms of physical blessing her siblings really could not measure up.  The difference was easily visible despite nobody really trying to examine them in that manner.

"There are so many people its gona be a challenge to keep them all straight."  Kate complained watching the scene.

Kate kept running through names and counting them off on a finger as she tried to pay attention to the gathering.

He nodded in agreement… she was evidently trying to keep a mental tally of everybody same as he was. 

"Think we should?"  He asked confident she would take his meaning.

"No… let Pyrrha direct traffic."  Kate answered.

Jaune nodded another time.

"Tyra it is good to see you again."  Pyrrha stated as she looked at the smaller girl.

"Pyrrha good to see you."  The other girl… Tyra it seems responded.

Luke was spotted off to the side closer to the door leaning against the wall and more or less just observed.

"I do not recall seeing the other girl… Ava I think it was before.  Are you going to introduce me?"  Pyrrha asked.

Cara nodded.

"I could… but I think she isn't done with Conner yet."  She claimed mischievously.

"Yes I think she is definitely done!  You can get off of me now."  He begged thrashing and bucking again to no avail.

"GREEN GOO!! EARS!!"  The angry Faunus repeated shoving him back down.

"Ava please… we have guests."  Mrs. Nikos advised motioning towards Kate and Jaune.

"Hmm?  Guests?"  Tyra mentioned following the arm.

The 3 females turned towards the open room and spotted Kate and Jaune sitting down.

"Oh!"  Tyra squeaked out.

Cara went big eyed as she gasped.

Ava's tail shot straight out from her body and stopped twitching side to side.

The two twins stood at the same time and moved forward to greet them.

Mrs. Nikos left out a sigh as Ava finally let Conner off the ground.  However as the young man started to stand he got a rather hearty series of whacks to the face as the dogs tail started to wag back and forth strongly resembling a happy puppy.

"Ava!  Your tail is wagging!"  He complained using an arm to shield himself.

The tail did not stop wagging.

Finally Conner turned his attention on the guests…

"Oh… wow…."   He advised going slack jawed.

Kate nearly burst out laughing… instead she just smiled in that way which always caused her twin some discomfort.

"Everybody… Meet Jaune and Katherine Arc."  Pyrrha stated happily indicating the twins.

"Hello."  They said in unison with a mirrored wave.

An uncomfortable silence followed interrupted by Ava's continued tail wagging making contact with Conner's leg and or arm.

"They suddenly got shy, it’s a miracle."  Luke joked after a barking laugh.

"Marking this on the calendar…"  Phaera joked…. though she did in fact scribble something into a calendar… wow.

Tyra evidently was the one who found her voice first as she tried to move forwards.

"Goodbye… I mean… Evening… uh… Hi!...How… is… are…"  She tried to vocalize.

Then again maybe not.

Cara stepped forward quickly to match her friends position but found herself overtaking her easily.

"You look like that guy from the broadcast."  She claimed.

"… I am sure that has nothing to do with the fact he is the guy from the broadcast…" Victoria deadpanned.

"Beat me to it…" Conner claimed now obviously staring at Katherine.

Ava strode forward to make it a line of 3 girls in front of the Arc twins.

"He is tall…"  Cara claimed.

"And a King!"  Tyra worded.

"Actually I am a Duke…"  Jaune tried to speak.

"You rule your territory!  That makes you a King!"  Tyra claimed.

"Yes… cause that is how the world works…"  Victoria input once again.

"That makes her a Princess!"  Cara claimed pointing at Kate.

Kate chuckled to herself amused again.

"Girls I think that is enough don't scare them off already they just got in Mistral…"  Mrs. Nikos warned.

It ended up having a minimal effect.

Tyra began to move forward with an arm out for a handshake.

"Sit-ups…. I mean… hello.  I am TyraaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

The shorter girl sounded very much like Weiss in her voice mannerisms…. sadly she seemed to lack the Heiresses grace.

Bumping and tripping her way forward she looked almost like a more clumsy version of Ruby as she barreled chest first into Jaune.  The knight caught her without much difficulty.

"OH my uh… uh….wow….. uh…"  She said staring straight forwards.

Finally she looked up.

"Thanks!"  She smiled.

"Happy to lend a ….. a…. hand?"  He stammered out obviously confused.

She had taken to gripping his upper arm… almost as if she didn’t realize what she was doing.

"Ok c'mon now no keeping him all to yourself."  Cara complain.

Tyra jumped slightly and found another point to stare at.

"Uh… girls…"  Jaune started

"You must do lots of bench presses I love you in that vest."  Cara complimented.

"And Bicep Curls!"  Tyra suggested.

Jaune gulped rather awkwardly.

"Kate… what is happening?"  He asked.

"I don't know I think his abs are better look!"  Cara claimed.

"I think… you might be the one who needs a stick Jaune."  Kate stated chuckling from the side.

"Girls come now don’t suffocate the guy he traveled a long way to get here."  Mrs. Nikos demanded sternly.

"Yes I agree!  Cara I think Jaune would like some space."  Pyrrha suggested even more sternly.

The Spartan would later wonder if she was heard.

"Girls Hey C'mon!"  Jaune started to complain.

Cara and Tyra continued to praise and or flirt in their openly and somewhat awkward manner all the while Pyrrha's face seemed to grow a darker and darker shade of red.  It only went on for several seconds…

Ava began to walk slowly towards the awkward and out of place looking Knight with his sister off the side in stitches…seemingly following her nose.

"No I like his stomach but seriously his shoulders are great."  Cara praised.

"ENOUGH!!! That is MY boyfriend PAWS OFF!"  Pyrrha demanded breathing in deep gasps.

She succeeded in silencing the room… if only temporarily.

'Sniff Sniff Sniff'

Pyrrha didn’t quite know where the sniffing sounds were coming from…

Then… she saw Ava.

She had taken a rather dog like whiff of Kate and nodded appreciatively before moving down to Jaune repeating the process.

A big smile appeared on her face.

"Wow… you smell nice."  Her tail started wagging again as she cocked her head to the side in a smile.

-WHACK WHACK WHACK!-

3 impact sounds echoed through the room followed by:

"OUCH MY HEAD!"

"What was that for?"

"Oh that’s smarts!"

As Ava Cara and Tyra all complained.

Breathing hard behind them was Pyrrha, umbrella held above her head as if ready to swing another time.

"Jaune… This way please, let me show you the house."  She suggested… sternly with a motion of her head.

He nodded reverently and walked on down the hallway towards Conner.

"Hey that isn't fair I wanted to talk to him more!"  Cara complained rubbing her head.

"Yes… Talk to him… Suuuuuuure you did."  Victoria punned turning the page in her book.

"He will be here all summer… for now..." Pyrrha raised the umbrella again.

Cara shifted her eyes between her elder sister and the umbrella she carried… then pouted.

Conner however… still had not adapted to the sight of Kate showing as much skin as she was and continued to stare rather unabashedly at her.

His head turned towards her as she walked up to Jaune and only stopped when he would have had to move his body to spin around.

A sly grin appeared on Katherine's face as she hefted the umbrella she carried and made one sure but gentle swing.

'WHAP!'

The stunned boy couldn’t even react… he just blinked.

"You gotta aim for the right spot.  Allow me to demonstrate."  Pyrrha advised sagely.

Jaune was still a bit in a daze but watched as Kate studied the Spartan closely.  With a practiced grace Pyrrha walked up her younger brother and gave another if surgical 'smack' to his head as if trying to wake up a sleeping sibling in a comical if routinely performed fashion.

"OW What was that for?"  He demanded finally coming to his senses rubbing his head.

"See, perfect aim!"  Pyrrha claimed as she smiled happily.

"You still hit me in the head!"  Conner complained rubbing the impact point.

"That was for your own good if you drooled any more you would be standing in a lake by now.  Now enough shenanigans lets prepare dinner so Pyrrha can show her guests the house!"  Mrs. Nikos demanded.

Pyrrha did not waste any time in hustling her two guests out the inner doorway and out of sight.  With the Spartan Ghost and Knight out of sight… they were able to focus… if only somewhat.  Grumbles however would remain for several minutes.

*** Moments later Nikos Family Home ***

Most Mistral structures were very open and free form in their design.  Doors were few and far between.

Some rooms obviously had one.   Closets… bathrooms and bedrooms for example all came equipped with a door as you would expect to encounter.

Beyond those however air freely flowed through the house as a means of keeping it all cool.  That normally made moving around the home very easy.  Of course it meant very few land marks for visitors to rely on either.

All that and more Pyrrha tried to explain as she led her boyfriend and essentially sister equivalent through her house.

"Can somebody explain to me what just happened?"  Jaune asked as he followed the redhead.

Kate laughed lightly as Pyrrha responded.

"That… is not all that uncommon in Mistral.  Mistrali people are very open and forward as I've said.  I should have expected Cara would do that but… well I cannot plan for what I didn’t expect."

"I confess I am more used to that happening to Kate… I was not really prepared for that."  He admitted.

Kate laughed softly again.

"Don't worry Jaune I think Pyrrha is fully willing to defend you if she must."

Pyrrha nodded with a BIG smile on her face.

"Not helping Kate."  He quipped.

The two Arc's followed their host through the house moving at a comfortable pace.

"Well we obviously just left the dining room.  The rather large space in the middle is one of the living room areas."  She claimed.

"Question."  Kate chimed in.

"Yes?"

"This place is very open… I mean I am sure you are already aware of this but… storms happen here.  I don’t see a safe zone for wind or rain.  Why?"  She asked.

Jaune shrugged, the thought did cross his mind as well.

"Well… No answer I can give you with words is really going to explain to the point you can understand.  You really need to experience it.  The best I can answer however is that in the stone's that makes up the property is laced with a complicated dust mixture.  It shields the island from winds and does its best not to allow an abundant amount of moisture inside in the event of a rainstorm or hurricane."  She instructed going down a level after exiting the hallway.

Kate studied the stone walls briefly as if trying to find the dust in question before hurrying after to catch the rest of the answer.

"An especially powerful storm can overwhelm the dust charge to be fair.  However in that case all somebody would need to do is reinforce the dust with their aura.  In my time here nobody has ever had to do that and believe me we get hit by storms just about every year.  We are very safe on this island trust me."  She claimed confidently.

"So you must have professionals out here constantly to recharge the dust protection levels?"  Jaune inquired.

Pyrrha shook her head.

"No, the dust draws from nature.  It uses the sun and the elements to slowly rebuild their energy pools.  The technology is ancient but highly effective.  It is impractical for weapon use given the frenzied nature of fights but for stationary static structures Mistral people found the formula works perfectly.  In any case… this is going to be our home for the summer!"  She declared happily arms outstretched spinning in circles.

Our home?  The Knight couldn’t help but wonder.

"This is the guest area I assume?"  Kate asked.

Pyrrha shook her head again.

"No.  This is my 'floor'.  My bedroom is here… Jaune I think you wouldn’t object to sharing it?"  She grinned evilly at the Knight.

Kate chuckled again as the male in question nodded. 

Pyrrha smiled radiantly as she continued "Kate you are just across the hall.  Why don’t you take your clothes and get situated?"  The Spartan suggested.

Kate looked relieved at the suggestion… she was used to carrying around a great deal of weight but she didn’t particularly enjoy carrying needless luggage around.

She moved across the hall while Jaune moved in the opposite direction and into the rather spacious room.  A bed of rather large and dubious size dominated the surroundings with a cabinet to store clothing off to the side.

In the other direction was a countertop with a large mirror connecting to a private bathroom.

The door to the room shut startling the Ghost as she turned towards the noise.

"My room is basically the same thing if you are wondering."  Pyrrha declared leaning slightly against the door.

"It is nice."  Kate claimed honestly.

"But less than what you are used too?"  Pyrrha inquired walking slowly towards her.

Kate cocked her head to the side… Pyrrha was trying to get to something.

"Pyrrha I might be a noble of a rather rich family but that doesn’t mean luxury is the minimum I can accept.  I lived on the road too, believe me this is more than enough." 

Pyrrha sighed and rolled her shoulders.

"I'm sorry… "  She stared at Kate a few seconds lending Kate time to wonder just what is on her mind…

Pyrrha never gave Kate the time to come to a conclusion as she grabbed Kate's hand and dragged her gently to the bed.  Both women sat down on it.

"Pyrrha…. what is wrong?"  Kate stated kindly if confused.

Pyrrha sighed again.

"Katherine.  I just want to warn you about something."  She took a deep breath.

Not the best way to start a conversation…

"Kate… I know you are fiercely protective of your brother.  You love him as I do and you do not want to see him hurt."  She stated seriously.

Ok definitely I am alarmed now.

"Pyrrha… give me something here."  Kate probed.

Another sigh exited the Spartan before she proceeded.

"Look… My mom might warn you as well.  But… My dad is going to test Jaune in a rather public way.  Not like television broadcast or anything but… openly with the family.  I do not know when and I do not know how.  But he is going to do it.  He has done it with all of his daughters when it comes to potential dates and he will do the same with Jaune."  She breathed deeply.

Kate did not like where this is going.

"Here is my warning.  You are going to see this happening and want to stop it in all likely hood.  Just… trust me.  Dad is not doing it to be cruel, it is a test of character.  When this happens… and again I do not know when, just let it happen ok?"  She requested.

It was Kate's turn to sigh.  This escalated frighteningly quickly.

She of course had seen and in some cases literally felt his heart get ripped out of him in the past and had zero desire to experience either of those again.  Pyrrha, Kate knew, was one of the few pressure points he had.  She did not like it at all where this was doing.

"Pyrrha what exactly are we talking about here?  I do not like the sound of this."  She stated matter of fact like.

Pyrrha shook her head.

"Kate I am not trying to make this seem like a bigger issue than it truly is.  When it is done they will laugh about it I promise you, but you wouldn’t know that going into it.  So I am giving you this warning.  All I am asking is for you to just let it happen.  It will work out in the end, it always does."  The redhead insisted.

Katherine REALLY did not like this now.

"Pyrrha I cannot give my word on something if I don’t even know what that something is.  I am not happy about this what do you … never mind I have a better question.  How many of those potential boyfriends passed this test?  How many of them are still together."  She demanded.

Pyrrha put a smile on her face as she answered.

"Kate it is a test of character… there is no way to pass or fail.  Just… being yourself.  I do not know how my father will go about it but I know that he will at some point over the summer.  As far as how many of them are still together well to be honest its none.  Cara has had multiple boyfriends and he did something for every one of them.  Look… Just trust me ok?  That is all I am asking you to do."  Pyrrha requested.

Kate shook her head.

"Is this some Mistral tradition?"  She inquired.

Pyrrha shook her head.

"No… this is less of a Mistral tradition and more of a Luke Nikos tradition.  He can tell the story better than I but I know he has several sisters and many of them ended up in essentially unhappy marriages.  He didn’t want the same for his girls.  So… he tests boyfriends.  That is just what he does."  She answered.

"Pyrrha if he is going to exercise his fatherly right to be tough on my brother then believe me, I can exercise my older sisterly right to be protective of him.  I cannot give my word that I'm going to let something happen to him without knowing what that something is.  This obviously has you worried as you didn’t just let it happen.  That means you think something might happen you do not expect.  Why even bring this up to me why not just let it happen and play out as you hope it will?"  Kate stated….

She wanted to do what Pyrrha was asking of her just… she couldn’t.  Not yet.

Pyrrha took another deep breath and scooted closer to the girl in blue.  She put both of her arms on the other's shoulders before speaking on.

"Katherine.  I know what Jaune has gone through.  I have zero desire to see him hurt.  I know what mentioning his dad does to him and I have no intent of repeating that with my own father.  My dad is going to do something over the summer I know that for a fact.  His stunts have been varied and different in each situation I do not know what he is going to do with Jaune.  In every situation everybody ended up with a smile on their face.  But I know you and how you are with him.  If you are here, you might read more into it than you should.  I am not asking you to trust my father.  I hope he will earn your trust as you have earned mine.  Just trust me, that’s all I am asking you.  Ok?"

Kate huffed….

Trust Pyrrha… not her dad.

No still not ready for that yet.

"This isn't what you meant by Mistral traditions then?"  She asked.

Pyrrha blushed a bit but nodded.

"No… That will come later.  It will mostly be between him and I as well."  She stated plainly.

Kate rose an eyebrow intrigued but let it pass.

"Kate… this is just me trying to let you watch whatever it is that is going to happen.  Again, I do not know when and I don’t even know what it is.  But I do think it needs to happen for Jaune to be accepted by my father.  I know that my Mom already loves him but dad… well he has said it's his fatherly right in the past so… I am just trying to give you an advanced notice.  Alright?" 

Pyrrha mostly just watched on with her big eyes and innocent but vulnerable look for several seconds while Kate mostly fought through a whirlwind of thoughts.

_It's like Ren all over again… Trust me I will do what I must…  I didn’t like it then and I do not like this now.  Yet… These seem like good people.  Luke might be a bit overprotective but he doesn’t appear to be smothering his children.  He obviously let Pyrrha get close to Jaune over the school years.   Maybe it's just a matter of becoming official?  Pyrrha wouldn’t want him to get hurt either… and she says she doesn’t know what to expect…_

"Have you given my brother a warning?"  She asked.

Pyrrha shook her head.

"Why not?"  Kate insisted.

Pyrrha took another deep breath.

"I am not suppose to.  Technically I am not suppose to be giving you this warning either.  It is meant to be a test of character.  Each time he has tested a prospective boyfriend of one of my sisters it has been something different.  I don't really have any way to warn him either.  I just don't want you overreacting when the time comes and letting Jaune speak for himself.  Alright?"  She implored.

Kate shook her head….

"I still do not know what I am being asked to do… but as long as I do not think it's meant to be hurtful I won't interfere.  Just know I reserve the right to use my umbrella as I see fit."  She smiled.

The air whooshed out of Kate as the Spartan did the best imitation of her dads bear hug on the smaller girl.

"Thanks Kate!  You won't regret it!"  The Spartan squealed happily.

"You're Welcome… even if I don't know what it…. is yet."  She tried to hug back only really managing a couple half hearted pats on the back.

"Oh right.  Sorry!!"  Pyrrha claimed looking embarrassed as she let go.

Pyrrha was beyond relieved.  The entire conversation was very awkward to her and it probably was two times that for Katherine.  The visitors were in an unknown climate with unknown people and unknown basically everything.  The only thing they knew really… was her.  Kate agreeing to at least trust her and potentially let things happen was a huge relief. 

She knew her dad would pull Jaune aside in some manner or another and do his thing.  She could not guess yet what that something would eventually be.  But she knew it would happen.  If all Kate heard was the start of it, she might react poorly.  Who knows-

"Hey you two in there?  I have the clothing and stuff away."  Jaune called from the living room outside.

The two girls smiled shyly at each other.

"C'mon, I still have more of the house to show you before dinner tonight."  Pyrrha stood off the bed and lead the way out.

Kate smiled ironically crossing her arms and followed with a yawn.

Jaune was waiting for them patiently resting against a wall.

"Might need to call it an early night tonight.  Travel lag is starting to kick in for me."  He admitted.

Pyrrha nodded and commented:

"Yeah that might not be a bad idea.  You all still want to do the two a day workouts right?"  She questioned.

Kate nodded for Jaune to respond.

"Yeah.  Don't want to lose anything over the break and besides… we both need to catch up on lessons too.  Can't afford to not practice."  He claimed.

Kate nodded again in another yawn when a voice boomed down from above.

"Dinner is served!  Come and get it!"

Pyrrha's face lit up in a smile as she towed her friends up the stairs.

"C'mon let's eat.  We have plenty of time to finish the tour later!"  Nobody was really willing or had any desire to argue with her either.

***Later at the Nikos dinner table***

In his time as a noble Jaune has eaten a wide variety of dishes and had experienced a varied range of flavors. 

He himself was a very capable chef, with several dishes he had in his arsenal.  Granted Kate tended to be the superior cook when it came to seafood.  She traveled far more and as such she had actually caught and prepared fish before.  She was not exactly an expert on the subject but she did have more practical experience than he did.

Most of what his he had experienced with seafood at home was specially ordered or caught locally in Cadia.

Well he was learning a bit about the different styles of fishing and the manners in which they are cooked today.

Cadia of course was cold.  The fish caught in such locals was by its very nature radically different than those in more tropical waters like Mistral.  The manner of fish, the style of preparation, the way in which it was caught.  All very different than what his native experiences with seafood normally allowed.

Over dinner he learned that basically anything is easily available and while the Nikos family does not fish for dependency they do fish cause they like too.  Lobster, crab, shrimp, muscles and more is all available if one wishes to catch it.

The end result of having fish which was freshly caught and cooked that day came down to one word.

"That… was delicious."  Jaune praised sitting back feeling pleasantly full in his chair.

The meal prepared for that night was truly superb.  Something he hopes to add to his own arsenal in time.

They served Scallops with a type of bean salad along with a grilled white fish to complete the meal.  Luke was not kidding in his mannerisms earlier in the day.  It was prepared to be spicy.  Honestly that first bite felt like he was killing his taste buds.  

However he did get used to it, and the end result was a dish like he never really had experienced previously. 

The meal had basically ran its course and the attendees were all more or less enjoying some pleasant conversation around the dinner table. 

Pyrrha ensured that Jaune was boxed in by his sister and herself followed by her mom on one side.  Basically ensuring no shenanigans from the other teenagers at the table could happen easily.

A common topic of discussion was the twins own lives and homeland, being nobles it seems was a bit of a fascinating subject to those at the table.

"I confess that was something to see on live broadcast.  I am very glad you all got out of that situation relatively unscathed.  Thanks for telling it again."  Phaera stated simply.

"See you are a King!"  Tyra insisted.

Jaune just grinned and shook his head having long given up the point of trying to make the correction.

"I still do not understand the motivations of your father."  Luke claimed calmly.

Kate and Jaune both scoffed nearly at the same time.  Pyrrha basically nodded in agreement.

"The more we learn of our father the less we seem to understand.  Mom agreed to marry him and I would like to believe at some point in his life he was different.  I do not know if he was always manipulating her and by extension us, or if he changed along the way.  Believe me I have several things I intend to ask him at sword point if I get the chance."  Kate declared leaving no doubt to any witnesses her determination.

"I met your mother once in a weapons seminar in my days as a Huntress.  I was not a student of hers though I knew of her reputation.  Seeing her speak at that seminar was a enlightening experience for me I admit."  Phaera claimed.

The Nikos children seemed surprised at that.

"I had just graduated from the Haven academy and decided to attend a guest lecture the school held.  I at first scoffed at the idea of a Duchess being a Huntress much less giving a lecture of any substance.  But… well she isn't the most powerful speaker I ever attended but she just bleed belief in her message of hard work and discipline.  I assume she is still very much the same?"

The twins nodded as Pyrrha answered.

"I confess I was not sure what to expect initially either but… well it took a few days but she earned my respect.  I still wouldn’t believe she is nearly 70 unless she told me herself.  She means well and wants the best for her pupils.  Why didn’t you tell me that before mom?"  She asked.

Conner pouted at the question appearing bored… something Cara seemed to pick up on.

"Well, I wasn't sure if it was the same Deborah Arc.  The Arc's are a huge family after all.  Though what do you mean not believe she doesn’t look her age?"  The mom inquired again.

Here Luke paid close attention.

"Well that rumor about the Arc Semblance slowing the aging process?  It appears to absolutely be true.  She doesn’t look a day over 30."  Pyrrha claimed.

Phaera clicked her tongue a few times unsure what to think.

"Anyway out of curiosity I must ask… What was that bit about Green Goo earlier?"  Kate asked trying steer the conversation in another direction.

"I…. think I should go."  Conner claimed.

"Oh no you don’t young man.  You are not excused yet."  Luke chided sternly.

Conner gulped.

Cara smiled mischievously as she began to orate "Oh it's just the latest incident that we girls have endured following the needless aggression of my brother."

Conner's lip twitched at the statement and obviously wanted to chime in… Ava beat him too it.

"Basically it’s a battle of which the origins is lost to history.  Nobody remembered what started it.  But… well he doesn’t understand that he is outnumbered and has no hope of victory."  The dog ear's twitched happily as she spoke.

"Speaking which Ava… how do you know Cara?  I don't recall seeing you from before today?" Pyrrha asked.

Tyra answered for her.

"Well I can answer that.  My family adopted her."  She claimed simply.

Kate and Jaune shared a glance.

"Seems to be more to the story than that…"  He inquired.

Ava sighed before answering.

"My family is from Vacuo, or well… was.  The White Fang happened and unfortunately I was the only survivor from my family.  I ended up meeting Tyra when she was on vacation with her family and we hit it off.  They were in Vacuo for a few weeks and I spoke to them several times.  I did not expect her parents to volunteer to take me in… but I was happy to accept.  They only recently finished the paperwork needed to officially adopt me."  Ava had to look away to speak, it obviously was a sore topic for her.

That explains her dress… she doesn’t dress like a Mistral person… obviously cause she isn't.

"Sorry to hear that."  He said sincerely.

"I am too."  Ava responded with a pout.

"Question!"  Kate chimed in for yet another topic change.

"Answer!"  Cara supplied energetically.

"So what happened before the Green Goo reprisal?"  She asked with a smile.

"Ooooookay I think I will just start to take care of these dishes…"  Luke claimed nervously.

Mrs. Nikos' 'Mom Senses' fired up and instantly responded with "Honey stay around… get to know our guests more please."  Her look was both innocent and as if possessed by a demon.  Something foul was afoot and she had to get to the bottom of it!

Cara looked a bit too happy as she pulled out her scroll.

"Cara!!"  Conner complained.

"Well if not my scroll they can just look in the web… I did post it after all."  She admitted.

Conner just huffed up his cheeks and grew a deep red… none the less he couldn’t speak.

Cara hit play to display the scene after a second of silence.

*** For this sequence italics represent the video, not thoughts ***

_It was of a shaking and rumbling video moving towards the outside from a crowded street._

_First in the video was a young looking Cara… setting the timeframe at probably a few years ago._

_"Ok Cara I am here with my scroll… what is wrong?!"  Mr. Nikos demanded._

_Ah so he is the camera man._

_The Young Cara pointed towards something in the sky._

_"See!  Problem!"  She claimed._

_The camera panned towards the point in the sky._

_"Oh… Frizzlesticks!" Luke claimed in the video._

_"I don’t know what that word means…"  Cara complained innocently._

_"Just… never mind."  Luke worded softly._

_Up in the sky was Conner, flying in random circles and rotations basically out of control unable to keep level.  He was flying above water but was several feet up in the air… probably 40 feet at the highest but gaining in altitude._

Out of the video Phaera was starting to develop a rather scary diabolical grin on her face.

"What I was just learning to control my semblance!"  Conner objected seeing the funny looks on both the Arc's.

_"PYRRHA!!!"  Luke roared._

_"Yes!?"  A very young sounding Pyrrha yelled back in answer._

_"COME QUICK!  Bring your weapon!"  Luke instructed._

_"Her weapon dad?"  Cara asked confused._

_Pyrrha soon appeared looking very much in shape but … obviously younger than the present day individual._

_"Ok I'm here what am I Yipes!"  She claimed._

_"Dad!! Why did you call Pyrrha!?"  Conner screamed from the air._

_"Just trust me son it will be fine!"  He roared back._

_Speaking in much quieter tones he addressed Pyrrha._

_"Ok Pyrrha, here is what I need you to do…"_

_Pyrrha nodded paying attention._

_"I need you to shoot your brother…"  Luke continued._

_"Oh I like this plan!"  Cara screamed instantly._

_"What was that!?  What plan?"  Conner demanded._

_"Pyrrha is gona shoot you!"  Cara stated with glee._

_"I don't like this plan!  I definitely Do Not like this plan!"  Conner claimed still spinning and rotating randomly in the air._

_Pyrrha looked dubious._

_"You want me to shoot… my brother?"  She asked._

_"Yes Pyrrha listen.  Your brother has Aura.  If you shoot him his aura will be drained and he will fall, then you just gotta toss your spear at him and catch him.  Pin him to something… anything.  Think you can do that?"  She instructed._

_"Now what is he saying?!"  Conner demanded again._

_"Pyrrha is gona shoot you THEN throw her spear at you!"  Cara admitted with glee._

_"I REALLY DO NOT APPROVE OF THIS PLAN!"  Conner pleaded._

_"Dad I don’t know…" Pyrrha claimed._

_"Pyrrha listen to me.  If you don’t hit him he might get higher and higher and might not survive the fall when he runs out of aura.  You need to hit him now and catch him before he gets any higher.  Ok?"  He instructed._

_"I DON’T CARE WHAT HES SAYING I STILL DON’T LIKE THE PLAN!"  Conner declared from on high._

Kate at this point was laughing almost non-stop and Jaune would be lying if he didn’t have a big grin on his face.

Conner had put his forehead on the table to hide… Mr. Nikos seemed very nervous… something his wife definitely caught on.

_Pyrrha had obviously decided to fire in accordance with her dads wishes and soon lined up a shot._

_"Pyrrha just be careful and try to just graze him." Luke instructed._

"This does not seem to be a well thought out plan."  Jaune admitted stroking his chin.

"THANK YOU!!"  Conner praised evidently gratified.

"Hey I did not expect to encounter this situation I had to think on the fly!"  Luke objected.

The males noted the annoyed looks on the girls faces at the interruption and went silent.

"Sorry… We will be quiet."  Jaune stated simply.

_Pyrrha took probably about 7 seconds to line up her shot and fired._

_The shot flew true and seemed to do exactly as requested.  The shot nicked Conner and he started to fall._

_Pyrrha was already spinning Milo into spear form to line up a toss when…_

_"Remember when Conner pulled your hair and threatened to cut it Pyrrha!  Don't miss now!" Cara stated cheerfully._

_Pyrrha's body twitched in the picture and hesitated long enough to not actually throw her weapon._

_-SPLASH!-_

_"Oh that looked painful!"  Cara commented jubilantly._

_Conner literally belly flopped into the water._

_None the less they rushed towards the water's edge and waited for Conner to appear, the boy was a good enough swimmer and soon appeared… he seemed to be missing something rather key too._

_"Now remember Cara don't tease your brother about not being able to fly it took you some time to figure out your semblance too."  Luke instructed._

_Pyrrha gasped going red in the face and brought both of her hands to her cheeks._

_"What about that dad?  Can I tease him about that?"  Cara asked pointing at her twin._

_Conner it seems lost his swimming trunks in the splash and remained oblivious to it as he moved onto the beach._

_"A promise from each of you before we go back inside.  Not a word of this to your mother… EVER!  Understand?"  Luke demanded sternly._

_***end video sequence***_

Cara stopped the video and put her scroll back in her pocket.

"I posted that video online… it has received a fair number of reposts and likes … over 100k to be precise."  The playful one advised happily.

Luke appeared very nervous.

"Mom… you DID know about that video… right?"  Pyrrha asked calmly.

The temperature of the room seemed to drop about 10 degrees as they look at Mrs. Nikos.

"I am gona guess that is a 'no'"  Victoria chimed in.

"No… No I did not know about that situation Pyrrha.  I think I will have a word with my husband about that later."  She claimed simply.

For some reason the table found that comment highly humorous and they ignited into a fit of laughter… Conner not included anyway.

"What I want to know…"  Jaune claimed in between laughs.

"…Is why you didn’t just send your shield up to him to grab onto and lower him to the ground?"  He asked.

That basically silenced the good natured sounds around the table.

"Yes that is a VERY good question!"  Conner admitted leveling his gaze on his father.

From there… well the group basically decided to disperse for the night… if in a carefully controlled retreat.

"Well… I didn't realize it but we spoke for a long time.  It would be nearly curfew time at Beacon."  Jaune stated holding back a yawn.

Kate just yawned not really showing much restraint.

"Well we did decide to skip tonight and start our routine tomorrow.  So no harm done.  I think I will help clean up here and head to bed."  She stated.

Off to the side the trio of Ava Cara and Tyra were all in a huddle speaking in hushed tones.

"There is no need to do that we both know you are planning something for tomorrow."  Conner claimed.

Cara looked very innocent as she turned around and declared.  "Not true at all, we have nothing planned for tomorrow."  She boasted with a smile.

Jaune grinned and took his plate to the sink where he was intercepted by Mr. Nikos.

"Remember Jaune no getting touchy-feely with Pyrrha, you should sleep on the couch."  He demanded.

Truth be told Jaune was not against the idea… he didn’t want to impose… Mrs. Nikos had other plans though she stopped short of grabbing her husband's ear this time.

"Honey don't be silly they have been dating awhile and have slept in the same bed before.  Feel free to sleep however you like and cuddle away if you wish."  She instructed with a smile.

Luke seemed to realize this is part of his wife's revenge for the video and decided not to challenge the point.

Jaune just tried not to feel as embarrassed as he must appear awkward but nodded.

Pyrrha just smiled happily and moved on with him to their room.

The rest of the group more or less funneled out of the dining room towards their rooms leaving Kate looking out over the night time sea.  After a period of a few minutes she lined her fingers together and put her hands on her head as she started to move towards her own room for the night.

"Katherine… if I might have a word please?"  Phaera asked.

Kate paused her walk feeling a sense of déjà vu.  None the less she turned around and gave her attention to Mrs. Nikos.

"Sure… what's up?"  She asked innocently if a touch tired sounding.

Phaera looked around making sure nobody was nearby before she spoke on.

"I wanted to give you an advanced warning… I know you are protective of your brother…."

It almost began exactly the same way too.  Pyrrha was right.. her mom was going to give a warning about Luke's intentions.  Both swore that he means well and it is nothing to be taken seriously but it could easily be taken out of context if you walk in on the situation taking place.  She still had no idea what exactly it was that had the family concerned or why they felt she needed a warning on the side.  But ultimately she was glad for it.

None the less after the brief talk she moved off towards her room and answered a few text messages.

From Mom "So… How is Mistral?"

"Well… its fun so far.  Family is unique, still not sure about Pyrrha's parents they seem equal parts crazy and nice people.  Probably comes with the job.  Am tired, gona head to sleep.  TTYL!"  She sent back.

Oh boy from Yang… this better be good!

From Yang "YOU!  You are TERRIBLE at giving advice! ......"  The message went on to describe the situation with the tag game and the end result of humiliation on her part.

"Uh… LOL?  I didn't say challenge her to a game of tag.  Try something else next time!  Here I got it!  Use an 'Anti Blake' Shotgun shell.  It will work I guarantee it!"  She replied with a smile.

"I might regret this but… anti Blake shotgun shell?"

Kate grinned again.

"Yes… a blend of Tuna… and a rope.  I think it will work wonders!"  Kate sent back.

"But I am tired so I will tell you about it in the morning!  Night!"

She really didn’t have the energy to get into a full blown text battle with Yang so she quickly put her scroll away once she reached her room.  Despite the nearly instant buzzing the Brawler likely sent her way. 

Before long she was ready for bed having gotten into night clothes and laid herself down for a the night.  She was asleep basically instantly.

***Pyrrha's Room***

The two arrived in the room and it felt like in the minutes it took them to traverse the short distance… about 4 hours passed for them.  Jet lag was really starting to kick into high gear.  None the less, they were both very pleased with the day as a whole.

He met her family.  They seemed to accept him… he had a sinking feeling that Mr. Nikos was going do something abnormal at some point.  He just … felt the protective father had something up his sleeve he was saving till the board was ready for it.  When that was… or what that card was ultimately Jaune didn’t know.

He however was intelligent enough to realize he could do nothing about that at present, and decided to focus on the here and now.

Well… here and now he was in his night clothes in Pyrrha's bed, with the aforementioned girl also in her night clothes cuddling up against him. 

He thought he had gotten used to seeing Pyrrha in Mistral clothing… well just as his mind started to accept her in the warrior style toga she wore… her saw her in her night clothes.   Basically… he was unsure if his mind would ever work right again.

She somehow… like always seemed to pick up on how nervous he was and as usual had words of wisdom for him.

"Jaune just… relax.  I know it is a great deal to take in… but for what it's worth.  I don't think I have ever enjoyed being home more than I have today."  She stated honestly as they lay together in bed.

He just kept stroking her back as he rested trying to calm his mind.

Pyrrha evidently felt the need to talk more.

"I have slept in this bed for years… and it never really felt like mine.  It was always too big… too… cold.  I don’t feel like that anymore with you."  She claimed.

"I didn't realize I had that effect on you to be honest."  He joked.

She smiled happily "Well… you do.   I don't know how but you do.  Thank you again for agreeing to come here."

She repositioned herself on his chest much more fully than she ever really has before.  He didn’t really feel a need to question it but he did sense a change in her which was subtle yet absolutely had a real world impact.

She was always smiling.  She was always happy. 

He loved seeing her smile… even if that same smile sometimes made it hard for him to think.

"Say Pyr… I have a question.  It is rather off topic but I am curious."  He said.

She rotated her head to look at him before she spoke.  In the dark room he really couldn’t see her, but for some reason her vivid green eyes were gorgeous as always and completely clear in the darkness.

"Anything."  She cued simply.

He started stroking her back again to another hum from her before asking his question.

"Mistralian.  I have not heard Mistralian.  You have your own language, you obviously know it.  Yet nobody we encountered speaks it.  Why?"  He asked.

She blinked a few times as she thought best to answer.

"Mistral people… are very proud individuals.  But… it comes down to the fact that we are trying to be more attractive to outsiders.  Our people are struggling Jaune.  I was one of the few who managed to get out of the poor cycle.  Just one Mistral Tournament victory is enough to make any family wealthy for decades.  I won multiple times, earned more than I could ever spend in a dozen lifetimes and people still criticize me for getting out.  They expected me to stay in and just keep winning out of greed."

She kissed his chest before speaking on.

"In time I guess… people have opened up to other ways of thinking.  In your home if you struggle there are several ways to make yourself at least stable.  You have mining, service in the military, learning a trade of craftsmanship.  People can get by even if they aren't the exceptional of the bunch.  Yet here… most of what we make in terms of money is done through tournaments.  If you aren't good enough to place high in tournaments your only other option is fishing.  Which… well is not really the most stable business to be in."

She took a breath in contemplation.

"I mean I guess I could go on but… we speak Common out of trying to fit in.  You will find places where Mistrali is still spoken, but it is rare.  Why do you ask?  Did you want to learn it?"  She asked… probably to try and change the subject.

He kissed her forehead "I wouldn't mind it.  At least the next time you curse in Mistrali I would understand what you said."  He joked.

She smiled radiantly as she settled down again to rest.  "Then… I will help teach you over the summer.  I could probably have some books for you to read brought out as well.  For now though lets sleep.  I'm, anxious to get back to our exercise schedule, alright?"  She asked.

"Of course."  He responded settling back into his pillow.

Minutes later both were blissfully asleep in Mistral… enjoying the true first day of their summer.

***Outside the door***

Yet… not all was peaceful…

"We did say that we had nothing planned for tomorrow…."  Tyra claimed softly.

"That doesn't mean we don’t have something planned for TONIGHT."  Cara stated equally quiet.

"Is the package prepared?"  Ava asked.

An inspection of their luggage and the state of its being at present resulted in a nod from the 3 girls.

"Ok… let's see how this pays him back for the Green Goo!"  They said in unison.

Yes… the first day of summer had truly began.

**A/N**

**So first, I Am sorry for the delay in this chapter.  I was ill for a week and basically could not write.  Turns out being ill slows things down.  Sorry about that.  Hopefully I will get back to more routinely prepared updates now.**

**WARNING*****

**I have made the decision obviously to change the rating to M.  With that comes more adult "Canon Smut" sections which I have always intended to be in the main story.  However I planned on putting them in the bonus chapter section when I began writing this.  In hindsight I believe that was a poor decision.  If something happens in the story… It needs to be in the story.**

**And as such things will be going forward.  I confess I feel silly that I will be having Mature rated content in my Mature rated story… but I will give an advance notice and skipping points for those of you who do not wish to read that type of content.**

**I hope the summer is proving entertaining thus far and I hope it continues to be an engaging read going forward.  I only wanted 3 chapters in the summer when I was theory crafting this months ago and well… 3 chapters in I do not see an end to the summer in sight without a telescope.  So I hope people enjoy it as it is becoming clear I have to devote more time to the summer than I initially figured.**

**In any case Thank you again for reading.**

**As always please Kudos/Comment/Fav/Follow/Review/Email or IM me your feedback as I am ever eager to hear peoples thoughts on the story.**

**In the meantime thank you for your time, I and I will see you next chapter.**

**-Sean.**


	29. Y3 Summer: Organized Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day one of their summer vacation. What could possibly happen?

3.4

All was quiet in the Nikos residence.   The sun had set behind the horizon and the temperature finally cooled down to more tolerable levels.  It was the time for sleeping, relaxation, the recharging of one's batteries and-

"SHHH Quiet!"  Cara demanded whispering to her conspirators.

"Oh! Sorry!  I was just-"  Tyra began to nervously ramble a bit…..

… And was silenced by the combined glare of her friends.

Cara knew exactly what she was doing despite how she must look to an outsider right now… that is if any outsider could witness this.  She no longer randomly fell when using her semblance anymore but that didn’t mean she could bump into the odd chandelier or drop her cargo.  It was her semblance which let her move without the rocks which would otherwise have been present in the act, that point is the backbone of the current scheme.

There were few things sacred in the endless prank war that she and her brother were embattled in.  She self admittedly was at risk of crossing one of those barriers with this act.  Then again… testing boundaries is expected of them… might as well include pranks to that list.

"I still think you look ridiculous."  Tyra stated.

"You are welcome to trade jobs with me if you like."  Cara stated with an amused grin.

"That’s just silly I don’t have your semb-"

"Tyra!  Shh!"  Cara repeated mouthing the word 'PLEASE!'.

Tyra looked more than a little embarrassed and nodded crouching once down again to move as quietly as possible.

Her focus seemed to be better.

Now that the distraction was dealt with they could get back to their task.

Ava lead the way through the house.  Unlike most Faunus who were friendly towards humans, Ava had basically completely bought into her Dog Faunus nature in many aspects.  Made all the more prevalent with her position as a student at Sanctum, her desire to become a Huntress, and finally combined with her semblance.

There were very few things that she could not track not even considering her semblance.  Her senses were almost always up to the task.

Ava made a motion of her hand advising the trio to keep moving.

Cara… from her position standing on the ceiling followed along keeping her package secure dangling in the air.  She might have changed out of her Mistralian Toga… but eh, nobody 'awake' at present would hold it against her.  Needless to say she is glad she wore casual underwear today than normal.

Ava crouched down and went into her 'listeners mode'.  She didn’t stay stationary long.

"They aren't in the living room."  She said confidently as she opened the door leading down to 'Pyrrha's Floor'.

Speaking of faux pas… Pyrrha might hold it against her herself for the trespass.  None the less in the end this is a joke on Conner, as long as that’s how it is received Cara was confident her sister wouldn’t object too much…

How the guests sharing the space would react she had no idea, but from what she knew of Katherine… well she wouldn’t freak out.  Jaune?  Who knows.

None the less the trio of girls continued to tread lightly as possible so as to not wake her luggage… that would be bad.

Ava held the door ajar and allowed Cara in followed by the abnormally careful form of Tyra.  The last thing she wanted to do is trip, fall and cause a ruckus… but there was no way she would miss this prank being put into action.

Cara had to really stretch her leg to bend from the ceiling through the doorway arch to once again anchor herself on the ceiling of the inner passage.

"Cara really you could at least have worn leggings or something."  Tyra admonished really trying not to stare.

Cara just grunted.

"Shh!  Quiet please… I am trying to listen I cannot do that with you people making noise right next to me."  Ava demanded.

Her fellow pranksters once again went silent.

She finally started to move carefully down to the guest bedrooms door where she put her ear on the door attempting to listen.

The doorway was shorter and as such Cara had to be more careful with her luggage.

"Ok she is sleeping, be quick and let's get outa here."  Ava instructed.

"You are completely sure?"  Cara asked getting ready for that crucial last leg of the plan.

She absolutely trusted Ava's judgment on the matter, but she still felt she had to ask the question.

Ava nodded patiently.

"Yes… I am sure."  She stated as she opened the final inner door.

33 seconds of tense movement later, the deed was done.  The door was closed and the trio made a quick if still quiet exit out of the lower level.  Flipping down from her position on the ceiling to the floor Cara gave a high five to each of her partners on a job well done.

"Ball is once again in his court… hopefully that sets the bar higher than he can top."  Cara bragged as the three friends moved back to their rooms.

***That night Parents room***

Phaera had trouble sleeping that night.  Part of her 'mom' senses just kept firing off and she couldn’t help think that some shenanigans were afoot tonight.  None the less… unless she wanted to search the entire house to possibly not even find the guilty party she might as well get some sleep to be well rested.

…

She could always pull Cara aside in the morning… she is normally the one to blame for this feeling going off.

With a sigh, she had to accept that she had changed.  5 years ago this type of constant behavior drove her mad.  Now… it was just an annoyance.  As long as it didn’t bother their guests… that would be where the line was drawn to her mind. 

She never accomplished the type of acclaim that Pyrrha did, her middle child was something which caused her equal parts pride, and sorrow.  She recalled being highly uncomfortable with the idea of giving up her career to help raise a family.  Though it did generally work out in the end, she always regretted not utilizing more of her education and training from most of her life's work.

To say she was trying to live a bit through her children would have been a fair thing to say.   Being a parent like most things she found had its ups and downs. 

Right now… things were looking up.

In truth… she could not remember feeling happier in a long while.  She worried for so long about her middle child that at times the pressures she was put under would prove to be more than which could be handled.  Especially by one so young.  Pyrrha had a very rough time throughout her stay at Sanctum.  She knew firsthand how exceptional her daughter is and did not need any proof that she absolutely outclassed her fellow students at the school.  The quality of her fighting education paired with her inborn talent and fighting instincts proved a challenge more than any student could handle in a competitive sense.  She would often come home on breaks depressed and very unhappy to the point it was starting to bleed into her physical appearance.  4 years of this was not easy to witness for the entire Nikos family.

She watched as Pyrrha went off to Beacon with an empty smile and a promise of happiness nobody really believed.   Phaera remembered it clearly as if it was yesterday. 

'It is a new area a new school with new people!  It has to be different!'  Her daughter declared with one of her adorable smiles.

She had prayed to every entity she could name that her daughter find happiness at that institution.  Another 4 years of solitude would have been horrible to watch her endure given her optimism.

Her daughter ended up providing for her family in a way that nobody that young ever should.  She maintained a positive outlook and spoke correctly despite the attention on her or the pressures to continue to perform.  None of it ever seemed to shake her.  The foundation might have been crumbling a bit from the strain on the inside, but Pyrrha deserved some happiness in her life.

From the first moment she had heard about the blond boy 'Jaune Arc'…  She almost thought Pyrrha had made him up.  Some ploy to keep her worried parents happy as she struggled with isolation yet again.

Those fears were very quickly put to rest as she heard more about the object of her daughters attention.  It was not easy hearing her describe his life, as she listened about what the boy had endured in his life.  Being ostracized by his family as a failure, contending with what was thought to be a weak heart only later to be proven something much more nefarious.  Finally ending up with his entry into beacon regardless of being untrained at the time…

She paused at that memory.  Her daughter took it upon herself to help her first real friend in a way that no other student really would have been able to do.  She did not understand at the time that it was a matter of helping him, help her.

Phaera initially was incensed that an untrained boy was partnered with her daughter.  To the point she considered writing the headmaster and calling for the injustice to be immediately corrected.  Pyrrha deserved a fully qualified student as her partner not …. whatever stunt resulted in the untrained boy becoming a student.  Surely any trained and qualified individual would be a better more appropriate fit than allowing somebody who had no business being at the school in the first place.

Looking back now it was an incredibly selfish and pointless thing to think.  She was possibly more relieved than ever in her life that she ignored those feelings and listened to her daughter's wishes.

Take away EVERYTHING else about Jaune Arc and she ultimately decided one thing soon in getting to know him.  He has done what no other man woman or child has been able to do, that one fact alone made her very grateful.

He made her daughter happy.  He made her smile.  He made her laugh.

Not even counting everything else, that solidified it in her mind.  If her daughter was interested in Jaune Arc, he need not prove himself in her eyes.

Add everything else back that she had learned…

1) His emerging talent in battle;

2) His obvious ability as a Leader;

3) His family history and the fact that those relationships are being repaired;

Really she could name more… but she could stop at the first point.  Jaune Arc made her socially isolated and extremely lonely daughter happy.  Hearing her speak now with the words 'my friends' is something once thought so impossible it almost seems like a dream now. 

Going on to another issue… he is obviously devoted to her in a way that she would wish any woman seeking a mate.  Basically Pyrrha, she hoped, would have found that person she had prayed she would find.

None of that really stopped her husband from having the intention of which he had displayed previously.  He had done this routine to many individuals over the years and he would do the same for Pyrrha.  The fact she was dating a Duke basically didn’t even register with him.

She currently lay on her husband's chest in a way similar … she understood… to Pyrrha's favorite spot on Jaune's chest.  Her daughter was so happy in advising her family that the Arc twins will be staying with her for the summer that she just talked and talked and talked like she so rarely did.  They covered more topics than the Spartan likely even remembers… but she didn’t think her daughter ever sounded more happy to her ears than in those moments.

Luke might proverbially tower over her but that didn’t change a thing for why she liked this spot.  Though she had to admit the mental image is much more natural to her when it came to Jaune and Pyrrha, they were much closer in terms of height after all. 

"You still up?"  Luke asked quietly.

Phaera opened her eyes.  She suspected he was awake… but was happy in quiet contemplation none the less:

"Mhmm."  She answered simply.

"I'm sorry about the video… I probably should have told you when it happened."  He confessed.

Phaera considered for a moment.

"I am really not that upset by it.  I mean it’s a funny video at least and the more than 100,000 people saw it before I did evidently agree."  She quipped.

"Hey I am serious."  He objected.

She blinked her eyes in a very long and slow manner becoming much more serious.

"Luke…"

He gulped… cautiously.

"… What do you really want to talk about?  I know it cannot be that silly video."  She claimed.

He grunted but settled back down into the pillow before speaking.

"You think I shouldn't test our visitor."  He stated.

In truth it was not a question.

Phaera reluctantly turned on a lamp so there could be no mistaking her meaning.  The mother really couldn’t shy away from the topic… they had danced around it for days now.  The time evidently had come to set the matter square.

Her action if anything brought him to full attention too despite the time.

"Honey, I know you mean well.  But just remember who you are testing.  This is a man who jumped out of a flying transport to rescue a wounded teammate.  Never mind everything else he has overcome.  I think you are being more than a bit stubborn in insisting to test him.  Are you really willing to risk driving him away from Pyrrha just because you feel obligated?"

He looked a bit conflicted as he responded.

"That isn't fair and you know it.  I am not trying to drive them apart."  He objected.

"Luke… you know that Pyrrha is one of the few sore spots he has in his life.  If you give him your normal routine you are going to hit him right where he is most vulnerable.  Pyrrha has been very upfront about that."  She stated pointedly.

He took a deep breath before sitting up to talk to his wife.

"So what… Don't question him at all?"  He asked.

"Honey he would give his life for Pyrrha without a second thought.  Are you really going to question the devotion of such a man?"  She countered.

"There is a difference in giving his death for somebody and giving his life for somebody…"  His comment was more an automatic reaction…

He sighed… a heated argument does nobody any good now.

Luke didn’t feel like spending a great deal of time debating this.  It was late and he was tired.  He doubted he could change her mind so he decided to jump to the heart of the matter.

"Suppose I say no, that I still want to test him.  Where does that leave us?"  He queried.

"Luke… we have been married for a long time.  I have never told you that you cannot do what you feel you must.  Just remember… This man is NOT from Mistral.  He will not have the tolerance for open challenges and public affairs we do.  You are hitting him in a vulnerable spot that nobody ever has targeted before.  You DO remember what Pyrrha told us right?  She knew you would want to do this after all."

She sounded very insistent.

Luke could have spent more time thinking about his response than he needed too.  He didn’t… she had already mentioned this point not a scant few moments prior.

"… She has said several things about her boyfriend."  He claimed.

His wife shook her head confidently.

"Don't be deliberately coy Luke.  You KNOW what I am talking about."  She demanded.

He sighed tiredly.

"He's never felt worthy of her."  He claimed.

"Exactly.  Ignore for a moment that he has the exact attitude you have told me for years you want a boyfriend of your girls to have.  You have to know if you do your normal rhetoric I doubt he will try to fight those feelings.  He doesn't want to put Pyrrha in a position where she has to choose between him, and her family.  I feel he would much rather lose her as a girlfriend then lose her respect as a person.  I would bet you that much."  She boasted confidently.

He rose an eyebrow.

"You bet me?  What exactly do you bet?"

Phaera smiled triumphantly… this was exactly what she wanted.  Her smile grew as she declared her wager.

"I bet you that I know exactly how he will respond… if you go about it in a less confrontational manner.  These are the terms of my wager.  First, you will have a camera to record it as proof to backup any claim that it is a test.  That the purpose of the event is not the goal of breaking them apart.  Second, you will be respectful with your challenge and keep it civil.  Finally you test him ONE time.  He is intelligent but he also is a bit lacking in confidence.  If you continually try to grind him down odds are he will think her family dislikes him.  He would be more likely to react poorly to your antics.  If you do all of that, I guarantee you he will be the first person to ace your test, not just survive it."  She claimed with total unforced confidence.

He grinned amused.

"You seem sure of that… so what is your wager specifically?  What exactly am I wagering anyway?"  He stated casually.

She just turned off the lamp as she said "I am sure we will figure something out… do we have a deal?"

She gently pushed him back down to settle in for the night as she waited on his reply.

"OK.  I will agree to your wager.  For Pyrrha's sake… I will go easy on the kid."  He finally agreed.

His wife smiled and kissed his cheek.  Part of her felt odd for having done that… another part of her was determined to give her daughter as much control as possible in her life.  Luke would deny it, but he did scare several potential dates away from his daughters in the past.  If that happened here with Jaune… Pyrrha would probably never speak to them again in the worst case scenario.  In the best case scenario she would throw away her family to stay with the man who makes her happy.  Neither situation is something she wanted to see happen as a mother.  Hopefully this will satisfy all parties and keep the spirit of what Luke tries to do intact.  Looking after his kids is a honorable trait, but thinking anybody beyond than Pyrrha needed to deem a mate an acceptable fit would be beyond silly.

This time… she hoped to convince him of that.  If Jaune proved her right like she believed he would, it would get actions set into motion to accomplish that.

Hopefully… things will work well over the next week.  When he intended to test Jaune she didn’t know, but she at least now was somewhat confident in a positive outcome.

***The Next Morning***

Conner Nikos liked to think of himself as a typical nice guy.  He worked reasonably hard and practiced to improve.  He certainly had the scars and bruises to prove it.

Conner did not expect his birth mate to share his goal of being a Hunter, however it was encouraging to always have somebody he could rely on when he needed the help.  They had done a great deal of mutual assistance over the course of their combat school careers… When they weren't trying to kill each other in their off hours anyway.

Having Pyrrha Nikos as an older sister was a daunting thing to be compared to on a constant and regular basis.  He knew how exceptional his sister was.  Being in her shadow is not an easy place to be.  However… as he had rationalized it to himself;

Just about everybody at Sanctum was in her shadow in a way.  He did not share her blessings, he was well aware of that.  Yet he just like her, is doing what he wanted to do in his life.  He got approved to enter Sanctum, the same school she attended.  He thus far is keeping up with his studies and his combat courses.  They knew going in that it would not be easy and they would have to spend a great deal of time outside of class to keep on par with others in their class.  That prediction has proven true.

Anyway his classroom performance aside he did get along with Cara… when they weren't trying to prank each other into the stone age.  He thought the green goo idea was a stroke of genius in terms of a scheme.  Take some air, water and earth dust.  Mix it together with water until it is a nice gelatinous consistency, then add that final special sauce…. glue.

It was suppose to be a splendid idea… hit his sister and scare her friends.  He did not anticipate Ava pushing Cara down by way of shielding her.

In a way it was her own fault!!

No… that just wouldn’t fly far with the others…

Anyway…

Conner thought he was a good enough kid.  He worked, he kept to himself and tried to be a supportive team player.

At some point he realized like so many people do: 

_I seem to be sleeping…_

As he worked his way back to awareness that morning in his typical slow groggy manner.

_Well… I do kinda feel sorry about Ava's ears…  Maybe I will apologize to her today?_

_Nah too sudden…_

_Next week?_

_Yeah that seems more likely.  Let her cool off a bit so she isn't so likely to attack me on sight and apologize sometime when I can get her alone.  I certainly wouldn’t want to apologize with Tyra or even worse Cara around.  They would never let me hear the end of it._

He moved around slightly trying to get more comfortable.

_I did make it to my bed last night right?  Why does my head feel like its resting on…. stone?_

He moved his arm out of the covers and put his hand on the floor.

_Ok… yeah that is stone… did I fall off the bed?!_

He opened his eyes and rotated to his back to look at the floor.  Yeah… stone.

_Ugh… Musta been restless or something… I felt as though I was moving around in my sleep last night but I didn’t realize I literally fell off the bed and slept through it.  I was really tired I guess..._

_Might have been the arrival of Pyrrha's friends though… I cannot believe I stared at Katherine like that.  Talk about embarrassing.  It's like putting a sign above my head for Cara to just tear into next.  I should definitely apologize for tha-_

"YAAAAWWWWWNNNNNNNNN"

_!!!??_

_That wasn't me!  I definitely didn't yawn!  Who what… Where?!_

He pitched his head upwards to the ceiling.

_Ok what is going on!?  Did Cara remove my posters and pictures!?  If she did I swear I will do … something…. horrible….._

_Oh gods above…_

_I am not in my room._

Indeed things were not going well for Conner Nikos…  He quickly … if silently as possible shuffled over to a corner of the room attempting to stay out of sight using the bed sheet he was carried in for some modest protection.

_Please please please just wake up get dressed and LEAVE!  You always work out in the morning hurry up I think Pyrrha is calling for you!!  Maybe that’s just my stomach…_

***Kate POV***

With a loud yawn Katherine sat up in her very large bed.  Her yawn drew on for several seconds the latter part of which had her bending her back with her arms extended outwards in a light stretch.

_Wow.. I slept really well last night.  I must really have needed that.  Hopefully …. where the hell are the clocks in this house?  I don’t know what time it is!  Ugh._

_OH well the Twin senses tell me Jaune is still sleeping.. so it must not be all that late._

Kate soon decided she might as well get out of bed for a shower.  It was a little known fact that probably nobody really knew… though Jaune might have figured it out at some point in his life.

Kate… when she had the luxury of privacy, tended to sleep in the nude.  It always felt more natural to her and given that she had her first private room in years…. couldn’t help but allow herself to sleep as she normally preferred.

***Conner POV***

_Bad stomach quiet down you CANNOT be that HUNGRY!!_

Conner was not unable to think on his feet in most cases… at this moment his mind came to a conclusion very quickly about his circumstances.

_DON’T BREATH DON’T BREATH DON’T BREATH!!!_

He quickly had to reevaluate his stance on that.

_Ok breath…. but for the love of god do NOT make a sound ( looking at you stomach! )… she CANNOT know you are here!_

However despite having a rather set goal… Conner was after all male about 16 years old… some things happen without any real conscious thought.

_Steady!!!!  Calm!!!  You will get through this… you are just trapped in a room with an incredibly hot girl walking around…_

Kate appeared briefly in his field of vision before moving back the other way.

_Correction… an incredibly hot NAKED girl walking around just on the other side of the bed!  I'd say this is awesome if I wasn't about to be KILLED in a spectacularly horrific fashion!  Really they could probably line up for the task!  Kate herself, my Mom, My Dad, Her brother or Pyrrha!_

_Please do not see me!_

***Kate POV***

Kate had moved back and forth along her right side of her bed doing a thorough scan of the room trying to find a clock.  Not finding one she gave a light shrug and moved over to her countertop.  Doing some light stretches as she moved.

Once she got to the counter she continued to work through various stretches and more or less just tried to wake up.

Touching her toes, stretching her back and shoulders… various everyday things to stay limber.

Kate liked to think she was quite stealthy… it was just something natural to her.  She also knew that not everybody had that trait.

She at first thought the beady eyes trying to hide under a bed linen confined to a corner of the room was a figment of her imagination.  It took her more than a dozen blinks before she realized…

_Nope… not imagining it… either that cloth is alive… or I am clearly still asleep._

At this point Kate had no idea who the mystery person was… but figured it ultimately didn’t matter.

She just gave a warm smile and a playful wave to the mystery person in the mirror and more or less ignored their presence.

The eyes blinked a dozen times before they appeared glued on her figure in the mirror.

"There's no point to hiding I already know you are there."  Kate worded playfully.

***Conner POV***

Conner's heart nearly gave out at the smile and wave alone…

When she spoke to him he was quite sure his mind was blue screen of death rebooting.

_Ok Conner… THINK!  This cannot possibly get any worse… Just sit back and enjoy the view she clearly doesn’t mind…_

He really wanted to play this off in a suave and confident manner but that… well it just was not him.

_Oh well I can just get up… apologize, walk back to my room and pretend this never happened…_

It was then he noticed… or possibly remember another problem….

_Oh right… I tend to sleep naked too…_

_@$%_@$U &% #@$_% $^@&U$% ^@$%#!@*$_

His mind continued to curse to the point he was visibly throwing a temper tantrum on the outside.

"Didn’t think you were the shy type… at least not this much."  Kate prompted one again wearing a sly grin.

It was with a rather violent shake of his head he finally managed to formulate a full thought.

"Sorry!  I just… Uh… Well I have no idea… never mind I know how I got here but I didn’t… I mean I wouldn’t!  I uh… can I start over?"  He claimed.

"Tell you what… sure!"  She answered appearing amused giving him a thumbs up via the mirror.

_Don’t look down… don’t stare at her butt… or her chest… just.. YES!… NO wait BAD idea!  Don’t keep your eyes shut that would look ridiculous… AAGH Why is it so hard to just be normal around girls!! AGH!_

"Conner?"  She prompted.

"Sorry uh yeah… I think this is a prank… I will uh… just … leave now.  Kindly don't mention this to my mom… or… well anybody… please!?"  He coiled his cloth linen around his body protectively as he tried to move towards the door to safety.

He moved rather hurriedly at the prospect of surviving the encounter with his life… much less his dignity intact… such that he didn’t notice the last really nail point of the prank.

His bed linen was not free… it was glued to the ground.

"So yeah again Sorry for this I will just be-"  His cloth hit the end of the line and was rather awkwardly yanked from his grip.

His entire body probably went beat red out of embarrassment as he noted Kate was still following him in the mirror.

_I am going to kill my sister… I have no idea how but I WILL NOT LET THIS STAND!_

Kate gave a slight shrug and spoke on "Eh you don’t have to get embarrassed it isn't the worst I've ever seen."

***Across the hall***

Pyrrha woke up before Jaune did and contrary to most of the times they had a morning workout planned… did not feel the need to get started at the earliest possible opportunity.  This was the summer break after all, nothing says they cannot sleep in occasionally.

That… and she loved just resting her body against without a need for hurrying.  She could not explain this if anybody dared her too… but his breathing and heart beat were like magic to her.  Entertaining her in a way she could never-

BAM! "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

_What in the name of!?_

Pyrrha was off her boyfriend in a hot second and blasted open the doors to her room.

Greeting her was the sight of her brother in a questionable state of dress literally zooming faster than she would have thought possible for him up the stairs and out of sight.  A bit to the right she caught sight of …. a very Undressed Katherine with a look of amused confusion on her face.

"What happened?"  She asked Kate across the hall quietly so as to not wake Jaune.

Kate shrugged "Eh some family prank I think… he woke up in this room."  She claimed nonchalantly.

_… My brother, was in HER room, on MY level… wait he saw her naked and she … just… shrugs it off?_

"Pyrrha relax it isn't like he had a choice in the matter."  She shrugged again and shut the door… probably to get ready for their morning workout.

Pyrrha did the same and thought furiously for what she would tell Jaune…

_Hey Jaune!  Don't hold it against him but Conner totally saw Kate naked!  I mean it's kind of fair right?  I mean she saw him naked too!_

_Yeah… that wouldn’t fly with him… Agh I don’t know what to say!_

_Maybe I don’t need to tell him anything at all?_

"Ok… "  He stated groggily and still obviously partially asleep.

"What did I miss?  I definitely heard a girly scream just now."  He stated with a yawn.

_Oh dear… this just got a wee bit more complex._

***Later after their workout***

"1 Day… you could not go 1 day without having somebody seeing you naked…"  Jaune grumbled as he moved with his teammates towards their destination.

Kate just laughed… Pyrrha tried too.

Hopefully her siblings actions wouldn’t become a wedge between the two males.

Their morning had gone much in the same manner most mornings did.  A very tough and strenuous time consuming ordeal where they were all left sweaty and extremely tired following the workout. 

The Beacon students caught sight of the younger folk on the island on more than one occasion.  Conner ( now clothed ) did his best to avoid both the female duo and the older students while doing a morning routine of himself. 

Conner, Cara and Ava all did something in the morning.  However they both started after and finished before the Beacon teammates did.  In fact they seemed to observe the final half hour of what they did in less awe found from the prior night… more replaced with grudging respect.

None the less it was after their showers that they all decided to head down to one of the outside lounge areas.  A cook top grill was found already alight and ready to cook some breakfast.

"Jaune I am sure my brother will apologize I doubt he meant to do it."  Pyrrha pleaded.

"Really Pyrrha he isn't the one who needs to apologize.  He just did what almost any guy would do in that situation."  Katherine stated amused.

Jaune grunted.

"Yes I know… I just find it odd it happened so quickly.  You really did tell your parents 'Everything-Everything'  I have to wonder what they passed on to the rest of the family."  He wondered.

Pyrrha nodded both shyly and happily… where as Kate just shrugged.

Victoria evidently knew where the food was to be found and was already found on a lounge chair under an umbrella enjoying a book.

"You said it was a small cook out area Pyrrha… you might have mentioned the pool."  Jaune observed.

Pyrrha hopped lightly "Oh I'm sorry!  I just… well I figured that could be a surprise."  She smiled happily in that innocent and adorable way she normally did when apologizing.

"Well… in any case I am hungry… what's for breakfast?"  Kate asked.

"That… we were hoping you would answer.  We have heard you two are good chefs… we hoped you would show us something we haven't had before."  Victoria answered not looking away from her book.

Behind her the rest of the Nikos family along with Ava and Tyra slowly gravitating towards the area.

"Where would we find the materials or foods to cook with?"  Jaune wondered out loud.

Victoria pointed towards a downward staircase nearby without speaking.

Jaune and Kate looked at each other and decided to move towards the storage area nearby to check what is available.  Pyrrha sat down next to her elder sister as the two Arc's moved away.

"You were not exaggerating that I must say Pyrrha.  It is a bit unnerving how they can do that and not speak.  Not even Cara and Conner can do that."  The elder one observed.

Pyrrha frowned.

"Eh… I suspect that is because they are always trying to one up each other.  At some point they will learn to listen.  I believe that having seen what Jaune and Katherine can do."

She noticed off to the side Conner literally tried to glare a sunburn on the back of his twins head.

"Probably will not happen for awhile though…"  She admitted.

More of the family moved towards the pool area to wait.  She noticed… an odd smile on her moms face and a silly grin on her dads.   Not sure what would cause that.

Oh well.

Jaune soon emerged from the lower storage area with his scroll out.

"Hey Jaune is there a prob-"  Pyrrha started.

He held out an arm with a raised palm to try and quiet her.

"Is that better Mom?"  He asked.

"Yes much better…  I have a few things to tell you… are you alone?"  His mother's voice broadcast through the area.

Pyrrha was instantly a bit alarmed.

Jaune looked a touch conflicted as he answered.

"Well… Pyrrha and her family is nearby along with a few friends.  Kate is out of earshot… why?"  He queried.

His mother sighed before speaking on "It is state business… if you choose to tell them that is fine with me.  But I would like to only tell you this, if I could."  She insisted.

Jaune nodded to the image and made to move away.

Ava started to follow off behind her… only to be caught by Mrs. Nikos.

"Not this time Ava… be respectful of their wishes please."  She asked.

Ava frowned…. but nodded.  The trio of girls moved to the back of the swimming pool area and sat down.

"Any idea what would require privacy Pyrrha?"  Her mom asked moving closer to her elder children.

Pyrrha shook her head.

"Well… to be honest it could be a great deal of things Mom… it was not long ago their territory was attacked and they had the White Fang incident just a week ago.  They might have found his dad… really take your pick."  She stated.

That would be a cause for celebration, finally capturing that sick man.

Kate appeared moving up the stairs with a handful of materials.

"Kate what's up with your brother?"  Mom asked.

Kate sat the stuff down on the cook top as she answered.

"Well… I don't know to be honest.  He said he would tell me later and  I have no reason not to trust him."  She claimed with a shrug.

Pyrrha nodded as did her mom.  Dad just sat down looking concerned.

"What all do you have Kate?"  He asked.

Kate smiled sinisterly.

"The recipe for something I call 'Delicious'…"  She answered.

Dad just raised an eyebrow.

"That would be a Cadian shorthand term for being unable to pronounce the root descriptor… in otherwise you cannot say it's true name… right?"  Victoria stated flatly.

Kate froze… and after a second spun with a light smile on her face.

"Firstly… Yes that is a habit of my home.  Second… I can pronounce its name… that being Quiche.  Thirdly… I just think Delicious fits more than… Quiche."  She claimed counting off fingers on her hand.

Victoria shrugged in her non caring way.

"So… again question remains… what do you have there?"  Luke asked again.

Kate turned to him and decided on staying coy.

"The contents for breakfast!"  She smiled again.

Luke just smiled back and let her do her thing… he could count off what she brought out anyway.

Crab meat… Cheese, eggs, vegetables… several others…

Huh… she is going to make something unique that is for sure.

***On the Beach with Jaune***

Jaune did not like keeping things from his sister or girlfriend and fully meant to keep his word in telling them if they asked or needed to know.  Regardless… he wanted to keep his promise to his mom.

"Ok Mom I am alone… unless there are any invisible and silent Bullheads in the air anyway."  He joked.

Mom looked amused… and spoke on.

"Jaune… I just had a few things to share.  None of it is private… but I still wanted to give you the option to share them."  She claimed.

"Well I can appreciate that… I will tell at least Kate and Pyrrha if not the others.  You know that right?"  He stated plainly.

She nodded "Yes, I understand that.  None the less… these images are not for the faint of heart."  She claimed.

"Images?"  He prodded.

She nodded sadly.  "First I guess the less heavy news.  Patricia and Lissette arrived home and have decided to help stabilize the area for while.  It is always a good thing to have more of our family at home.  I have started to give Miyas some lessons… I think she wants to try and become a Huntress… I cannot really find a reason to dissuade her.  She deserves a chance to make her own path but for now… well she needs some instruction first."

All of that was really… kinda 'not-bad' news…

"Ok Mom so what is the cause for concern?"  He asked.

She cleared her throat and looked sad.

"Jaune… look over these images."  She pushed a button on her scroll… and several images popped up on his starting with a video.

The video was that of a helmet-cam of a pilot showing a very familiar scene.  The mining village he had recently visited.

More than once in the broadcast the man panned his head left… or right.  Showing a full flight of craft, probably numbering in the dozens.  All of them bearing the Cadian symbol with obvious personal dressed for a conflict.  The crafts never sat down unfortunately. 

The village was on fire… bodies of literally hundreds of people were littering the ground. 

The odd part?  They were all in White Fang uniforms.

He knew first hand that many of their number died to the Grimm… some to his team or his rescuers.  That was a paltry figure compared to what he was seeing.  It was like the entire White Fang force involved in the operation was slain.

The video played for probably as long as 15 minutes.  The pilot in question kept to a circular pattern in the air observing several ships landing and unloading a team to do various assignments around the area.  Both the main and alternative exit to the mine was sealed to prevent any other Grimm that may yet emerge. 

Long before any of that force likely expected to return… the entire flight was headed back home.  Without a single round fired or live enemy spotted.

The video cut out.

"What that video does not show is that one bullhead and her team stayed behind to try to identify the White Fang supporters who died, to burn the bodies and search the area for any clues we might find."  Mom advised.

Jaune nodded sadly "Seems hard… I wonder what killed them all?"  He asked.

Mom's gaze went from unease… to dark.

"Jaune… think about it for a moment… I bet you can figure out what happened if you focus on it."  She instructed.

Jaune sighed but closed his eyes…

Well there is the logistic problem of getting the people out of Cadia.  If they did not plan on the cold they could lose several to the elements.  I did destroy the only transport I saw… they could have relied on that for supplies. 

He pulled up the pictures he was sent and observed their patterns in their placements…

No… No they were not killed by the elements… they were still AT the mine they were not in the mountains on some unexplored path.  These were not lost to circumstances.  They were literally at or near the mine.  What…

"The Woman in the Dress… She is not among the dead… was she?"  Jaune asked.

His mom shook his head.

"No… she was not."  Mom stated solemnly.  Her look implied she thought he was on the right mental track.

Their bodies… it was like… they were… fighting?  Some were had set their feet and seemed prepared to try and fight.  Others… further back… looked like they were struck from behind.  What in the?

"They were either killed in combat or they died while trying to flee?"  He claimed.

She nodded her head again.

"Yes…  Jaune the running theory we have.  Is that she… whoever this nameless woman is, killed them or ordered them killed.  As in all of them.  Clearly not all willingly submitted to execution as you can see in the pictures.  I suspect any leadership or critical members left… all the grunts were sacrificed."  She looked equal parts sad and angry in the picture.

"Why would she kill her own followers… why-"  He started….

… and saw another picture.  An arm.  A human arm… a right arm more specifically.  Severed just above the elbow.  The snow ran red around the arm… clearly the individual was struck and bled following the wound.  That could mean the wound wasn't fatal…. but… whose arm?

He came to a rather grim conclusion.

"Mom what do you think?"  He asked growing very serious in his face.

Mom crossed her arms and looked at the ground briefly before leaving up towards her scroll again.

"I think… and the military agrees with me on this.  That those White Fang personnel were killed.  Their leadership knew they could not keep a force that large without being discovered and attacked by either our military… or the Atlas forces on the other side of the border.  To prevent them from being questioned… they killed them.  All of them."  She stated seriously.

Jaune didn't like it… the brutality… not in the slightest.

"You think there is more to it than that though?"  He guessed feeling sure.

She nodded again.

"I think this was equal parts convenient and sending a message.  That failure will result in death.  Which of course does not explain the arm.  I am sure you can guess whose arm that likely is?"  Mom asked again in her professor mode.

Jaune gulped… yeah he thought the same thing "That would be dad's arm?"  He guessed.

Once again mom nodded.

"So what The White Fang people get sacrificed and he gets off with an arm?  You think it was done in the crossfire?"  He asked.

Mom shook her head.

"No… I think the overall plan for the event was his.  It obviously failed in its purpose.  However I also feel like he was deemed to still have some use.  Likely involving you… or those near you."  She cautioned.

"So essentially what you are telling me is we suspect more from him in the future… I rather figured we already knew that?"  He asked.

"Yes… but this basically solidifies it for me.  I still do not know what his goals are… but given this information… well I have demanded more nations devote resources and people to finding White Fang supporters before more tragedies happen.  That’s what I wanted you to know."  She looked off screen for a moment while he processed all this info.

He was a bit conflicted.

"Thank you for telling me… was there anything else you wanted to pass on?"  He asked.

She spoke briefly with another off screen for a handful of seconds before looking back.

"No, No that was it.  Take care of yourself.  Love you."  She waved.

"Love you mom."  He stated with his own wave before the call ended.

With a resigned sigh he stowed his scroll and started to move back towards the smell of food.

***Outer cookout area***

From her chair Pyrrha observed her boyfriend start to walk back towards the group appearing troubled.  She was concerned… but she trusted him enough to tell her when she needed to know.  Her immediate concern was breakfast…

Basically Kate knocked it out of the park.

The weird concoction of egg, crab, cheese and vegetables made for an utterly delicious meal.  To the point that by popular demand she made an entire second even larger second pie for the family.

Kate handed Jaune a large piece as he walked by and found a seat.  He started picking at the food and eventually took a bite.

"Very good as always Kate… nice work."  He praised sounding a bit distracted.

She dipped her head politely acknowledging the praise and went back to her meal.

"I always figured nobles never learned to do anything… it is odd encountering two who have some real skills."  Luke stated openly.

The twins shared a glance.

"To be fair with many you would not be wrong.  Our… fathers side of the family acted much the same way as do other families from home.  However our family has always tried to be practical and humble.  I understand our grandmother and beyond cooked for her staff every now and again just to show that despite being a noble she was a human being.  It went a long way in building loyalty with others and our family.  Lead by example is something we have tried to do historically."  Jaune answered humbly with a fair amount of pride as well.

"King!  Like I said."  Tyra stated happily from the side.

Jaune grinned briefly and went back to his breakfast.

Phaera looked a bit conflicted… but asked something on her mind.

"Say… I wanted to ask something Jaune."

Jaune looked up for her to continue.

"Your semblance… I have heard my daughter describe it and I have even see it over video.  But I was curious if you would show me in person?  I would like to see it for myself."  She asked.

"Ohh I wanna see too!"  Cara and Ava both chimed in at the same time.

Jaune grinned again and nodded.  A few second later his semblance emerged with its typical white color dominating the area.

The Nikos' more or less just looked on mesmerized by the living fire covering his body.

"Wow Pyrrha, that is awesome!"  Conner advised.

Jaune of course realized that Pyrrha was under the effects of his semblance… he felt it.  

Oddly enough… so now… was Kate.  A deep but very pretty blue flame was found on her.  In fact it was now he decided to test something.  He knew that while under his semblance they shared some of his thoughts… he thought he would test that.

'Hey… I assume you two can hear this?' Jaune thought

'!!!  Yeah I definitely heard that.'  Kate responded looking around oddly.

'This might take some getting used to… I felt that too.'  Pyrrha confirmed.

Jaune smiled.

'Good… I wanted to test this.  I knew it was possible but any chance to practice… is normally a good thing.'  He passed on.

'Anything specific you want to tell us about the meeting with mom?'  Kate asked through thought.

"What is that like?"  Cara asked oblivious to the sharing of thoughts between the 3 of them.

"Feels… awesome?  I don't know what exactly to say."  Kate admitted with a smile.

"I meant Jaune actually…"  She corrected as she developed a slight blush.

'I will tell you both later… It is rather grim knowledge I don’t want to spoil the mood.'  Jaune answered back.

Jaune let his semblance along with the thought conversation fade and took a bite before answering.

"I am learning more about it every day.  My mom tells me there are things with the semblance she still is trying to master… so every time I can I try to practice with it."  He answered.

Cara looked impatient slightly as she continued "But… what is it like?"

Jaune thought about his answer for several seconds before trying to explain it to her.

"Imagine you are an ant.  When you use your semblance suddenly you view the world like a human would.  You are aware of so much and process so much information it is staggering.  That doesn’t really get into the physical advantages.  It would take me some time to explain.  But the important part is everything it does for me… it can do for my allies if our Aura's have bonded strongly.  When they have… well as you could tell earlier they light up like me." He explained with a wave of his hand before going for a second helping of food.

Conner found a chair and sat down appearing a bit depressed sharing a glance with his twin.

Cara likewise seemed a bit down and found a seat next to Ava.

Mr. and Mrs. Nikos shared a glance.

Pyrrha ironically enough also looked a bit sad.

Kate looked from Pyrrha… to her parents… to her siblings finally back to her friend and asked.

"Is there a problem?"  She blinked a time or two confused.

Phaera looked at Conner and received a nod.

She opened her mouth to speak… but Cara cut her off.

"It… well I do not mean to sound like I am complaining.  But… my brother and I have fought an uphill battle all our lives."  She claimed

"At least when you aren't trying to destroy each other."  Luke claimed from the side.

Cara scowled and continued.

"I can walk on just about any surface I want and redirect gravity.  Conner can fly."  She stated.

Ava frowned like she knew where this was going but held her peace.

Conner picked it up "They say that 'Aura is a reflection of your soul'.  It is like through our semblances we aren't meant to fight.  Yet being a Hunter is what we have always wanted to do." 

He appeared apprehensive on this subject, maybe that’s just the presence of the Arcs making him so.

"We are continually told that our test scores mean we aren't meant for serious combat.  Our semblances are not keyed for battle and ultimately we are wasting our time at Sanctum.  You 3 started well before us this morning and finished long after we had to stop.  It just seems like the world is against us at times."  He concluded.

Jaune knew of their test scores… they are considered more mediocre.  It must not be easy to be branded that way so young and to have it stay with you for your entire life.

"It isn't that we mean to sound jaded.  Cause we knew going in that it wouldn't be easy.  Ava is one of the better fighters in the class.  Conner and I are more middle of the road.  We want to go to Beacon and nobody thinks we will be able to do that.  It is rather difficult to accept that some people are just better than you and nothing you do can change that."  Cara said.

Pyrrha looked sad and just looked at her boyfriend.  She had long given up knowing what to say to her siblings beyond trying to encourage them.

Kate sat next to Jaune and issued a head movement essentially translating to 'Your turn this time.'

Jaune grinned.

Phaera mistranslated the motion.

"Don't misunderstand… but it is hard on them being constantly compared to Pyrrha…"  She stated.

His grin grew into a smile.

"You don't have to find it amusing.  Just cause you all have tremendous talent doesn’t mean everybody does.  They have done well to go as far as they have."  Luke challenged. 

Jaune looked up.

"Sir, I know a few things about never measuring up to those around you and what is expected or you."  He claimed calmly.

Luke lost any hostility in his body language… yeah Jaune would know something about that.

"This is I think a failing of Mistral Culture."  He claimed.

"You seem eager to call something a failure for somebody who has been here for such a short time."  Victoria challenged.

He nodded his head.

"Possibly, doesn’t mean I believe myself incorrect."

Pyrrha looked on… she almost saw that glint in his eye when he was about to say something incredibly sweet and profound.  Yet… not quiet, she almost prodded him forwards but waited for others to do that.

"Why don't you explain what you mean.  You were judged unfairly because of a parasite.  Those criticisms went away very quickly once you were free of it as I understand."  Phaera requested.

He smiled again.

"According to my father Katherine has no business being a warrior.  She is far too pretty, far too small, far too frail.  She has no business being on the battlefield in his eyes.  Never mind she has as much aura as I do."  He stated with a hand motioned towards her.

"If those tests were brought against me in my youth I would probably have been given no chance at all.  The fact I have changed would not change those scores."

"I could elaborate on how Pyrrha tested but I would wager you already know more exact than I could explain."

He took a breath to gather himself before he continued.

"So what is your point?"  Luke asked appearing curious.

"My point is this.  If all we looked at was somebody's physical qualities the world would be very different.  If physical stature or advantages is all that we were judged by, Cardin Winchester would be the king of combat classes."

Kate and Pyrrha both chuckled.

"I have heard of Mr. Winchester through Pyrrha… he is rather mediocre isn't he?"  Phaera asked.

The Beacon students nodded with the girls chuckling again.

"I feel there is a story to be told here…"  Conner queried.

"We can tell you later if you are curious.  Here is my point.  We as people are far MORE than just what our physical bodies are.  Sure not everybody is going to be a perfect physical specimen.  However our minds and spirits are just as important as our physical frames."  He claimed.

"I believe Mistral as a country is wrong in this.  Sure… some people will test exceedingly well.  Pyrrha is a great example of that."  He stated looking at the girl in question causing a frightful blush in the process.

"But the thing about her that the press never covers or what nobody ever spends time considering, is how much she continues to work and practice.  How much dedication she has to improving.  If she did not have those aspects to her character she would never have become 'The Invincible Girl'.  She uses her blessings to their full effect that is true.  I like to think Katherine and I do as well.  My point is yes you will face people you cannot ever beat physically.  In those instance you need to use more than your body.  Out think, out plan, out… something them.  If you turn it into a contest of who has the bigger biceps you are going to be at a disadvantage in some instances myself included.  Don't get suckered into believing you are only what your test scores say you are."  He concluded reaching for a drink.

Pyrrha and her moms faces lit up in a HUGE smile as if they expected him to say that.  Luke just looked moderately impressed.  The Sanctum students grinned in contemplation.

"Here is an example."  Kate claimed.

The younger crowd focused on her.

With an amused grin she turned towards the elder Nikos sibling.

"Victoria!  Would you care to volunteer for a challenge?"  She boasted.

Victoria rose an eyebrow behind her book and voiced back "Depends… will it give me more entertainment then my book?"

"Who cares Vic put the book down for a minute!"  Cara insisted.

With a dry smile the elder sibling lowered the book and gave Kate her attention.

"Excellent!  Victoria, can you stick out your tongue and touch your nose?"  She challenged.

The younger crowd all laughed while the parents just appeared amused.

Pyrrha looked on not really knowing where Katherine was going with this yet at the same time Jaune smiled and leaned back in his chair… he evidently knew where his twin was going with this.

"You are challenging me to touch my nose and stick out my tongue?"  Victoria confirmed.

Kate nodded happily.

The elder sibling made several attempts and more than a few funny faces… yet it seems like her tongue just is not long enough to make the connection.

"Would anybody else care to try?"  Kate asked openly.

Ava was behind the group jumping up and down pointing to herself… having succeeded in the challenge.

The other girls were both putting rather silly looks on their faces as they tried to stretch their tongue that extra few millimeters to connect.

Ava was started to growl to herself that nobody seemed to notice her.

"Yes I know you succeeded Ava.  Well done… you have a long tongue."  Cara grumbled having given up.

"Any other takers?  Having a long tongue is not really the point of the challenge."  Kate advised.

Ava scowled and looked a bit annoyed.

Conner however… seemed to have figured it out.  Sticking out his tongue…. and with a finger touching his nose.

Victoria scoffed "That was a stupid challenge."  And went back to her book with an air of indignity about her.

"So that is the point of the lecture?  To take things literally?"  Cara questioned.

Kate shook her head.

"No… it is to work with what you have and think outside the box.  Do not do what the others always expect you to.  Do not play their game.  Play yours, force them to abide by your rules.  If you can fight on your terms you can fight a superior warrior and come out on top still."  Kate advised.

Jaune picked up the conversation.

"Some people will have an advantage over you that is difficult or nigh impossible to overcome.  Be it a natural advantage, a weapon choice, a stylistic, philosophic or anything else we as people can draw on for inspiration.  The point is to look for ways you can win, not ways you can lose."  Jaune claimed with a bright tone to his voice.

Pyrrha sighed dreamily and nodded her head at her siblings.

Conner and the group seemed to think about it before heading off towards the house.  The parents were observing the Arc's with a frightening intensity for several moments until they went about their business for the day.

"Well… I believe I will work on my tan… Care to join me Pyrrha?"  Kate asked happily.

She received an excited nod in reply.

"Jaune I left a book which would give you an introduction to Mistralian on the table.  You can give it a read overtime when you're feeling in the mood."  Victoria claimed indicating the table.

"… But that test truly was really stupid…"  She finished with a smile.

With a wry smile of his own he shuffled over towards the book to let his female teammates enjoy some of the sun… it was not all serious and work in the summer after all.

**A/N**

**Going to try to keep the note brief today.  AgentWhiteHawk and MelisaOngMiQin have at this juncture made several pictures of the story from past current and in some cases future scenes in the story.  Please check out their profiles or tumblrs from Deviant Art if you are curious.  Shoot me an IM if you are having trouble finding them.**

**For the second chapter In a row I am issuing a warning.  I will be having MATURE ADULT content in the story.  Some might be happening soon… like in a couple chapters soon.  I intend to put skip points for people who do not want to read that.  But this is rated mature for a reason.   Be aware that content is incoming and as the character pool continues to age… you can expect more to be included in the story.**

**As always please review/fav/follow/IM/Kudos or email me your feedback.  As always everything from praise to constructive criticism will be welcomed.  Flame attacks will be ignored and deleted.**

**If you have any questions or requests for future content or pictures from the story you would like to see made, hit me up.  We can talk about it**

**Until then thank you for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	30. Y3S: Disjointed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several things are moving at all once over the summer. From Cadia to Patch to Mistral.

3.5

Evangeline always considered herself to be a patient person.  Having been taught and personally believing that acting without thinking or when rushed tended to result in mistakes.  In her life she of course knew to have made her fair share of those… being a team leader inevitably means that at some point decisions will be made that are difficult.  The trick is making the ones which you do not regret at a later time.

Yeah that was the tricky part…

She was glad that her partner from her time at Beacon… Glynda was doing better having overcome the final hurdle of their friendship.  That mistake did not seem to be doing any more harm beyond that what it already did.

She knew full well how difficult her younger self was for somebody as rule obsessed as Glynda to get along with.  They butted heads more than once in the past… and -thankfully- normally came out stronger for it in the end.

Not exactly the blueprint for dealing with mistakes and difficult decisions she would prefer… but it worked at the time.

A much more recent mistake was her decision to trust her father despite her gut telling her otherwise.  That decision nearly ended with the death of both herself and her younger sister Miyas.  Thankfully through the efforts of many individuals both of them survived.

Events flew past without her really having the time to organize her thoughts and process everything that happened over the last year. 

Following a period where she was not quite aware and things seemed like a nightmare.  She woke up in a bed utterly confused and bewildered, disbelief was frequently found in her facial expression as she was gradually brought up to speed.  Her mind as she later learned had just as much ground to cover as her body did in getting back on its feet.

To be frank she was getting rather tired of ground breaking events occurring on a regular basis within her family.  Growing up she often wished for days when the standard routine was broken.  When things operated outside of the norm.  The mediocrity of waking up early, exercising for a few hours, getting in some study time, and finally ending the day with yet another workout day in day out at times bored her to tears in her youth.

Well… She was starting to think now that the boring normalcy she previously hated had its positives.  Her youthful self certainly tried to take advantage of her opportunities… but looking back now she didn’t think she fully appreciated them.

For one the norm would normally be quite clear about how younger siblings should be taught and raised.  That the triplets should not being taught even borderline conditioned to hate their own flesh and blood by their own father.  The norm would not find Miyas with a back full of scars the likes of which made Eve utterly sick to her stomach when she first saw them.  The norm would not normally allow for her father to be guilty of the things he has routinely associated himself with in the last handful of years.

Really she could name more with a rather simplistic and discouraging ease…. that was the problem and it seemed like many those events were still on-going.

For one… James -soon to be Masters- Arc.

The Masters family itself has not made an official response to the charges brought forth, and only made off topic remarks hinting the entire thing is a setup of some gigantic grand scheme.  Something which becomes more and more damning in the eyes of the Arcs nearly every day that stance continues.  They wanted to speak to their son before making a statement.  That concept in and of itself might not be all that outlandish… but in the face of overwhelming in some cases VIDEO evidence you would think more would have been done on their part.  Eve personally was in favor of an official action against the house… even if she understood why such a thing was not a wise move at the present time.

Looking on the bright side, she at least believed that things were looking up in a way.  Miyas now it seems is finally being given the chance to pursue her lot in life as the rest of her siblings have.  She predictably wants to try her hand at becoming a Huntress.  Likely she even was intent on enlisting at Beacon like so many of their family before.

Given time that might happen, right now she has a great deal of things to learn.  Things that Eve herself had taken to teaching her. 

Ideally the senior Hunter of the family would take up that duty.  However… mom had plenty of things to look into and arrange for the upcoming years of her life.  Things Eve was sworn to secrecy on as the elder Arc wanted it to be a surprise to as many of the family as possible.  With a special marker on the youngest.  Miyas naturally was aware of those plans, and in truth did not object to them.  She was an utter novice after all and somebody with Mom's credentials frankly was not needed in getting her set on the right path.  Eve really was about the perfect person for the job. 

In any case she had lost time to make up for and taking on some of her mother's responsibilities with teaching Miyas seemed like something natural to her. 

Bringing herself back to the moment...  Soon she would welcome back two of her family that she did not always see eye to eye on in the past, but given recent events the elder child of the Arc family believed bridges previously thought thoroughly burnt out can be rebuilt in time.

Now finally in an official summer month looking out a window to the city below as she waited for those two to arrive, she could not help but smile.  Patricia and Lissette had made peace with Jaune, something all of the Arc children would likely have claimed impossible a mere year ago.

How so many things can change quickly…

None the less she watched as the Bullhead carrying them arrive and set down in the landing pad near the runway.  They knew she was waiting for them and they seem prepared for what should be a lighthearted talk amongst family.  Possibly for the first time… a talk amongst sisters, not people on a collision course with each other as had frequently happened in the past.

In truth… this talk had been delayed up till now.  It just seemed like both parties were not yet ready to discuss things at length without some time to process what had happened recently.  Lissette in particular wanted time to talk to Miyas alone.  Following that both Lissette and Patricia wanted to visit the ambush site themselves.  Indeed they were one of the many people who took part in the operation which just wrapped up.  The group set out to investigate… and they returned much sooner than expected without a fight of any kind.  Normally Mom or Eve as the senior members of the family would go.  After a brief talk and the younger pair insisting otherwise it was decided those two could go and represent the family at that time.  To show that its members were more unified in purpose than in the past.

Finally arriving home now… they appeared much more at ease with their surroundings than previously.

To be fair they had a great deal to take in.  The changes to their home regarding the attack months ago… learning just how many people had perished in that conflict.

Both Eve and her younger siblings had some eye opening realizations of late… really the first thing they found to have in common with each other in years.

"Evangeline!" 

Eve smiled sadly… here she was looking out this window so long they had actually navigated inside and she didn’t even realize it…

She turned around casually to see her two younger sisters moving towards her with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

Patricia was always a ball of happy energy which few events could tame… it didn’t surprise the elder Arc that she bounded across the distance quickly to embrace in a hug.

"Patricia you look good.  Congratulations on graduating Beacon."  Eve stated with a smile as they separated.

"Thank you, feels good.  Likewise you look great."  She responded.  She stepped back to allow Eve a chance to hug her birth mate.

Lissette seemed out of place nervously grabbing her elbow keeping her gaze downcast.

Yeah… this encounter might be difficult for her… but she couldn’t put it off any longer

Eve had some time spent in reading her siblings body language.  She knew to the outsider looking in it would be nearly impossible to keep track of all of the sisters in the family.  They all had blond hair of a nearly identical shade with blue eyes.  Given their profession they all also were very athletic and physically fit.  All that combined with being of similar heights that did not help people keep them straight.  Were it not for the personality differences between Lissette and Patricia it would be nearly impossible to tell them apart.

Like now for example… Patricia?  Full of smiles and open body language.

Lissette really had her world shaken up and still seemed to be struggling with moving forwards.  Coming face to face with her elder sister seems to have frozen her.

She evidently felt so out of place that she didn’t move to embrace to hug her elder sister despite the invitation.  It was true they clashed in the past… normally over the two youngest children in the family.

Eve figured Lissette had a great many points on her mind at the present.  She at first just observed her giving her space.  Lissette seemed like she wanted to speak… just was unsure how to start.

"Eve…"  She tried.

Eve almost grinned…

She didn’t.  She of course knew that Jaune and her had spoken at length.  The rift in the family was not healed yet obviously, but they have chosen to move on.  If Jaune could do that then the least she could do is try to do the same… no point fighting over meaningless matters when more important objectives remained to be done.

She took the few steps needed to close to her sibling and pulled her into a hug first.

Lissette acted like she wanted to object, it took her several seconds and probably a suggestion from Patricia… or possibly Miyas… but she returned the hug.

There they stood for nearly a minute.

"Eve-"

"Shh."  Eve shushed her and remained in the hug.

They almost never did this as siblings finding themselves on opposite sides of their family squabbles almost every time and nearly every day they shared each other's time. 

Given it all Evangeline was fairly confident just hugging and not talking was the correct decision at the moment.

As the seconds dragged on and moments blurred into minutes… the younger sibling seemed to relax and grew more accepting.

Eve began to rub the back of her sister in the hug as she continued to work her way through several thoughts.

"Eve…"

"Shh.  Lissette… before you say anything I need to say something myself."  Eve interrupted and began.

Lissette sighed at the interruption again but allowed her sister to speak.

"I am sorry…. sorry that I didn’t notice what was happening to Miyas… or anything involving that.  I suspected for years something was going on that I didn’t know about.   Well…. I just never expected it was … well you know.  I am sorry.  You two Patricia… I am sorry for your behalf too." 

The two siblings clearly were not expecting that.

"We regret our place in how things played out too."  Patricia stated evenly.

Interestingly Lissette did not move to exit the hug.

"Grudges do nobody any good but the man who was responsible for them in the first place."  Eve claimed.

"I'm sorry about Crocea Mors… and-"  Lissette began.

"Hey what did I say just now?  No need to worry about things we are trying to put behind us."

Lissette finally pulled out of the hug but didn’t move away.

"Let me finish."  She said.

Eve gave a half smile and nodded.

"I… I'm sorry for taking those items but I regret not giving him back the armor.  He could have used it a few weeks ago.  I still can't believe how much we bought into dad's plan… whatever it is."

Lissette stopped and let Patricia take over.

"I still can't believe he even had us using our middle names… like we were some tool to him not even his daughters anymore.  Needless to say sign us up in the waiting list for whenever we do find him."  She claimed appearing far more serious and less carefree than she normally does.

Eve's half smiled grew into a full one as she responded.  "Well… I think we all should remember that our final name is infinitely more important than whatever comes beforehand.  I'm just glad it was stopped when it did and didn’t grow any bigger of an issue."

The younger siblings both smiled in understanding.

"Well… at least we are working in the same direction.  What about the armor?  Jaune could use it back I think."  Lissette queried.

Eve smiled again and shook her head.

"Don't worry about his armor… Mom has something planned for that." 

The younger sisters shared a glance again.

"You mean?"  They asked at the same time.

Eve nodded.

"A Duke's armor?"  Patricia asked.

Eve nodded again.

"Yeah… it should be similar to moms when it is completed.  Mom is being a bit secretive about it.  Given the ambush coupled with a practical guarantee he will need it… well she placed the order not long ago."  She answered.

The younger siblings smiled again.

"Well… hopefully he will look good in it."  Lissette stated with a grin.

Thus more than one sibling relationship has began to mend.  Sharing yet another hug the siblings parted ways to see to their own situations.  The triplets likely had a long discussion planned for the near future… probably regarding the scars which still remained on Miyas. 

Evangeline more or less just pulled up another report and planned for what to cover in the next lesson she shared with her sister.

***Back in Mistral***

Luke Nikos had gone by many nicknames in his time.  He had taken on the guise of many over the years.  His family knew him as a teddy bear.  It was a moniker he initially fought against but had to admit over time, it fit him well.

Try as he might to be a big grizzly, it just isn't him.  At least not naturally.  He liked to think being protective is a natural thing for him to be, especially when his family is considered.  It was difficult for him to protect people whose biggest weakness was their loneliness and the isolation that came with it.  He liked to think that his parental instincts would start up but he knew he was not a fighter… not like his wife or middle child.  Possibly not even like his youngest children given time.

He still proudly called himself a Mistralian.  The fact that the nation didn’t treat those of his families status in the ideal did not change that this was his home.  It was a place he loved dearly.  It was good enough for his father and his father's father dating back generations.  They faced the same challenges… so could he.

The trade passed on from his side of the family is a very old skill of which modern technology has mostly made obsolete.  He still learned them and practiced them to the best of his ability. 

Those skills were not of the martial disciplines… nor were they in the orientation of fishing from various forms.  They were however closely tied to that of Mistrals first and foremost passion.  Something that their warrior culture absolutely needed.  Something that which allows them to ply their chosen trade.

Namely… his family were blacksmiths.  Something his grandfather expanded into gunsmithing as well.  They were never considered "The Best" blacksmiths in Mistral.  He was of the opinion the best is a state of preference, of which many warriors would favor various setups which some smiths are just better at than others.

He rather hoped that in time, he could show his guests that his offer to show them his guns and weapons is not a threat or passing remark.  He was rather serious about that.

Which brought him to his current dilemma.

He was not trying to be uncaring or oblivious to the state of his daughter.  Pyrrha at long last found somebody who made her happy.  Many other people across the island would say he is crazy for insisting that he still have his chance to judge Jaune Arc to be worthy of his daughter.  For most people in Mistral the boy would be about the highest possible mark for a prospective husband especially if that individual came from the more poor section of society.  The type of mark that only somebody with Pyrrha's credentials could entice my Mistral's norms.  A Duke was indeed a lofty title.

Ironic really that Pyrrha never knew that he was a noble or that the man in question never once cared at all about being of a different social standing than his peers at Beacon as she grew to care about him.

That very fact of being able to judge people for who they are, not what they have done or what they look like is what drew his daughter to the boy in question. 

Yet still after all of this he still wanted to question him in his own way.

Why? 

So many people including his wife had asked him that very question.

The answer, was his own sisters.

That was the simple answer.  He watched as they married into other families… most of them were outside of Mistral and ended up being very unhappy with their lot in life.  He could expand on that if he wanted… but that is the short version.

He would not let his daughters make that mistake without having some proof that their vision of the individual matches the inner thoughts of that person.  Many would call him over protective or even smothering for the practice.  Yet… it made perfect sense to his mind.

If they couldn't handle some scorn and heat in a friendly and controlled manner how would they handle fights and disagreements when they come up in a relationship?

That was the logic… it did not make sense to everybody.  The important part is that it made sense to him.

Such… that he has decided to prepare for the act with Jaune Arc… in a manner he never really has before.

His wife was utterly convinced the young man would utterly ace his test.  Something which he did not believe was possible.  Yet… well if it happened he would owe her one.

Something which in and of itself could be more terrifying than any other friendly possibility.

He had many idea's for how he would go about the test itself. 

A friendly wrestling match?  Sure he thought about it.

Bring in somebody to challenge him to a fight as he did with Cara's pursuers in the past?  Yup he considered that too.

The list of his considerations continued well beyond those.  None the less… he thought he had a good one.  Now was the time to get it setup, soon… very soon he would have his chance. 

He wanted to keep his word to his wife and made strides to keep everything in line with his friendly wager while at the same time putting Jaune just enough on the spot to see how he reacts under pressure.

Most of Pyrrha's skill she learned either through instinct, from her mother, or from her excellent tutoring in her youth.  Her choice of career meant he had every little skills he could pass on to her.

Yet… the biggest of what he did pass on was a source of pride for him in that it was a skill which she used frequently in her career and continued to use to this day.

The skill of looking somebody in the eye, and verifying if what they are speaking is the truth.

That was just about the only skill he has taught her, and he would soon use it again himself. 

For now… everything was setup… all he needed to do was fetch the man in question. 

Jaune Arc had impressed many people over his life the vast majority of whom are difficult their expectations.  He was about to see if Jaune could impress him, in the way that her daughter praised about her partner.

***Away at Patch***

Yang is an evil mastermind…  A cruel, evil, brilliant, mastermind…

… and I want strangle her.

Blake could not help but think those thoughts even as she was utterly annoyed at the situation she found herself in.

Not an hour ago she ignored her partners actions out on the lawn as she setup silly outside gardening objects.  Little did she realize that those buggers were nefarious shooters of water!

Those outside sprinkler systems were utterly evil… and Yang set them up in such a way that gave her intersecting fields of coverage from multiple angles.

In fact before she really realized what she was looking at she observed them go through their pattern multiple times… That was all before the smell hit her.

Now one might wonder why a Cat like Blake would even bother noticing the rather elaborate and excessive watering pattern being displayed.

Fish.

Deliciously juicy and obviously WAITING for her fish…. just on the grill in the middle of it all.

_Ok Blake… Just gotta wait for evil-water-shooter-1 to head back the other direction…_

The contraption in question began to rotate back to the left.

Blake made a dash forward and slid into cover behind a table.

_Ok duck down here and wait for EAS2 to finish… then roll forwards then turn 45 degrees to the right and AHH!_

Another sprinkler found its way up to the surface and activated....

… Pointing directly at the Cat Faunus.

Uttering something between a screech and a hiss Blake leapt and contorted in a way that only a cat could, fired Gambol Shroud and pulled herself to safety… only getting struck by that hated water 3 times.

***Above lawn on nearby hilltop***

"Now THIS… is fun."  Yang advised pushing a button to lower the hidden sprinklers once again.

Yang would observe her partner make more attempts to pass through the maze of water snickering to herself the entire time.

"I don't understand why she doesn’t just cut the water supply…"  Weiss observed through scroll communication.

Yang shrugged.

"Eh, when Blake smells Fish she tends to be rather one tracked minded."  The brawler commented.

Ruby tried not to look depressed as she held her scroll so Weiss could see the imagery.  She had looked forward to Weiss joining her for the summer literally for weeks now… and…

"I don't understand why you cannot drop by."  She complained turning the scroll back to her.

Weiss visibly appeared sad… and did not respond right away.

"Ruby I said it is business related… I wish I could just drop it all but… I have responsibilities over the summer I cannot just forgo them.  Something came up and… I truly am sorry."

Ruby turned her head to the side and tried to keep her feelings out of her face.  This situation reminded her all too much of last year.  Weiss breaking things off and refusing to talk about it did a great deal of damage to their relationship both as people and as partners.

A smile crept into her face as she observed Blake's most recent attempt to close in on the central price.  Contorting like a gymnast she limboed around and while she got closer to the center… another surprise from Yang rose out of the ground to spoil that plan.

"When she realizes there isn't actually any fish on that grill she is going to be livid."  Weiss stated in warning.

Yang laughed… yeah that dust scented pack might prove to be a dirty trick but a certain Brawler had a game of tag to even the scales of… this seemed like a good plan as any.

"If… IF she discovers it… she has to pass the final block and I think she will give up at that point.  If not… well I can always run away."  She responded with a non-committal shrug.

***Back to Blake***

_This… is… hell…._

_Surely there is a room in hell made specifically for a cat smelling fish yet the prize is surrounded by evil-water-guns._

Blake vowed that after she had enjoyed the tasty seafood her nose promised her she would firstly dry herself off and then start planning the inevitable revenge plans that would result in this.  All that remained is how much wetter she was going to get before she got her reward.

_Ok Blake… there is no point dancing around like a kitten… just run straight for it… you will get less splash that way and this would be behind you faster._

The Cat-Faunus ran that thought through her head at least 12 times before mustering the courage to face the water-guns head on.

She ran forward at a sprint and slid under the first stream.

The second stream was coming in low rapidly from the side, she came up out of the slide and bullet jumped forward in a dive.

She took two stray hits to her back as she landed in a roll and crawled under the next stream.

More less dignified dodges and maneuvers continued as she made her final pass nearing ever closer to her goal.

***Upper Ledge***

"Wow… she might make it this time."  Yang had dropped her controller… having no need of it given that the final trick is motion activated.

"Ruby this isn't like last year I am not breaking up with you I just cannot visit you that’s all."  Weiss attested.

Ruby had finally looked back at her girlfriend in the picture but remained unsure of what to say.

Weiss studied her a minute and spoke again.

"Did you change your clothes?"  She asked.

Ruby's clothing has always been dominated by red and blacks.  That pattern has not gone away… but she found herself growing over the school year and decided on adding a few things to her basic setup.

"Yeah… I thought a few changes were in order."  Ruby claimed standing up and spinning slightly.

Weiss took on a bit of color in her face as she nodded in appreciation.

Ruby now wore a loose white undershirt and tights up to her mid thigh in addition to the skirt and cape she normally wore.

"They do look a bit… rustic.  But you look great.  Maybe I should update my wardrobe…  I have been meaning to get more up to date dresses.  What I have is so last year."  She claimed.

Ruby almost chuckled.  Weiss if anything had more clothes and specifically shoes than anybody she knew.  However Ruby knew if Weiss didn’t have the absolutely cutting edge in apparel she felt out of place all week.

"Well… you will look great regardless.  I'm glad you like my new clothes.  I worked hard on getting it the way I like it."  Ruby answered.

"Uh oh…"  Yang declared nervously.

Ruby turned her head to the side and spun her scroll so Weiss could see.

Blake had reached the final barrier…

Surrounding the grill in the middle was a fountain like water jet system.  Surrounding the grill with water shooting in both directions passing over it before coming to rest on the other side.

"YAANNNGGGG!!!"  Blake shouted from down below.

"I wonder if … uh oh!"  Weiss stated pulling a hand to her mouth.

Blake evidently decided to jump through the water.  Landing on the inside appearing very drenched and finally opened up the grill.

"Oh … crap.   She is not going to be happy."  Yang advised nervously.

Blake at first appeared jubilant.  Yet as her smile vanished and a look of utter outrage took its place as she slammed shut the grill and screamed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" 

Her angry bellow echoed through the area.

"Well… I suppose I should actually start to cook dinner for real… it might be the only bribery I have to work with."  Yang claimed starting up the nearby cooker.

She had prepared several dishes for their dinner.  Burgers a la Yang style and fish for the kitten… after she had a chance to dry off.

"Ok Weiss… Well I suppose Yang and I have to focus on dinner… you will at least keep in touch right?"  Ruby asked appearing hopeful in her face.

Weiss appeared absolutely serious as she responded back "I will call every chance I can… I will think about you every day Ruby.   I mean that."

Ruby smiled happily to herself but did not respond.

Yang was doing her typical routine of trying to start the Grill… fumbling with the match and struggling while making a racket.

Weiss and Ruby ended their call putting their scrolls away resulted in Yang addressing her sister.

"Remind me to try out the Anti-Blake shotgun shell next summer.  After hearing Kate describe it, well I have to admit I am curious."

Yang rambled more moving on to another subject.

"In any event this fish should pacify a certain kitten… it normally does.  She should find the scent here soon and… why… she isn't down below?"  She asked herself more than anything else.

Feeling a sense of dread about the world she reached down to pick up the fish for the grill… and found it missing.

"Ruby did you move the Fish?"

Ruby turned to her… and looked stricken.

"Seriously I need to find that and get it on the cooker… I  mean Blake is… wet and… hungry… and…. she is standing right behind me isn't she?"  She asked concern etching her voice.

Ruby nodded frantically.

Blake kept her hands behind her body as she continued to drip water on the grass around her…. all the while she kept her intense yellow eyes glued on the blond girl in front of her.

Yang turned around… noted the look and gulped.

"Ruby… I think you should try your hand at cooking tonight…"  Blake suggested dripping evil purpose in her tone.

"But I'm not as good as Ya-"  She objected.

"Your sister will be… occupied for the foreseeable future… you should cook tonight Ruby."  Blake claimed sternly not blinking or taking her gaze off Yang.

Yang took a step back… but didn’t speak.

Blake moved one of her hands from her back and dropped the platter of fish near the grill.

"Blake… no hard feelings right?"  Yang asked as she moved to claim the food.

Blake smiled evilly and removed the other hand from behind her back…

Yang gulped again.

Wielding the hedge trimmers as they shined in the sun in front of her Blake advised.

"Yang… Run…  I give you 3 seconds."  She warned.

"You wouldn’t dare!"  Yang sputtered out.

"2…"  Blake advised stepping forward and made a quick 'snapping' motion with the trimmers.

Yang gulped again… and screamed away from the grill.

"Don't touch my hair BLAKE!!!" 

Blake vanished and accelerated after her partner.

Black chased yellow with a maniacal smile on her face almost like Zwei might pursuing a treat.

"YOU WENT AFTER FISH FIRST!!!!" she cried out.

Ruby nearly chuckled as she observed the pair stream around the area even as she brought the grill up to temperature and went about her 'assigned' task.

Hard as it was not to laugh at the image of Yang running while carrying her hair in front of her… she never actually believed Blake would cut it off…

Then again… she did look determined.

_I should probably get this fish done quick…_

***Back in Mistral***

Finally they had a moment to relax.  It had been a torturous last few days.  Pushing yourselves to work more and more in the Mistral heat was not easy.  The challenge of keeping hydrated alone was a time consuming process.

None the less… The Beacon students could feel themselves improve.  Everyone… including the Spartan.  Something she personally chalked up to his semblance allowing her body to heal and repair itself so quickly it was easily far more than anything she could accomplish alone.

Her parents… more specifically her mother even watched on some days.  Most times she just nodded in appreciation at the quality of work being performed.  Other times she would bring a drink or snack… something to keep fresh as the hours did occasionally get away from them.

The trio did on occasion see a change in the younger groups mentality following the initial period of meeting the Arcs.

Overall thus far it had been a productive time… and it mixed in a fair amount of play and relaxation too.

Such as… right now.

Kate had volunteered to apply sunscreen to her brothers back in return for the same treatment on hers.

Naturally that only turned into a back rub contest in which both contestants ultimately won.

"Thanks Kate… Pyrrha wasn't kidding visitors do tend to burn somewhat easy in this sun."  Jaune advised openly.

His sister nodded in appreciation and settled under an umbrella to enjoy the midday near the pool.

"Honestly I think that’s a good idea… an afternoon nap sounds great to be honest."  Jaune admitted reading her thoughts.

She smiled and responded "I definitely thought so." as she took a sip out of her nearby glass.

Jaune was probably about 13 seconds from sitting himself down when he heard a voice declare from behind him.

"Jaune….[A sentence in Mistralian]."

Jaune paused.

_Do I wish… no… do I want… to offer backrub… no give?_

"Do I want to give myself a backrub?"  He suggested with a confused smile.

Pyrrha's smile was radiant as she shook her head slowly.

"Close… I asked 'Would you mind giving me a backrub please?'… Naturally I wouldn’t ask you to give yourself a backrub right?"  She preemptively sat down on her front and watched as Jaune prepared some of the suntan lotion for another tour of service.

Jaune walked over feeling a bit sheepish… he did not mind doing this for his girlfriend and would happily do it multiple times a day if she asked him.  But typically they would do this in private… she had after all taken a liking to a full body massage the likes of which could get awkward in public.

"[You can skip my you know what.]"  She advised in Mistralian.

Jaune contemplated her sentence as he started on her shoulders like normal.

"[I can skip your?]" he started.

"[Yes]"  She finished for him with a very obvious smile on her face.

Kate smiled knowingly as she settled into her seat for a nap.

Pyrrha for her part never ever got tired of this.  She had boasted to her parents, in particular her mother how utterly magical his backrubs felt for her.  Likely from a combination of natural talent combined with strong hands and a pure desire to do well which his semblance of course aided in.

"You are learning Mistral fairly well Jaune I have to say."  She stated slowly already feeling herself start to drift off to sleep.

"I have a good teacher."  He claimed humbly.

She smiled again… that never ending humble quality he had shows its face yet again.

"That and I suppose the books help too."  He admitted starting on her legs.

_Ah… this is one of my favorite parts…_

The Spartan couldn’t help but think.  Her legs get A LOT of work on a daily basis.  She runs, she does yoga, she weight lifts and she swims.  None of that even count the fighting and sparing they do.  These massages almost seem like cheating when it comes to recovering and relaxing compared to what she did before she met her boyfriend.  Jaune just… lets people give so much more than normal it was almost enough to make her think sometimes they could do another workout to continue their 3 a day routine over the summer.  She didn’t ultimately decided no… they work enough and the swimming or such they would do instead is basically a workout in their own right.  They could and should spend some time relaxing over the summer.

Speaking of relaxing… her dad still had not done his test of her boyfriend.  She knew beyond a doubt that her father would do something.  She just wasn't sure what.  She figured it was something special… something unique given the person he would be questioning.  She remained very grateful to herself adopted sister for being a trooper and understanding.  She knew it was a leap of faith for her to let something happen to Jaune that could potentially hurt him emotionally… she also probably believed it might be something which solidified her brother in the eyes of his girlfriends family.

None the less…

It… is…. getting….. hard….. to…….

And the Spartan was out like a light silly adorable smile and all… well before he even finished with her legs.  He kept on with his task until the tension was out of her body.  At least… the parts he was going to give attention to in this rather public setting.

"It seems my daughter is proven correct on yet another subject."

Jaune turned to the voice to find Mrs. Nikos walking towards him with a very amused smirk on her face.  She was wearing a one piece swimsuit and seemed ready to enjoy some time in the sun.

"My massaging?"  Jaune guessed.

She smiled knowingly in a way that reminded him of his own mother.

"Your natural talent for it yes.  I believe her exact words were 'His hands are like blessed magic… I cannot describe it as anything other than heavenly.'  If I remember correctly anyway."  She grinned and sat down next to her daughter.

Jaune smiled shyly.

"I did not know Pyrrha thinks that highly of my skills Ma'am."  He stated humbly.

She looked at him sharply and seemed to decide something.

"No Jaune that will not do, do not call me Ma'am."

He opened his mouth to speak again.

"Don't call me Mrs. Nikos either… Pyrrha made it a point to be on a first name basis with your mother.  You may call me Phaera."  She insisted still smiling happily.

Off to the side both Cara and Conner jumped in the pool and began to swim… not really laps or in a row… just in any direction they wanted too enjoying the water for the sake of it.

"I am curious Jaune…"  Phaera began.

Jaune looked back at her… she had laid herself face down on another bench.

"If you could demonstrate your abilities once again?  It has been some time sense I last enjoyed a massage."  She suggested coyly.

Jaune smiled again.

"Well… why not… sure.  You don’t really need the sunscreen like Kate and I do so I assume you want me to skip that?"  He asked moving over towards her.

_Ok Phaera… let's see how this plays out… it…. well… oh my!  Pyrrha…. she… really…. didn’t…… exaggerate…. NO!   Do not fall asleep you must stay awake!_

Jaune had began to work on her shoulders identical to the previous two women in the line.  She was obviously older than the previous women but none the less was in good shape regardless.  Nearly instantly she sunk further into the long chair fully relaxed enjoying the massage.

As he worked he casually moved his gaze around his surroundings watching the two Nikos twins swim around in the pool now joined by Ava and Tyra.  Tyra was obviously the worst swimmer of the bunch but even she was probably a better swimmer than he was.

"Your children are good swimmers Phaera… it shouldn't be a surprise I suppose."  He praised.

Phaera was overjoyed at the conversation… giving herself something other than just passing out and sleeping from his touch to focus on.

"Why?  Are you not an accomplished swimmer Jaune?"  She asked sounding sleepy.

Jaune shook his head despite not being seen.

"No… Cadia is cold nearly year round.  We have room in our house for a pool I suppose but it was never really put in place.   Moreover it isn't a skill that gets a great deal of attention at home."  He admitted.

She seemed to get some life back in her body at that… however briefly.

"Well… we shall have to correct that.  You do know how to swim though correct?"  She queried.

He nodded vaguely.

"I know enough how to keep myself afloat.  But I have not been taught how to swim properly I suppose."  He paused moving down to her middle and lower back.

"Well… we… must…. oh…"  She sounded distracted.

"Sorry?"  He stopped briefly.

She recovered fairly quickly "We will need to properly educate you.  If not Pyrrha I am sure somebody can show you."  She smiled as he resumed.

_This kid is incredible at this… no wonder Pyrrha praised his technique!_

Jaune finally finished with her back and began to move away.

"Jaune… forgetting something?"  She queried.

Jaune naturally knew what she was hinting at… he did not work on her legs.

"Huh?  I didn’t want to overstep any bounds or anything."  He supplied evenly.

She smiled again.

"Jaune.  I am a fully grown Mistralian Woman.   I am fully capable of allowing another to massage my legs like my daughter can."  She could have toyed with him a bit more… possibly insisting he work on her posterior to ensure it was up to Nikos standard or challenging him to be more confident and direct.  More like a male from Mistral… yet that isn't what made her daughter love him… so she stopped short of that and was pleased when he resumed.

Hers were not anywhere near the level of fitness that Pyrrha's were, and it was much easier to work out her tension in comparison.

_Stay awake Phaera stay… awake…  Oh my he is literally going to knock me out!_

Despite her rather rabid mental objections part of her pride refused to let her surrender…

Yet unfortunately for her pride… Jaune did put a second member of the Nikos family to sleep.  None the less he finished with his task and moved away.

He had just sat down resting his hands for a moment enjoying his drink when:

"So I have a question for you."

He turned to the voice and spotted Victoria nearby.

He looked on a bit apprehensive of the situation but let her speak.

"Relax I am not about to ask you for a backrub."  She joked reading his mind.

He smiled looking down to the ground briefly before meeting her gaze again.

"Fire away."  He prompted.

She made a swooshing motion with her head towards the kids in the water.

"This might come across as blunt… but as I understand your mother was married to your father via an arranged marriage?"  She inquired curiously.

He cocked his head to the side.

"I don’t recall saying that… Pyrrha told you?"  He asked with a neutral voice thinking he knew where Victoria was going with this.

She nodded her head.  "I am curious why the same hasn't happened to you."

"You suspect she is wasting her time with me?"  He stated thinking he saw her angle.

She thought for a few moments.

"Is it so outlandish a question?  It happened to your mother, why could it not happen to you?  Surely you would be under political pressure to marry another nobles daughter to strengthen your house?"

She noticed his facial expression.

"What!?  So I have an interest in politics most of my family hates talking about politics."  She objected.

He smiled.

"Firstly… the circumstances are not at all the same.  To begin with my mother was not the head of the household.  I am.  I am perfectly within my rights to say no.  Secondly… my mother agreed with it.  As far as I am aware she was single at the time and fully agreed to the arranged marriage."  He took a breath.

"But surely your family is under pressure to take another noble family into your house?  Given how turbulent Cadia has been the last year I would think it would be a stabilizing force if used properly."  She challenged.

This is well beyond interest in politics…

"Rather specific questions I have to say."

She shrugged but remained attentive waiting for an answer.

"First, my Mom married to produce children to carry on the name.  It was that or pass the title onto another branch of the family.  She wanted to be married before having children as many nobles do.  It would have caused a messy situation to have children before becoming married when it came to succession."  He claimed confidently.

…

Though in all honesty he had to admit Victoria was probably more versed in politics than he is.  He is getting tutored and is learning as he goes but he cannot claim to have studied it… as this individual might have despite her focus being that of an engineer.

"So no family has approached yours about this at all?"  She inquired.

He shook his head in a grin.

"Well nobody has approached me.  I guess I cannot give you a 100% guarantee that nobody has approached my mother about it.  She at least has not brought it to my attention.  Warrior culture is highly respected in Cadia.  A superb fighter marrying into our family is something we have been known for literally from the time of our inception.  I know of no outstanding offers even were I to consider one."  He claimed slightly amused.

"So even if somebody existed who was superior to Pyrrha you wouldn’t even consider it?"  She pressed.

He shook his head again.

"Course not… she wouldn't be Pyrrha."  He might have elaborated if he felt the need… but he did not.  The answer did not need to be more complex than that.

***Nikos House Interior***

Luke looked over his preparations once again…

Camera in place…

List of questions prepared…

List of questions based off anticipated answers prepared…

This was something he thought long and hard over…  He wanted to do this right.  The more he thought about it the more he realized he could not go about this in the same manner of one of Cara's boyfriends or even Victoria's for that matter.  They would not react the way that Jaune Arc would.

None the less… the time has now come.

Walking through the house he exited to find the man in question sitting near some of his family… oddly enough several of them appeared to be sleeping.

"Hey Jaune!"  He broadcast his voice to ensure it was heard.

The conversation between he and Victoria ground to a quick halt as Jaune turned to him.

"Yes?"  He asked.

"I'd like to show you something inside, would you mind following me for a moment?"  The elder male kept his tone positive… but it was enough of a statement to cause Victoria to recoil slightly and for his wife to stir awake remarkably quickly.

Jaune just shrugged casually and stood.

"Uh… sure.  What's up?"  He inquired moving towards Luke.

This time… unlike the last times felt different to him.  He had no idea why, but… well might as well go forward.  Things have gone this far might as well see it through.

"Come along."  He voiced indicating for Jaune to follow.

***Outside at the pool***

Victoria shared a glance with her mom… they seemed to realize what was happening.

Phaera stood up having slug off her sleepiness remarkably quickly given this turn of events… it seems the time for her husband's challenge of Jaune had arrived.

She could think of 2 women who would be very put off if they were not informed of this turn of events.

She stepped to the side briefly nearer to Pyrrha and gave her shoulder a shake.

"30 more minutes…"  Pyrrha begged.

Another shake.

"Pyrrha… you are going to want to be awake for this."  Phaera stated softly.

Pyrrha slowly began to stir and opened her eyes before engaging in a light stretch.

"What is it mom dinner time already?"  She asked spinning over rubbing her eyes.

Phaera shook her head looking very much at attention.

Pyrrha was brought to awareness remarkably quickly once she read her moms look as she sat up lightning quick.

"Jaune?  Dad and Jaune?  Now?"  She asked softly.

Mom just nodded her head.

"I don't know if he will give us a video feed like last time… but I figured you would want to be awake for it."  She claimed evenly.

Pyrrha nodded her head furiously.

"Yeah you bet I want to be awake!  I'll get Katherine you two head inside."  She advised turning her attention to her friend next to her.

From their position in the pool the younger individuals gathered something was going on.

"I wonder if it's time for Dad to do his thing."  Cara asked them all curiously keeping herself afloat in the water.

"If it is I wanna see!"  Tyra exclaimed quickly climbing out of the pool.  Though she would also admit the swimming was starting to exhaust her tremendously not being in as good shape as the others.

Ava had already climbed out of the water and in a very dog like fashion shook her body removing a great deal of water from herself.

Conner just chuckled and swam to another edge of the pool.

"Fine you 3 go… I think I will work on my project a bit more.  I don't need to see what dad has in mind this time."  He stated climbing out of the pool moving towards the weapon forge area of the island.

Cara was climbing out of the pool as she asked "I thought for sure that stupid thing would be done by now"  She teased.

Conner froze and turned around.

"Firstly it isn't stupid… secondly it is taking a bit longer to finish but that’s only cause I am making it awesome.  You are welcome to take on a similar project if you like."  He challenged.

Cara scoffed.

"Conner if I needed something like that I would just go to Victoria or another engineer.  It is what they do."  She claimed.

He scoffed right back as he turned back around and back walking.

"That is why you will never understand its importance to me.  Why I have to build it myself.  Go have fun inside."

He quickly vanished around the pillars that dot the island on his path to his destination.

"Well c'mon lets gooooo!  I don't want to miss the entertainment!"  Tyra complained hurrying her friends along.

The young trio soon began to follow the elder Nikos sibling inside.

Across the pool Pyrrha had yet to try to awaken Katherine… unsure what to say to her.

"You might as well just say it."  Kate claimed tiredly.

Pyrrha smiled.

_Huh… so that is what that feels like._

"It's time… Dad is with Jaune now."  Turned out to be a reasonably easy thing to say in all actuality.

Kate needed no more prodding and was on her feet in a hot second.

"Ok… well… what are we doing?  We going somewhere?"  She asked.

Pyrrha nodded.

"Follow me."

Katherine did… being completely unsure what to think beyond still not liking the situation.  None the less… there was no other path to follow if she wants to know what happens as soon as possible short of spying on them with her semblance.  For probably the first time in her life she was not tempted to do that in any manner.

**A/N**

**So I have a few things to bring up.  I apologize for any grammar and spelling errors… I do try to make it as good as possible before posting.**

**Firstly sorry for the delay in this chapter.  I had a birthday that I decided to give myself the week off for so… well this chapter took a bit regardless but thank you all for your understanding in this regard.  I try to get content out quickly as possible but I don’t feel comfortable promising timeframes.**

**Secondly… I have had a great number of people ask me about Volume 3 and the actions thereof or other bits to do with canon.  Thus far I have not wanted to speak to openly on this subject as it is something I am still sore about.**

**However enough people have asked me to cause me to put this part in note form.**

**I have TREMENDOUS issues with RWBY Volume 3.  The story telling, the decision making, the character behavior, the attention to detail.  I can point out plot holes big enough for me to drive a tank through.**

**None of which I will repeat here.**

**I will simply say this.**

**I love RWBY.**

**When somebody criticizes something they love, you need to take it in context.**

**If you do not question things and bring it up to their attention then that thing you love has no motive or need to improve.**

**If you do not take the time to speak your mind, they will continue to give you what they have always gotten away with.  Which is in my view the bare minimum effort possible.**

**You need to ask  "Yo, how come you give basically no time to character growth?"**

**or "Yo, how come you let things happen totally out of character in so many situations?"**

**or "Yo, how come xxxxxxx"**

**None of that even touches on Shane's letter to RT.**

**You get my point.  When somebody criticizes something who they are actively supporting as my fic invariably does, I want it to get better and improve.  RT has the world, the characters, and the setting to do something truly special with the show.  The likes of which I have never seen before… if they only put in the effort and time.  Yet what I see is outside of the quality of the animation, they give bare minimum effort on all fronts.**

**As somebody who sinks hundreds if not thousands of hours into writing, planning, storytelling and even having pictures made to share the story with others visually.  All on something that isn't making me a dime… that practices literally makes me sick to my stomach and drives me up the wall crazy.**

**I don't want the note to get much bigger so I will stop it here… if somebody would like to discuss this in private feel free to IM or email me.  We can talk to your heart's content.  What I am not willing to do is argue over how great RT is and how wrong I am for criticizing them.  My disliking something does not take away your enjoyment of that thing.**

**As always please Fav/Follow/Review/IM/KUDOS/Comment or email me your feedback as I am anxious to hear what you think.  I try to respond to all reviewers and or questions anybody may have.**

**Thank you all for reading and sticking with this story… it will pick up in the next couple chapters as summer hits its climax before the term resumes.**

**-Sean**


	31. Y3S: Unexpected Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke has his chance to bring his test of Jaune to the fore. The Knight has unexpected and in some cases unwanted questions brought to his attention and yet must find a way to make it through this storm. How does he fare?

3.6

"You are starting to think that it would be been better to simply stay asleep?"  A female voice asked.

Katherine half smiled before answering… not turning towards the speaker.

"Would you hold it against me if I said yes?"  She answered solemnly.

She was unsure what to expect as she followed a supremely excited and anxious Pyrrha into her house.  For a brief period of time… it was easy going.

Now it was anybody's guess what was happening.

Kate had several advantages over others in the room regarding their thoughts on the meeting going on between her brother and Pyrrha's father.  For one… the twin senses.  She felt largely what HE felt, so in a way she knew what was happening.  The irritating part was that it was never as exact as she wanted.

Basically as helpful as they sometimes are her "Twin Senses" are the dictionary definition of an inexact science.

In their youth often times she would be woken up feeling a tremendous pain in her leg, rush to her brothers room… only to find him having stubbed his toe while getting a drink.

She had learned not to overestimate what she was feeling as it is often an inexact science.  None the less… she did not get a sense of utterly failure on his part so she was encouraged by that truth.

"No… sleeping when you must is something all people are guilty of."  Phaera answered with a slight grin sitting next to the Raven haired girl.

The two women were arrayed around the main living room on the Nikos residence.  A large screen was on display and for the first few minutes of the event was showing the act taking place.  It was off now as the recording equipment had been damaged…  Kate would get back to that.

She took a deep breath and looked around the room.

The younger crowd seemed to be enjoying a game of twister with Pyrrha serving as the move caller in the middle of the room.

Off to the side opposite Katherine and Phaera was Victoria who was… predictably a multitude of pages into reading another book.  On a nearby table was some snacks and drinks set out as more time had passed than likely anybody really expected before they would know what happened… in fact more than an hour had gone by already.  Soon it would be time for dinner and then their afternoon session.

Kate knew from hard won experience that Pyrrha was putting on a brave face.  She had learned to read the Spartan fairly well all things considered… it was very obvious that she was nervous inside.  Despite the warnings and the assurances that nothing would happen and everybody would walk away just fine… she could not help but worry over her boyfriend. 

Kate would have been encouraged by those concerns… if she didn’t share them.

"Are explosions a common occurrence around here?  When they happened Luke didn't even blink."  Kate questioned.

Phaera smiled again but withheld the laugh that threatened to emerge… Kate would probably not appreciate a laugh on this subject.

"No… that is Conner being Conner.  He has been working on something for the past year and no pun intended… it always seems to blow up in his face."

Kate looked sideways at the older woman and tried to gauge her.  Not 5 minutes into the 'interview' between Jaune and Luke, Conner seemingly fell from the sky right into the camera following a very audible explosion off-screen.  Oddly enough none of the family went to help him as he evidently had fallen like that fairly often in the past and would just shrug it off after a minute.  The descriptor of 'Odd' seemed to apply to this family.

"If you are wondering if he did it on purpose I doubt it.  Thought I doubt he regrets damaging the recorder… he always thought it was ridiculous to watch those conversation's take place."  Phaera stated.

Kate grinned sadly as she responded "Just how often has this happened?  I mean it seems like there is always some huge event happening at home yet if one of us fell out of the sky I doubt we would just shrug and walk away."  She asked.

Phaera smiled again as she responded.

"Well… he has yet to truly master his semblance.  As he explained it to me he has far more to keep in mind than Cara does and to be fair it might be true.  His project is suppose to help with that I believe.  It is fairly common for him to be working on that design and it not to function as intended.  I am proud of him for continually trying and seeing it through.  Though I assume you are more interested in Luke testing Jaune?"

"Both actually."  Kate corrected.

Phaera looked very similar to her middle child as she smiled sadly and looked towards her kids off to the side.

"He is protective of them I know.  But he does mean well.  With Cara's boyfriends he was particularly challenging and he was a bit… shall we say weird with Victoria's.  But he does test each one… at least every one he has met in person."

Phaera went silent to take a drink while Kate kept her mind churning through various thoughts.

"How do these tests normally go may I ask?"  Kate couldn’t help but be curious here.

Phaera looked thoughtful for a handful of heartbeats before answering.

"Luke has done many things in the past.  From challenging them to a wrestling match to other more theatrical events.  I cannot really say what he has in mind."  She worded.

Kate narrowed her eyebrows sharply at that.  She knew from the limited feed they had access to that they were in the forge area of the island… so something to do with that obviously.

"I meant… Pyrrha said both parties always laughed about it afterwards… what did you two mean?" 

It was Kate's turn to reach for a glass as Phaera considered.

"Well… open challenges are common in Mistral especially on the mainland.  So Luke's challenge would be received differently than how an outsider would view one.  He would pursue the act as far as he could to try and get a feel for the individual and normally offer him an out at some point if it got to the point where he … or she had no easy exit."

Kate cocked her head to the side and ignored that bit about "he… or she".  She had other things on her mind.

"What do you mean?"  She inquired appearing serious.

"Well… Take for example the wrestling match.  If he really wanted to he could have crushed the individual in question.  Normally he would act it out a bit give the other guy plenty of opportunities to impress him, then feign an injury or something to end the match.  Like how his 'Bad Knee Injury' came back or how his arm was broken oddly and he couldn’t escape from a poorly performed arm bar.  He normally finds some way to end the contest once he deems it time."

"So that at least explains how they could laugh about it when it's over…"  Kate voiced thinking inwardly.

…

Inside however she still had no idea what "Out" he would offer Jaune or if he would actually take it.  This is Jaune we are talking about.  He will listen to his heart and do what he feels he must not do something to placate a father who Pyrrha obviously is close to and wants in her life.

_I have a bad feelings about this….  I've ALWAYS had a bad feeling about this but why… how can I feel like it’s a bad idea yet at the same time a Necessary one?  Gah I hate it but I cannot do anything…. hmm?_

The approaching footsteps echoed through the room and instantly brought talk and games to a halt.

"Oh!"  Pyrrha chirped in excitement…

More footsteps sounded off still coming closer… until the individual appeared around the corner.

"Oh… Hi Conner."  Victoria claimed sounding bored.

Pyrrha looked disappointed in an obvious frown.

"I see you couldn't help but fall with pinpoint accuracy right into dads equipment."  Cara quipped from the cluster of girls still entangled in the game.

Conner was rubbing his head and even appeared to move with a bit of a limp.

"Hit something even more stubborn than you are?"  Phaera asked teasingly.

The room observed him go to the nearby fridge and pull out an ice pack as he answered.

"Yeah… I didn't think this one would explode on me like the last one… but I will figure it out."  He claimed nonchalantly moving away and out of the room with a somewhat pained shrug.

Kate could only watch as the siblings more or less moved their gazes off him to resume their previous actives even as he put that icepack on his head.

When he was out of the room and activity resumed Kate felt the need ask another point.

"Conner flies around after working on something, something that he is trying to build.  That something explodes causing him to fall out of said sky to crash into the ground.  He lands EXACTLY where the discussion is happening… and this is a normal occurrence around here?"  She asked nobody in particular.

Phaera smiled again in a lazy shrug.

"Well… again I doubt he meant to land where he did.  Then again… maybe this is just his way of annoying his sisters.  They always did love watching these things live."

Kate just blinked… not really the answer she expected.

She turned her head to the side and observed Phaera studying her with a startling degree of intensity.  She issued an inquiring herself back.

Phaera's smile grew as she supplied:

"You and he are similar in just as many ways as you are different, it's easy to see once you start to look closer."

Kate nodded… not sure where she was going with this yet.

"You both are humble, talented and work hard.  It has been hard for me not to judge you by your appearance.  Pyrrha warned me against doing that but even so… I am sorry."  She claimed.

Kate frowned cocking her head to the side.

"Sorry?  I don't remember you saying anything to warrant apologizing."  She queried.

Phaera shook her head and seemed to remember this person was not fully familiar with Mistral customs. 

"In Mistral… one does not need to say something to apologize for it.  It is similar in concept as lying to somebody to protect their feelings.  You are thinking one thing, yet say something else.  You are not being as honest as you should otherwise be.  I am sorry for judging you by your looks even if I didn’t say anything to upset you.  Do you understand?"

_Huh… that might be why Pyrrha would always apologize for everything… even little things._

Kate kept that frown on her face… and decided to be equally honest.

"To be honest… no.  I say what I mean and I try to be honest but it isn't like people can prevent thoughts from entering their minds.  It is normal."  She claimed

Phaera narrowed her eyebrows and tried again.  "It … ugh I guess there is no better word for it… In Mistral we call it [Mistralian phrase].  It is… a way in which your actions are held back because of a lack of honesty with yourself.  It is difficult to explain."

"Honesty seems to matter a great deal to Mistralian folk then?"  She asked.

"Is it not that way in your home too?"  Phaera questioned.

She thought for a moment.

"Well yeah naturally you want to be honest and speak the truth… but it isn't like thinking something negative is wrong."  She answered.

Phaera shook her head.

"Not negative, negativity is not the word.  If you cannot be honest with your feelings and treat information as you know it honestly, then your actions based off that information will be tainted.  It would be why your father wanted you to be a model, and not a fighter for example.  His perception was tainted and not accurate.  He could not see your potential.  That is what I mean, when you alter fact to fit your perception of reality.  Not take facts and base your reality around it."  She claimed trying to explain.

Kate almost thought she could follow along but felt she had to point something out.

"Well… I think I understand but my father probably had an ulterior motive with it all… I do understand what you are trying to say… I think."  She claimed with a sly grin.

"Understanding will come with time as they say."  Mrs. Nikos claimed with a warm smile.

She would have spoken more… but more footsteps appeared echoing through the stone floor and once again as before activity around the room stopped.

_These footsteps do sound heavier…_

Kate looked towards the sound and before long observed the large form of Luke Nikos appear.

Pyrrha instantly was brought to max attention and her head cocked to the side somewhat confused as she saw what her father carried.

Luke appeared very tired, his shirt was matted with sweat and he appeared to be very ready to take a nap.  He carried… a sword.  A weapon in a sheath.  The sheath appeared to have been expertly decorated and from what she could see of the handle the same could be said of the weapon.  The decorations took on a very old but still slightly Cadian look to them as it was etched into the black leather of the sheath.

Kate definitely saw Jaune's style in the etchings… but was unsure what to make of it.

He paused as he entered the open room and did a full search of the individuals within.

His gaze stopped on the Raven haired girl and with a smile started to move up to her.

"Well!?"  Pyrrha demanded off to the side.

Her father smiled at her but continued to move towards Katherine.

He lay the weapon down on the table in the middle of the room and with a hand offered to help Kate to her feet.

She tentatively accepted the hand and stood unsure what to make of the situation.

Luke looked at her with a tired yet happy expression as he put both of his hands on her shoulders.

"EEEEP!"  Pyrrha squealed joyously.

Luke reached down and planted a kiss on Kate's forehead.

Kate allowed the motion and stood there looking a touch confused throughout it all.

Luke spoke on in a very quiet voice.

"Accepting your brother means accepting you.  Welcome Daughter of Arc."

Pyrrha hugged her limbs tight to her body appearing very very happy still observing her dad.

Phaera stood up on her own accord.  Luke reached her and smiled sadly.

"Well love of my life… you seem to be correct.  I owe you one… gods above help me"  He admitted with a sly grin.

Phaera smiled very happily and hugged her husband.

"Told you so."  She claimed trying and failing not to look smug.

As he turned around he noticed he had completely captured the attention of the rest of the room… minus Victoria anyway.

He moved once again towards his Crimson Haired daughter trying to hold back his grin…

Pyrrha for probably the first time in her life was utterly bleeding excitement and seemed to be moving uncontrollably with energy.

He reached his target and once again gripped her by her shoulders... even his grip could not keep her energy from causing her body to bounce happily.

Pyrrha smiled upwards and struggled to keep a tear or two from falling down her face.

Once again he kissed her forehead as he had Kate's and pulled her into a hug afterwards.

"You have my blessing… just take it slow.  Ok?"  He asked.

Pyrrha nodded furiously not even trying to hold back her happiness from her face.

"Do we get to see the video or did Conner break that too?"  Cara inquired looking nearly as excited as her elder sister.

Luke issued a quick laugh and tossed a drive to her.

"He did land in a rather specific spot but I still got the full video.  Anyway… I think I need to get cleaned up and take a shower.  Have fun."  He turned to leave leaving the sword where it lay.

Cara would have caught the drive… but Pyrrha from her spot behind her father materialized in front of her sister and beat her too it.

"I will get this ready, you get the popcorn."  She instructed moving towards the TV screen.

Cara smirked and moved away with her friends vaulting over the nearby sofa to head to the kitchen.  Her friends stood offering support to her assigned task.

It took exactly 4 minutes and 32 seconds to get everybody drinks and plenty of popcorn in large bins ready to go as the assembled women took their spots around the TV.  Pyrrha elected not to take a chair and instead took a place on the floor as near the TV as she could possibly get hugging her knees close to her chest as excitement still oozed off of her.

Kate smiled to herself feeling a bit better now… but was still curious just want the video would reveal.

***Start Video Sequence- Italics are the actions of people outside the video***

The camera bopped up and down as it moved through the house starting with entry from the pool area into the main housing structure.  The family in question seemed to understand the pathing track Luke was following… Kate just tried to keep her mental bearings straight.

"Where are we going?"  Jaune asked from behind the carrier.

"Not far… a room in the forge area.  My place on the Island if you will."  Luke answered.

_"This is boring we have seen all this before!"  Tyra whined._

_"Shh!  We might as well get the whole thing!"  Cara demanded._

The sounds of footsteps moving across the floor was the only sounds available to hear as they continued to move more towards the destination.  Finally coming to rest in an open room.

Luke carried the recorder several feet more into the room and spun it around to look at him as he sat it down on a counter of some form.

The room was that of a blacksmiths forge.  Some machinery was in place but for the most part it was a simple setup, various metals and equipment for weapon forging dominated the room.

Luke held up an arm towards the entry way.

"Before you come into this room Jaune…"  Luke paused as the male in question halted his movements into the room.

"This is something which I have been taught from my father and have been practicing for nearly 30 years.  The first lesson which is passed on is that Blacksmithing is the most honest craft available.  You put your heart and soul into your weapons and as long as the weapons were crafted with pure beliefs the steel will hold true.  You do not bring lies or deception into this room.  Am I clear?" 

Jaune narrowed his eyes as if he read some inner purpose to the statement.

"Very clear."  He answered back.

"Good… then come on in."  Luke advised with a smile.

Jaune cautiously entered the room and looked around more fully as if he was trying to think.  He seemed to come to a conclusion.

"This is meant to be some type of test I wager?"  He guessed.

Luke laughed.  "Kind of."  He admitted.

"The family is watching, you should know that." He warned indicating the camera.

Jaune finished his scan of the room and appeared unsure of what to do.

"If you mean to test me you must know I am not a smith of any kind nor do I have training in the field.  What do you wish me to do?"  He inquired.

Luke grinned a touch at that.

"I want to play it by ear and see what we can do."  He started to assemble various metals into a stack, probably 12 rows high each about a half inch in thickness at least.

At first the words were barely audible… but as time passed on they became more clear.

"Oh no!  Hot!  Bad BAD **BAD**!   NOnononononono!"

Jaune raised an eyebrow up curious and began looking around up in the air.

"That sounds like Conner I wonder if..."  Luke began…

Another cry from the sky caused the fathers face to scrunch up.

"AH FIRE!!!!  WHY?!?!?"

Luke's face scrunched up again.

-KABOOM!-  A blast echoed throughout the area followed by a high pitch whistle of something falling in the air.

"OH SURE EXPLODE ON ME!!!  WHY DO THEY ALWAYS EXPLODE!?"

Jaune was definitely arching an eyebrow at this now trying to find the source of the noise while another scrunched up face from Luke followed that declaration.

"He seems to be… I don't know what he seems to be doing…"  Jaune advised confused still looking around.

The Nikos child resembled a missile to the camera as it appeared off in the distance rapidly drawing nearer.  Neither of the males in the room seemed to spot him.

"Well… I am sure he will be fine… he normally is."  Luke advised setting back to work.

Unknown to the two males the missile trail was getting very close now.

Jaune looked apprehensive "Normally is?  He causes explosions frequently?"

"Well.  In a manner of speaking, yes-"

"NO NO NO SLOW DOWN SLOW DOWN SLOW DOWN!!!"

In the span of a half second Conner plowed into the room with his arms in front of his body obviously trying to pull back the speed of his flight.

He was only partially successful.

Crashing into and knocking over the equipment which was broadcasting the challenge through the house he continued to skid and slide until it took him face first into the far wall of the forge.

_"You know I could watch that part 100 times and never get tired of seeing him fly into that wall."  Cara advised with a happy grin._

_"Cara… really that is your brother you are talking about."  Phaera admonished._

_"Pssh, he doesn’t have to fly to test his masks.  Especially given their tendency to explode."  Tyra claimed sagely._

_"Girls please… I am trying to watch this?"  Pyrrha requested turning around briefly at her sister._

_They managed to refocus if only somewhat at the image._

Jaune was the first to react and reach Conner from his awkward position impacting the wall.  With a  helping hand to get his balance he was able to straight himself up… if only somewhat lacking in dignity due to circumstance.

"You ok?"  Jaune asked.

Conner shook his body loose and removed his 'only-slightly-smoking' glasses with a huff.

"More annoyed than hurt… though I suspect I will have quite the bump on my head for awhile."  He complained rubbing his head.

"Yeah you should get an ice pack for that."  Luke suggested.

Conner shook his head.

"No, can't do that, at least not right away.  I think I figured out why these things keep exploding on me… I want to get my thoughts written down before I forget."  He claimed twirling the glasses between his fingers.

Conner strode out of the room with a slight limp in his leg leaving the other two males with only slightly baffled expressions.

"He was oddly calm about exploding and crashing into the ground."  Jaune claimed grinning as he turned back around.

Luke chuckled "Well… to be fair he has a great deal of experience in that regard.  Thankfully it seems his Aura was enough to handle the impact that time."

Jaune sharpened his gaze and seemed to want to inquire more about that… but evidently decided against it.

Luke smiled before continuing.

"Well… let us proceed shall we?  All I need you to do is answer my questions honestly.  Think you can do that?"  Luke questioned.

"So I am not here to help you with the forge?"  Jaune asked relieved.

Luke laughed briefly.

"Correct… though I might have you do simple things as we go.  Like I said… play it by ear."  Luke began heating the layered metal plates and continued working as he spoke to Jaune.

"So first question.  What do you know about blacksmithing?"  He asked with a smirk.

Jaune quickly opened his mouth and was about to speak… but he ducked his head to the ground in thought.

_"What's he doing?  He just said he isn't trained?  His answer should be 'nothing'?"  Cara questioned confused._

_Kate grinned knowingly "Well… he couldn't forge a sword… but he DOES know some things about blacksmithing.  He has to.  I guess he is just trying to formulate those bits into a sentence."_

_The Ghost had a smile on her face even as she intrigued how her twin would handle this._

Luke frowned as Jaune took several seconds to answer.

"Really Jaune you just said you aren't a blacksmith.  This cannot be a difficult question."  He claimed calmly.

Jaune shrugged in the picture.  "That doesn’t mean I do not know some things about it.  I cannot honestly say 'zero'."

Luke made a face and nodded accepting the point.

"Well sure I suppose.  But there is what people think is true about smithing and there is what actually goes into smithing.  You would be wise not to claim knowledge you have not been taught."  He advised.

Jaune shrugged again "I have never forged anything but my homeland does have blacksmiths as well as the mecha-smiths of today.  Some even operate in our family home.  I know you layer the metal to give it various qualities for strength and durability.  Though obviously the specifics I cannot claim to know I understand the theories behind it."

Luke turned towards him.

"Well that is an honest answer I can accept that I suppose.  Tell me about your family."  He started down on his next point.

Jaune cocked his head to the side.

"That is a rather big topic, anything specific?"  He inquired.

Luke seemed to think as he repositioned the metals in the flame.

"Let's start with Crocea Mors.  Why did you claim that heirloom as your weapon only to relinquish it to your sister a year later?  It seems like a rather haphazard way to make decisions."

"I assume you mean beyond doing what I believe to be the right thing?"  He clarified.

"You didn't claim it initially because it was the right thing to do."  Luke challenged.

Jaune shrugged casually.

"Didn't I?  I wanted a weapon that I could use to protect people.  It was what I always wanted to do.  Sure I could have picked many newer, fancier and certainly more modern weapons.  Our family isn't exactly hurting for weapons or heirlooms to choose from.  But I wanted one with the purpose of defense.  Most of what we had was more offensive in nature.  I picked the one that gave me the best chance to do what I wanted to do."  He answered confidently.

"Ok… but that does not explain why you would surrender that weapon to your sister.  Especially a sister that you have clashed with several times over the course of your life.  If it meant that much to you, I would have thought that you would have kept it."  He claimed focusing on his work again briefly.

Jaune narrowed his gaze as he answered.

"My sister and I have fought several times that is true.  Here is the thing about that.  Crocea Mors is what I claimed from home.  I was not trained to use it.  I was trying to learn how… sure.  It was never my weapon.  Not in the way that Ovoia is to me now or how Pyrrha's weapons are too her.  But that isn't even the point."  He declared confidently.

Luke looked back at him briefly "Really… and what is the point?"

Jaune resumed.

"My point is that the weapon might have done exactly what I needed it to do.  Crocea Mors guided me to Beacon, it helped me through my first year.  Without it and its relative simplicity I would never have been able to stay as a student.  Through the twists and oddities fate throws at people it ended up in the hands of my sister in her time of need."

He took a breath.

"So what?  Everything you do is decreed by fate?  You did it because of some type of Destiny?"  Luke queried.

Jaune shook his head.

"I do not believe in Destiny.  I believe people make their own Destiny.  Katherine did that when she  tried to become a hunter despite the shackles of her life at the time.  I followed her example in the best way I could.  My mother has said several times that sometimes things happen for a reason and they do not always work out the way you want.  But if you can take a negative or an unknown and make it a positive… then that is something you should do as often as you can as the best possible choice at that moment.  Lissette needed guidance, maybe the weapon can help her.  I do not know.  I did what I believed to be right in allowing her to keep it.  I had my own weapon at the time and I would not gain anything by taking it back."  He finished leaning against the nearby wall crossing his arms.

Luke nodded slightly at his answer and moved on.

"You are close to your twin then?"

Jaune nodded.

"She was my closest friend… really my only friend for the majority of my life."  He admitted.

Luke started running the heated metals through a machine to flatten them as he continued to speak.

"Yet you never mentioned her to any of your teammates or even your partner for your entire first year.  Why not?"

Jaune sighed… Pyrrha really DID tell her parents everything.

_"Pyrrha really?  Why would your dad even need to know that?"  Kate questioned a bit upset._

_Pyrrha just looked incredibly shy._

_"Sorry!  I just… was so excited I just talked… I guess I said more than I needed too."  She admitted with a very obvious blush._

Jaune seemed to think about it.

"To be honest… I could have.  But bringing her up would have required I bring up much more than just her.  I did not want my friends to think of me differently just because of my birth.  I did not want to go into my life at home as much as I could.  I knew my… father … would likely have wanted to disown me for disobeying him.  I honestly never expected him to go through with it.  I was always a shame to my family.  I did not want to bring that with me to Beacon."  He confessed softly.

Luke moved the metal back to the heat and continued his interview.

"Did you not believe you were being naïve in trying to keep your past to yourself?  Everybody has things they would rather not remember or be made known.  Yet having them made known is the only way people can move beyond them."  He claimed.

Jaune appeared remarkably calm as he responded.

"There is a limit to what people can do at a single time.  To quote a famous saying, Mistral was not built in a day.  You take what you can handle every day and try to do your best.  I had to do a great deal of growing before I could even try to look back and handle everything that happened previously I do not deny that.  But I will not apologize for taking things one step at a time in the manner I was capable."

Luke looked at him for a moment.

"Well I give you this, you do not seem to be intimidated at all."  He claimed.

Jaune half smiled.

"To be fair I am not as calm as I might appear." 

It was Luke's turn to smile.

"That is not a very Mistralian thing to admit." 

Jaune returned the smile.

"Yet your culture is all about honesty and being open."

Luke lost his smile.

"I will be me.  I am not a Mistral male and I will not act like something I'm not.  I will be as true to myself as I know how to be.  That is the very definition of being honest."  He stated confidently.

Luke looked at him sideways.

"Why then, would you admit to not being calm?  What has you concerned?"  He questioned looking back at his work.

Jaune turned a bit serious in his face.

"I doubt you need me to explain to you why I would be nervous with this situation."  He stated in full confidence.

Luke smiled again.

"I suppose so, but I would still like to hear you speak them."

_Jaune sighed in the picture… Kate could almost hear the thought on his face… 'I am suppose to be honest…'_

_"Gotta admit your brother is doing pretty well Kate."  Victoria claimed now focusing on the video._

"Luke I have gotten used to the idea of my family hating me over the course of my life.  I am trying to work at changing that over time.  If there is one thing that was obvious to me as I got to know your daughter, it is that she adores her family."

Luke looked at him as if confused "So… I do not see the problem."

Jaune sighed sadly as he continued.

"She needs whoever she chooses to be accepted by her family.  Not because of a tradition, but because she needs her family with her in her life.  I will not put her in a position to choose between them, or me.  I did not believe I would be accepted here by her family or parents if I am being honest.  It was not a situation I've looked forward to facing."

_"Jaune doesn't realize it… but he is literally shooting bull's-eye after bull's-eye with his answers…"  Phaera claimed with a smug grin._

_Pyrrha moved her chin down to her forearms around her knees unable to keep the smile from her face._

Luke brought his eyebrows together again and was silent for several moments.

The silence was hard on the Knight… not being sure how the situation would play out.  He moved his gaze to the ground with unpleasant thoughts evident on his face.

"Jaune I just have a few more questions then."  Luke stated.

With another sad sigh Jaune moved his gaze up to the older man.

"What are you going to do when your father is finally caught?"

Jaune visibly took a breath.

"You ask that like his fate would be up to me, and me specifically."  He challenged.

Luke kept working on the forge as he worded back "You are the leader of your nation.  Yes, I do believe you would have the man's fate in your hand when the time comes.  At least you could if you desired it."

Jaune looked at the ground for a few heartbeats before continuing with a shake of his head.

"I do not deny that I have gaping holes in my education.  I am not an expert of the law or of politics or virtually any topic.  I do however know that our home is governed by law.  As the nations Duke could I possibly order his proverbial execution the moment he was captured?  Maybe.  But to do so would not be just.  I will not become the very evil that my home has stood against for generations."

Luke took the heated metal plates out of the fire, folded them over on top of itself and put the stack into a machine to start pounding them down.

"Are you honestly going to stand there and tell me that you would not be tempted to pay him back for the way he treated you or your family?"  Luke demanded with a hard look.

Jaune shook his head.

"I never said I would not be tempted.  People are tempted to do things they should not do every day.  The vast majority of temptations people tend to ignore as they realize it should remain just that… a temptation.  I would do the same.  Yes  I would uphold the rule of law given the chance with him."  Jaune finished.

Luke crossed his arms and asked back.

"Given the chance?"

Jaune shrugged.

"Him being captured assumes a great number of things.  I suppose the biggest point is we find him and we take him alive.  Given his willingness to fight me I would think he would fight again when forced too.  But yes on the assumption he is taken prisoner he will have his time in court.  If not a Cadian court, one of Vale or any other Kingdom which would bring charges against him."

Luke kept his posture the same as he voiced "I cannot decide if your nature is working against you or with you concerning your father.  He can do a great deal of evil and might be able to corrupt the court given a court date."  He claimed.

Jaune nodded "Yes, I suppose he might be able to do that."  He agreed solemnly.

"Yet you still would allow it?"

"If I want the laws which grant me authority as a Duke to mean anything I need to follow them.  Even when it would be easier not too.  We do not pick and choose the laws we enforce.  They all are important and thus all must be considered."  Jaune seemed sure of his answer even if he was not completely confident about it.

"You do realize if the court finds him not-guilty and he goes on to commit more crimes you could potentially be responsible?"  He claimed.

Jaune smiled sadly.

_"Given the topic Jaune is staying reasonably together…"  Kate worded cautiously receiving several nodes from the others in the room._

_"Maybe your Mom really did know what she was doing when she handed over her title."  Phaera thought out loud._

"I suppose I would have a small amount of responsibility.  However I would only bear the same as the lawyer defending him or any of that sort.  It would be a hard thing to do I do not deny… and was something Pyrrha herself helped me with not long ago.  I cannot do everything alone, and sometimes the best you can do is not the best imaginable.  But dwelling over such things is not productive." 

_Pyrrha smiled with her typical silly adorable look as she observed the exchange._

"You seem to depend on my daughter a great deal."  Luke claimed.

Jaune chuckled.

"That goes without saying."  He admitted.

Luke looked amused "You are ok with that?"

Jaune shrugged "For a long time… at first,  I was not comfortable with it no.  I guess I had some growing up to do.  I would not be here much less alive or even happy if I never meet your daughter.  I do like to think that we help each other, but yes I do owe her more than I can repay."  He claimed simply if calmly.

"You use a funny word there, repay.  Being in a relationship is not about repayment it is about being with your partner through everything."  Luke chided.

_Pyrrha scowled at the screen in a sharp glare._

Jaune shook his head.

"I am not keeping a tally of what we help each other with.  Sure I am not an expert when it comes to relationships, but yes, I know that already."

_She smiled happily again remarkably quickly._

Luke looked at Jaune for several moments before he decided to move on after switching the now flat metal and seemed to come up with a conclusion.

"Before I get back to my interrogation Jaune"  He paused in a grin "I have thought of something you can do."

Jaune looked intrigued but cautious "Yes?"

Luke made a motion with his head towards a cabinet off to the side.

"Find the sheath skin marked as 'normal'.  I'd like you to make a decoration scheme for it.  I understand you have some talent for art?  I feel you should design the sheath."  He suggested.

Jaune shrugged and did as requested.  After removing the wooden frame he copied the shape onto a piece of paper for both front and back before asking:

"If I am to come up with a design I will need to know what it is I am trying to capture."  He requested.

Luke seemed to think it over.

"I do not have any great suggestion, but I would remind you that this is my test of you to determine if I deem you fit for my daughter.  You will need to come up with a name for the sword as well."  He claimed with a serious if slightly silly smile.

Jaune scowled for a moment before grabbing a nearby pencil and tapping on the paper to try and gather some motivation.

"Second to last question then Jaune."  Luke started moving the reheated and once again folded metals back to the flattener.

Jaune looked at him as he took a breath to resume.

"Suppose that you, your twin, and Pyrrha are all in a life or death situation.  A situation that requires one of you to sacrifice yourself.  If the decision was yours, who would you order to stay behind?"  He ventured looking back at his work.

"That is a rather limited setting.  You are suggesting that somebody must die and there was nothing anybody could do about it?"  He asked.

Luke nodded.

"Well the first thing that comes to mind is that we are all Beacon students.  We are trained and taught to see challenges through together.  Leaving one behind so the others may live might be an eventuality but it is not what we as leaders are taught to look for in terms of tactical decisions."  He claimed starting on his drawing for the scabbard.

"Yet if you must order one to remain behind, I would assume you could order your sister to stay behind?"  Luke probed.

Jaune shook his head and stated "No."

Luke looked sharply at him.

"Then… you would order Pyrrha to stay behind?"  He questioned appearing confused.

Once again Jaune shook his head.

"No."

Luke face finally opened up as he understood.  "You would have all 3 of you stay behind to either live or fall together?"  He guessed.

Yet again Jaune shook his head.

"No.  That might be what I would want to do.  But that is not the question you asked me.  If all 3 of us were in a life or death situation and one of us must die for the others to survive.  Then that person making the sacrifice would be me."

Luke looked stumped.

Jaune did not look up as he continued "I will not order somebody to do something I am unwilling to do.  Unless there was a greater tactical situation which is beyond the scope of your question.  If simply one of us must volunteer to stay behind or be ordered to stay behind, then I would ensure that person is me."

Luke shook his head "That simple huh?"

Jaune nodded "Your question is very simplistic.  Kate for example given her semblance and aura reserve could in theory stay hidden until help could arrive.  Depending on several factors a mission time decision might change and yes we as leaders are taught to keep your team together and to get everybody out.  But we are also taught that sometimes not everybody will live.  It is not a pleasant thing to consider, but no I would not order another to die in my place."

Luke took several seconds to process before he could speak again.

"What if one of the people you would be sacrificing yourself for you did not know?  You do realize that your death would have long reaching consequences for your homeland."  He claimed.

Jaune shook his head once again.

"Again that is outside the scope of your situation and well beyond the simple question you asked me.  I  training to become a Huntsman.  That means putting myself -my life- on the line for people I do not know every day.  I do not see how it is so different.  Yes you could claim that my homeland might have a power vacuum on its hands if I were to die suddenly.  But as always they would overcome and endure as Cadia always has dating back to humanities darkest days.  My family did not shy away from danger then and I will not now in this age.  If one of the 3 of us must die, I would be the one to volunteer.  That simple.  They may well answer the same.  But my answer is I would be the one to stay behind."

Luke elongated his face and for the moment seemed to focus on his task.

"Give me a moment… this is a crucial stage and I need to do this before the metal cools or risk weakening the binding."  He claimed and set to work.

Jaune shrugged nonchalantly and like a light bulb lighting up seemed to get some idea of the design for the sheath of the weapon.

_"I do not believe I have ever seen my husband so flustered in one of these interviews.  Jaune keeps stunning him and I doubt he even realizes he is answering these questions perfectly."  Phaera claimed with an amused look to her._

_Kate turned towards her and asked "This is answering correctly?  He has the body language of somebody disappointed."_

_Phaera shook her head as Cara answered._

_"That’s just dad trying to be a grizzly bear and not a teddy bear.  I have watched dozens of these interviews believe me… Jaune is doing well… staggeringly well."  She claimed._

_Pyrrha did not speak and just focused intently on the image of her boyfriend in the picture._

_Kate looked at her briefly and thought about inquiring further.  The Spartan had the complete appearance of somebody who was barely containing her excitement.  Sure she knew that this turned out well… but if you were just looking at the body language of the people involved Jaune did not appear so sure of himself._

_"I wonder what that last question will be…"  Kate pondered out loud._

_Pyrrha finally was driven to speak "I don't know… but whatever it is he floored dad."  She sighed dreamily._

_Kate could just blink not fully understanding the situation.  She did remember that both Pyrrha and her mother advised that when this was over both men would laugh about it.  The mood going into this was very serious and grating.  Pyrrha certainly was not acting like she was concerned for how Jaune would react._

_"Kate really this is very tame compared to some of the other times although… his questions are rather specific.  He is really doing something unique for your brother."  Cara claimed with a grin._

_Katherine smiled sadly but did not have anything further to add on the subject._

"Careful lad you do know now to use that machine right?"  Luke asked as he finished his work… evidently sharpening the blade.

_Kate and the others directed their gaze back to the screen._

"Yeah… I observed some of our smiths at home use a similar machine… I already have it programmed."  Jaune stated confidently as he pushed the activation button.

The machine set to work in etching out the design he set in the black leather already waiting for use.

"What did you decide to name it?"  Luke asked.

It was Jaune's turn to issue a silly smile.

"I guess you will find out when the machine is done."

Luke grinned and with a final movement quenched the finished sword in a nearby bin of water.

As he pulled out the blade it took on a very traditional shape but even so looked like an utterly gorgeous weapon.  Probably about 3 feet long straight blade hand and a half sword.

"I must say this turned out great.  Not a single crack or imperfection."  Luke proudly claimed setting the weapon down near the forge away from the heat.

He looked over at Jaune for a moment and elected to proceed with his interrogation.

"Final question then Jaune..."  He took a breath.

Jaune looked up from the ground and waited for the question.

"In Mistral we tend to like our traditions, be it traditions of a country or those more personal in your own family."  He paused and leaned back against a wall.

Jaune crossed his arms and waited patiently.

"If I were to say in order to gain my approval, you had to beat me in a wrestling match, what would you say?"  He asked plainly.

_For the first time Pyrrha appeared worried yet still excited somehow for his response._

Jaune grinned.  "If?"

Luke nodded "If."

Jaune took a breath "I would decline."

Luke quite literally and proverbially froze in place unable to keep his surprise out of his face that time.

_"I'll be damned…"  Victoria claimed astonished._

_Pyrrha was too busy giggling to speak… where as Phaera just blinked a tear out of her eye._

_Kate looked puzzled… but didn’t speak on._

"You would give her up before you fight for her?"  Luke asked to confirm.

Jaune sighed once again as he stood and made to leave.

"Mr. Nikos.  I refuse to treat Pyrrha as a prize or as something to fight over.  I do not care if it is a family tradition or a Mistral tradition.  She has never said it specifically regarding open challenges, but that mindset is something I know she would hate… the concept of being the object of some challenge.  2 years ago she did clearly claim that she hated being treated as a prize animal or a race horse.  I will not treat her that way and lose her respect…" 

He started walking away.

"I… feel like I should leave.  It was a mistake to come here."  He made no more than 3 step when he stopped in his tracks.

"I'll be damned…  Jaune… wait."  Luke stated quietly.

Jaune had to take a steadying deep breath before he turned around unsure what to think.

Luke was actively drying his eyes out before he could speak.

"Son… you just cost me a bet with my wife-"

Jaune made to speak.

"-And I have never been so happy to lose a wager before in my life."

Jaune sharpened his gaze and just looked confused.

Mr. Nikos moved forward and put his arms on Jaune's shoulders.

"Jaune… I have tested dozens of people who had wanted to date my girls.  You are the first one to try to date Pyrrha.  Several others in the past have sought out her hand and even desired such a battle to have the privilege to pursue her.  Every time I have asked that question I have ended up disappointed.  Sure they might fight well and I would have found some way to give them a way to save face.  But… for the first time in my life somebody answered that question correctly."  He kissed Jaune briefly on the forehead.

Jaune looked a touch apprehensive… thankfully the contact did not last more than a small fraction of a second.

"Well… what happens now?"  He asked appearing a bit more confident.

Luke shrugged "I dunno, nobody ever aced my test before.  Tell you what… why don't you go clean yourself off I will finish up here and deliver the good news?"

Luke offered an open hand.

Jaune finally appeared happy as they shook hands.

"Go with my blessing Son of Arc."

Jaune smiled once again and moved out of the room.

"Well… Phaera my dear wife… if you ever do let me hear the end of it please remember I can be humble even in defeat."

_Phaera let out a hearty laugh to the giggles of the other women in the room.  Pyrrha had started to cry happily joined now by Kate on the ground._

Mr. Nikos moved towards the machine when it announced it was finished with a very audible 'Ding!' and removed the etching.  Now in the video the sheath was surrounded in a snowy mountain on one side, a tropical island on the other.  On both sides was the word:

"Elpida…."  Luke grinned again in a chuckle.

"Naming a weapon Hope… yeah that sounds like Jaune."

Luke began to work on a hilt for the weapon and tried to follow the same Black and Gold design found in the sheath eventually ending up with a rather pleasing weapon.  Once he was finished Luke ended the video recording.

***End Video sequence***

"Well… I guess not all boys are the same after all."  Tyra admitted with flushed cheeks.

Pyrrha seemed to collect herself enough to stand up and pulled Kate up with her at the same time.

"Uh… Yes?"  Kate asked…

Only to find herself on the receiving end of an embrace from her friend.

"Thanks for letting that happen… I've waited a long time for that."  She whispered into her ear.

Kate smiled.

"Well… what happens now?"  Kate asked curious.

Pyrrha pulled back from the hug and moved to pick up the weapon.  It did not take her long to pull it tight into a minor hug of its own.

"Now… I am going to go smother my boyfriend… in kisses.  Trespassers will be stabbed."  She claimed with a grin and at a nod from her mom she soon took off out of the room at a run.

Cara stirred.

"You Arc's really are something else Katherine.  It's hard to believe you both are nobles.  You… just don’t seem the type."  She claimed.

Kate slowly started her own exit… she still had some time to relax before their evening workout and she felt the call of that chair and the warm sun given that her nap had been interrupted.

"You have known many nobles I take it?"  Kate asked curiously.

Cara giggled.

"No, but it's all that is in the news… thinking the world owes them something just cause they were born in a big castle or something.  You and he aren't anything like that." 

Kate smiled.

"We as a family might have been guilty of that at some point… but this is something to consider.  My family might be nobles… but even so all of us are trying to serve the world in some fashion or another.  You might remember that not everybody thinks of themselves before others."

Cara smiled happily "Well mom… how does it feel for one of your daughters to be dating a prince?"

"King!" Tyra corrected.

Kate just continued on her way out… to eventually find her spot in the sun.  Before long… she was back asleep.  Though you might never have known that from the smile she wore on her face.  She briefly considered sending a text message to Pyrrha… but figured the Spartan would figure it out soon enough.

***Pyrrha Sprinting around the house***

After leaving the room at a sprint and barging through her door she expected to be greeted by her boyfriend… and found the room empty.

_He isn't in our room… why wouldn’t he be here?  He finished with the weapon forging an hour ago… maybe he used the shower near the forge?  Ok that’s possible… but then he should still be here._

_I mean it's an easy path here from the forge… you just turn 3 times to the right then head up a flight of stairs before turning 2 times to the left and heading back down stairs then you take the third door from the right and follow it till the second on the left and…_

Pyrrha face-palmed.

_He got lost… ugh._

_Ok Pyrrha… if you were Jaune… and you finished your shower… where would you be…_

_Well what was he doing before the test… he was giving people back rubs and … oh… he was going to take a nap._

A smile once again finding its way onto her face she left Hope on a counter in her room and exited as quickly as her legs could propel her out the room and up the stairs.  Several turns made at dangerous speeds later she found herself out near the pool area… and was greeted by the sight of both Arc twins sleeping in their respective bench.

_Yeah… He wanted to take a nap and I guess with the forging of the weapon he couldn’t.  Well… that's fine.  A nap sounds good too…_

_Besides my birthday is coming up soon… we can save the kisses for then._

With an almost evil smile she moved next to Jaune and gave him a sweet kiss before settling down herself for a nap.

A short time later the 3 of them were resting… and seemed ready for what the summer would present them with next.

**A/N**

**I will keep the note short thing time.  AgentWhikeHawk of DA has finished another image which so happens to be the first part of the next chapter.  You should check it out if you haven't already seen it.**

**On another note… when I started with this story I never thought I would hit 300/F/F/R's.  And here we are not even halfway through with the story and I hit that mark.  Thank you all once again for the feedback and well wishes.**

**As ever if you would like to discuss the story, any future art pieces or anything shoot me an IM or email me.  We can talk about almost anything.**

**Please remember to Review/Fav/Follow/Comment/Kudos/IM or email me your feedback, one can never have too much of that.**

**Thank you for your time, and I will see you next chapter.**

**-Sean**


	32. Y3S: A Spartans Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha's birthday has passed and she even slept in! Pyrrha Nikos oversleep? What could have caused it!?

**This chapter will be the first to have smuttish material written into the main story.  If that is not the type of material you wish to read, then proceed at your own risk.**

3.7

It was the day after her birthday party.  Sunlight was just starting to creep into the room to brush against the fine skin of the rooms lone occupant.  With an even bigger smile appearing on her face than what she fell asleep with the gorgeous redheaded woman seemed to sink even deeper into her bed…. and hence the pillow.

It was only after several minutes later when the sun's silhouette was no longer clearly visible in the window that the Spartan finally woke up.  Rolling up into a somewhat seated position in a stretch of her back extending her arms to draw out the pleasant sensation for a few more seconds.  She might even have yawned too.

Only then did she open her eyes and realize a simple truth.

For the first time in literally years Pyrrha Nikos missed a morning workout session.  She was not sick… or had any excuse to offer… beyond just sleeping through it.

Her smile grew even wider on her face.

_It has been… a very long time since that last happened to me.  Oh well.  We did work out on my birthday a great deal… missing a session the day after won't be crippling… besides I feel GREAT!  Might as well enjoy the rest of my morning._

Humming an upbeat tune to herself Pyrrha took the needed time to put on some comfortable clothing.  Once done she listened to her nose…. smelling the tantalizing odor of breakfast slipping into her room. 

Moving as if she was walking on a cloud and STILL with that overly large and silly looking smile she bounced towards the outside eating area.  Sniffing her way towards the smells of promised deliciousness.

She may or may not even be using her eyes in her hunt for food.

A few minutes later it was proven that her nose did not lie to her or lead her astray… on the outside cooker was her mother making bacon, eggs and other various foodstuffs.

Keeping her eyes closed and moving her head side to side she continued to advance to an open spot.  Avoiding the pool only out of practiced repetition.

Behind her Katherine and Jaune both entered the house having finished their morning routine.  The pair advanced quickly to clean up not having a desire to arrive late to their breakfast.

Nobody noticed them… all mostly dumbfounded by the Spartans antics.

As the other visitors and attendees of the house noticed her approach they tended to freeze picking up on something they might label as abnormal.  Possibly even stealing the phrase 'something is afoot' as their mother might say.

Cara completely missed her fork allowing her breakfast to spill back to her plate.  As she continued to dwell on the matter a staggering blush took hold on her face.  When her friends followed her gaze they too developed a bit of color to them.

Luke just completely turned around as if not wanting to know more of the situation… though he did have a grin on his face.

Even Victoria the bookworm noticed the oddness to her appearance as she approached.

Phaera put an equally huge and somewhat knowing smile on her face as she handed her daughter a plate.

Pyrrha hummed a thank you as she flashed a happy smile in appreciation for the food and finally took a seat.

The rest of the Nikos family members shared a domino of glances bouncing between all of the family members who remained in the area.

The two males of the group shared a glance and decided to head off to … possibly just get away from any 'girl' talk which might transpire soon.

Pyrrha atypical to her normal attentive self noticed none of this.  It had nothing to do with the fact that her eyes remained closed.

By the time the Spartan had finished her breakfast Kate had joined them hurrying for nourishment… on the promise that her brother would be right behind her.

After she claimed her own plate she sent a concerned glance at her friend… never before had Pyrrha refused to awaken for a morning session.

'Sleepy tired rest now.'  Were her exact barely spoken words.

Her concern quickly morphed into one of endless curiosity as she continued to ponder while hungrily devowering her food.

After a few minutes she cocked her head and smiled… almost as if she didn’t think it was possible... regardless of what her infamous "Twin Senses" were telling her.

The engineer of the group decided that the silence had prevailed long enough and answers needed to be given.  Victoria stood and shared a look nearly identical to her younger sister when she was determined enough and moved over next to her.

Pyrrha finally seemed to be able to notice things around her as she shot a warm if slightly innocent look to her elder sibling.

The Bookworm sat down next to her and in a quiet voice asked "Pyrrha are you feeling ok?"

Pyrrha just smiled at her and took a drink.

Victoria's eye twitched and she seemed to get serious.  Placing a hand on her sisters shoulder a gentle shake got her attention "Pyrrha Nikos!  As your elder sibling I DEMAND to know what is going on with you?  You are absolutely GLOWING!  I require information all there is to know!!!  Details and all!"

Kate nearly choked on her food while the rest of the Mistral crowd seemed to edge closer to hear her answer.

Pyrrha's smile grew if anything even larger as she replayed her memories of the previous day's activities…  Though her eyes remained mostly closed.

***Afternoon the day before***

Her Birthday 'Party' started out well-if innocently- enough.  Pyrrha was not much of one for celebrations… the fact that her extended family lived outside Mistral and she did not have friends growing up made for small celebrations.  Essentially the only people who would be present would be those who happened to be around her home on most days.

Though to be fair, she was particularly glib regarding 2 guests… both of them siblings.  One of those of course was her boyfriend, the other somebody who was quickly becoming her best friend… if not honorary sister.  She briefly even considered asking her boyfriend if she should invite more of his family… in the end decided against it.  She did not want to make a big deal out of her birthday, they never really did previously and she did not see a need to start now.

Over the course of the summer she or others had spent time teaching the Cadian children how to properly swim not to mention with the language as well.  It was not all that difficult though they would probably never swim or speak as well as a native Mistralian.  It just was not as ingrained in their being.

The summer was starting to draw to a close and the promise to return to Beacon for their third year loomed over the horizon.  Pyrrha quickly learned to treasure her time over the summer.  Unlike most times in the past, she joyously returned home and did not continually think of when summer would be over.

She did dread one thing though…

It was something she promised herself… and even hinted at with others on more than one occasion.

Being ones' partner in Mistral is a much deeper bond than the term simply implies elsewhere in the world.  The pact -so to speak- begins with one of trust and mutual respect.  She needed to ensure it felt right to her. 

All throughout the summer she had wondered when she would feel comfortable enough to try and proceed in a more Mistrali fashion with Jaune.  When she would feel confident of her ability to be that bold with him.  It was not that she was shy or feared rejection, but she knew that rushing often resulted in one slipping.

If she was being honest with herself she had been asking herself that question for nearly a full year now.

In short she had to make sure she was ready before trying to advance their relationship.

Well… as if the stars aligned and a sign was activated for her to see.  It would be hard to argue that the right time was not now.

Today was her birthday.  Her father had embraced both siblings and given his blessing on the pair… Jaune even had the distinction of acing his test.  Something which according to popular theory among the Nikos' family members was impossible.

That fact alone garnered more than a bit of jealous looks and envious statements from her younger sister or her friends.  It was probably the only time in her memory where she had a boyfriend, and Cara did not.  Not that she tried to rub it in her face… but it was a startling thing to consider.

Thankfully Jaune had largely been accepted by her family… something which he silently did not believe possible… for reasons Pyrrha herself did not truly understand.  But… it all added up to one thing.

There is no real set curriculum for Partners to follow in Mistral… yet she knew one thing.

When you felt ready… that was when you should try to move further along those lines. 

She felt ready. 

Time to Marry the blond haired male?  No, not yet time for that.  But to officially become Partners according to Mistralian Custom?  Yes, that much, she felt ready for.

As such she started to paddle closer to the said male in question on her float.  Jaune despite his ability to now swim properly apparently has chosen to employ a deadmans float technique to pass the time in the pool.

Luke from his corner in the pool could not help but feel happy for the pair.  Not that he was prepared for them to suddenly become engaged… that would still be a bit of a shock.  But he could be happy that both the blond and redheaded individuals make the other happy.

Maybe 30 feet in front of him was Jaune, resting while more or less floating in the water.  Both he and his twin seemed to agree on the color of swimwear they should ordain and both choose the color blue.  Jaune's was a stylish and colorful mix of blues and greens which suited him well.

Laying down in an elongated chair behind the partners in the water was his twin sister.  Also wearing a blue swimsuit… and one that made it absolutely clear that she does not get embarrassed at all in any way.  Though… she was one of the rare individuals who could wear that and pull it off.  Her mix of light and darker blues was very flattering on her.

Between both of them to his vision was his middle child.  Her brilliant red hair going freeform completely over her back in a very good looking black and gold bikini.  She was well outside his authority for what she should wear… yet he was glad in his own way that she was far more conservative than others in the family.

To his right sat his wife.  Phaera wore an only slightly irritating smile in her knowing manner.  He would have to suffer her grins and knowing looks for awhile he figured….

Behind both of them was a line of the other party attendees, though Conner was suspiciously missing.

"You know you don’t need to keep an eye on them."  Phaera claimed settling deeper in the pool.

Luke grunted "I'm not keeping an eye on them just enjoying my time in the pool…"  He looked her over.

"Besides you haven't been able to sit still all afternoon.  What is on your mind?"  He inquired.

She shrugged mildly.

"I would say shenanigans.  Conner is missing and… I get the feeling there is a reason for that."

Luke nodded his head… her "Mom" senses normally were staggeringly accurate and he did not disagree… his son probably had something planned for the day.

He could not finish his thought as another idea popped into his head spurred by Katherine standing up and moving toward the cooler… presumably to get a drink.

With a movement of his foot he got his wife's attention. 

She looked at him with an inquisitive glance.

He made a swooshing movement with his head towards the other two in the water.

She of course knew what he was pointing out… the two appeared to be in their own little world speaking amongst themselves completely oblivious to anything happening around them.

"Think she will?"  He asked.

She cocked her head to the side for a moment before nodding her head.

"She?   Yes I believe she would."  Phaera claimed after a brief moments consideration.

Luke shook his head.  "No way… I'd bet otherwise"  He grinned.

Her face took on its own grin though hers was infinitely more evil and menacing.

"Careful dear husband you already owe me one.  Are you brave enough to owe me 2?"  She taunted.

Luke chuckled briefly.  "I do not believe I will owe you two.  I see this as an opportunity to earn my way back up to par."  He claimed confidently.

Her evil grin grew into a full on smile.

"You.  Are.  On."  She declared moving to sip her drink innocently sinking further into the water.

Luke smiled and took action.  "Hey Katherine!"  He called out.

The girl in question paused her movement towards the cooler to turn towards the voice.

When a hand motion asked her to come closer she put on a smile of her own.  She definitely smiled again when the request was given to her.

She turned around and measured the best manner in which to go about this… and set off towards her nearby destination.

The married couple observed her walk away.  Luke's jaw dropped as Kate seemed prepared to actually do what he requested of her… not that he actually wanted her to do that.

"You are going to owe me twoooooo."  Phaera sang smugly.

"Just watch… she actually has to go through with it."  He advised…starting to sweat a bit despite his calm exterior.

A few feet ahead of them Pyrrha enjoyed the lighthearted conversation with Jaune laughing happily like a bird as the two of them traded jokes…

Though she did not forget a pledge made earlier that week… kisses were owed and soon she claim them.

…

Hopefully not surrounded by her family and friends but the right time was fast approaching… she felt it.

"So you hear the joke between Ms. Goodwitch and Professor Port?"  Jaune asked lazily still floating on his back.

Jaune's eye twitched almost like he sensed shenanigans on behalf of his twin…  However the truth is he was almost always getting that vibe, it would be difficult to pin point them down.

"No… I do not believe I have."  she claimed happy as can be.

Jaune made sure to deliver this punch line in the most flat voice he possibly could.

"I hear that he once interrupted one of her lectures… and has never opened his eyes again."

Pyrrha instantly was brought into a fit of laughter… Jaune's deadpan delivery was perfect.

That and she could just PICTURE that happening too…

Still suffering from her case of the giggles she paddled closer to the blond male near her.

"You ready for classes to start up again?"  She asked still carrying a huge smile on her face.

He closed his eyes leaning further back into the water… Pyrrha seemed to keep moving closer without active thought on her part.

"I am excited to see our friends again.  Nora and Ren have been oddly silent… and it has been some time from the last time I heard about a situation in Patch.  I guess that’s a good thing right?"  He asked sitting up slightly in the water closing the distance between them.

Pyrrha was close enough now that with a small motion with her head she could plant a kiss on her boyfriend… resisting the temptation was not an easy thing to do.

_Soon…._

"I guess things getting back to normal would be a good thing.  I am excited to get back too."  _I am excited about other possibilities as well…_

For several moments she did nothing but look at her boyfriend.  She tried hard not to blush.  To say she had a hand in his growth over the last 2 years would be more than a fair thing to say.  Still… she had no idea at the start of her Beacon career that her partner would turn out … well… irresistible she believed was the word.

Feeling a surge of bravery and confidence she was brought to speak again.

"Jaune… I … I wanted… too."  She brought her eyebrows together trying to focus.  Confidence and bravery was not enough to carry the day it seemed.

Something she seemed to realize with a pout.

He opened his eyes and looked at her patiently giving her time.  After a few moments her adorable pout forced a grin and eventually a laugh out of him.

_Ignore his pretty… deep… amazing… blue… STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!!_

When she objected physically with a smack to his shoulder it seemed to only make him laugh harder.

When it was clear Jaune would not easily be able to stop himself Pyrrha pushed on.

_WAKE UP PYRRHA!!!  It isn't like you just met him 2 years ago just… look at him and….  His … blue eyes… yes!  His eyes are BLUE Pyrrha!  For all that is holy just speak your mind!_

_…_

_HOW!?  ARGH it's like his eyes just … STOP!_

"You are making it hard to think!"  She claimed exasperated looking embarrassed.

He smiled into his goofy grin as he managed to halt his laughter.

"Should I close my eyes?  Possibly turn around?  Swim away?"  He asked.

"Yes!  Just… No don't close your eyes just… Yes Close…. no…."  Clearly floundering.

Once again Pyrrha cursed how hard it was for her to discuss matters of the heart.  It was almost like she's better off not trying than stuttering herself into a flushed face.

_I just want to stare into his gorgeous eyes and kiss him over and over rolling my hands over those amazing abs of his-_

_SHUT UP PYRRHA!!! SHUT UP SHUP UP SHUT UP!!!_

"You seem to be struggling."  He teased reaching out to her shoulder with a gentle caress.

"Should I perhaps get you a piece of paper?  Maybe a chisel to put your message into stone?" 

Her inner debate ceased at that second sentence as she glared at him.  Finally catching her speaking stride she spoke more confidently.

"Your goddess does not appreciate that Jaune… She thinks you will pay for that remark later."   She managed to look both adorable and mischievous at the same time.

"Oh I am terrified... should I be concerned for my safety?"  He joked.

Her smile became somewhat toothy as she replied "Yes… very much so."

She leaned closer still.

"In fact… I think it might be time-"

She had planned what to say meticulously over the summer.  Played out scenarios in her head over and over trying to anticipate what would happen when she got to this subject with him.  The subject of their partnership.

She could not remember a single one of those scenarios at present given the warm body that just landed on top of her and by extension Jaune forcing both of them into the water.

Jaune managed to get back to the surface first given he was already in the water to begin with.  Pyrrha soon emerged with a deep breath tossing her hair over her head with her hands.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"  Luke cried out in agony.

"Like I said… you should have listened to me." a smug voice bragged.

She might have spoken on but a teasing eyebrow wiggle silenced anything that came to mind.

Pyrrha's pout became feral as she sought out the guilty party responsible for that sneak attack… even in her red haze of annoyance she managed to catch the exchange between her parents.

"WHA? Mom!?  Dad?!"  She yelled out arms to the sky.

Luke sighed and submerged himself in the water briefly as to hide with a wave of his hand in surrender before fully going under.

"Just a friendly wager darling… carry on!"  She suggested with a knowing smile and a playful wave.

Off on the far side of the pool Katherine just emerged on the water's surface and climbed out of the pool.

"Katherine Arc!  What was that for?!"  Pyrrha demanded sternly.

The raven-haired girl just smiled in a shrug "It was a bet… sorry I felt inclined."  She grinned playfully and continued to make her way towards getting a drink.

Pyrrha paddled over to the more shallow end of the pool trying to get her hair back under control… seemingly while Jaune was doing the same thing.  She wanted to rant a bit more given the sneak attack… but as normal the instant Jaune's hands touched her neck her anger miraculously left her body.

"Hey… come now relax its suppose to be your day.  Don't get upset."  He claimed calmly giving her a neck rub.

"Jaune… you… ohhh…."  Just like with his backrubs it was nearly impossible to keep awake much less continue to think though them.

She found herself letting her head and neck just relax utterly.  Allowing him to move her around only with the actions of his hands going to putty in his arms.

He guided her towards a seated part of the pool where he would be allowed to work without having to keep himself afloat and Pyrrha could relax into him.

"You should probably get your hair a little more together so it doesn’t get in the way."

He thought about it then came to a conclusion.  "Actually I remember… I might as well get it into the braid from last year.  You still need to wear it that way around your birthday right?"  He asked.

Her thoughts were totally clouded right now but even so she was able to answer "Yeah… I do need to do that soon.  Wont it be a pain to do that while my hair is wet though?"

He moved near to her ear and whispered "I think I can manage."  He turned her slightly to get a better angle with his hand briefly running over the 6 pack of her core giving her a slight tickle as he brought his hand back up again.

Her silly smile spoke more than she could articulate at that moment as  she just relaxed into him and tried not to look too happy.  She might have noticed the happy smile on the face of her mother if she could notice anything beyond her boyfriends touch and actions… but alas she was a bit consumed at the moment.

Across the pool the parents couldn't help but make some comments to themselves.

"I never really believed her when she said that Jaune was able to get her hair into that braid last year… I see now she was being truthful."  Luke stated turning around to face his wife again having finally come up for air.

"Well… she did say he had some knowledge of hair care.  Moving all that hair around when its wet cannot be easy."

Luke smiled coyly and let the subject fade.

"She does look happy though, doesn’t she?"  Phaera asked.

"Yes… she does.  I am gla-"

He paused and cocked his head to the side… A whizzing sound in the air coupled with rapid pounding of something colliding with the ground momentarily froze him.

"CONNER!!!!  GET BACK HERE!!"  Several voiced bellowed.

Phaera cringed and patiently counted to 5 before she even looked around.

"I hate being right all the time."  She groaned.

Luke found him first.

"In the air."  He advised.

Conner it seems just did a flyby over the girls laying in chairs dropping a virtual torrent of water balloons.  Ava even went as far as to shake an angry fist to the sky as one hit her dead center.

"At least it wasn't another dust mixture of Goo.  I did not want to deal with that again."  Phaera stated happily observing action.

Conner did not stick around for any reprisal.  He continued his flight away and back into the house outside of view after waving a cocky goodbye.

The girls seemed to mingle and start the never ending trend over again.

Jaune could not help but chuckle… over the summer Pyrrha's siblings had provided some measure of random entertainment.  What they had is probably more normal than anything he knew growing up.  Actually joking with and having fun with your siblings… must have been nice.

"Mhmm…"  Pyrrha hummed contently.

He smiled continuing his work.  "That was a nice flyby."  He commented.

"Mhmm."  she repeated.

"You know it isn't easy getting all this hair into a braid… there is so much it has to have grown over the summer."  He pointed out.

"Should be done soon though."  He finished.

She just nodded her head with another "Mhmm."

"You didn't notice anything that just happened did you?"  He claimed.

"Mhmm."  She agreed needlessly.

He smiled again.

It was some time later when he managed to finish his work.  The sun was starting to set below the horizon yet neither of them was particularly keen to get out of the water.  Jaune might have been able to slide away to find a more comfortable spot… But Pyrrha knowingly or not decided to box him in.  Sitting down in front of him and press her back into his chest.

The lack of light meant it was more difficult to Victoria to read and as such she was the first to head inside.

"Thank you for braiding my hair Jaune."  Pyrrha pulled his arms around her core again and laid her hands on top of his.

"It is a tradition as I remember.  You are welcome."

She hummed happily in response… and something she was curious about came to mind.

"Your birthday."  She stated suddenly.

"Huh?"

She tried again.  "Your birthday… when is it?  We didn't do anything for it."  She asked.

He frowned slightly but answered.  "It was a couple weeks before yours.  Katherine and I grew used to ignoring them as we grew up sooo… Well.  We never really celebrated them."

 _That would be why neither of them said anything_.

She frowned unhappy at the thought.

"Well… we shall have to do something about that next year."  She insisted.

He nodded in agreement as they cuddled closer.

He was content to hold her against him for the time being and just enjoyed the moment.  As they studied the setting sun more of the gathering eventually filed out of the area.

"Say Pyr,"

She stirred somewhat in his arms.

"What did you end up doing with those pictures I gave you last year?"  He asked.

She smiled warmly at the memory.

"I brought them home with me naturally.  I never decided on where I wanted them hung so they are in one of my drawers in my room."  She kissed his arm.

"I still cannot believe you made those for me.  My parents thought they cost a fortune when I showed them.  It really doesn’t look like you used colored pencils to make that image."  She praised.

It was his turn to smile.

"Well… I guess you can thank my family for that.  Every Arc is expected to learn more than just a single thing.  Culturally, historically, philosophy.  You name it, as nobles we were expected to be educated in a number of areas.  Drawing and pencils qualified as art I suppose."  He admitted.

She cocked her head to the side.

"All of your siblings?  Even Lissette?"  She asked.

He nodded.

"Yeah.  Those of us who want to fight are trained to fight.  All are taught to dance, sing and other things besides.  Given my youth… well I doubt I need to go into it but it is something I am trying to catch up on.  Like… well… like I guess everything else."  He hugged her though his embrace as he finished.

Pyrrha was almost tempted to ask him to sing for her… his dancing was top notch and she did not doubt for a moment that his singing voice would be just as magical as his hands.  But… she decided against it.

Before she knew it she looked around and realized that everybody else had already began to head inside.  She did catch one sight which she was surprised to see. 

Her mother giving her a look which she knew translated to 'Well… what are you waiting for?'

She smiled.

_Ok Pyrrha… you are NEVER going to get a better chance than now.  No siblings around to embarrass you, no worry about your parents not approving of your choice… Even the weather is perfect!  Champion of Mistral it up and just let it happen!_

"Say… Jaune lets head inside.  It is getting dark out."  She suggested innocently enough and tried very hard to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

As she spoke she turned and moved towards the nearest ladder.  Jaune evidently just hefted himself up from the ledge.

_Steady Pyrrha… steady…_

***Back in Pyrrha's room***

Dimly in the back of his mind, Jaune should have realized that Pyrrha was moving… a bit more… well… more than she normally did.  Something was different about her… maybe it was the slight sway she put in her hips or the way she just seemed incredibly excited.  He wasn't sure.  Even so he figured she was just excited for classes to resume soon.

He might be rethinking his stance on that.

Upon entering her room she took off for the bathroom citing the need to take a shower.  This did not faze him at all as her taking the first shower was the norm for them.  He busied himself with checking his scroll, sending some messages to his friends answering a few others and more or less went about his pre shower routine as norm-

"Jaune."  Pyrrha called.

He turned towards her.

"Yes?"

She appeared in the doorway to the bathroom dressed in her black and gold robe he had seen her in several times over the summer.

"Is there a problem?"  He asked.

She seemed… a mix of excited, nervous, and terrified.

"Kind of… would you come in here?"  She asked developing a tremendous blush on her face.

He cocked his head to the side… was it a bug or something?  Normally she just would pick up the nearest object and smash it.

"Uh… sure."  He responded setting his scroll down and slowly made his way towards her.

Once he got inside he found her fidgeting with her hands nervously facing away from him.

"Would you shut the door?"  She asked.

He gulped… unsure what the problem was.

She took a steadying deep breath… and finally turned around.

"Jaune… you know I had wanted to teach you some Mistral customs over the summer…"  She began in a quiet voice.

He nodded absentmindedly.

"Yeah… I do recall hearing you say that, yes." 

She nodded with him.

"I …. well… I want… I mean I wouldn't ask if… I … er… I…"  She growled at her own inarticulate nature.

He almost grinned.

"Pyrrha you can tell me you don't need to be nervous."  He reassured her.

She huffed in good nature.

_That is exactly why I am nervous… I don't want to ruin this…_

"Jaune… I… want you to know.  It is not easy for me to do this.  If you do not feel ready or are uncomfortable… you can tell me."  She claimed.

He raised an eyebrow now feeling a bit unsure.

"Gosh… this is … really…"  Her chest was visible heaving as she continued to take deep breaths.

Finally as if convincing herself to move forward, she undid the tie of her robe.  Her arms moved it outside of her body and made an almost dancers like twirl dropped it to the ground near her feet.

Jaune tried to keep his jaw from dislodging and hoped his eyes would remain in their sockets.

She was wearing literally… nothing.  For the first time… ever.  Pyrrha Nikos was naked with another in view of her.

Jaune might have made a mental note of a few things.  How he was totally unprepared to see her naked.  How utterly gorgeous she was musculature and strong build and all.  How she maintained herself hygienically.  His mind was moving faster than he would have thought possible yet he was making absolutely no progress in processing what his eyes were seeing.

She seemed to gather her courage and took a few steps towards him.

"Jaune."

He blinked.

"Jaune?"  She tried again.

Almost as if his mind made an emergency reaction to panic he got a small portion of his mind back under his control.

"Y-yes?"  He asked.

She continued to look into his eyes as she moved her arms to his sides.

"I … want us to move forward as Partners.  It is a big step… I know."  She claimed.

He might have asked a few questions at this juncture… if he could assemble a sentence.

'Partner's see each other naked?'

'A warning might have been nice!'

'Good god almighty… you are beyond beautiful…'

All were thoughts he tried to say…. instead all he could do was try to return her actions and move his hands to her hips.

"Jaune… would you take a shower with me?"  She asked.

Not giving him time to come to an answer she gave him a brief kiss… before turning around and moving to her shower.

Now… he realized… why the shower was so large.  More than enough space for 2 people including a space big enough for it to essentially become a hot tub.  She walked somewhat nervously putting a slightly seductive sway to her hips as she moved away and with a smile… opened the shower door.

_Must… *clunk*  Think…  *clunk*  C'mon!... *clunk* Brain!  More clunks is all that would answer him._

"Coming Jaune?"  She asked from the shower.

Finally drawn to action he tugged off his clothing as he made the sure… but nervous steps to the shower stall.

_Ok Jaune… this is obviously important to Pyrrha and its her Birthday!  Man up and get in there!_

Opening the door and closing it behind him he stepped down the few steps to join in the hot water spray with his girlfriend.

She turned around with a joyous grin on her face… and oddly enough a tear falling just the same.

"Jaune… thank you."  She stated as she embraced him.

He had given her a multitude of hugs over their time together… yet there was something to be said for hugging her while she was naked.  Her full chest pressed against him felt awesome, that alone made it hard to think and stay focused.

_This is not the first girl you have seen naked Jaune… just relax!_

"You're welcome… even if I am unsure what we are doing.  Showering together is a big deal in Mistral?"  He asked cautiously fighting to keep his voice level.

She shook her head and took a soapy rag into her hands before answering.

"Just showering together is not all that special… Partners showering together however is a bit of a thing.  It is something I needed to… and wanted to teach you about."

With that she ensured his body was watered down from the shower and began to slather him up while she continued to speak to him.  Her talking seemed to steady her… that and actually doing something beyond just speaking.

"Partners take care of each other on the battlefield and off.  It is a very old custom here."  She claimed as she switched to his other shoulder.

He just stood there and let her do her thing trying not to lose himself to the sights.

"Do you remember two years ago when I gave you that bruise on your chest -here-?"  She asked pressed down on the impact point.

He chuckled but responded with a smile.

"Pyrrha let's be honest I always had bruises two years ago and had a fair number of them last year too."  He admitted.

She grinned.

"Yes… but this point… do you remember it?"  She had moved further along his chest waiting his reply.

"Well… yes I think I do.  Though I had several it might not be that one you are talking about."  He confessed trying to figure out where she is going with it.

She took another breath trying to keep her eyes upwards towards his face as she responded.

"In Mistral… if a partner suffers an injury like that in training… that act is a method for bonding in its own right.  You remember what I did every day after that right?"  She prompted moving on down to his legs.

He had to think back… but eventually responded.

"You kept attacking me in that manner, you were relentless about it as I recall."  He still was unsure where she was going with that.

Pyrrha waited until she had finished with her task… enjoying the sights as much as she could.  As … unprepared as she was for some of them despite bits of information she had gleaned about him previously.  Before standing back up to give a strong glance directly into his eyes.

"I did that… because it is my job to keep hitting you there.  To not let up to continue to strike at you however I can until you learn how to block and avoid those strikes.  When partners would shower it would be my job to press down on that bruise.  To remind you that striking you, hurts me too.  I do not want to see you in pain.  I do not want to see you wounded.  But I would do it.  I would do it every day, every hour, every time we spared if I have to.  It would not matter if the bruise worsened, I would continue to attack you...  To get you to learn.  To identify my attack patterns and sequences, to understand how to be safe where you are vulnerable.  So in an actual battle you would be prepared."

She leaned forward to hug him with her arms taking pulling him towards her with a firm but gentle embrace.  Speaking again after resting her head against his she continued

"Therefore instead of being killed or being injured, you would know how to block because I refused to allow you an easy out in your training.  Likewise the other partner would need to watch and see how I did not enjoy hurting you.  To see the pain on my face, and use that as a desire to improve and get better.  Any strikes you made against me you would treat in the same manner I did you.  In that that way we both would improve and grow.  It is a pact which works both ways…"

She took another steadying breath, but otherwise continued to look into his eyes.

"This is what I mean when I say Partners take care of each other.  That goes beyond just training buddies or practice in a class.  It is far more personal… and … one that… I… I…"  her words caught in her throat as she struggled to keep speaking.

Jaune could feel her heart hammering through their hug… his own was not much more contained… but Pyrrha seemed so nervous she could barely speak.

A gentle brush of his fingers against her back and neck prompted her to keep going as if he said.

'Keep going I am listening.'

"I am honored… blessed and am so incredibly happy to share this with you Jaune.  I have wanted this for 2 years and… I could never bring myself to ask it of you."  She finally seemed to relax a bit as she waited on him to say something.

Jaune for his part was unsure what he could possibly say to add anything of substance to what she just said in the greater context and importance of what this means to her.  So… he decided to start small.

He picked up the soapy rag and started the same process with her.

She twitched happily in his arms and fully leaned into his body as he cleaned her off.

"Pyrrha… I was just a sick… hopeless and lost person before I met you my first year.  I still sometimes question what I did to be so lucky to be worthy of this… worthy of you.  Part of me thinks that this is all a dream.  That maybe I have imagined everything that has happened since then and I would wake up sick in my bed any moment.  I thank you for noticing me."  He whispered into her ear the only thought he could formulate… and went about his task.

In many ways cleaning her off was the most intimate thing he had ever done in his life.  Besting even his experience with Melody earlier in his life.

Pyrrha was a tall, sexy, athletic and strong girl.  She looked it.  There was something to be said for two people looking at each other with nothing to hide behind.  No clothing, no darkness.  Nothing.

It was sometimes hard to keep himself focused on his task.  She had cleaned him off very thoroughly.  Even the places which she was obviously hesitant to touch.

As he cleaned off her body he could not help but be amazed.  Her legs always mesmerized him… and seeing her naked did nothing to dissuade his opinion of her.  They were flawlessly strong.  Her core carried a 6 pack many people would be envious of.

Noticing his work on her stomach she spoke.  "I've always disliked my stomach."  She claimed.

He continued to run his hand and therefore the rag over the firm ridges of her abdomen as he waited.

If he didn't know better she gave a slight gasp at the touch…

"It… it just isn't very lady like.  Most girls at Sanctum always criticized me for having such a defined stomach."  She sounded embarrassed.

To be fair… her entire body looked like it was sculpted.  She worked incredibly hard all her life.  Her combat style was intense and in your face in a very direct kind of way.  All that together meant that this girl was stronger than most.

He knew that she was deeply troubled by her experience with Sanctum… and to be fair he could have said a ton of responses to what she said.  How they are idiots… how you shouldn't care about what they think anymore.  How they never got to know you so their opinion of you was worthless.

In the end… he figured Pyrrha wouldn’t care what he said about those other people… she cared about his opinion.  About his mindset.  And as such… he decided to give it to her.  Finishing his work in cleaning her body off including her wonderfully detailed shoulders and back, he stood up and looked at her.

She seemed a bit unnerved at how long he took to respond… but looked at him as if he had all her focus in the world.

"You once told me I would have to tell you what I saw when I look at you.  Do you want me to do that now?"  He asked.

She ducked her head down and blushed profusely… but nodded.

He smiled and pulled her close.

"I could talk about your body, you know I find you attractive.  I would not change anything about you physically.  You know that already.  I love you for you." 

She nodded slyly blushing harder.

"When I look at you Pyrrha.  I see a woman who is as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.  I see somebody who is the living embodiment of hard work and discipline.  I see somebody who loves others so much… that they are willing to work hard enough to empower and encourage them to grow with her."

He would have spoken further… and he wanted to.  However she had other plans.  Pyrrha stepped further into him went into another hug.  That momentarily took him off target with his talk.

"I-"

"Shhh.  Just…  You've said…. more than enough.  Just… enjoy the moment… ok?"  She requested.

He smiled and tried to just enjoy the feeling of her pressed against him without letting his mind go every which direction.  She cut off water to the shower head and instead set it to fill up to make use of the hot tub.

As he listened to the water fill the chamber… he only had a few feelings and sensations to guide him.  The drum of her heartbeat.  The calming sighs from her as she breathed and nuzzled closer against him.

"Jaune… thank you for coming into my life when you did.  Thank you for coming to Mistral with me.  Thank you for making my day perfect… I could say more but… just thank you.  I have been happier this summer than I can ever remember being in my life."  She kissed his neck as she finished and if anything hugged him with even more force.

Hearing her say that… gave him the courage to proceed with something he would never have been able to do at the start of the summer.  She seemed to sense that a thought entered his mind as she pulled back and gazed at him questioningly.

Taking a steady stream of deep breaths he peeled one arm off of him and set it against one of the walls.  Repeating the same process with her opposite arm.

"Pyrrha.  You have shown me some of Mistrals customs over the summer.  I have learned things your family considers to be very important, and I have gotten to know them in a way that might even be better than my own." 

She smiled and cocked her head to the side waiting for him to finish.

He took another deep breath and met her gaze.

"Let me show you … a tradition of my own.  When you love a girl… who means the world to you.  Who has given me everything I have and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to know."  He had to take another breath and his face looked similar to his twins for a moment as he took on a slightly mischievous aspect.

"I realize it is rather impertinent for a lowly Knight such as myself to make a request of a Goddess like you."

She smiled innocently at him.

"But… if you please… stay as still as you can."

He moved in and gave a gentle kiss on her lips, she returned the kiss with as much emotion as she could.  Not one of longing or emptiness like she had known for most of her adult life, but a kiss of love and caring.  However… he did not stay in that kiss for long.  Kissing his way down to the tender part where her jaw meets her neck he sought out her pulse and kissed a line down her throat.

He could hear the sounds and twitches her body made.  Each kiss sent more air out her lungs and seemed to raise the temperature of her skin.

_Must not move!_

She fought to stay still as he traced his way across her throat to suck and kiss along the other side of her neck.

She felt one of his hands make gentle contact with her abdomen and work lower still getting very near her scalding hot and rapidly moistening folds.

"Jaune…. cant… go... inside…"  She stammered out quickly becoming overwhelmed with his antics.

He did not stop his assault on her neck in the slightest but hummed an affirmative into her skin.  Moving his hand in slow circles he sought out her sensitive end while his other arm held her steady at her waist.  He knew exactly what he was going to try and do for her.  He also knew that she did not, hopefully that knowledge or lack of knowledge would serve to excite her… not confuse her.

His fingers caught her bead caused the sweetest sigh he had ever heard escape from her lips as she exposed more of her neck and struggled to keep her body from trembling.  Relinquishing his place on her neck he kissed his way down to her breasts enjoying the constant twitches and moans she continued to produce.

Pyrrha was utterly lost to time worry.  Her nerves were utterly on edge and his every touch did nothing but send a bolt of electricity through her body.  His every kiss sent heat right to her core and his hand was nothing if not relentless.

Jaune took one of her nipples into his mouth and issued a gentle pull with his teeth. 

"OH!!!"  She panted leaning her chest further into him.  She caught herself from breaking a hand of hers off to wall to pull his mouth more fully into her… only managing to stop at the last moment.

_MUST…. NOT!... MOVE!!!  He asked me not to move!_

"Jau- AH!!!" 

His other hand found her other breast and began to kneed the sensitive flesh through his fingers giving attention to her nipple once again.

Her hips jolted forward with his hand between her legs peeled back the hood of her clit and began moving it more vigorously.

He smiled into her flesh and hummed in satisfaction.  So far so good.

"Jaune…"  She panted in between gasping for air.

He opened his eyes and looked up seeking out her gorgeous green orbs.

When he found them she looked like a woman on the edge.  Lust and desire burned in her eyes drowned out but a love to match.  He could see her entire body shivering on edge as she struggled to keep where he placed her.

He kept his gaze on her even as he lowered himself down from her breasts to her abdomen.  Kissing them and sucking a hickey into one of the ridges he drew out another moan and another twitch as she struggled not to move.

He let himself admire the planes and curves of her body up close testing the sides of her stomach knowing some women liked being touched there.  Pyrrha did not overly react… but she did not object either.  Decided that might not be a pressure point for her he decided to move even lower still.

Moving both of his hands behind her to get a good grip on her perfectly shaped round butt he anchored himself in place.

Her eyes went bright with understanding as he kissed his way down the last few inches towards her swollen and throbbing bead.

"Jaune!  Holy…!!!  DU-!!! AHH!!"  She gasped out as he made a single long lick across her wet heat.

She bucked strongly and continued to twitch for several seconds fighting to be still.

_MUST!!!_

He put more pressure on her as he took her in circles with his tongue.

"AHH!"

_NOT!!!_

He did not relent… did not slow down… but he did not increase his tempo either.  He was aiming for an explosion and needed to build her up before that could happen.

"OH!!"

Her head snapped forward and her eyes desperately sought out her partners.  She found his closed focusing utterly on his task.

A mass of heated wetness escaped her body as more feelings and emotions began to overtaking her threatening to steal her balance.

She pulled her head back closing her eyes again in a silent scream bucking her hips into his mouth desperate for more contact.

He gripped her butt even more firmly in response attempting to keep his position and to keep her stationary.  In as much as was possible given her nearly constant bucking and twitching.  Not an easy task given the power in her lower body.

"Jau-   Wh-  !!  AHH!!!"

_MUST NOT MOVE MUST NOT MOVE MUST NOT---_

She opened her eyes once again desperately seeking him out… this time, his were open.

The blue eyes were inviting and loving.  Somewhat at odds with the strong and muscular body they were attached too.  Yet… they carried some meaning.  He had looked at her like that before.  Normally when he was trying to say ok… or… or…

_Did he want me too…._

He hummed his mouth against her and finally increased his vigor on her as he strengthened his gaze slightly.

_MUST NOT…. SCREW THAT!_

She pulled her arms off the walls and brought them behind his head locking him in place. 

She brought her torso forward and cried out in a desperate but lovely sounding sigh as she felt herself climb higher somehow.

He made a subtle motion with his hand against her lower back.  It was a lovers touch, one of acceptance… as if to say… go ahead.

Time froze for her… she cocked her head and took a breath.

Jaune finally was rewarded with the scream he had been building her up too.  The first go was silent, but her body rocked in his with her hips utterly pinning him to the wall as she bucked forward.

Her second wail accompanied a flood of heat out of her as her legs seemingly gave out.  As her orgasm started to overtake her she screamed to the ceiling filling the room.  She carried on that shout long after she ran out of breath.  Finally when she could longer stand she came crashing down into his lap and into his arms… surrounded now by the hot water of the tub… having finished when both were focusing on other tasks.

He learned a few things about Pyrrha that day. 

First… she absolutely was a screamer when built up enough.

Second… she also happened to be a squirter… that or she just had an unearthly amount of liquids in her.  Either way he wasn't about to object to proof he did a good job.  Moving an arm down to extend her pleasure as much as he could and held her against him as she twitched and shook violently in his arms.

He did not have a measure to go by for how long he held her like that against him.  It could have been hours and he wouldn't have objected.

She evidently did not have perfect control over her body several minutes later but she was making a rather awkward movement with her arm.  He gathered she was trying to wrap it around him.  Guiding her limb to his shoulder she touched it first, then brought it around his torso.

Finally she buried her face into the crook of his neck and hummed happily to herself as she pulled herself fully against his chest.

For several moments she just breathed deeply while her heart hammered in her chest.  Finally she was able to speak again.

"Jaune… you make me feel… like… a princess." 

Her voice sounded dreamy and sleepy like.

He smiled… going down on a girl didn’t seem to match that descriptor but he didn’t feel a need to challenge the point.

Instead he just kissed her neck and responded "I will have to try harder then." 

She managed to pull back and look at him fully.

"Jaune that was… that was incredible what do you mean try harder?"  She asked thoroughly confused.

He moved his hand to her shoulder and said:

"Princess."

He moved it up to her chin and said "Queen."

Higher still to her ears "Empress."

Finally to the top of her head "Goddess.  It is nice to know you enjoyed it… but I have to aim higher."  He smiled.

Her heart melted even more than it already has as she smiled saying the first thing that came to mind.

"What if… what if your Goddess wants to be treated like a princess?"

He smirked to himself.

"Then I would still aim higher… it is best to exceed expectations not to merely meet them."  He quipped.

She tried to move in to kiss him… only to miss.

"Should probably get the rag on a line…"  He said moving off to the side briefly.

She realigned with him and tried again.

Once again she missed.

"Gotta get the water turned off… its getter high in here."  He inadvertedly dodged off to the other side as he brought his arm in reach of the knob.

Her eyebrows narrowed to points  as she gripped him by his shoulders and gave him a sure handed push back into the wall.

His eyes locked on hers unsure what he did wrong.

"Your..."  Kiss "Goddess"  Kiss "Does"  enunciating each word followed by a kiss she completed her statement.

"Does not appreciate being dodged… or missing… or… "  Her rant became forgotten to sensation as she continued to kiss him well after she ceased to speak.

It was only much later when the water was cooling that she spoke again having just enjoyed her time pressed against him.

"I'm sorry… sorry I didn't repay you like you did to me."  She claimed sadly.

He waved a hand in the air.

"Pyrrha what I did was a gift, you do not need to repay me at all.  I am just glad you enjoyed it.  I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to make you feel good."

She smiled… and felt a rush of love flow right to her heart.

"You might need to carry me out of here… my legs still feel a bit weak."  She claimed with a knowing pout.

He looked at her in a state of mild disbelief… but none the less brought one arm under her knees and the other behind her back as he hefted her out of the water.

She smiled and leaned against his chest enjoying the taxi wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Drying her off while supporting her weight was not an easy task… made enjoyable regardless by the squeaks she made as he accidentally tickled her in more than one occasion.

"Is my Goddess appropriately dry?"  He asked dutifully.

She gave an almost royal like nod and said "Yes… set me down on that counter… you may dry yourself off."  With a smirk.

She watched as he dried himself off… eyeing the various points of his body with appreciation and before long he was standing dry before her.

"Well… we should probably get some rest… it is late."  He advised turning around.

A suspicious impact to his backside caused him to freeze and turn around cautiously.

Pyrrha wore a gigantic grin as she moved her head back and forth playfully… even going as far as to kick out a leg then bring it back in sequence to her head motions.

"Legs still not working?"  He asked dubiously.

She smiled at him playfully and extended her arms skyward.

"Nope!"  Looking at him knowingly.

He smiled even as he shook his head… she HAD to have something planned.

None the less once again he hefted her up and moved towards the bed to get some rest.  No sooner did he set her down did she grip his arm and do a twist sending him floating over her to land on his back.

Her hair was still tied in that braid before… but she still had more than enough for it to surround his head as she pinned him down with his arms above his head.

"You showed initiative tonight Jaune.  I like that… but you owe me some kisses.  And tonight, I will claim them."

His vision darkened to nothing but a red curtain as she lowered her lips down to his.  He might have said.

"Yes Ma'am."  Or some other statement of acceptance… but when Pyrrha was determined.  Well… few things could contain her.

At that moment Jaune did not feel a need to resist the irresistible force she had been known to wield and instead just lay back… and enjoy the moment.

***Back to the present***

Her family waited on baited breath for her to speak seemingly oblivious to the images and memories playing through her head.

Enough time had passed for Jaune to emerge and claim a plate of breakfast unnoticed behind them all.  He sat down off to the side oblivious to the question which was asked not all that long ago.

"Well!?"  Cara demanded joining her eldest sister near Pyrrha.

Pyrrha was brought out of her daydream and said "Jaune is blessed… and talented … with more than just his hands."  At that she closed her eyes and went to claim another helping of eggs.

Jaune coughed horribly fighting to regain control… and nearly melted when all women gathered… minus Pyrrha directed a shocked glare at him.

Kate put on a genuinely evil smirk and ended up sending him a look which basically translated to:

'You are safe for now… but rest assured I WILL have details later.'  Her glare left no doubts to her intention.

Jaune just grinned and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh….. dear." 

Breakfast at the Nikos would never really be the same again.

**A/N**

**So… First time Smut had been in the story.  I ultimately decided that the story was rated mature, and I felt no need to put skip points in the material as it would totally detract from the pull of the writing.  I apologize if that is not the type of thing you like to read, but it had been in the story from the moment I concocted this chapter.  If it is in the story… it needs to be in the story.  That ultimately was my mindset and what I decided to go with.**

**AgentWhiteHawk has a picture for the first part of the scene on her DA page and I have it on my own in a chapter where other pictures for this story goes.  Please check it out, I think it’s a great picture that captures the opening scene well.**

**As ever feel free to ask any questions or concerns you have for me.  I am still eager for feedback over the story.  Feel free to review/fav/follow/kudos/comment/IM or email me with anything you would like to talk about.**

**I am not asking for comments to continue the story ( does that even work?  I mean if you want to write the story you are going to write it… )**

**Anyway, thank you for reading.  Thank you for your support, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	33. Y3S: Returning to Beacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer is Over... the Gang returns to Beacon. 
> 
> Will somebody stop that dog from Barking? It hurts Blakes Ears!
> 
> Sorry about that... Enjoy :)

3.8

"C'mon you two we need to leave soon!  Like 30 minutes ago soon!" The voice echoed through the open room.

Jaune smiled lightly, as much fun as he was having… at some point work must resume.

"She is right you know."  he agreed simply.

It might have been amusing watching Pyrrha zoom around her room trying to decide on where to hang both Hope and the 3 images she had been debating about for some time now… if he did not realize they could simply move them again later if a better spot was found.  Something which Pyrrha seemed to be ignoring at present.

"I, I… I  just need to get it right!"  She demanded moving as a red blur around the room.

Today was the day to head back to Beacon.  Jaune had elected to leave the majority of his Mistral style clothing behind given the near certainty of returning at some point he had no need to send it home or to bring it with him.  Instead he was dressed in a more traditional sleeveless shirt and shorts setup made with mistral style materials so it would breath well enough in the heat, but also not look outlandish to those outside the Nation.

The door to the bedroom opened up as Katherine evidently got tired of waiting in the shared living room outside.

At first she had a look of minor annoyance on her features… replaced with one of amusement as the Spartan continued to zoom around the room in an attempt to get things 'Perfect' before she departed.

"I see she is about as far along now as when I left."  She claimed.

Jaune nodded in agreement and folded his arms over his chest.  Despite the flight being more private given Pyrrha's status in Mistral… and the fact that she could in theory delay the take off to anytime she wanted… the Cadian folk did not want to cause any problems.  They enjoyed their stay in Mistral… it was probably the most relaxing and fun time they ever had in the season.  Despite the fact that they probably worked just as much as they normally would in a given day, it was not a stress to do so in any way.

"The boat is waiting for us… really it is time to go."  His sister repeated gently.

Pyrrha reappeared long enough to speak before the red blur resumed:

"I just… I want to get this done… you know before I go!"  And with that… she was off.

"If ever I was to wonder about what would happen if Nora had coffee… I suspect this would be it."  Jaune joked under his breath.

Kate chuckled in amusement at the same time Pyrrha claimed:

"I heard that!"

The siblings looked at each other and shrugged.

Katherine was dressed nearly identically to her brother.  The tan she built up over the summer was impressive without appearing faked.  Her skin normally was darker than her siblings and the tan did nothing but bring that out in a more obvious manner.  Just like with all things she was not shy about her body and the clothing while not showing it off, did nothing to hide her curves.  Yet still, the tank top and shorts combination remained more practical for their destination than her very showy Mistrali ensemble.

"I can understand wanting to get it done but… I mean it isn't like this needs to be done now."  She claimed.

Once again Jaune nodded.

Pyrrha really only stated on the matter it would be disrespectful to leave them in a drawer given the effort put into both the decorated weapon and pictures she was trying to display.  Jaune could understand to a degree but… well it was important to her and he didn’t want to rush her.

"Pyrrha"  Jaune said as a reminder.

"Yes I know just give me-"  She started… then got sidetracked and let the sentence fade.

Katherine had a brilliant… but evil idea.  Unfortunately for her brilliance Jaune seemed to have some idea of how to buy his girlfriend more time.

"Everything we need is packed right?"  He asked.

Pyrrha it seemed finally figured out where she wanted one of the pictures as she issued a happy squeal before she continued to zoom around her room after placing it on the wall.

Kate smiled like she knew exactly what Jaune was doing and did not lose that look to her face… none the less she answered:

"Yeah…  My bag is ready in the cluster outside.  I still do not understand how Weiss needs a personal Bullhead to carry all of her stuff wherever she goes… I always got by with my pack."  She claimed evenly.

Jaune nodded… it's true the amount of packs and storage containers she brings to Beacon every year only seemed to get larger.

"She always was one to stay on the edge of fashion."  Jaune agreed.

They found Pyrrha had given a slight hop once again as she decided on a second picture spot… just leaving one more and the sword.

Kate couldn't help but be amused at the living whirlwind of Red Pyrrha left in her wake.  Even so… she felt the need to try and move things forward.

"Really guy's we need to go… it's an hour to the mainland and our flight is in 90 minutes."

Jaune once again nodded… and seemingly tried to think of something he could say to his girlfriend.

Kate observed her brothers facial expression and figured the time had come to go with that brilliant thought she had moments before unable to suppress it any longer.

Jaune seemed to sense something and rose a finger… but not in time to stop his sister.

"Jaune it's ok, we can schedule it for later…"   She began appearing very mischievous.

Jaune would have said something if he wasn't 100% sure there was a punch line incoming, he rose that finger a bit higher to no avail.

Katherine proved him correct as she took a step or two closer and continued by saying:

"You never did tell me about what happened on her birthday, whatever you did really made an impression.  Now might be a good-"

The red blur shot upwards a few feet before moving with even greater speed towards the siblings in the room.  She reappeared with a hand over Kate's mouth with a complexion more red than her hair.

"No no that is quite ok we don't need to discuss that now."  She pulled her hand away from Kate instantly after cutting off her talk with a nervous giggle.

"Well no don't rush on my account I mean I haven't interrogated Jaune yet and we can always reschedule I could !  mmmhmm-"  The Ghost grinned as she continued to speak once the hand was pulled away… even as that hand came right back.

Pyrrha just sent a pleading look at her friend… an act which only made the smile Kate was trying to hide even more obvious.

Pyrrha finally sighed in acceptance as she looked around.

"Well… Yes I suppose where I have them now is good enough… and we do have to leave."  She took a deep breath and smiled.

Stowing the final picture and the sword in a drawer she lead the way to their luggage out in the living room dressed in clothing to match her friends.

She gave each of her visitors a hug and a smile before grabbing her pack and starting for the stairwell.

As they climbed the stairwell out and up Kate decided now was a good time to make something clear in a quiet voice.

"You do understand that I will get my moment to interrogate you correct?"

Jaune smiled even as he shook his head and responded in kind.

"Yes Katherine, I understand that."

Pyrrha grinned somewhat awkwardly and just kept moving.  She could hear enough to figure out what Katherine was stating.  The Spartan was not ashamed of what she and her boyfriend shared, and ultimately did not seek to deny Katherine anything which Jaune would be willing to divulge.  She just… was not ready to talk about it in front of anybody.  Hopefully the twins understood that… and she believed that to be the case.

As the trio arrived at the main floor of the house Pyrrha began to get just as frantic about arriving on time… suddenly realizing how little time they have to work with.

"About time you 3 left, you always like to press things don’t you?"  Her mother chided with a happy smile.

Pyrrha pouted briefly before engaging in a hug.

Jaune did not want to make any reminders about the time beyond what has already been said, but he didn’t want to rush this either.  Even so both siblings decided to give the mother/daughter pair some space and moved towards the doorway.

It seems like Phaera did not wish to delay things more than necessary either, yet she still had something to say.

"You two… come here for a minute."

After a moment's hesitation the twins found themselves within arm's length of the hugging pair.

Phaera moved out of the hug at the same time Pyrrha spoke:

"Mom… we really do need to go."  The Spartan claimed evenly.

Mrs. Nikos moved towards Katherine and gave her a hug, before repeating the process with Jaune and addressing her daughter one more time.

"Your father advised me to pass on a hug both of them, he has already gone ahead to drop off your siblings at Sanctum."

Pyrrha still felt the need to hurry… none the less figured a few more minutes either direction at this point won't harm things.

"Victoria too?"  She asked.

Mom nodded her head and replied.

"Yeah… she has decided to do some student teaching while continuing to look for an engineering position.  She got into the Tech side of Sanctum.  But that isn't what I wanted to talk about."

She took a breath and became very serious.

"You three need to look out for each other."

Pyrrha smiled while Kate responded back.   "Believe me we do that for each other already."

Phaera shook her head.

"I get that you are close and you work together a great deal.  But I mean this seriously.  Take care and watch over each other.  Being a Hunter is dangerous… I know that firsthand.  Do not be afraid to ask for help and take care of each other."

Jaune couldn't help but feel that was a bit cryptic… but at the same time he understood her meaning.  The situation with his father, the problems with the White Fang… more questions than answers existed at this point and it would be more than fair to say that things could very well get dangerous once classes resume at Beacon.  It might be worthwhile to call Mom on the flight… see if there is any new developments.

Following her speech the Beacon students seemed glued to their spots… to an individual they enjoyed their time and none of them were exactly keen to say goodbye to the carefree days of summer.

"Thank you for taking such good care of my sister and I."  Jaune stated seriously as he took the first tentative step towards the door.

"Yes… though I might suggest arranging for some bells around both Conner and Cara… they are a handful."  Kate advised with a smile following her brother.

With a final hug between mother and daughter Pyrrha turned and followed after her friends.

"Jaune…"  Phaera called after him.

He turned around briefly.

A wicked smile appeared on the older woman's face as she said "Thank you for taking such good care of Pyrrha."

"MOOOMMM!!!"  The Spartan objected blushing possibly harder than ever before.

Jaune was mid facepalm even as he smiled and resumed his movements towards the waiting boat.  He couldn’t very well say what came to mind as "Anytime" or "It was my pleasure" all seemed oddly self serving.

None the less eventually the 3 of them managed to get to the pier and finally board the waiting vessel.  Smaller than the private Yacht the Nikos family owned but larger than the first boat they used to arrive at the island.  It was hardly a large craft however, just enough room for either standing or seating space without much else to spare.  The driver seemed more than a touch frustrated at having to wait as long as he did, but seemed enough of a professional to not make a point of speaking about it.

"We are cutting it close."  Jaune advised trying to shake his own blush.

Pyrrha seemed eager to try and shed her embarrassment as well and commented:

"Well… it is a private plane.  If I have too I can just reschedule the flight."  She couldn't help but sneak the occasional glance at her boyfriend even as she really REALLY tried to keep her mind focused.

Kate had to fight her instinct to try and take advantage of the clear openings Phaera exposed.  She instead choose a more sensible approach… plenty of time existed for her interrogation after all.

"I did not realize you own a private plane Pyrrha."

Pyrrha chuckled a bit still trying to shed her nervous energy before answering.

"Well… to be fair I don’t.  They rent out use of the plane.  I normally take such flights as boarding consumer flights has resulted in problems for me in the past.  Really it shouldn’t be all that different than the plane that brought us to Mistral in the first place."  She advised.

Jaune made a slight coughing sound and sought out some shade to rest in turning a touch green in his face.

"Motion sickness?"  The girls asked at the same time.

Jaune did not answer as he went to find a seat.  Leaving the two women somewhat alone while trying to appear positive.

"How long do you have to wear that braid?"  Kate asked to break up the silence after a few moments of listening to the boat.

Pyrrha's smile was genuinely warm as she cast a sideways look to her boyfriend sitting down nearby.

"A few more days… that reminds me I brought along some medicine.  It might help with his motion sickness."

At that Pyrrha briefly dug through her pack and moved over towards her partner.

Kate could not help but smile feeling happy for both her brother and the pair.  He went through so much in his youth and she would be lying if she denied thinking that he would never really find happiness.  It was a bit odd, she never had any problems what so ever finding company… yet what those two had…

Her inner monologue was cut short as she observed that Pyrrha had given him the pills along with something to drink.  After a few moments she offered a shoulder to give him something to relax into.  Closing his eyes trying to ignore his stomachs discomfort in all likelihood.

… sigh…

 _At least the others maintained contact… and I still do not know what is up with Ren.  Oh well, we will soon be back at Beacon and that type of insanity would start up.  Maybe then things would be looking up for me as well._  
…

_If not she could always resort to interrogation… that is normally always fun._

***At Patch on the way to the airport***

"Blake… seriously you can come down now."  Yang advised.

Blake if anything gripped down tighter and murmured out "Nuh uhh."

Yang tried not to tease her partner over much… and after a few seconds the Cat-Girl resumed.

"That creature was vicious.  It clearly had some disease."

The Patch airport was not exactly the most busy of places basically ever.  It was a small enough local that really only a few times a week flights even were available.  None the less Ruby had gone ahead to confirm their tickets leaving their luggage under the care of her elder sister and teammate.

All was moving smoothly and was right in the world… right up until 'it' appeared.

"Blake… am I going to have to carry you on my shoulders all the way to the plane?"  The Brawler asked.

Blake scowled "You are lucky I didn't cut off your hair with that fish incident.  Carrying me a bit should not bother you over much.  I cannot weight much more than your hair does."  She claimed sarcastically.

A huff of hot breath showed Yang did feel a touch bad about that particular incident but even so… it ultimately was a good time for all.  Even Blake laughed about it… once she was no longer hungry.

Yang might have continued to daydream… but the Reaper returned with good news.

"So it seems we are early, our plane should be ready in an… hour…"  Her eyes grew huge as she looked over the two girls on her team.

Ruby couldn't even laugh at the situation.

"Really Blake?  You are still climbing all over Yang?" 

Blake and Yang shared a glance… if Ruby knew what she was suggesting she didn’t show it.

"It was a vicious animal!"  Blake objected.

"It was a Poodle!  It weighed 15 pounds!"  Ruby claimed.

"It was a big Poodle!"  Blake objected.

"So fine maybe 20-"  Ruby started again.

"And it was barking!  My ears do not like loud noises!"  The Cat-Girl claimed sternly.

"So climbing up me stopped that racket?"  Yang complained.

"No but it did get me out of biting distance!  Tree's aren't exactly plentiful around here."  Blake pointed out.

Ruby sighed…. and finally removed her arms from behind her back.

"Well that’s a shame… see I got us all sandwiches for lunch.  Here is a tuna sandwich for you but I can't give it to you if you are still on top of Yang like that."  She claimed urging Blake back to the ground…

It worked… partially.

"Blake no get off me no!  Agh!!"

Disappearing from Yang's shoulders and reappearing on top of Ruby, Blake claimed the sandwich and proceeded to devour it.

"Blake Agh!  You are heavier than you look!"  She complained… irritated she cannot eat while holding Blake aloft.

Yang rolled her shoulders and claimed her lunch from Ruby.

"Well… at least I can eat now."  She claimed smirking.

"Yaannngg!  Help me I'm hungry!"  Ruby begged.

Yang seemed to take her time in removing the wrapping from her lunch and exaggerated her movements as much as she could.

"Mmmmm this is really good.  Thanks for getting lunch Rubes!"

Ruby's silver eyes narrowed into a somewhat angry pout…

"Hold still you aren't as comfy as Yang… not as much room."  Blake requested enjoying her lunch.

_I do not know how or when… but I am going to have to get even for this.  Maybe I should enlist Kate's help.  This seems like the sort of thing she would be an expert in-_

_"_ Ruby… move."  Blake ordered starting to fidget nervously from her spot on Ruby's shoulders.

"Why?!"  Ruby demanded.

"Cause THAT!"  Blake advised pointing off to the side.

Ruby looked cautiously… and sure enough the poodle was making another round back towards the group.

"Ruby I mean it MOVE!!!!  That poodle is vicious!"  Blake prompted again.

"Seriously Blake it’s a poodle… it’s a nice animal"  Yang joked sitting down nearby.

Blake reached into her pocket and pulled out a stick with a wire on it.

"Really?   You cannot play fetch from up there."  Yang joked smugly.

Blake ignored her and fashioned a cookie to the string.

"Ruby,  Move this way!"

Ruby finally noticed the cookie and instead of moving as requested began a battle for control of the stick… the magical cookie machine as it might eventually be called.

"Ruby!  No I have more just- NO! … MOVE!"

"You delay my lunch and taunt me with cookies!  No more Belladonna!"

Yang pulled out her scroll figuring Weiss might want to see this, and managed to get enough to warrant actually sending the video.  Thankfully the scuffle concluded in Ruby losing her balance before ending up as a cushion for Blake in the fall…

"Augghh!"  She exclaimed.

… seemed to take any steam out of her sister for a reprisal.

At least for the moment.

***Schnee Manor***

"Really Yang… send me a video now I am trying to pack!"  The Heiress complained tossing her scroll away… she had plenty of time to look it over on the flight to Beacon.

The Heiress was currently trying to get her things in order for the trip.  Like all things she did she tried to do it to the highest possible standard.  Leaving no stone unturned or possibility unplanned for.

"Mistress Weiss… must you really bring all these dresses?  That is the 37th blue dress you have tried on.  Is the order not up to par?"  Her attendant asked.

Weiss' eyebrow twitched but she didn’t want to go into it not having the time.  She maintained her exercise regime from Beacon over the summer in addition to the normal work she did to stay in shape… the result this had on her body was something… hopefully… her girlfriend would appreciate.  But it did mean she had to redo much of her wardrobe as they no longer fit in the perfect manner they did previously.  Beyond that … she also seemed to have to educate her assistant in the proper color of her dresses.  If Opal was going to be here for any length of time they needed to see eye to eye on a few things.

"Opal… my dresses are not all blue.  Most of them are more of an azure, that one you have in your hand is more indigo with more still being various shades of cobalt."

The Heiress wanted to continue to speak… but realized her lecture was falling on deaf ears.  Opal, a pretty girl close to the age of her elder sister Winter was not the most up to date when it came to fashion sense.  She was however somebody who did not object to Weiss' request for organization or timing.  Points which had ran the previous 32 personal assistants out of the job in the last 3 weeks alone.

Weiss sighed… she really wanted to see her girlfriend again and look absolutely perfect for the occasion.  She just had no idea what the weather would be like or the shade of sun which would be present.  The dress she would wear would have to be meticulously calculated and despite the fact she had literally hundreds of selections to choose from… she could not bring them all.  She was already trying to bring the bare essentials and it just did not seem to be enough.  She had her dresses for casual wear, her gowns for nighttime use.  More dresses for going out to town, other dresses for any dates she and Ruby might take.  None of that even takes into account her new workout attire of which she had to ensure she had enough for any situation which might arise.

"Mistress Weiss… might I suggest something?"  Opal inquired.

Weiss frowned as she faced away from her…

The old Weiss would have lectured her for even asking the question.  The girl she was trying to become however…

"Alright Opal what is on your mind?"  She asked after turning around.

The other took a deep breath and started off in a weak voice.

"Miss… I know your girlfriend would-"

"Girlfriend?"  Weiss interjected flatly.

Opal nodded nervously "Yes… I knew from your sister when I took the job.  She did see you dance with your partner after all."

Weiss deflated a bit… Her family finding out about Ruby was an inevitable thing yet it was not the most pleasant subject she thought about most times.

"Does my father know?"  She asked trying to hide her concern.

The dark haired girl shook her head.

"I do not know… but I mention it because of another reason."  She quailed a bit as Weiss rounded on her appearing stern.

The Heiress rose an eyebrow of impatience advising Opal to continue.

"It doesn’t bother me… your taste in people-"

"That is the way it should be."  Weiss commented.

Opal nodded her head and spoke on "I think… you are over thinking things.  Your girlfriend just wants to see you.  Just wants you to be happy.  She won't care if your dress is lavender, blue, green, onyx, azure, cobalt or any other color.  She will love seeing you and the fact you care for her."  She extended an arm to the dozen luggage crates she had set aside to be brought to beacon.

Weiss made a face… and eventually sighed.

It would look more than a bit silly bringing a small clothing store with me to Beacon after all.  The Heiress was intelligent enough to know that what Opal suggested was correct.  It still did not seem right.  She knew that Ruby was disappointed in her given her inability to visit over the summer.  Making it up to her seemed like the right choice.  Although… what would Ruby want?  No… not a cookie she wants…. maybe she wants… A dress made of cookies?  No terrible idea.

Weiss sighed again.

"Very well.  Just bring along the first 3 crates we packed and make sure they get transported for the flight tonight.  Will you make sure everything gets put away Opal?"  She asked.

Opal nodded happily… causing her short black hair to flap around briefly.

"Good…  I have a call to make."  At that… Weiss picked up her scroll and hoped enough time existed to arrange this small favor.

***With Ren and Nora***

"It seems that Yang is up to her old tricks again."  Ren advised in his normal flattish voice.

He closed his scroll following the end of the video.  He did not know why Weiss felt a need to send it to him, not that he objected from hearing from a friend.

"Oh but c'mon that was so funny!"  Nora commented with a mouthful of food.

"Nora…"  He stated sadly.

Nora continued chewing to eventually swallow.

"Sorry Ren."  She finished with a giggle.

As ever the two nearly lifelong friends were inseparable.  Both continued to grow up and despite their very obvious differences, neither felt talking to the other was anything but natural.

"You never did tell me why you decided to grow your hair out."  He claimed calmly.

Her hair previously throughout her life had always been cut short at her chin… now for probably the first time ever it was down to her shoulders and still as orange as ever.

"No… I guess I didn't.  I don't know… I just… did?"  She answered not entirely sure of her reasoning.  Not that she really felt the need to have a reason.

Her eyes narrowed but bit back her retort.  It would have been an unwarranted cheap shot.  The summer was hard on Ren.  A great deal of work needed to be done in the village to ensure it was as safe as possible and he never could take the trip he wanted to fit in over the summer.  A visit to Cadia seemed like an odd thing to have on your to-do list for the average individual.  Him being unable to advance in the manner he wanted tore him up inside at times. 

Nora was as good of a friend as anybody could ever find.  She was not above teasing, but she couldn’t bring herself to tease her friend on this subject.  Instead, she tried a different approach.

"What I don't understand is why Weiss begged us to pick up an Azura Lens cut to a pristine socket."  She wondered out loud.

Ren shrugged and leaned against the wall waiting for their turn to board their flight.

"Well… that is what your village is known for.  It is rare to find an Azura Lens one would cut into a pristine pattern.  Those are huge as I remember.  Besides it’s a red stone, that never was Weiss' color as I understand."

Nora shrugged…

The stone requested was not particularly hard to obtain if you lived in her hometown… but even so it was no easy thing to obtain in the short time they had before catching their flight.  Any pure stone about the size of a knuckle was in high demand in the kingdoms.  None the less, it was a favor for a friend and if Weiss needed it as badly as she thought she did… then it was probably worth it to track down.

With the subject drawing to a close both of them tried to relax and be patient until their time to board on their flight.  Both sat down leaning against the wall as they waited.

Unfortunately, that was never something one of them was ever really good at.

Nora gave it a tremendous effort even lasting enough to make a new record for her… roughly 7 seconds.

"OK Renny I am bored."  She complained.

"Take a nap."  Ren suggested keeping his eyes closed.

"Nope, bored, not tired."  She insisted.

"I'm meditating." 

"You are trying to meditate."  She pointed out.

His eye twitched.

"Maybe I just meditate so well I retain my ability to speak without leaving the meditative state?"  He suggested.

"Sorry Renny I think your eyes are turning brown."  She smiled.

He sighed again.

"We both know you can go from awake to stone asleep in the span of seconds.  Try it here."   Ren pressed.

"Nope, I think not.  I will however give you a choice Ren."  She appeared more than a touch determined if playful at this juncture.

Ren sighed knowing he would probably come to regret this…

"I am listening."

"You can try to meditate through my interruptions.  You can buy me REAL coffee… OR!!!  You can send the video to Katherine.  She would appreciate it coming from you."  She smirked.

Ren raised up an eyebrow and pretended to think about it.

"Gee I don't know, I tend to be able to put up with your hassling me when I am trying to relax."  He pointed out.

She huffed in mock annoyance.

"Renny.  I know you want to talk to her."  She claimed coyly.

Ren finally broke posture and pulled up to speak to her more evenly.

"She is mad at me Nora."  He advised.

Nora shook her head "You do not know that.  Just say hello, send her the message.  Then I will leave you alone." 

_Leave ME alone?  That is oddly specific for Nora…_

"C'mon relax don't over think it we can both talk to her.  You can hide behind me if you like!"  She grinned.

Ren scowled… but it really had no power behind it.  He knew that Nora was trying to help… she was a great friend… when she wasn't trying to annoy him into a slumber.  He felt she was mostly calling to try and help get them together always having approved of the matchup, and he really did not believe she would stick around to offer much cover in anyway either.

None the less… with obvious reluctance Ren pulled out his scroll to make a call.

As it was ringing he made to continue his talk with his partner.

"You do understand that I still need to do 'that' something before we can date… right?... Right?"  He asked waiting for an answer.

A puff of a breath through a snore was all that would answer him.

_Really Nora!  You are asleep already!  I knew this was a trap!_

He could not rant a bit however as his call was answered stealing his attention for the moment.

"Hello-  Oh!  Hey Ren, what's up?"

***Group on flight to Vale***

Katherine and the gang finished their evening workout on the flight, currently they were walking back to their room in the dimly lit narrow hallways of the craft.  Pyrrha proved correct in her explanation about it being nearly identical to what took them to Mistral in the first place.  The room was barren and they didn’t have the space for combat training or the materials for weight training.  None the less after a prolonged period of exercise the three of them deemed it time to head back to turn in.  Tomorrow they would land in Vale.  Planning and such still needed to happen to know if they would wait for each other on the bullhead over to Beacon Tower or not but… well no need to worry about that now.

"So mom didn't answer?"  Katherine stated simply.

Jaune shook his head as he answered.

"No… I confess my time zones might be a bit off but I don't think it is too late home.  I wonder what gives?" 

Kate nodded in agreement.

"Normally she is pretty good about answering her scroll.  At least as long as she has reception."  She confirmed.

"What exactly did you want to ask her?"  Pyrrha queried curiously.

Jaune took a breath before answering.

"I wanted to ask if she learned any more about the White Fang situation at home.  Beyond that one call midsummer that was all she spoke about on the subject.  I suppose I never did give Ozpin a debrief… that will probably be high on the list of things he wants when we get back."  He voiced in a neutral tone.

Pyrrha issued a bit of a frown as she responded "Jaune I highly doubt Ozpin needs to talk to you regarding that situation.  He had all summer to get bits and pieces put together.  He likely knows more than you think."  She claimed.

Jaune didn't necessarily disagree with her… but that didn’t change the fact that he expected Ozpin call a meeting with him to confirm as many points as possible.

"I don't disagree Pyr… but confirming facts is probably high on his priority list too.  He might call the entire team in for all I know."  He stated.

Kate shrugged "Well it isn't like you would be in trouble.  If he wants to confirm facts… well confirm them.  No point in worrying over things you cannot sway."

Jaune nodded his head but didn’t speak further on the matter.

"What exactly are you concerned about Jaune?"  Pyrrha asked.

Jaune shrugged.

"I do not know.  And that is the point.  I suspected early on that something was off with that assignment.  Had I listened to that part of me that entire situation might not have happened.  I … just feel he will want to speak to me about it.  I don’t know for sure though maybe I am wrong."

Both women sighed.

"Jaune… you did the best you could without full knowledge of the situation.  Really… don't be so nervous."  Pyrrha press sternly while remaining encouraging in tone.

"She is right you know."

Jaune smiled sadly.  He doubted the situation was fully behind him… but he supposed that returning to Beacon forced that subject back to the forefront.  The mission did not end in failure… but it was not a success either.  At some point he was certain the Headmaster would want to discuss it with him.

"I know… thanks for being supportive.  I guess…. well returning to Beacon just reminded me I guess."  He admitted.

The 3 reached the hallway where they would have to separate.  Kate in her room, Jaune and Pyrrha sharing another across the hall.  They remained in silent support of each other for several seconds before Pyrrha felt the need to speak again.

"Must we stay here in the hallway?  It is freezing on this plane!"  She complained rubbing her arms.

The twins smiled in amusement.

"Pyrrha… this more normal for the rest of the world.  Hate to break it to you."  Kate claimed.

Pyrrha scoffed.

"Well the rest of the world is insane."

"Well… lets head inside… a hot shower should help you right?"  Jaune suggested.

Pyrrha nodded enthused at the idea of warming up again… when a scroll beeped.

The three of them shared a glance before:

"Oh… I guess that’s me this time."  Kate advised a touch surprised.

Jaune rose an eyebrow intrigued as he waited patiently.

Pulling out her scroll she froze briefly at the caller.

"Who is it?"  Pyrrha asked.

"Mom calling us back?"  Jaune guessed… not really believing that to be true given her body language.

Kate shook her head.

"No… it's Ren… Ren is calling."  She stated.

Pyrrha smiled viscously as she voiced.

"Well… I think it's about time you two-"

"Ok Pyr… let's head inside and give them some space."  Jaune insisted moving his arm to her waist leading her towards their room.

Pyrrha smiled happily.  Well… about time he called.  Kate would never admit it but she had been waiting for him to call all summer.  If she gets to interrogate Jaune over what we shared… then I suppose it is only fair that I get to interrogate her!  Intriguing to say the least.

Jaune managed to get Pyrrha into the room at the same time that Kate reached her door and answered the call.

"Hey Ren… what's up?"

The named individual piqued the attention of the partners in the group… even so nobody answered Katherine's initial question.

"Ren?"  She asked again.

This time off camera some sounds could be heard faintly.

"Damnit Nora!  Fall asleep on me you promised you would back me up!"  He sounded as if in a whisper.

Even through the scroll communication a picture of Nora asleep with a bubble from her nose was nearly unanimous amongst the trio.

"ahhh phewww… Cinnamon flavored pancakes….. coffee flavored sugar…..." Nora would continue to speak to herself going on for several sentence normally centered in on sugar, coffee, pancakes or all 3 at once.

"Think I should hang up?  Maybe he didn’t mean to call."  Kate asked.

Jaune shook his head but it was Pyrrha who responded.

"No way this is far too entertaining."

Kate scowled even as she held back a chuckle… none the less she felt motivated to try again.

"Ren… You called?"

Still from off-screen he issued a sigh of surrendered acceptance as he responded:

"Yes, I am here… without backup unfortunately.  How about you?"

Kate laughed absentmindedly trying to appear as neutral as possible.

"She really was looking forward to talking to him again."  Pyrrha whispered to Jaune.

Jaune nodded… despite the urge to tease his sister… he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.  He knew enough about the situation between the two that She wanted a chance to date Ren… but until he did something he wouldn’t be able to…  Come to think of it being around himself and Pyrrha all summer would have been a bit hard to handle for anybody but her.  Hopefully things turn around for her soon.

Kate evidently continued to speak while he contemplated the situation however.

"I have a full squad around me personally.  Sorry to hear your operating solo right now, especially if you think you could use the backup.  Uneven odds and all."  She claimed with a slight glance at her brother.

Jaune grinned looking down to the ground briefly.  It would have been impossible for him to miss her purpose regardless of how well they read each other.

"Come on… let's give her some privacy."  He suggested to his girlfriend quietly.

The Spartan returned the grin and nodded, then followed him into their room.  Pyrrha motioned for Jaune to go ahead with the first shower and turned around in the doorframe.  Katherine just then managed to open hers with the only sound coming through the speaker of her scroll being that of Nora's continued snores.

As Kate shut the door she issued a slight smile to her friend, meant to be more reassuring than anything else.

It was only after Pyrrha shut the door that she realized… she understood that.

With that look Katherine basically said 'Go ahead I will be ok.'

She finally seemed to understand how it was that the twins seemed to be able to communicate so well without speaking if she was beginning to be able to read it herself that accurately.

Waiting for Jaune to finish with his shower brought a realization to her… she didn’t really need to wait outside anymore did she?

Rarely are her smiles deemed to be "evil"… but a certainly evil smile took its place as she quickly shed her clothing and moved towards the bathroom.

'This is a mistake Pyrrha you will startle him!'

'The shower isn't big enough for two people!'

Those two mental barriers and more besides quickly took root in her mind… however with each step she took towards the door, they began to wither and vanish… ultimately replaced by one thought.

'It is Jaune, we are partners.  True Partners.  We will face anything together and come out better for it.  A small shower does not have a chance!'

She giggled… but slowly began to turn the knob on the door, and tip toed to her destination.

***Jaune in the shower***

For the most part the knight was focused on finishing quickly so he could preserve enough hot water for his girlfriend.  Pyrrha always hated being cold and seemed to suffer from that predicament much easier than almost anybody else he had known.

Furiously trying to get his hair washed out he began to feel something… was… off.

\---!---

_I feel like something is wrong… like the world is out of balance.  My sister is being mischievous?  No she is always up to something… what could I-_

The shower door opening made it quite clear that something was happening out of the ordinary.

"Pyrrha!"  He started.

He couldn’t turn around easily given the soap in his hair… but rather felt her breasts press up against his back as her arms encompassed his body.

"You caught me.  Guess I am not as sneaky as I thought."  She claimed with a smile into his back he could FEEL.

He chuckled.

"Well… I didn’t hear the door open.  You did better than you think.  Is surprising your boyfriend in the shower A Mistrali custom?"  He joked.

She giggled again.

"No… that is aaa… uh… !  That is a Pyrrha Nikos custom.  To always shower your Partner with affection."  She kissed his back gently.

He finished washing out his hair and spun around to face her.  Their height differences were not all that much… but even so she looked adorable gazing up at him with affection all over her features.

"Seems you washed yourself off already."  She accused playfully.

He nodded in agreement.

She snickered "Well… I guess I could-"

Jaune preemptively took up the rag and began the glorious task of watching his girlfriends face as he ran it all over her back.

"Sorry, you seem to be speechless."  He quipped.

Pyrrha almost felt guilty… his touch felt magical to her rag or no rag.  None the less they did not have the space to spread out or relax unlike the shower at home.  So here she could to little else but press her chest against him as he went about his task.

Jaune for his part never got tired of this.  To his eyes Pyrrha was an absolute goddess.  Drop dead sexy in any sense of the word.  He was lucky to be able to call this girl his girlfriend.  None the less… some things he hurried over out of nervousness last time he refused to do this time.

Her grin said it all, to the point that words were unnecessary.

"You really do love my butt don’t you?"  She teased as he seemed to be playing particular attention to the round curves of her behind.

She couldn’t help but smile and lower a hand to his stomach.  If he got to touch her… she could touch him without feeling embarrassed.

"Course… I mean haven't you seen it?  It is the most perfect thing I have ever seen."  He kidded.

She scoffed.  "I do not spend all day studying myself in the mirror thank you."  She smiled into him as rested her head against him.

Eventually the rag traveled up her back to her shoulders to more fully clean her up.

She felt spoiled rotten by the time the shower was done… once again he went over her inch by inch until her pristine clean skin shined proudly clean of sweat or anything else which might mare it's beauty.

This time Pyrrha was a bit more collected and calm.  Not nervous to the point she could barely speak and as such… she was able to study his body more than before.  She had observed his form multiple times… yet this time… she felt the urge to talk about something.

"Kate mentioned something about you."  She said simply.

He tossed the rag over the shower door to the bin outside for used objects before joining Pyrrha in a hug.

"She did?"  He prodded.

She nodded and gulped before moving on.

"You… are you… normal?"  she asked.

He grinned but held back the laugh that threatened to come up having some idea of what she was trying to ask him.

"I am healthy if that’s what you're asking."  He answered.

"No… that’s… you …"

He put a finger over her lips.

"Pyrrha… I know what you are thinking.  Let me just say something, ok?"  He asked gently.

She seemed relieved that he took over the talk before nodding into him.

"Pyrrha.  I have no illusions about myself.  I am not going to boast about it to you.  Here is something to keep in mind.  I know of your vow, I have not forgotten it.  You do not have to do something you aren't ready for and do not think I am ever going to pressure you into doing something you aren't prepared for.  We do not need to go any faster than the speed you are comfortable with.  OK?"  He asked.

That was only… part of her concern.

"Jaune… you need to understand.  I haven't seen a man naked before you.  It was a challenge to even invite you into the shower with me last time.  You do know… what you appear like to me right?"  She voiced calmly.

He nodded moving one of his hands down to her butt again while the other pulled her close on her upper back.

She couldn’t help but smile as she relaxed into him.  Like normal he seemed to take her meaning without making the conversation awkward.

"When it comes to that… we will take our time.  Let's not get ahead of ourselves ok?"  He asked giving her a clear angle on his lips if she wanted to take advantage of it.

She smiled thankfully and kissed him.

"Thanks for making this easy… I have heard that guys tend to dislike being patient.  I… don't want you to be uncomfortable in these showers.  Given our partnership they could happen fairly frequently."  She claimed factually.

He laughed briefly causing her to look at him unsure.

"Pyrrha, I am in the same shower as the most beautiful woman on the planet.  I get to say that this girl is my girlfriend and I can kiss her whenever I want.  Don't worry about being cautious.  I have known for awhile now that we will need to take our time and I for one have no desire to rush or pressure you into doing something you aren't ready for.  Ok?"  He asked in a calm voice.

As if a light switch was flipped on Pyrrha felt herself go info full on Goddess mode at that.

"Kissing me whenever YOU want?  Good sir I think you are mistaken.  Your goddess does not give out kisses on demand!"  She stated before claiming his lips in a passionate kiss moving her arms around his broad shoulders and back.

The shower did not allow much maneuverability, none the less she found herself in a corner with her partner very much encompassing her.

"You… Shouldn’t… think… you …. can… just… kiss… me… on… demand."  She worded out in between kisses smiling all the while.

Jaune for his part did not even feel a temptation to speak… he knew she was just having fun and enjoyed the moment without complaint.

Though she would never admit it vocally, she just didn’t have the ability to claim that.  Pyrrha would be perfectly happy with a random kiss every now and again… even in public.

By the time Goddess Pyrrha had worn herself out with kisses several long minutes later she found herself in a loving embrace with her boyfriend.

"You know… we should probably head to bed."  He advised.

She nodded and let out a very satisfied sigh before cutting off the water.

Jaune was not about to complain… but well before they finished the shower the water had turned quite cold.  None the less following the make-out session both individuals found themselves to be more than comfortable in the air.

Pyrrha was tempted to arrange another taxi to the bed… but at the sight of him drying himself off the idea went away.

She knew to trust Jaune… but even so.  The inexperienced woman in her couldn't help but be fascinated by his male organs, he really was blessed by all accounts.  Though… she didn’t think she was ready to do more than clean him off at this juncture.

She just smiled happily as he took the towel and dried her off, once again paying particular attention to his favorite parts of her.

"Much easier when you're standing then when I am carrying you."  He advised.

She giggled innocently unsure what to do with her hands… and opted just to rest them on his shoulders.

"Well… tomorrow we land in Vale.  Excited?"  He asked tossing the tower away standing up to look at her.

She grinned mischievously and pressed herself into him again as he stood.

"Of course." 

It might have been her look… or maybe her body language.  Regardless Jaune was able to guess something.

"Would my Goddess like a ride?"  He asked.

She nodded with a hum in affirmation.

With a sense of welcome Déjà vu Jaune found himself carrying his girlfriend to their shared bed… and before long were entwined in each other's arms.  Moments later, they were sound asleep.

**A/N**

**I will keep this short… and while I am absolutely livid with RT at the moment for deleting my posts on their forums and things besides… I am going to refrain from talking more about it here contrary to what I want to do.  I have always tried to write dispassionately so as to be clear headed and fair.  At the moment I cannot do that.  I am open to discuss it or anything to do with the show or my Fic.  All need be done is send me an IM email or other means of getting in touch with me.**

**As ever please leave feedback.  Please like/fav/follow/review/kudos/comment/review or IM your feedback to me.  As ever if there is something you would like to see in the story going forward let me know.  If I can fit it in with the scope of what I am trying to do, I will.**

**I tried to comb the hell outa this chapter for the inevitable errors my brain misses.  More remain I am sure… but I AM trying to make these clean.  Thank you for putting up with my grammar errors.**

**Thank you again for reading.  If you have any questions for me by all means fire away.**

**I will see you next time**

**-Sean.**


	34. Y3S: Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most of the main cast finds each other at Beacon for their Junior year. Why does Cardin always find someway to get himself in trouble?

3.9

Jaune learned to sleep on his back over time in getting to know his girlfriend.  Typically… he preferred to sleep on his side.  Given Pyrrha's preferences when they shared a bed… well he has had to make certain adaptations to his normal routine.

Overall… the adaptations were totally worth it.  Being in the same bed with his girlfriend was not the only attributing factor.

Though sometimes… finding sleep was not the easiest thing in the world for him.  Returning to Beacon brought back to the fore many memories and idea's which had remained buried for a very long time, not all of which were pleasant to consider.  In the end, facing those feelings and coming to terms with what nearly happened was getting easier… but it was not something which would happen quickly or easily.

Such were his thoughts as his body slowly began to work its way back to awareness.  He knew intellectually that it was still midnight… not anywhere near morning.

A few more seconds of delay and he figured something out… it was the shivering which lured him out of his slumber.

Without even opening his eyes he knew that something was wrong… his first hint was the weight on his chest.

He had learned to recognize his girlfriends touch as they rested, normally she would be only somewhat on top of him as she settled in.  The first couple times they slept like that her hair proved a challenge to navigate around but once a solution was found… sleep did come remarkably easy.  It was a comfort he found.  Sleeping in the same bed… in such close proximity to his Partner.  He was sure she felt the same way.

Right NOW however… well she was literally straddling his chest with all her weight pressing against him.  The shivering of her body however… was something he needed to give attention to.

"Pyrrha?  Are you ok?"  He asked softly rubbing her back.

She maneuvered to look at him with a sly grin present "I am freezing."  She declared needlessly.

He gave her a "no duh" look and responded with "I can see…. and I guess feel that.  What happened?"  He asked.

"Jaune… its…" She began, then looked off to the side as if embarrassed.

Jaune fought his nature to scoff at her embarrassment.  Pyrrha was a proud creature and did not admit to needing help easily.  Her stubbornness while adorable at times was equally troubling… she did not need to freeze through the night as if she was alone at all.

"Pyrrha… it is nothing to be ashamed about.  People get cold.  Admitting you are cold is no shame, what happened."  He asked again slightly more stern.

She reluctantly took a deep breath, and began.

"I woke up feeling cold… went to get a drink and… well I discovered the environment moderator is out.  I called the plane staff to complain but they told me they are aware of the problem.  It broke after taking off.  That’s why it was so cold in the hallway earlier.  However they can't do repairs until we land.  So… Yeah.  I've been shivering here awhile now."  She admitted sadly.

He frowned at her.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"  He asked obviously concerned she would evidently prefer to suffer through it than trouble him.

She shrugged moving back down to try and soak up some of his heat.

"There wasn't anything you can do."  She claimed.

He allowed a bit more conviction into his voice than what was normally found… though he stopped short of using his command tone in his response.

"Pyrrha.  We are Partners.  That saying in your own words means we watch out for each other no matter what.  I COULD have helped you keep warm you know that."

The Spartan issued a sad sigh…

So long dealing with problems herself… seeking out assistance from others is something still very new to her. 

_I guess mom's advise proved to be good so much sooner than she expected._

"Ok your right I shouldn't have just suffered alone but I don’t need you to use your semblance on me every time I get cold."  She claimed.

Jaune moved a hand of his out of the covers to measure the air… to be fair it did seem more chilly than his girlfriend preferred.  It actually felt like it was more normal to him.

He returned his hands to her resuming his motions up and down her back.  The near instant he resumed she sighed in relief and seemed to sink further into him… always having claimed his touch felt like magic to her.

"I don’t need to use my semblance Pyr."  He claimed smugly.

She looked up at him with a warm if curious smile as she asked "What do you have in mind?"

Pyrrha didn't want him to use his aura to help her… she did mean that.  However she also completely trusted her Partner, even if she really didn’t have a clue what he had in mind.

"Switch to your side."  He requested patting the edge of the bed.

She cocked her head to the side unsure of his purpose… but did as requested.  Moving off his body and laying with her back to him on the edge of the bed.  He made sure the blanket was firmly wedged around her, then moved behind her back.  Just like the last time he tried to keep her warm one of his arms ended up under her neck to move across her chest while his other arm settled in around her narrow waist.

Though… they weren't naked last time that happened.  That sensation alone made it difficult for him to  steady himself and refocus his mind.

"Okay… now what?"  She asked patiently if slightly amused by his efforts on her behalf.

The knowledge that he had something in mind… combined with her trust in him might have had some effect of heating her up.  Even so, she was still shivering.

"Now… hang on."  He stated.

_Hang on?_

"Jaune wha-" Her inquiry was cut off with a surprised squeal as he pulled tight with his arms before hefting her up and over his chest to land next to him.  He kept on that rotation moving over her with another full spin before coming to rest on the other side of the bed… only now mummy wrapped in the blanket.

She couldn’t help but chuckle at her boyfr… her Partner.  His antics almost always helped no matter what was the concern.

"Well, is this better?"  He asked settling his body firmly against her back.

Pyrrha seemed to press herself more firmly back against him as she moved her hands on top of his.  It was only a marginal improvement in terms of heat… but she was shielded from the air now much more.  Basically it worked… however goofy his solution was.

She didn’t need to speak further.  Already she felt herself drifting off to sleep.

Yet…

"Jaune…" She began.

A kiss to the back of her neck cut short what she might have said.

Instead with that act she just gripped his hands firmly, and enjoyed the warmth his body offered.

Jaune did not have to wait long before the soft puffs of her breath indicated that she was asleep again.  Seeing her taken care of he gave her neck another kiss, then closed his eyes for the night.

***Later in the morning***

_That was MUCH better._

Was Pyrrha's prevailing thought as the Spartan slowly felt herself wake up.  Jaune's strong arms still held her tight as she woke still gripping her firmly… but gently.  His breath on the back of her neck seemed to steady her… even as it excited her.  None the less she was nothing but grateful, she had spent several nights alone and cold on similar flights in her life.  Last night was telling of how things were better now.

More and more awareness came back as the light of the sun shining through the room window was telling enough of the his success in keeping her warm.

"Better?"  He asked stirring slightly himself.

She smiled spun around to face him pressing her chest against him.

"Much…"  She pulled tight and smiled as his hands began to explore her back again.

For a time their hands gentle caress was all either of them felt as they held each other.  Words did not seem necessary at this time… her look said it all.

With a kiss she spoke on "I think I will call ahead… see how long until we touch down."

With that she spun around and got off the bed…

She figured she could tantalize her Partner a bit with a sway of her hips… knowing he would be watching as she went to her scroll nearby on a counter.  Sadly she seemed to forget that without Jaune as her stove the air outside the protective blankets of the bed was still just as cold as it was the night before.

As such that seductive and sexy sway found itself changing into a red blur again as she zipped to pick up said objects before finding herself once again on their bed clutching him for warmth.

He smiled… amused when she felt the need to say:

"Not, a word."  Though she was smiling in good humor none the less.

He kissed her shoulder and once again did what he could to help her overcome the cold air.

"You know at some point we will have to get out and get dressed… no matter how cold the air is."  He advised.

She nodded "Yes… I know.  I am not looking forward to it.  How you can be so used to the cold I do not understand."  She complained with a grin.

He just mumbled something akin to a 'No idea' as he resumed rubbing her body to generate heat.  Something he personally never got tired of… exploring the sexy and alluring curves which her figure cut.

The pair did not feel the need to speak as they continued to lay together until he spoke again after trying to gauge his twins state of being at that time.

"Kate is still sleeping… we have time.  Go ahead go back to sleep.  I know you didn’t sleep well given the cold.  If the crew calls I will answer."  Jaune advised.

"You sure?" She asked.

"Completely."  He kissed her again.

"My goddess needs her beauty rest after all."  He quipped.

Her gaze narrowed slightly… none the less Goddess Pyrrha did not feel a need to make an appearance as once again she melted into his embrace.

"Jaune."  She worded quietly.

"Yes?"  He mumbled holding her still.

"I love you."  She claimed with an unseen but obvious smile.

He smiled "Me too."  With a brief kiss, she let herself drift off into a slumber one more time.

***A few hours later across the hall***

Once Kate woke up she found herself conflicted… to the point that currently she found herself doing something… she did not do very often. 

Look at herself in the mirror.

Now she was not ignorant of much regarding her appearance.  Like just about any girl she would do her makeup and look into a mirror while doing so.  She would never claim to have no need of such objects… but she would normally claim to always have a purpose to utilizing one beyond admiring herself.

This time… her purpose was a bit more selfish.

It seemed like so long ago… that moment when she choose to cut off the vast majority of her hair.  She did not regret doing that… it was after all only hair to her.  None the less, the realization that her hair had once again reached shoulder length seemed to prompt something of an examination of her body in a way that she almost never did.

Her torso was never the most built of the individuals she associated with.  In obviously good shape, that she was.  But… well few people would claim her upper body looked strong.  Her time with Pyrrha might have tightened up and toned her even more so than her experience with her mother in the wilds.  Building her up in a way she did not expect.  It did not overpower her figure… but she found herself surprised that morning.

How this happened… she had no idea.  She certainly didn’t work less in her travels.  She didn’t have an explanation for it.  It might be that the quality of her rest is more so now… but ultimately that was just a guess.

None the less she couldn’t help but run her hands over herself and marvel at the changes time and effort had brought to her.  Her hair had grown back… her body had somehow even became more tight and toned than it was at the start of her Beacon career.  Not just her torso… but her 6 pack was still just as defined as ever.  Shockingly her lower body in her thighs and butt even seemed to have more curves than she remembered.  Kate for the most part didn’t think there was much to change regarding her physical appearance… yet even with her lower body improvements still existed as she is now discovering. 

To add to that… she was considering even wearing something she which almost never dressed herself in.

It might have been the talk with Ren which brought this to the forefront.  They actually talked… like friends.  She didn’t mention the pink elephant in the room.  She could tell just by looking at him that he hadn't done that act yet.

But, it flowed well.  Nora woke up miraculously as the conversation was drawing to a close around the time they had to report for their flights boarding.

Ren's grumbling at that was highly amusing to say the least…

But none the less, she was excited to see her friends again. 

With a sigh and a deep breath… she moved forward with her choice of garments… and gathered her pack to check on her friends across the hall.

***Jaune/Pyrrha's room***

"Better?"  He asked rubbing his girlfriends arms.

She smiled innocently… but the look was mixed with a touch of humor as she nodded.

True to his word Jaune let his girlfriend sleep for another hour or two.  Once he began to feel some action and movement from his sister he took that to mean his job as a stove was over.  It was time to get up and get dressed. 

A hot shower did much to improve his lovely partners view of the world… getting on some clothing helped with that further.

"Once we are off the plane in the sun again you should be fine in that."  He advised noting her clothing choice.  Basically what she always wore when not in her battle attire or school uniform.  The long clingy pants and t-shirt for comfort.  Similar to his sisters normal choice of generic wear. 

Kate had corrupted Pyrrha in that manner as far as Jaune was concerned…

Basically what he expected his sister to be found wearing when they met up to exit the craft.  He himself was not all that off from the norm either… basic t-shirt and shorts.  About as generic as one could get.

"Thanks again for last night."  She claimed picking up her pack.

He smiled "Anytime."

For a moment they just stared at each other… interrupted only by a knock on the door.

"That would be Kate… shall we…?"  He prompted picking up his own pack.

"…Assuming you don’t want to decorate the-"  His joke was cut short by a smack to his shoulder.

"No… I do not feel the need."  She claimed with a grin as she moved to the door.

He smiled at the ground briefly… before following the Spartan out.

***Vale Airport***

The landing occurred without an incident… something Jaune's stomach was very thankful for and the group was quickly back on solid ground.  Beacon in late summer akin to the start of their career was a welcome if routinely seen sight and for the most part they all breathed easy as they arrived in town.

None the less… Pyrrha could not help but be amazed at the little things at times as they walked towards the bullhead station as a group.

"You are wearing a dress."  Jaune accused.

"I am wearing a sundress."  Kate corrected with a smile and a raised finger.

"Ok, I am sorry.  I will correct my accusation.  Ahem… you are wearing a sundress."  Jaune prompted with a raised eyebrow.

"I am wearing a Yellow sundress."  Katherine claimed with a sly smile.

Jaune sighed… Pyrrha smiled in obvious amusement.

"Why are you wearing a dress?"  He asked cutting through her game of wordplay.

"Do I need a reason to wear a dress?"  The wearer queried.

"Sundress" Pyrrha corrected from behind the twins.

"You wear a dress maybe 3 times out of the year… and you choose today as one of them?  It isn't like you were wearing your leather gear all year."  He pointed out.

She shrugged.

Pyrrha couldn’t help but smile happily as the siblings traded verbal fencing thrusts in a never ending game of parry and riposte.  It was something she watched her siblings or their friends do all their lives while at the same time not really understanding how it worked.  Though… she was starting to get some idea.

It took about 12 steps until she had a thought that just rather escaped without a moments consideration.

"The last time I knew you to wear a dress was the day you saw Jaune from a year ago Kate."  She stated factually.

She had another thought.

"Speaking which your hair is basically back to the length it was before… and… did I say something odd?"  She asked noting the looks on the twins.  For once… Jaune was the one appearing mischievous.

"You did wear a dress then… that is true."  He claimed.

"I had worn my leather stuff for a nearly a year at that point!"  She objected in good humor.

"True…"  He claimed with a smile and sent a look to his partner.

She rose an eyebrow and continued on in silence until:

"Oh!  You wore that cause you wanted to look nice when you saw your brother again!"  She declared.

Kate smiled sourly but didn’t object…  Thinking back that that really was her motivation for that particular event after all.

"Is that such a bad thing?  It is the first day of school we are going to see our friends!"  She claimed looking straight ahead.

The partners on the group once again shared a glance.

_I am not as good at this as his sister… what could that look…_

"You are going to see your friends… yes that’s… !  Ren!  You are wearing a dress cause you are going to see Ren!"  Pyrrha accused pointing at her happily.

Pyrrha giggled when the siblings stopped walking briefly and she gave a slight jump in glee when Kate didn’t deny the accusation.

Instead… Katherine went about it in a very typical Kate way:

"I am forced to repeat my question… Is that such a bad thing?"  As normal she didn’t appear to be embarrassed… but that didn’t mean she was immune to feeling angst.

Jaune let out a breath as he declared:

"You two can hash it out I am going to get us some drinks."  At that he moved off to a station nearby.

"You don’t want to hear her answers?"  Pyrrha asked still sporting a goofy smile.

Jaune turned around briefly and just tapped his forehead before facing forward again.

"Ok I am getting better but I couldn't read that."  Pyrrha claimed turning to face her friend.

Kate smiled again briefly "Twin senses, is what I would supply."

Pyrrha nodded and was practically chomping at the bit to finally get a chance to turn the tables on Katherine for a change… however she seemed to forget something.  She had no idea how to go about doing that.

Mentally running through a list of possibilities Pyrrha prepared herself.

_Ok Pyrrha!  This is It!   Friendly teasing!  You have been friends with people for 2 years now and Kate is basically a sister!  Just take aim and fire… just like you were taught just…. fire what!?_

"You seem to need some pointers in how to do this… would you like some advice?"  Kate asked sarcastically with a grin unable to keep silent watching Pyrrha go through her mental pep talk.

Pyrrha scowled but responded "I am just trying to identify my best time to strike."

Kate laughed lightly "That would have been when Jaune first walked off.  The longer you wait the better the odds of him getting back ergo you couldn’t tease me alone without him possibly shielding me."

The Raven haired girl seemed to be looking just over the Spartan's shoulder as she waited her reply.

_Shield her?  He wouldn't shield her if anything he would stay out of it and let us have fun!  Unless it got too much the he might step in or…_

"Why would he shield you?"  The Spartan asked a bit unclear.

"Well it's pretty simple really… when he's around you tend to focus on him."  She claimed confidently with a grin.

Pyrrha stomped her foot in objection moving her hands to her hips as some footsteps edged closer behind them.

"I do not!  I am perfectly capable of teasing you while he is around I oh-!  Hey Jaune thanks for getting us drinks!"  Pyrrha claimed energetically as she accepting her bottle.

…

It was only several seconds later when she caught Kate's nearly smug but definitely amused grin that Pyrrha brought another scowl to her features.

"That didn't take much time."  Kate advised taking a sip through the straw… an obvious smile proudly displayed for all to see on her features.

Jaune gave a grunt in affirmation as he seemed to scan around the area.

Katherine couldn’t help but carry on with the previous subject however.

"I will however make it really easy for you Pyrrha.  Yes, I am wearing a dress because I am going to see Ren.  Go ahead… take your best shot."  She cocked her head to the side in good humor.

… She seemed to enjoy anything to do with teasing… even being on the receiving end.

Suddenly… Pyrrha was less inclined to try and tease the other girl.  Taking a freely offering shot ground against her way of thinking.  That combined with the fact that she was practically immune to embarrassment, it seemed like a less worthwhile goal.

"I hope things work out for you two."  The Knight claimed neutrally to try and end the silent stalemate.

Both women looked at the blond male nearby briefly before returning their gazes on each other.  A smile appeared on both of them.

"Kate, I do wish you well.  I hope things work out with you and Ren.  HOWEVER!  I will get better at teasing you!  I will find something in time just you wait!"  Pyrrha promised with good cheer.

The other accepted the pledge with a nod… it almost seemed like she was looking forward to it.

"I haven't seen any of the gang though.  Have you got any messages?"  Jaune asked the floor once they resumed walking.

"No… it's been radio silent for awhile now."  Kate answered.

"So how does this normally work?  Do we just take a Bullhead and head to the tower?"  Kate asked as the longer they moved the closer Beacon Tower appeared in the distance.  The more she realized she didn’t actually know what was normal.

Jaune nodded as Pyrrha answered "Well… basically yeah.  The Bullhead runs all day over the weekend.  We all were just anxious to see Jaune last time that we took the same one.  I don't know what the plan is for this year." 

Kate frowned… right… that thing with Jaune and his scroll last year.

"So… why don’t we get lunch and take a bullhead if we can't find anybody or contact another of our group by the time we are done?"  Pyrrha suggested.

Jaune and Kate nodded in agreement… however before they could say anything:

"BLAKE GET DOWN FROM THERE!!"  A voice boomed from nearby.

The trio shared a glance as Jaune spoke "That definitely sounded like Yang."

They looked around each focusing in a different direction when Pyrrha advised "Over there."

The twins followed her outstretched arm to eventually find the scene taking place.

The large mass of blond hair that obviously could only belong to Yang stood at the base of a tree looking straight up hands on her hips.  Next to her was a girl with short black hair in good shape probably about 30 years old holding a leash.  The leash was that of a dog, a smaller one with pure white hair.  None the less it seemed to be barking at something… in a tree.

The twins shared a glance at the same time Pyrrha started giggling in obvious amusement.

Sure enough… Blake found shelter on the branch of a said tree.  Sprawling out comfortably yet staying light on her feet she directed her gaze back towards the animal on the ground.

"Dogs!  Dogs are everywhere!"  She complained.

Jaune chuckled "Should we see what's going on?"  he suggested.

He lead the way at the same time Kate advised "I don't think we need to inquire to know what's going on Jaune… but it might be good for a laugh."

"Yup!"  The Spartan agreed.

The girls mirrored the others adorable smile… Jaune would be lying if he didn’t find that to be relaying his own feelings just the same.

By the time they arrived at the tree in question they heard more of the situation unfold.

"Yang make that dog stop barking!"  Blake demanded sternly.

Yang sent a booming laugh through the area.

"You don't make dogs stop barking Blake!  Most times its their way of saying hello!"  She couldn’t keep her face straight and began laughing all over again.

"I'm sorry for Abigail's actions Ms.  Xiao Long.  Mistress Weiss wanted the family pet to-"

"Mistress Weiss!?  You have to call her that?!"  The Brawler demanded though bits of amusement.

"YANG!"  Blake reminded her partner.

Opal nodded and spoke on feeling a bit out of place "Well… naturally she is my boss.  I need to-"

"Wait stop there.  Weiss is your boss?  You officially have the worst job ever."  Yang commented before doubling over again.

"YANG!!!"  Blake screamed again… then noticed the newcomers.

"JAUNE!  Make Yang get that loud beasty to leave me alone!"  She demanded.

Yang turned around to see the approaching trio at the same time Opal spoke "Oh!  You must be Jaune Arc!  Weiss told me about you.  I was suppose to say … something… I think she just wanted to say hello but… oh my I will have to ask her about that."  She seemed embarrassed.

"As you can see Vom… Jaune.  We have a bit of a situation on our hands.  It seems Blake is afraid of barking dogs and refuses to come down."  Yang claimed in a teasing manner.

"I am NOT AFRAID YANG!  I do NOT like the noise!"  Blake sternly asserted.

Jaune shook his head in amusement and noted that both of his traveling companions seemed happy at just observing the scene.  Leaving Jaune with the job of sorting it out.

"Let's start with … how this happened."  He asked unsure what else to say.

Yang wanted to speak… but began into another roaring laugh at the sight of Blake climbing even higher in the tree.

"Well uh… Well Mistress Weiss and I arrived very early.  She wanted to get to Beacon before everybody else to get her luggage taken care of… she said something about inspections from last year that she was going to avoid this year…."

Jaune nodded keeping his attention on the speaker.

"… anyway she went on ahead and instructed me to carry on her words to her friends as they arrived."  She concluded.

Jaune rose an eyebrow "And… just what was that exactly?"

Opal smiled warmly "Just that she went on ahead and to join her when you are able!" 

Jaune face palmed… talk about unneeded messages.

"Naturally Ruby took the first Bullhead available but… well it seems Abigail here is more than her friends could handle.  Ms. Xiao Long has been trying to coax her teammate out of that tree ever since."  The attendant concluded.

Through it all the dog… Abigail was still barking it seemed.

"YANG!!!"  Blake prompted yet again.

Yang finally sighed before speaking.  "Blake that dog is on a LEASH!   That means if YOU come down YOU can walk away without it following you!  Staying up there is only making the noise last longer!"  The brawler argued.

"That is a remarkably well reasoned argument for her."  Pyrrha whispered to Kate.

"Personally I think fire might be a superior suggestion." The Ghost claimed flatly… both girls started giggling about it once they realized it was actually a spoken thought.

Unaware of the debate on the ground Blake objected "It would break free of the leash!  I just know it!"

"Blake, leashes don’t just break!-"  Yang began when Kate interjected.

"Yang there is a nice sandwich shop around here… you might pick up something there.  Tuna I think normally did the job."  She spoke just loud enough for Blake to hear.

"Tuna you say?"  She sounded dubious.

"You could get one and toss it to me!"  The Cat-Girl suggested happily.

"Blake.  Come down here and get some lunch!  I am not going to toss you something to eat!"  Yang advised.

Blake clearly was fighting her own instincts as she slowly started to descend.

"If that dog bites me or that leash breaks I will take it out on your hair Yang!"  She threatened.

As Blake cautiously started her way out of the tree keeping a watchful eye on the pooch below… the group decided to speak more.

"Think we should get something with them?"  Jaune asked.

The girls looked at each other.

"I don't see the harm-"

"Abigail No!"

"YAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!"

Jaune turned around to see Blake screaming down the road away from the tree with the dog in hot pursuit… it seems Yang uncoupled the leash to allow the dog freedom of movement.

Opal took off at a run after the dog making it a highly amusing line of Faunus, dog, and human.

"I told her it wouldn’t break!"  Yang grinned dusting off her hands.

Kate giggled but recognized the obvious danger and advised "Don't you think that is risky?  I mean she did threaten your hair after all."

Yang laughed before speaking on "Well… Ruby did say she wanted to be alone with Weiss a bit."  She smiled sadly before continuing "That and she did ask me to pay Blake back for delaying her lunch the other day.  I guess this is as good a way as any.  Besides once she gets her fish she will be pacified again."

"You seem sure of that."  Jaune commented.

Yang shrugged nonchalantly "Well, that is what history has proven.  In any case I should try and keep up with them somewhat.  Have fun you all!  Seeya at Beacon tonight!"  At that the Brawler turned around and jogged after her partner.

They watched her go with the silence broken only by Kate claiming "You know summer was fun… but I have missed this type of insanity."

Jaune nodded with a smile as Pyrrha commented:

"Didn't even make it a day and already those two are hard at it.  Oh well!  It's good for everybody in the end.  So… lunch?  Where do you want to go?"  She asked.

Nobody heard the speaker approach… such as they were focused on the proceedings around the tree.  However behind them a familiar voice spoke:

"I know a place."

The twins half turned to share a glance before fully turning around behind them.

"Mrs. Arc!"  Pyrrha claimed surprised.

Sure enough walking towards them… was their mother.  Dressed casually though with her weapon was holstered on her back.  She appeared oddly relaxed and more carefree than when last by any of the individuals.  Hair down and smiling for sure.

"Mom!  What a surprise."  Kate said as she moved into a hug.

Jaune waited until his turn in a hug to speak "What's happening at home?  Don't you need to be there?  Not that I am not happy to see you."

For the moment Pyrrha refrained from hugging the elder Arc, unsure if she was meant to.

Deborah it seems decided for her and after obviously offering a hug, Pyrrha happily accepted.

With a very happy grin The Matriarch began answering the litany of questions directed her way "First.  It is Ms. Arc now thank you very much.  Though for you Pyrrha, Deb would be perfectly fine."

The twins smiled sadly while Pyrrha carried on the conversation "So the divorce went easier than you expected?" 

Deb nodded again but didn’t answer right away "I meant what I said about lunch by the by.  Let's get some food… we can talk then alright?"  She looked nearly identically to Jaune did last year when he mentioned he needed some food.

Pyrrha chuckled and when all 3 of the younger crowd nodded began to follow the elder Arc towards a nearby destination.

***Beacon Joint Dorm room***

Through the frenzy of arriving on time… Weiss actually managed to arrive early.  A fair amount early, TOO early to be frank.  To the point that she didn’t want to wait with a Bullheads worth of luggage for their friends and instead decided to get everything sorted in its proper place.  Afterwards possibly meet her team and beyond in town without so much in tow. 

What she did not initially plan on was the fact that working out regularly over the summer… far more so than what she did previously drew her to their private gym for another session.  Following that… well she found herself just as exhausted as she normally was following those routines.

It had been basically a year from the time Katherine gave her that beginning program meant to help her tighten and tone up in addition to strengthening her legs.  All that did in fact happen, they looked noticeably better and stronger than before.  That did lead her to redoing her wardrobe her ENTIRE wardrobe.  It also shed some light on just what Katherine and company had subjected themselves through for a far longer period of time multiple times a day. 

She did follow through on their advise for one more thing…

She did not initially want to get a second weapon or another means to defend herself.  She put too much effort into the design of her Rapier to warrant carrying a second.  That did not mean the idea was not a valid one.  Hopefully the sheath now housing the elegant weapon would assist in the place of a second weapon should a situation require one.

Such were her thoughts as she showered and lay down leaning against a wall to rest before heading back to town.

She did not expect fall asleep in a nap or to wake up staring at the image of her partner in the doorway with an utterly huge silly smile directed at her.

"Ruby!"  Weiss blurted out leaping to her feet.

"Hey Weiss!"  The other replied.

Frantic energy found its way into Weiss and she wanted to curse her misfortune.  Dressed in a lowly t-shirt and loose fitting pants this was not the way she wanted to meet her partner.

"Oh I'm sorry Ruby!  I am a mess…"  She frantically moved to a nearby cabinet.

Ruby edged a bit closer but did not speak.

"I'm dressed horribly like I was about to take a nap or something…"

She took a dress out of her nearby drawer and quickly turned towards a mirror.  Ruby continued on her path towards her partner.

"I don’t have any makeup on or anything this is totally wrong and out of place!"

She frantically gathered up some makeup bins and-

"Weiss."

The Heiress did not seem to hear her.

"Agh!   This is horrible!  I wanted everything to be perfect and-"

"Weiss!"

This time the White haired girl stopped her movement and seemed to finally be able to see the other in the room.

"Ruby…"

Ruby still carried that silly smile as she carefully took the dress from her partner and gently laid it down on a nearby bed.  Then took the makeup bins and set them back down on a nearby ( but not the same ) cabinet.

"What?"

This time Weiss' words were cut off simply… with a gentle hug.  Something which Weiss was very happy to return.

It was several seconds later when The Heiress spoke on.

"I wanted to look perfect when we saw each other again… sorry for being a mess."  She claimed as she burred her face into Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby chuckled.

"You do look perfectly silly."

"But I'm a wreck!"  Weiss complained.

Ruby just hummed a negative and spoke again "Weiss… you are you.  That's all I ever wanted."

Ruby did not claim to be an expert on human interaction… however she never really expected Weiss to cry a bit when they finally saw each other again.

With a sniff concealing a relieved smile Weiss spoke on quietly "I love the outfit.  Looks much better in person.  Did you get taller or something?  I used to get higher on you."  She frowned a bit laced as it was in good humor.

Ruby grinned "Yeah… I guess I was still an infant after all, right!"  She chuckled.

"All that growing I still had to do."  She grinned.

Weiss stared right at the others bust as she responded "Well one of us takes after your older sister somehow and it certainly isn't me."  She dryly complained finally angling upwards.

"Love the hair too."  Weiss said.

Ruby giggled "Glad you do.  I've wanted to grow it out a bit for while now."

Draw by sudden inspiration Ruby came to a conclusion.

"Hey let's sit down here, just like the old days!"  At that the Reaper picked up a nearby blanket and claimed a spot on the ground under the window.  With a pat of her hand next to her she requested Weiss to sit down.

The Heiress rolled her eyes… but none the less reluctantly sat down next to her girlfriend.  After a seconds hesitation her head found a spot on Ruby's shoulder.

"Really had to twist your arm huh?"  Ruby advised smugly.

"Oh… just… never mind."  Her smile said it all.

Ruby pulled the smaller girl close via an arm around her waist and finally noticed something different.  Weiss certainly felt a bit… firmer.  Yes that was the word.  However her concentration was put off by a Yawn from the older girl.

"Hey… you tired?"  The Reaper asked.

Weiss hesitated… then spoke "Yeah a bit.  Exercising still tires me out sadly."

Ruby made a face at the other girls admission… but didn’t press the issue.

"You just finished?  I can let you take a nap if you need one."  She suggested.

Weiss shook her head.  "No… I will be fine.  It just… it takes a lot out of me still."

Ruby's found Myrtenaster, Weiss' Rapier resting against the wall a few feet off as she waited content to hold her girlfriend.  Ruby took  more than a few seconds of study before she spoke on.

"Your sword has a sheath now." She accused suddenly

Weiss nodded murmuring an "uh huh".

"Why did I not know about this before?"  She demanded.

"Cause its… well it isn't just a sheath I mean it has the typical Schnee markings and perfection of design.  It has to I mean I designed it myself of course but it isn't just a… a…"  She froze noting the evil look on her girlfriends face.

"You got a NEW WEAPON and didn’t tell me!"  She declared appearing stern.

"Ruby it's just a sheath… that has dust reserves in case my sword gets knocked away.  Not a big deal."  Weiss stated.

"Not a Big Deal!  You know my stance on weapons I get to meet every one that my friends use!"

Weiss gave her a scolding glance but closed her eyes trying to relax into her girlfriend again.

It was only several seconds later that She spoke again with her eyes still closed.

"Ruby… what are you doing?"  She yawned again.

Ruby pouted briefly but did not stop as she continued her action "I am giving… trying to give you a horse bite!"

Weiss rolled her eyes again "And why pray tell are you trying to do that?"

Ruby ceased her gripping as she looked a bit confused. 

"Cause you didn’t introduce me to Larry." 

Weiss' eye twitched "You did not just try to name my sheath 'Larry' did you?"  Ruby resumed the grip of her thigh and moved a bit higher on her leg this time.

Ruby scoffed as she answered "I did not try to do anything I did name it Larry cause you didn’t tell me about it!  I had to name it for you!"  She smiled as she clamped down.

Weiss just sighed "Ruby it's just one weapon!  It still has the same name… and… NOW what are you doing?"  She seemed slightly irritated at this point… but curious just the same.

Ruby tentatively gripped Weiss' thigh higher still and turned fully to look.

"Weiss…. what?"  She stopped her thought mid stream.

Weiss was starting to get some idea of what had distracted Ruby and a smile of pure satisfaction crept onto her face.

"I don't know what you… !  RUBY!"

Ruby had taken to pushing the shorts Weiss was wearing all the way up to her hip showing off her full leg.

Weiss knew intellectually that there wasn't another person within 100 yards of her… that didn’t stop her from blushing profusely out of embarrassment. 

"Weiss… Holy… chocolate chip cookies!  What have you been doing over the summer!??"  She declared giving her infamous puppy dog look to her girlfriends leg.

For all Weiss tried not to get embarrassed and how she SWORE she wouldn’t react when Ruby noticed the work she had been doing… she just couldn’t.  She found her exhaustion was rapidly being replaced with nothing but glee the longer Ruby stared at her legs.

"Well… I was doing the basic routines Kate gave me… 2 times a day.  Believe me it was hard to walk some days."  The Heiress admitted with a smile.

"Weiss… your legs look amazing holy cow!"  Weiss could practically see the hearts appearing in Ruby's eyes.

She felt the need to gloat a bit… purely for 'reasons' of course!  She knew that she had toned up and strengthened a great deal over the summer.  She also knew however that she was nowhere near the level of fitness that Kate or Pyrrha carried… but in her own humble opinion, she did like how she looked.  The fact that Ruby did too was very welcome.

"I am only at stage 3, and even that level is really challenging.  I don't understand how Kate could be at stage 27, but I guess the results speak for themselves.  If she has been doing this for years it explains a few things."  Weiss admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me you had worked so much!?"  Ruby demanded.

Weiss looked to the ground… and after a few seconds looked back at her partner.  This is the sort of thing that’s really difficult for her… yet.  Well… she felt it was the right thing to say.

"Ruby… I DID say so.  I said I would think about you every day.  I meant it."  At that… The Heiress sent a genuinely warm 'New Weiss' smile to her girlfriend.

Ruby gulped… but allowed a VERY familiar look to take its place.

As she started to lean in for a kiss… Weiss knew exactly what the younger girl wanted to do.  Ruby would lean in… and use her bigger body to force her to the ground.  Not this time!

Weiss met the kiss… but then started to stand and twist.

"Wait wha?"  Ruby complained.

Setting a leg to brace down she pushed off and continued to use momentum and leverage to spin Ruby around to eventually land on her back.

"What Hey!"  Ruby complained again.

"HA!"  Weiss declared as she landed on top of Ruby's chest sitting on her.

"What hey that’s no fair!"  Ruby stated as she struggled half heartedly.

Weiss moved in for another kiss. 

It lasted for several seconds… maybe nearly a minute.  Every now and again Ruby would stay a word or two:

"No…."

"…Fair…"

Yet… neither moved to reposition or break from the kiss.

It only after they continued to kiss when passion forced them to shed some clothing that Ruby spoke on.

"But I like being on top!"  She complained again with one of her adorable puppy dog looks.

Weiss smirked as she leaned down again "Then I guess… you are just going to have to work a bit harder Ruby."

With that the girls were inseparable for some time.  Many minutes into it Ruby did manage to secure the top spot… but by then nobody cared anymore.

***In Town over Lunch***

Turns out that Mom really did know some good places.  The little known place in a corner of town not even really known for their cuisine none the left served some of the most delicious Pizza the group had ever tried.

"I guess you knew about place this from when you last taught here?"  Jaune asked enjoying a slice.

Mom nodded "Yeah… it's a family owned business.  Small… as you can tell.  But I always enjoyed what they served."

Her happy smile was something so rarely seen of late….

"I hate to ask the question but… you seem to be in a great mood.  What happened?"  Kate asked curiously.

Mom grinned slightly.

"Does a mother need a reason to be happy when seeing her youngest children?"  She responded coyly.

The twins shared a glance followed by a smirk.

"Course not.  Though again I am curious why you are here.  I am happy to see you again but I thought you'd be busy at Cadia for a time?"  Jaune asked.

Mom shrugged "Well… to be fair 'for a time' is subjective.  I knew I would need to be present 'for a time'.  'For a time' has passed."

Jaune smiled… as the Duke he should know this, but figured mom was just enjoying this for the fact that she could.

"So… who is home then?  Eve I suppose?"  Jaune guessed.

Mom nodded and took a brief drink.

"Yes… really a great many things came together at the right time.  Miyas wanting to be trained, Eve wanting to stay home following what happened to her.  I was content to give Miyas some lessons but… Well.  Ozpin offered me a position at Beacon.  I have decided to return to teaching.  Eve is very happily at home doing what she was being groomed to do."  Mom answered.

The three of them lit up in surprise at the same time Jaune's expression narrowed into a smile.

"I figured you would try to get back into teaching."  He claimed confidently.

Pyrrha nodded… he did claim that all those months ago.

"What subject will you be handling?"  Kate asked excitedly.

Pyrrha felt the need to make a guess.

"Combat class?  But what would Ms. Goodwitch do?"

Mom shook her head.

"No, Winter Schnee I understand is going to be serving as an assistant in Glynda's class.   The Headmaster asked me to take over the Advanced class again."  She definitely appeared pleased at this juncture.

The Twins shared a glance, Kate seemed a bit disappointed.

"You were looking forward to being her student Kate?"  Pyrrha asked reading her friends look.

Kate took a drink and nodded.

"Well… I did learn a great deal in my time traveling with her.  So Professor Arc returns to Beacon after all?"  Katherine took another sip before continuing with:

"I am happy that you're doing something you enjoy again.  I am just missing out on the lessons I suppose."  Kate stated with a frown.

Deb shook her head "I am … or will be doing something I enjoy again this is true.  However you are mistaken if you think you won't be getting any lessons from me."

The trio shared a glance again.

"But I am not technically part of JNPR or RWBY, I don’t have a partner.  Not like they do."  She objected appearing confused.

Mom chuckled appearing very amused and spoke.

"Katherine, lessons are not so inadaptable or ridged that a professor wouldn’t be able to handle an additional student. You can plan on being present in them.  Besides… I have to finish off your educations with your semblances.  I did that for the rest of your siblings and I will do the same for you both."  She claimed gripping each of them on the shoulder.

"I thought I had earned my title Mom?"  Jaune asked a bit confused.

At this Mom became a touch more serious before answering "Yes you did.  You earned it as every person who came before.  But title or no… there are still lessons to pass on about your semblance and family history.  As far as you Katherine are concerned I did not finish your training.  I hope to get the chance to complete both of those.  I definitely was planning on some private sessions over the year."

Both twins smiled with the Spartan looking pleased… it might be later than she would prefer but these two deserve as complete an education as possible.  Beyond that… she always suspected that before her was somebody who could further even her education in combat.  The opportunity was not something she wanted to waste.

"Speaking which thank you Pyrrha.  You have been doing the physical work and weapons practice very well I have to say."  She praised keeping a happy eye on her children.

"My babies look strong and fit, melts this old woman's heart."  She teased with a  quick glance at both individuals.

After a second a chuckle found its way out from both siblings.

"They have grown up so well, I mean just look at them!"  Pyrrha put forth with an amused smile.

The twins shared a glance… and pretended to die in their seats.  Thanks to their poor acting skills a change in vocation was not in store for either of them.

By the time the meal was over and they gave it some time to set the group began to walk back to the main square in town.

"So… well its mid afternoon.  What now?"  Pyrrha asked.

Mom looked like she wanted to speak… but was interrupted with:

"HEY ARC!"  A voice boomed through the area as the speaker approached in his confident manner garbed in his typical full plate armor.

Jaune cringed.

Pyrrha looked stricken…

Kate smirked.

Deb just looked confused.

"Hey Cardin."  Jaune said in a neutral tone.

Mom no longer looked confused.

"You must be Cardin Winchester."  Mom stated friendly with a warm handshake.

Cardin proudly took the offered hand and felt the need to continue speaking.

"Always you are surrounded by gorgeous women!  I assume the cute blond is your older sister or something?"  He stated confidently flexing his arm 'subtly' scratching the back of his head.

The girls just came undone and were soon laughing hysterically.

Jaune… was mid facepalm.

_Why does this ALWAYS happen with CARDIN!?_

"Seriously did I say something funny?"  Cardin asked feeling a bit out of place.

"Beacon always has some very interesting characters Jaune… I have to say I missed this."  Deb admitted somehow halting her laugh.

Cardin just looked confused.

The Knight figured he should put Cardin out of his misery… or at least do the next best thing.

"Cardin… this is Deborah Arc… my mother."  Jaune claimed somehow keeping a straight face.

Cardin's face when from denial… to fear… to terror… and finally just took off away from the group.

"I'M SORRY!!!  YOU DON’T HAVE TO BEAT ME UP!!"  He screamed.

Kate resumed her laughter doubling over at that.

"Beating him up?"  Deb asked not hiding her amusement at this juncture.

"Long story."  All 3 of them answered.

Jaune watched Cardin flee towards the bullhead station thankful he had the good sense not to greet his mother in the same manner he greeted his twin sister… that would not have ended well.

"Well… if there would be no more interruptions…  Pyrrha I wanted to ask if you could come with me to Beacon tower.  I wanted to discuss something with you.  If I could borrow your girlfriend for a bit anyway."  Mom requested looking between Jaune and Pyrrha.

That brought a surprised look to their faces as Pyrrha responded "Uh… sure.  Why though?"  She asked.

Mom cocked her head to the side and answered "It isn't a secret… rather just a surprise.  I would prefer leave it at that.  Don't worry it will reveal itself in a day or two, but I'd like to talk to just you and I."  She claimed.

The twins shared a glance and shrugged at the same time when Pyrrha nodded after a moments consideration. "Well… ok sure.  Let's go.  What about you two?"  She asked.

Kate's smile took a turn for the evil as she declared.

"Well… it seems I will get my chance at interrogation today after all."

Her intent was quite clear as she sent a determined glance at her brother.

Jaune sighed in surrender at the same time Pyrrha blushed a deep crimson.  None the less the Spartan followed Deb to the Bullhead station with a friendly wave behind her to her closest friend and Partner.

Katherine edged closer "So… let's start… with the pool.  What happened after that?"  The Ghost requested.

With another sigh and a smile… The Knight began the narrative to the best of his ability with his sister listening in with apt attention.

***Later in Deb's quarters***

Pyrrha had to admit she was highly intrigued by this.  She trusted Deborah… and she was starting to like her.  However she could not be a bit curious as to what she had in mind.  The Spartan followed her through the Beacon grounds to the teachers quarters and finally into her room.  It was rather lavish by the standard of Beacon, but none the less was simple.  Some books, a large desk, and some chairs dominated the main room.  Finally a bedroom and bathroom all for her use were present and accounted for.

"So uh… what's up?"  She asked trying to sound casual.

Deb smirked as she moved over to a wall and slowly pulled back the curtain covering it.

The Spartan gasped.

"Wow… that’s… that’s beautiful.  Is that for Jaune?  Why not show him?"  She asked.

Deb grinned "Because… I have something for you as well."  She extended an arm to the side showcasing something the Spartan missed.

Pyrrha was a bit overwhelmed…

"Wow, I … I don't know what to say.  Thank you.  When can I tell Jaune about this?  Why get me one as well?"  She asked.

Deb smiled again.  "I will give you both the item's before our first class.  As for why I had something for you built as well… Well.  Katherine has the way she fights and she means a great deal to my son.  However given her style armor would not suit her well.  But, You are a different story.  I understand that you have not yet taken on your adult armor correct?  That is a Mistrali custom as I understand?"  She asked.

Pyrrha nodded as she answered "Well yeah.  Normally we would only have one made for us once we had stopped growing… My corset is made of tough material but… well it isn't more than that.  I was going to have one made… well soon I guess."  She admitted.

Deb nodded back "That is what I mean.  I originally just wanted something made for Jaune.  But the more I thought about it, Jaune would really want something made for you, before himself.  So… well I ended up getting two.  I just wanted you to try it on to make sure if fit you before presenting it to you.  That’s all.  I am fairly sure that Jaune will fit into what I got made for him easily enough but you… well I gave it my best guess."

With a grateful smile… the Spartan moved to the bathroom and tried on the gift… to say it fit perfectly would be an understatement.  She could not wait for a chance to show it off to Jaune on the first day of their advanced combat courses!

**A/N**

**Going to keep it really short this time.**

**For starters I thank you all for your continued support and feedback.  As always please review/like/kudos/comment yada yada.  IM or email me if you would like to discuss something.  I am always happy to talk about RWBY or my fic.**

**I have been hesitant to do this as other authors have asked me to do this previously.  However I would like to point you folks to another story:  Destiny in Remnant by UGX7.  The guy works very hard on his fan fiction and puts out a ton of content for folks to read.  It is Arkos focused like my own story, however his is much more tied to Canon.  Some of you have asked me to try and stay more true to canon… which I am sorry I just cannot do.  If you are interested in a bigger cast featuring much more of the teams and people from the show.  Or if you like Arkos in general.  It might be worth checking his story out.**

**It is about the time to plan for the next Truth or Dare match… to take place after the winter dance… right now 6+ chapters from now.  If you have any truths/dares or situations you'd like the gang to encounter.  Let me know your suggestions ideas or requests.  Remember this is the last year Velvet will be available as she graduates at the end of the year.  So for bunny faunus goodness time is running short.**

**As ever thank you for your time, I take feedback serious and try to put a quality product before you.  I am writing this primarily for myself.  That is true, however I also hope others enjoy it along the way.**

**Thank you for your time, and I will see you next chapter.**

**-Sean**


	35. Y3 Fall:  Cats and Queens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Nora arrive back at Beacon... would could possibly happen?

3.10

Now this is more like it.  Servants all around at attention catering to your every need… a full flask filled to the brim with delicious drink always within reach.  The smell of freshly caught and cooking fish.  Combined with a delectable foot rub made for one very relaxed Kitty-Cat.

Ahhh…. It is nice to be the Queen.

Following a lengthy flight of agreeable silence combined and compound with a profound if distinct lack of barking… her day started out perfectly.  She even found herself arriving on time to return to school shocking enough early.  Therefore she and her… traveling compan… traveling servants found themselves wandering around town.  That was when things began to deteriorate.  Upon encountering an overly loud small creature aka a yelping dog; her day had been filled with justifiable defensive actions.  Yet despite all this she still found herself getting criticized for justly finding shelter in a nearby tree.

So rarely does Blake find herself exercising the freely given right of vengeance.  She had allowed so much to go without recompense or due payment/repayment.

Well Yang freeing that dog was the last straw, that nearly insignificant amount of weight which none the less proved to be enough to break the camel's back.  Or in this case… the kittens patience.

Being the fair minded and benevolent Cat-Girl she is… she had to make it known there are "some" canines that she is capable of getting along with.  The Golden Companion's from Cadia for example, they are normally well behaved sweet animals who did not make an abundance of noise simply cause they could.  Zwei was also in that list… though her habit of treating Blake's ears as a chew toy did lower the pooch on the list.

Anyway… once she had finally lost that annoying sound-maker in an alley… she began the task of returning the favor on a certain blond haired Brawler-

"Seriously Blake I think Jaune would be better able to help you than I."  Her servant whined.

The Queen's eyebrow twitched annoyed.

"Jaune did not force me to twist my ankle outrunning a rabid dog!  Keep working!"  She snapped her fingers twice for emphasis indicating she was running low on benevolence.

With a whine… that none the less left Blake feeling Yang enjoyed being bossed around to a degree the shamed Brawler resumed rubbing her sore spots as instructed.

"Technically… Yang didn’t make you twist your ankle… The dog didn’t either."  A quiet but irritatingly confident male pointed out careful to avoid the Queens Righteous Wrath.

Blake took a deep breath… patience…

"Blake seriously-"  Another speaker pointed out

"QUEEN BLAKE!!"  Queen Blake insisted giving a stern glare to her table associates.

The speaker scoffed… but resumed "Seriously, You were the one who ran into me!"

"Ok seriously Blake my hands are getting tired."  Yang stated moved away slightly.

From the spot on her throne Blake finally allowed her servant to leave and go back to her seat.  Though technically approval was never given.

Turning to answer the latest point Blake allowed her yellow eyes to burn brightly before speaking again.

"It is QUEEN BLAKE!  Secondly-"  She was cut off yet ANOTHER individual…

"If I could take your order please?"  The only slightly terrified waitress inquired.

Finally coming down from her brief but highly deserved power trip… Blake spoke on "The Morsel Specialty dish please."  She requested.

"Tuna again!?"  Yang asked needlessly.

When she only received a glare in answer… The group went around the table to finish their orders.

"But seriously Blake you ran into me!"  Nora insisted before ordering her meal.

Indeed as the tiny dog Abigail chased its target around town they discovered via running literally face first into Nora and Ren… the collision actually managed to stop Nora's frontal walking while at the same time sending Blake into an ankle twisting freefall.

Basically it summed up to Yang's fault as most things inevitably did.  Once a vote was put forward it was decided 3:1 as the time to get some food.  Hence why they arrived ( with Yang begrudgingly carrying her partner ) at the Queens Morsels… complete with a throne and all for a single person to be "Queen" for a day.  Given that Yang was sporting the bill it seemed like a worthwhile thing to request.  Something else decided by that 3:1 decision.

"Petty details."  Blake scoffed.

"Petty details that got us lunch Nora."  Ren pointed out calmly.

Ah yes… a twisted ankle on one hand… some delicious tuna on the other.   Indeed tuna just makes everything better but-

"I still don’t understand why I have to pay for lunch…"  Yang complained breaking the Queen out of her thoughts.

"Careful servant I think my foot is hurting again."  The Queen declared staying in character.

"Easy…Blake-"

"Queen Blake."  The Faunus girl reminded sternly.  Yang was spending money on allowing them the use of the "Royal Booth" and she was damn sure going to get the most out of the opportunity.

Nora scowled a bit… but continued her previous point.

"Queen Blakey-pie, you should relax.   I think our waitress is on the way back."  She advised pointing past Blake behind the group.

Thus the group let out a collective sigh of relief as the food has at last… arrived.

A plate of reasonable size for Ren.  A plate of dubious size for Nora.  A tray of dubious size for Yang…. and a platter of impossible hunger for Blake.

"Seriously Blake…. I have to pay for all this…"  Yang complained…

… and basically was ignored.

Literally with each mouthful witnesses could claim that the mood of a certain Cat-Girl ever improved… though some individuals remained in the "dog-house".  Such is the right of a whimsical Queen.

"Appetizers can only do so much… thank you place for providing fish to the kitten."  Yang snarked to herself… hopefully the price tag would prove to be worth it.

"Yes thanks to this marvelous cuisine I am in a good mood again…"  Blake agree with a smile.

…

"Wait what did I just agree too?"

Nobody would really answer her… Queens were rarely known for their fair temperament after all.

Kidding aside… the friends were relieved to see each other again.  The Queens Morsels shared a door with the Kings Pantry, essentially the same restaurant.  Each side offering its own brand of indulgence for those of like mind.

"So… what happened before you unleashed that dog Yang?"  Ren asked curiously seeing as this detail never really had been covered before.

"You mean aside from laughing hysterically right?"  Yang asked much to a certain kittens chagrin.

"Yes… Yang.  You laughing was assumed."  He clarified with a smirk.

"Well… Ruby ran off to Beacon to meet up with Weiss.  I get the feeling she wanted some time alone given it would be the first time they saw each other in a few months."  The Brawler somewhat calmly admitted.

"Right… Opal… that’s Weiss' new personal assistant right?"  Nora queried.

"Yup… clearly walking a dog properly is beyond her understanding."  Blake complained dryly.

"Weiss' most recent Personal assistant I should say.  She ran on the average 1 person out of that job at least on any given day over the summer.  At least… if Ruby is to be believed."  Yang commented.

"How would she even still have volunteers?  For that matter why bring Opal to Beacon anyway?  To show Ruby her dog I would guess."  Ren guessed.

Yang grinned at her partner before resuming her story. "Well… to be fair given everything that Weiss tends to bring with her to Beacon it wouldn't be a terrible idea to get it here early and put away.  All those boxes are a pain to deal with."

Blake preened herself smugly before she boasted "I still say when I allegedly caught your hair under a box it was purely an accident." 

"Uh huh…"

Yang took a drink before resuming "Anyway we ran into Jaune and company.  They look like they didn’t take any time off at all.  Contrary to the amount of fun I know they had from texts anyway."

Ren smiled into his hand as Nora evidently decided it was time to play the embarrassment card.

"They looked good then?  Ren still hasn't had a chance to do his thing yet.  It has been hard not to tease him over the summer." 

Yang and Blake shared a glance before the kitten got a bit more serious.  The Brawler had other ideas.

"You always have liked her haven't you?  I mean it isn't hard to see why.  She's quite the total package."

Ren just rolled his eyes…

_If I don’t say anything it will go away, if I don’t say anything it will go away…._

"Honestly Ren traditions are important but… I am amazed she is still single.  How much longer are you going to make her wait?"

Yang's angle seemed a bit less 'knifey' than he figured her approach would be… as such he felt more obliged to answer.

"It normally would not be this difficult to accomplish.  It is just something you do in person or not at all.  The tradition I am trying to conform to is a carryover from my home.  It is a very small village I grant you that but… well I know so little of my people I do want to carry on what I do know."  He admitted casually.

… And with that Yang could no longer hold back entering her teasing mode.

"Well… you might want to stay away for awhile Ren.  She looks GREAT today."  She gloated with a wink.

Ren groaned and looked off to the side "Wonderful."

At her friends action Nora couldn't help herself.

"She looks good you say?  I thought you were only into guys?"  Nora asked bluntly.

Yang wasn't even phased as she shrugged "Sexy is sexy that’s all I care about.  She most definitely is sexy in that dress… or just about anything."

"Oh yeah she was wearing a dress… she did look exquisite I have to agree on that."  Blake agreed joining in on the fun.

"What type of dress?"  Nora asked seemingly putting the screws to her longtime friend knowingly or not.

"A sundress... A very flattering sundress."  Yang answered as if Ren was not at the same table across from her.

It was here… Ren spoke again.

"A Yellow sundress."  He stated confidently.

The group turned to each other confused briefly… before looking back at the lone male at the table.

It turned out it was not in fact a question.  The group followed his gaze… and sure enough the Ghost and the Knight was visible out the window of the building.  One was most definitely in a yellow sundress.

"Damn Renny she DOES look good."  Nora agreed needlessly.

Nora would continue to speak more about the obvious including some previously assumed impossible improvements to her figure… none the less even when the other two women at the table started to join in Ren mostly didn’t hear them.

"Oh hey… is that Velvet?"  Blake asked after several moments of silence.

***Street Outside***

_Sisters were vicious creatures._

This is as far as Jaune was concerned the equivalent of saying that Gravity is rather reliable.  Or possibly that the sun can get rather warm.  Or many other silly and equally needless phrases.

Sure he grew up surrounded by women, most of which did not think all that highly of him.  The fact that the past is starting to level out and become less painful is a good thing.  However none of that detracted from the completely obvious truth.

That truth which to repeat to all who can hear the cry:

Sisters are vicious creatures.  They are evil maniacal masterminds with the senses of a bloodhound… and right now that bloodhound is on the scent like few other times he had endured one of his sisters interrogations.

"So… let me get this straight…"  Kate began leaning against a wall mischievously.

"She calls you into the room… she talks to you.  Then disrobes… and you just… freeze?"   She asked incredulously.

When it was clear that he was unsure what he could add… she continued.

"Freeze?  As in nothing to say no ability to act you just… deer in the headlights blank out?"  She stated.

Jaune finally pulled out of his facepalm to try and defend his position.  "Kate... of course I had thoughts. I was just overwhelmed.  I was preparing to go to bed.  Of the things I was expecting to happen Pyrrha appearing before me -Naked- was not on the list of possible occurrences I was expecting to face or deal with at that moment in time."  He claimed in his normal calm manner.

Kate seemed to consider that briefly… then moved on.

"Ok you know what I can see that.  That isn't too farfetched.  However just claiming 'You went down on her'  Seems to lack the impact required to cause THAT reaction.  She was a gibbering inarticulate mess that morning and was for most of the following week.  I personally am of the opinion you did more in that shower then just that bit."

Jaune was not at all ignorant that this type of talk with a sister… much less another person of relation would have to be considered awkward.  Kate meant well… this was her way of keeping him engaged and involved in activities.  The fact that she tended to enjoy teasing him made it easier for her as well.

"Well… to be fair-"

"AH HA!  Ok here we go the real juicy stuff… ok lets have it."  She demanded sternly.

Jaune cleared his throat then spoke on "Well… I mean we kissed and washed each other off too."

The interrogator narrowed her vision as if she couldn’t believe that really is all that happened.

"Really?  That’s all?"  She asked incredulously.

Jaune finally came out of his facepalm to respond.

"Katherine this meant more to her than either of us likely understands.  Years of … worry, angst or worse emotions had been building up in her ever since she was a little girl.  It was a tradition that directly relates to why she wears that headpiece.  A tradition she feared she would never be able to share with another."

Kate seemed to think it over.  She knew Jaune was telling the truth but that didn’t mean she could let him off the hook this easily.  However… as much as teasing him and satisfying her endless curiosity entertained her… at some point she had to draw the line.  Her interrogations were never about pure embarrassment naturally.

"This was her Vampire parasite.  That’s why it mattered so much to her.  That is what your trying to tell me.  Correct?"  It still hardily seemed possible… a Simple shower and a cleaver tongue.  That's why she was a gibbering goof for 3 days.  All cause of-

The newcomer was so quiet so… unnoticeable on her approach that when she spoke it was almost so quiet as to not be in the audio spectrum of perceivable sounds.

"H-hey guys."  The quiet voice spoke.

The twins froze and halted their nearly completed conversation as they turned to the voice.

"Hey Vel.  Nice seeing you here."  Jaune stated in greeting. 

Behind the initial surprise Rabbit Faunus meeting another small figure approached almost as if hiding behind her sister.

"H-hey…. hey guys."  The other said.

It took a fair amount of self control not to chuckle at the sisters… good people they were.  They also were shy to the point it belied belief at times.

Then again…. that might not be what has them so shy.  Something both twins realized as they slowly turned to look at each other.

_Those Bunny Ears!_

They thought at the same time.

_Oh Dear._

Another thought at the same time.

"I was just interrogating my brother over-"  Kate began…

"It's ok Kate.  Velvet saw fit to cover my ears.  All I heard was shower, and going down on her.  I don’t know why she was trying to prevent me from hearing gibberish.  Of course in the shower water goes down on people.  But… well I guess big sisters are weird."  Lavender claimed before casually moving on towards the bullhead station.

Jaune groaned… that obviously meant Velvet heard everything.

"She is still just as innocent as always."  He admitted casually.

"Could be a good thing though."  Kate agreed.

Velvet took a deep breath before stating "Well… Lav is Lav."

"How exactly did you cover her ears given that she would have 2 sets?"  Kate asked curiously.

Velvet hopped a bit but smiled.

"Like this!"  She claimed… then demonstrated her technique.

She took her bunny ears and lowered them down to the sides of her head thereby blocking off both ears with a single action.  She appeared a mix of equal cute and innocent combined with a sinister aspect as she looked at Jaune sideways.  She continued to grow more and more evil before finally bringing herself to speak on.

"So… you went down on Pyr-"

"Hey guys!"  Several people broadcasted.

Jaune cringed but was initially very grateful for the interruption.  At least until he recognized the voice.

"Hello again Yang."  Jaune stated as he turned around.

Moving towards the group was The Brawler and her partner, along with two of his teammates from JNPR Nora and Ren.

"Hey Nora.  Hey Ren.  Good to see you both."  He couldn’t help but keep pleading with the gods of fate… whoever might be listening that the previous topic be allowed to die.

"Hey everybody."  Nora cheerfully put forth as she moved behind Velvet.

Velvet seemed to sense danger approaching as her ears fired up on her head… just not in time to stop the fast approaching bear-hug.

Human ears probably were not equipped to hear the high pitched squeak in surprise she uttered. 

"Velvet is still highly huggable eh Nora?"  Ren joked as he moved towards the group.  Jaune for a very brief moment felt a desire to tease his friend given his continually glances at Katherine… but very real possibility to return to that topic did eventually cause his caution to win out.

"It is either let me hug huggable people or you get me a pet Ursa."  Nora claimed still clutching onto Velvet even lifting her slightly off the ground.

"Ursa!  Ursa!"  Velvet barely managed to squeak out in the strong embrace of her friend.

Chuckling a bit Jaune felt the need to intervene "Ok Nora that’s enough.  I think Velvet needs to breath."

Velvets frantic nodding indicated she absolutely did… thus she was summarily if reluctantly placed back on the ground.

"Sowwy Vel."  The excitable one claimed empathetically.

Velvet just hunched over and put up a hand… "Just…. a minute to breath please."

Jaune couldn't help but grin over the incident as he looked around a bit.  For the most part the gathering migrated towards circle.  Though… two people obviously were a bit less focused than otherwise.

"I confess I did not expect to run into you all here."  Jaune stated to break the silence.  He could have brought attention to either his sister or Ren… but that just wouldn’t be him.

Nora had a similar mindset.

She took the few steps to get closer to Jaune… then pointed a finger at him in a somewhat menacing fashion.

"THIS is a public service announcement!"  She began.

Jaune made a confused face… but otherwise responded with "Ooookay?"

Nora grinned and looked as if she wanted to say a great deal but seemed to focus on something in the background.

"Nope!  Never mind!"  At that she walked off… presumably towards the bullhead station after Lavender.

"Random as always."  Jaune commented.

Yang looked around a bit before speaking "Where is Pyrrha?"

Kate walked up to stand next to her brother as she answered.  Giving a certain other male a pristine profile view of her which Jaune was fairly certain was not accidental.  "She went ahead with Mom."

Yang's face scrunched up and carried obvious confusion.  "Ahead?  Mom?"

The twins chuckled "Right.  You all missed that part.  Mom is going to be teaching again this year.  She went ahead with Pyrrha to do… well I am not sure.  But… there you have it."  Jaune explained.

"That… should make for an interesting year at least.  Combat class I assume?"  Blake asked curiously.

Jaune shook his head while Kate answered "Nah, the Advanced class.  Believe me come well rested… her classes will not be easy."  The Ghost warned.

Jaune for his part figured she would probably know best there.  As strenuous and demanding working out with Pyrrha is… his mother had her own reputation for being a demanding if excellent instructor.

Ren moved to stand next to Katherine as he asked "Your mom is at Beacon?"

It was almost like he didn’t hear anything else given the distracting visuals in front of him… something Kate's smirk advertised as something she was pleased with.

"Yeah, she's here… or well… there."  Jaune answered pointing in the towers general direction.

Ren nodded his head "Good… that’s good." 

He smiled briefly looking around… then appeared terrified.

"Crap… where is Nora!?"  

Jaune didn’t quite understand his duress… none the less Velvet was the first to answer.

"She walked off that way."  Pointing to the bullhead station.

"I assume it was to head to Beacon."  She finished.

Ren face palmed.

"No… no that’s not what she was doing."  He warned looking around frantically.

"So what's the-" Yang began.

"There is a COFFEE shop over there she had wanted to go to all day.  You know how she gets around the stuff I've been towing her away for the better part of half a day."  At that… he took off towards the dreaded coffee stand at a brisk jog.

The group by unspoken agreement followed him… though they proceeded more at a walk.

"He won't be able to keep her away from coffee forever.  He has to realize that."  Velvet stated factually.

"Makes me wonder why he is so scared of that happening."  Blake agreed.

As they followed their green clothed friend through town Jaune saw more familiar faces.  Once again Team SSSN was spotted.  Though it was only as they were boarding a bullhead that they did.  However it was not all that long to their destination… such that soon another voice was heard.

"NORA! NO!!"

"BUT RENNY!  ITS DECAF I SWEAR!"  An obviously innocent voice proclaimed.

They rounded a corner to spot the partners a short distance away.  Ren was simply giving his longtime friend the evil eye.

"Ok but it isn't much!"  Nora pleaded.

Yet still Ren just stared without blinking.

"Ok fine its only my third cup!  I feel completely normal!"  She demanded.

Ren shook his head as he went up to the store clerk reached into his pocket and asked.

"Well that about covers what I gave you right?"

The short coffee attendant looked something over then responded "Mr. Lie…. yes that would use up the credit you gave us."

Ren sighed… and pulled out his wallet.

"Here… this should cover for a good while."  He pulled out a lien chit and tossed it to the clerk.

"Oh yes this should cover a good bit of time.  Pleasure doing business with you."

At that Ren smiled and moved back to the group.

Nora appeared very confused "What did I just see Renny?"

Katherine was the one to guess "You paid off the clerk to give her decaf if she ever ordered real coffee?"  She appeared equal parts amused, intrigued and impressed.

When Ren just smiled Nora's mouth fell open.

"Renny!  You did it to THAT store too!"  She growled.

Ren grew a bit bashful but nodded.

Nora pouted.

"I will find one you haven't one day!"  At that she walked with pounding steps her way up to the twins.

"Because Renny stole some of my fun I am going to speak for him."  She looked directly at Katherine.

"Kate… he says you have a GREAT butt.  There I have said it, and nothing he can do can make me undo it!"  At that… she stomped her way towards the bullhead station.

Kate took in stride far better than Jaune did.  "Yeah, I rather figured he did."  At that she moved putting no more or less normal a sway to her step as she strutted after her orange haired friend.

The rest of the group moved after them… unless you were a guy… then you were mid facepalm out of awkwardness.

After a few seconds the silence was broken when one of them looked back up.

"Jaune… your sister is vicious."  Ren stated eying the girl in yellow as she playfully lead the way.

"Yes Ren… Yes they are." Jaune agreed.

"They?"  Ren inquired.

"All sisters… as in every single one of em.  All the time… forever."

Jaune paused briefly as his scroll got a message… from Pyrrha: 'Hey, you should get the gang to Beacon… you are going to want to see this.'

Jaune read it through perplexed, then found Ren at the counter for the coffee shop again.

"Something ominous?"  He asked.

Jaune shrugged "Not sure.  Pyrrha wants us to get to beacon.  She didn’t elaborate though…"  He couldn’t figure out what his friend was doing.

"You need some help?"  He asked.

Ren turned around carrying 7 coffee cups across 2 paper tray holders.

"Yeah…. could use a hand."  He admitted.

Jaune claimed one of the trays before the two males resumed their movements after their friends.

"Why'd you get us all coffee?"  Jaune asked.

Ren shrugged "Well… I dunno.  I felt like it.  You don't drink the stuff?"

Jaune shrugged right back "No I do on occasion.  What about Nora though?"

He clearly was concerned about boarding a bullhead with a  caffeinated Nora in tow.

Ren thought about it "Well… it is the summer.  I'd rather get this out of her system now then in the school year."

Rather well considered Jaune had to admit… none the less they managed to catch up to their female friends and pass out the drinks.  Jaune refrained from drinking his until they landed given his motion sickness.  But somehow the sight of Ren, Nora and the rest of them standing in a circle talking and laughing enjoying the drink mid flight was enough to prevent the worst of his reoccurring symptoms.  After a time Katherine deigned to sit next to him.

"You looked lonely."  She said.

Jaune didn’t move much as he was leaning back with his eyes barely open but none the less responded "I'll be fine.  Go ahead and chat up Ren.  I know you want too."

Kate smiled and seemed to think about it for a time.

"If you are sure…"

Jaune nodded.  He didn't need to speak, she got his meaning.

With another smile paired with a comforting hand on his shoulder,  she moved towards the circle of friends.  Using her ability to move silently she innocently poked Nora in the ribs as she moved by.  This naturally lead to another bear hug of the Bunny Faunus.

_Kate will be Kate._

***Later after landing***

"Rather odd."  Yang stated.

Jaune… finally enjoying his drink now that they are on solid ground did not answer right away.

"What is odd?"  Ren asked.

"Last year we arrive seeking out Him."  She said pointing at Jaune.

"This year we arrive seeking out Pyrrha.  She didn't say where she was?"  She turned around briefly walking backwards so to keep her position at the head of the pack.

Jaune shook his head.

"No… she musta been a bit excited when she sent that."  He admitted before going back to his drink.

Despite how much he trusted his Partner… and he did trust her inexplicably.  He had to admit the lack of info conveyed here was a bit annoying.  None the less it could hardly be a tremendously important situation if all she passed on was that single innocuous statement.

None the less he enjoyed the summer sights of the Beacon grounds from his position in the back of the cluster.  Yang in her typical spot at the front with her long flowing hair served as a beacon to follow almost among the somewhat crowded areas they passed through.  Kate and Ren behind her standing side by side.  Velvet Nora and Blake in the middle talking… about something he gave up listening about.  Then himself to finish the arrowhead formation.

The group dropped off their luggage at the docks with Beacon staff for third years before heading off in a general 'that way' direction.

What way?

'That way.'

Aka whatever direction Yang lead them in.

None the less it was a beautiful day, and he did not really feel a need to get stressed out.

Until:

"Hey!  Come quick some of the teachers are fighting!"

He identified the speaker as Lavender… or perhaps squeaker as it more accurately sounded.  None the less from there they angled off towards the outside arena Lavender mentioned.

It was not the same one they found the Knight at in the previous year.  But the setup was remarkably similar.  Large circular area on the bottom, rowed seating area leading to a standing observation area behind a guard rail at the top.

"Bout time you got here."  Weiss chastised.

"Oh relax we just got here too."  Ruby teased.

Jaune did not notice initially why Yang froze in a facepalm upon seeing her two teammates… it was only when Jaune took another dozen or so steps that he figured it out.

Bruises… on both of their necks.  Paired with flushed faces and wet hair which obviously meant a shower.  Yeah… he understood her anxiety to a degree now.

Standing next to the somewhat wet women was Pyrrha… obviously waiting for them here.

"Hey guys."  She said in greeting with a friendly wave.

The group took their places along the upper guard rail.  Jaune and his partner shared a hug as they stood next to each other with the rest of their friends angling away.

"You missed a heck of a fight."  Pyrrha claimed.

"Oh?"  Yang asked.

Jaune looked down… he took a quick breath.

His mother was one of the individuals in the lower area.  As was Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck.

"Yeah it was so awesome!  Your mom just beat both of them!  At the same time it was incredible!"

"She did?"  He asked neutrally.

"Well… it didn't happen instantly… Port and Oobleck put up a fight but… well it was obvious they were outmatched.  She seemed to be worthy of her reputation."  Weiss admitted with an arm around Ruby's waist.

Ruby nodded while Pyrrha carried up the conversation.

"She has a very unique fighting style I have never really seen somebody fight as she does before.  In my time in the Mistral regional some people had a similar take but… they never were able to execute it like the way she did."  She claimed.

Jaune and Katherine of course had some idea of what Pyrrha was trying to describe.  Even so… neither had really seen her fight against another Huntsman either.  Train and or practice… sure… but fight in a sparing situation?  Not all that often.  That did not of course mean they were oblivious to the normal manner in which she fought having heard her describe combat theory several times.

"How exactly would you say she fights Pyrrha?"  Yang asked.

"I might be able to answer that."  A voice behind them declared.

Jaune recognized the voice… but even so he was surprised to hear it.

"Headmaster!"  The group exclaimed as they spun around.

"Quite so."  He admitted with a sarcastic grin.

He handed his coffee mug to Jaune. "Hold onto this for me would you please Mr. Arc?"  He asked.

Jaune accepted the astonishingly empty mug a touch confused.

"Indeed Ms. Nikos.  Deborah does have a rather unique way of fighting… at least fighting other Huntsmen."  He did not elaborate on his claim… instead he just slowly walked down the center stairwell.

The group was a bit unsure of his purpose… until Yang  seemed to get it.

"Oh I know why he gave you his mug!  This is gona be awesome!"  She cheered.

_… Oh!_

"This… could be interesting."  Weiss admitted.

Katherine had an idea of how to proceed.  "Let's go get a closer look!"  She suggested eagerly.

With that… they followed their Headmaster down the stairwell finding seats in the front row.

"Mom isn't using her armor."  Jaune pointed out as he ended up between his girlfriend and sister.

"Well… I doubt she planned on getting into these practice matches."  Katherine supplied.

Pyrrha nodded "Your right, she didn’t."

The twins shared a glance… then looked at the redheaded girl.

Pyrrha blushed a bit but said "I can't talk about it I promised I wouldn't say.  But she came here expecting to wait for you.  Not to spar."

At that Jaune moved an arm around her waist and offered a chance to cuddle closer.  The Spartan happily took advantage of the gesture and looked up just as conversation began between the possible combatants.

"That must be a record time Deb.  You beat up my staff and you haven't even been here a day."  Ozpin joked.

Mom grinned and jabbed her sword into the sand "Well…. to be fair they did challenge me."  She claimed.

"That is true… they did."  Pyrrha worded softly to Jaune loud enough for the others to hear.

Dr. Oobleck was using his coffee mug… which apparently was also his weapon extended becoming a 2 handed mace as a cane while he tried to recover.

"You haven't slow down at all Deb.  Poor Peter here seems much worse for wear."  He joked.

Professor Port seemed prepared to object when Ozpin deigned to cut him off.

"It is ok Peter.  I think I can entertain the recent re-addition to our staff.  Why don't you both go relax before tonight's orientation for first years?"  He halfway ordered and suggested.

With that the two colleagues moved out of the arena with Oobleck advising "Swell idea… besides I need more coffee anyway."

Jaune watched as both Peter and Bartholomew exited the arena.  He didn’t realize it but the area had become much more crowded of in the wake of the excitement.

"Well… shall we?"  Ozpin asked as he switched his cane into more of a sword grip standing about 20 feet away from the other opposite him.

Deb chuckled.

"If you feel we must… sure."  With that she pulled her weapon out of the sand and stood at a ready position.

"I do not believe I have ever seen the Headmaster fight."  Weiss stated.

The group more or less murmured agreeable statements but none the less did not speak.

At a signal which nobody really perceived the match began.

Ozpin unlike for his appearance as a somewhat older man moved with a frightening amount of speed.

He closed the distance with ease in a quick stabbing motion with his cane.

"Wow he is fast!"  Ruby praised.

He was not however fast enough to score a hit.  Deb dodged away as if she had faced that attack a thousand times in the past as she spun to the side with casual ease.

She did not however attack back.  She kept her sword flat using it almost like a shield as she prepared to withstand his onslaught.

Ozpin seemed to expect that dodge as well as the manner in which she readied herself for further combat.  None the less he once again launched into an aggressive assault.

This time he did not pause after a single attempted strike. 

Audible clangs and pangs echoed through the area in his efforts to beat his colleagues guard.

A leap upwards and over Ozpin rained a score of blows down before landing, nothing seemed to get through. 

All the while Deborah continued to stick to a defensive role.

Such was the focus Jaune was giving the fight he did not notice Weiss walk over in her less-prissy-but-still-quite-prissy way.

"Sit on his lap."  She ordered Pyrrha.

"What?"  The Spartan began.

"Just do it please!"

None the less Pyrrha grinned and obliged forcing Jaune to pass Ozpin's coffee mug to Katherine.

"Pyr!"  He stated surprised.

"Weiss asked me-"

"Shhh."  Weiss instructed.  She made a head motion to indicate the others watching the fight… all the while more clangs and other sounds filled the air.

"Jaune, what in the world is your mother doing?"  She demanded.

Jaune couldn’t help but wonder why Weiss would come over and ask him mid match.

"You had to ask me that now?"  He worded keeping his eye on the match.

"Jaune.  I am trying to understand and Ruby is too excited to discuss it.  What is she doing you HAVE to have some idea."  She asked very focused on the event.

Jaune could not come to a solid reason for why Weiss was acting this way but didn’t really have a reason to not answer.

"Weiss you saw her previous match.  You should have some idea yourself."  He pointed out.

Weiss rolled her eyes despite not taking her gaze off the teachers in the ring.

"Her fight before was different.  She was aggressive there.  Here… I dunno why isn't she attacking?"

Jaune had to admit… he had to guess and could not be sure.  Even so…

"Weiss… Mom normally fights with the Arc semblance.  She does not always fully ignite in it, citing that it isn't good to become too dependent on it.  But she does take advantage of its ability to funnel energy into an object.  In most cases her sword."  He claimed.

Pyrrha from her position on top of his lap advised further "She tries to bring down her adversaries in a single strike."

It was stated factually if simply.

Weiss took some time to consider.

"She studies the fighting style of the other till she can find the opportunity to put them down in a single swing?  Why go through the effort?"

Jaune got the feeling Pyrrha wanted to answer… but maybe his girlfriend didn't know the answer.  It was possible she would be forced to guess.  Granted her instincts regarding battle was sometimes shockingly accurate… he still decided to speak first.

"Because despite our weapon differences we are similar in mentality Weiss.  Our first goal is to protect, with our second to be finishing combat in the simplest way possible.  She would not want to waste energy or time in a long drawn out battle if at all possible.  An advantage we as a family has in our large-" Jaune began.

"-Absurdly large"  Kate joked.

Pyrrha chuckled.

Weiss face palmed at the same time Jaune finished with a pointed look at his sister.

"-Our large aura pools.  Against others with vastly smaller aura's she could put a fraction of her aura into her weapon and beat them in a single stroke.  That’s… just how she was taught.  Lissette and Patricia tried to echo that into their team play… going for a single blow to win them the match if you remember our battle last year."

Weiss nodded seemingly in thought.

Jaune barely had time to focus back on the match with Deb evidently had seen enough to act.

As Ozpin was landing from his most recent assault Deb lashed out with a kick catching him in the knee.

Ozpin however was keen enough to roll to his side trying to get some space lashing out with his cane at the same time in a sideways swing.

Deb leapt over the swing and landed in a sweeping attack with her leg outstretched.

That time Ozpin could not avoid the ground and tried to spring back up.  His spring was met with the pommel of her sword.

She then spun bringing the weapon straight down using both arms in a rather elaborate but delicately aimed strike.  The sword tip dug slightly into the sand its edge just grazing against his body laying flat to the ground.

"Why do I get the feeling your mom and Ozpin has fought many such times over the years?"  Pyrrha wondered out loud.

Kate and Jaune both shrugged with Kate supplying.

"Well… mostly cause they did.  They used to practice all the time when she was here."  She admitted.

None the less with the match now over Pyrrha stood off her boyfriend after leaving a kiss on his cheek.

"You know that how?"  Weiss asked… then answered her own question.

"Right… Woods… travels.  Never mind."

Kate nodded as she spoke on "C'mon lets go down there."

She vaulted over the rail between the lowest level and the arena floor and in moments was within steps of the older pair.

"Well… shall we?"  He asked the floor as he walked towards the stairs.

Weiss looked at Ruby before answering "I think we will head back.  She wanted me to show her more about my sheath."

"Your sword has a sheath now?"  Jaune asked.

Ruby used her semblance to push everybody else out of the way as she closed in on her partner.

"Yes, it does.  No she did not tell me about it.  But… I guess she can now, you can always tell us about the talk later right?"  She narrated and inquired cheerfully.

Weiss blushed a bit… but answered "Yes… now I could finish."  At that they began to climb the steps on the way out hand in hand.

Blake shared a look with her partner, which evidently Yang was able to translate "Yeah I think we should get back to our dorm.  Get everything situated.  Tell us about it later yeah?"

At that they both followed after the rest of their teammates.

"Think she is just trying to catch Ruby and Weiss in the act?"  Nora asked mischievously to nobody in particular.

The two males shared a glance… the thought didn’t cross his mind to be frank.

"Uh, I have no idea."  Jaune admitted.

Ren looked down at the trio in the lower level thoughtful…

"Come on Renny lets go."  Nora suggested starting to drag him away.

"But wait Nora hang on!"  He claimed.

Nora stopped… considered… then resumed pulling "Renny you owe me from this morning.  Letting me think I got real coffee.  Come on give them their family time!"  She insisted.

Ren still appeared conflicted… however he did in the end let himself get lead out of the arena floor.  With a final look back he disappeared from view.

With a happy smile Pyrrha laced her arm through Jaune's and suggested "Well… shall we join your sister?"

He grinned… then escorted her down to the middle stairwell.

They evidently missed Mom helping him off the ground, but not much more than that.

"Still go for the throat just like always."  He joked in good humor.

Deb chuckled but responded "Yeah… I guess I do.  You haven't lost a step."  She admitted.

He chuckled back "Well.. to be fair neither have you.  Still as crisp as always."

Katherine nodded to her friends as they approached.

"That was entertaining to watch."  Jaune admitted.

Ozpin grinned "Well… I do not often get the chance to practice.  Being Headmaster does not leave much time for such things."

Deb smiled as she asked "You saw the fight I take it?"

"Yeah, you were confusing Weiss quite a bit.  Forced me out of my seat."  Pyrrha admitted coyly.

Kate laughed at that while Jaune just smiled seeing that she already gave the headmaster back his cup.

Deb appeared curious as she asked "What confused her?"

The trio decided Pyrrha was the one best to answer "She was unsure how to treat your caution I suppose."

Mom nodded and thought for a moment on how best to respond.  Weiss was not her student… yet anyway.  It would probably be considered poor form to speak about another student at this juncture.

Jaune for his part could -for the most part- understand her confusion.  Weiss was not a pressure fighter like Pyrrha.  But she was an aggressive one.  She liked to keep at a very specific range to maximize her rapier while harassing an enemy with her glyphs.  A moment where she is not attacking is a rare one.  Though… he did think she was intelligent enough to understand the concept of waiting not just for an opportunity but the right opportunity-

A beeping sound captured his attention.

"I was talking about being a Headmaster and the demands on their time…"  Ozpin claimed slyly checking his scroll.

"It seems the time has come for me to get back to business."  He directed his gaze across his students ending at his former adversary.

"Deborah let me formally welcome you back to Beacon.  It is a blessing to have you with us again.  As for you 3, you have your work cut out for you.  Her advanced class is going to be a supremely challenging affair I understand."

At that he began to walk off… Jaune couldn’t figure out if he was joking or being serious.

None the less…

"Headmaster." He called out.

Ozpin stopped briefly and spun around.

"Yes?"

Jaune hesitated… then spoke on "Sir… I was just wondering if we will need to speak about my teams final assignment from the previous term?"

Ozpin grinned.

"I had not planned on calling you in.  Would you like a chance to speak?"  He asked.

Jaune thought about it…

"Yes… I believe I would like some time."  He admitted.

Ozpin nodded as he resumed his trek back to the tower.  "Then next week we can sit down and have a chat, for now, I must get back."

A short time later he was out of view.  By this point most of the students had determined no more excitement was to be found, and had dispersed.

Jaune turned back to his mother as he asked "You and Ozpin have fought several times I take it?"

She grinned and took the time to holster her weapon again before answering…

_Right rule #1… never ignore a drawn weapon… right…  Must be why she shoved hers in the sand when she was talking previously._

"Yes, he was one of the few who could actually pressure me consistently."  She admitted.

"But you still beat him?"  He pressed.

She shrugged.

"Well… Yes I suppose I did.  This was just a friendly match though.  He didn’t use his semblance.  I didn’t use mine.  Granted sure the win ratio is heavily slanted in my favor but it wasn’t something we were treating as if it were a life or death situation.  Forever improving and being challenged is part of being a Hunter.  One must sometimes lose in order to grow."  She claimed as she began to walk out of the arena herself.

"You seem glad to be back at Beacon again Mom."  Kate observed.

The others smile was obvious "Well… as dear as Cadia is to me I always felt more at home here than when otherwise surrounded by politics.  Though… just our home is still a place I treasure when I can."

"What did Ozpin mean about your class by the way?"  Pyrrha asked.

Mom hesitated a bit… but answered.

"Well… it really isn't my place to say much but… confidentially I can say that part of the reason for him offering me the spot is he was unhappy with Winter Schnee and how she treated the role.  I do not know much more about the situation that that… but he wanted me to resume my style of teaching.  Which I intend to do.  Monday is fourth years… Wednesday is third and Friday the second years.  Leaving me plenty of time for private lessons as they might be required."

The trio shared a glance, only interrupted by another bout of wisdom.

"Before you ask no… I cannot… well… I won't tell you what to expect.  Part of the reason for the class is to push those teams which can be pushed and make them learn adaptability.  So… just come well rested in accordance with your scroll.  Though… we will actually meet a bit earlier than the normal start time in our case."

Jaune and Kate shared a confused glance.

"Hey Jaune!"  A voice shouted off to the side.

They looked to find Nora waiving them down.

Deb smirked before turning to walk away "In any case I do have to help with orientation… which as I understand is going to start soon.  Why don't you head over and see what she wanted?"  She suggested.

After sharing a hug with each of the friends nearby she turned around to move away.

By the time Jaune and company arrived near Nora, her partner also reappeared.

"Hey guys… your mom still around?"  He asked curiously trying to avoid looking directly at Katherine.

The three of them made a confused face… but answered.

"No… she has to help with orientation for the freshmen."  Jaune answered.

Ren scowled at his partner quite deliberately for a few moments before answering "Well… I guess that makes sense."

Nora finally remembered what she called Jaune over for and once again pointed a menacing finger at him.

"Ok Fearless leader!  I have a public service announcement…"  She declared.

Jaune prepared himself for what is to come… until with a sense of déjà vu she got distracted yet again.

"Renny where is my Coffee!"  She asked frantically.

With a smirk Ren handed her back her cup… which she evidently left on a nearby chair.

With a healthy slurp she seemed to smile into the cup and forget everything around her…

Still mid slurp she pointed at her team leader.

"I want to fight you in the Arena!"  She declared.

Jaune narrowed his gaze.

"Uh… now?"  He asked.

Nora shook her head and pointed at him again "No silly!  In class!"  She clarified.

_OH… right Goodwitch's class._

"Uh sure… why may I ask?"  He queried…

Sadly Nora had already drained her cup and was off in search of something else to keep her attention.

"I should get battle pay for this…"   Ren groaned as he began his pursuit.

At that he chuckled as he addressed his sister and Partner "Shall we get back to our dorm?  Make sure everything is as we remember?"

Following that… and with a brief hug from Pyrrha… they moved back towards their home for the next year of school.

 

**A/N**

**Firstly I must apologize for the delay.  As I have said I am able to write following work and the amount of focus I have left in me to allow quality writing is sometimes low.  Well… with the holiday and everything that was going on… it was at a premium.  So… I am sorry for the draw up period here.  I aim for quicker updates then this… but sometimes this is the best I can do.  Hopefully once the holidays slow down things will be easier.**

**Beyond that I once again must put it out there that another round of Truth or Dare is coming up.  Any suggestions or wishes folks might have now is the time to tell me.  Could be funny, sexy or… anything in between really.  Nothing is guaranteed, but if you never tell me you want to see it I will probably not consider about putting it in** **J**

**As ever please provide feedback regarding your take on the story.  Like/Kudos/Comment/Fav/Follow/Review IM or Email is all welcome to converse with me.  I am always willing to field questions folks may have.  So if you are curious or would like to request something, just hit me with it.  I will see what I can do.**

**Thank you again for reading this story, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	36. Y3 Fall: Headmasters Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Given his Chance to discuss his previous assignment with Ozpin Jaune has many things to discuss... and somehow things always get added into the mix.

3.11

**A/N  Check bottom for some bits of info.**

The next few days quite literally flew by for the group.  Before anybody even realized it… it was Tuesday night.  Tomorrow morning would be their first experience in his mothers Advanced Class.  In an unrelated note… the closer to that moment he got… the odder more goof prone and silly his girlfriend seemed to act. 

_She clearly was looking forward to something…_

The more Jaune thought about it the more he was utterly convinced that Pyrrha wanted to tell him something… something she had promised herself to keep secret at least for a bit longer.  She was not normally prone to random acts of giggling… but she definitely seemed very happy about something.  That much, he was sure of.  Despite the entertainment via giggle prone confusion… he was exhausted.

Returning to Beacon if anything amped up the groups desire to work, they were upper classmen now.  They needed to set an example for those of the younger class.  It was not a duty specifically told to them in an official capacity.  Yet as Advanced Class students who each had a reputation thusly earned in their combat class, they felt if the term was to mean anything it would begin and end with them and their actions.

When asked why he requested a meeting with Ozpin… Jaune was left unsure.  He did not know what prompted him to ask the Headmaster for some time for a private talk earlier in the week.  He mostly convinced himself that such a meeting was inevitable.  Part of him wanted the meeting to try and help himself turn the page to fully move on to another year with another set of objectives.  Another part wanted to have the discussion he almost wishes he had the previous year.  About his misgivings regarding the assignment and why it felt like his heart was telling him it was a trap… even as he continued to pursue the mission towards the eventual meeting with his father.

"Sure you don’t want anybody to go along with you?  You do not have to meet Ozpin alone you know."  Pyrrha asked innocently enough while she fixed up her hair following her shower.  She could not sit in silence as she observed her Partner's sunken body language.  He asked for this meeting, and she was proud of him for proceeding forward even if he was uncomfortable with doing so.  Still… she would happily lighten his burden if she could.

Jaune finally stirred from his spot on his bed.  A rather comical shake of his head brought back some determination to his eyes and with that act he fully stood up.

After a deep breath to collect himself he made himself appear more confident than he truly felt.

"No… I asked the headmaster for the meeting and… I don't want to drag anybody else with me given the hour." He answered slowly making his way to the door.

"I don't know what to make of Mom's first class.  It is rather strange to have a single class booked over a 2 day span isn't it?"  Kate asked as she emerged from the shower following their evening workout.

Jaune shook his head again.

"I remind you this is my first time with mom's advanced class… I cannot claim to have any idea what is normal.  Though I do think it is a good call to get to sleep early and rest up.  She wants us there very early all things considered."  He mused thoughtfully and didn’t notice that Pyrrha smiled absentmindedly behind him.

Ren reminded the room of his presence as he came out of his late night meditation and stood up.

"I will go along with you… at least to the courtyard."  He advertised.

"Don't need too… I mean you can if you want but why?"  Jaune inquired.  Part of him felt it was finally time for him to do that task Ren had been meaning to for awhile now when it came to dating his sister.  Though… his instincts told him no, that wasn't it.

Ren shook his head "No, not all the way.  I just wanted to check if a delivery was made.  It is still early enough that the bullhead should be about to drop off its final batch of the night.  Some ammo for me was held up and I want to see if it has arrived."  He claimed simply.

Jaune shrugged as he glanced at the clock.

"Well… ok suit yourself.  I need to get moving though.  My meeting with Ozpin is soon… I am sure he doesn’t have much time to spare so… I doubt he wants to be kept waiting."  He stated simply.

With that Jaune opened up the door and the two males left the room.

Katherine watched them go then resumed getting dressed.  It was not all that uncommon to enjoy a card game before they turned in for the night… moreover she didn’t feel like wearing a towel everywhere.

She almost expected Pyrrha to go along with her partner despite not being asked to accompany him.  In any case Pyrrha remained this bundle of endless energy full of smiles throughout the week… to the point Katherine decided to do some light hearted… probing.

"Well… are you finally going to tell me why you have been so excitable of late?"  She asked in passing while walking towards her bed.

Or at least… her bed for the moment.  Each of the groups dorm's was set up with an extra bed… she could in theory sleep in either the RWBY or JNPR room.  Tonight however… JNPR was where she decided to stay in this instance.  The extra bed gave the group a surprising amount of freedom and versatility when it came to their increasingly aggressive workout schedules and mixing or shuffling of where people sleep is a boon.

In any case she considered the question -for the most part- to be a rhetorical one.  Something she asked mostly cause while she is curious… she figured Pyrrha would tell her when she was able.  IF she even heard the question in the first place.

So… when Pyrrha blushed like a maple leaf as her facial expression took on a mix of guilty and innocent… Katherine found herself justifiably intrigued.

Pyrrha opened her mouth as if to speak… then snapped her jaw shut as she turned off to the side unable to hide her excitement.  Several seconds later she turned back and once again seemed to struggle with speaking.

Kate finished getting dressed then decided to sit down on her bed across the Spartans and tried to be as patient as possible.

Pyrrha seemed to finally come to a conclusion.

"Ok… we will learn about it tomorrow morning anyway.  I will tell you now… If you want to make a deal."  The Spartan bargained sitting up straight.

Kate almost didn’t believe Pyrrha had bargaining or *dare she think* black-market-style negotiations in her. 

_Guess I'm starting to rub off on her for better or worse._

"Ok… we can… discuss.  What do you have in mind?"  The Ghost asked intrigued.

Pyrrha grinned.

"First… my conditions.  One, silence is part of it.  You do not use this information against me, and do your best to keep it to yourself."

_Definitely has my attention now._

"Your deal is you don't want me to tell anybody about it?  About what you tell me…. or about what you ask of me?"  Kate inquired.

Pyrrha smiled again.

"Both, regardless of if we come to terms."

Kate made a face… and within a few nanoseconds agreed.

"Ok…I promise."  Kate even went so far as to hold out a pinky.

Following a pack bound by the sacred pinky promise Pyrrha leaned in closer… and worded.

"I want… to borrow some of your reading material.  As Weiss might say anyway."  Somehow… Pyrrha blushed even harder.

Of the things Kate expected Pyrrha to request… that was not on the list.

"Reading material… meaning…"

_She doesn’t mean… Ninja's of Love does she?_

Kate studied her friend.

_You know… maybe she does… oh this is rich but… AGH!   I Can't believe I promised to keep quiet about it!   ….  She is more clever than she gives herself credit for… Note to self!_

"You want to borrow some of my Ninja's of Lo-"

A lightning quick palm movement cut short her confirmation.

"SHH!!  Do you want the walls to hear?!  Yes you let me borrow some books and KEEP it QUIET!  Do that… and I will tell you why I have been so happy of late."  The Spartan orated as firmly yet as quietly as she could.

It took just about all of Kate's willpower not the break into a fit of laughter.  Pyrrha Nikos, the 4 time Champion of Mistral… wants to read a Ninja's of Love book….  NOT just that she wants to read some AND keep it a secret?! 

_Oh… this is so Rich!  Then again… Maybe…_

_Huh._

_Maybe Jaune just has her excited?  That’s possible._

With the body language of a master Kate sat down and spoke on in hushed tones "Ok… if you want to deal, we can deal."

Pyrrha proved that day, that she can still surprise even her closest friends.

*** En route to various goals ***

It was always an adventure being around his teammates, Jaune mused to himself. 

Yet… they all seem to have a different structure to their madness.  Katherine has her own set of regular shenanigans, Pyrrha brought her own blend of silly to the mix and don't even get me going about Nora.  He has yet to accept that she even follows the normal laws of physics.

Well… turns out Ren is also fully capable of surprising him.  Jaune almost expected another round of silent companionship on their way… he did not expect Ren had a few things to say.

"So… your mom has still been -no pun intended- mum about what she has planned?"  Ren inquired in his normal flat tone.

Jaune shrugged as he kept pace.

"I honestly never really expected her to give away much.  She has the reputation of being a … well shall we say a Tyrant of a Professor.  While at the same time that very reputation marks her as a fair one.  If she says the point is to teach adaptability, I believe her."  He answered.

Ren seemed to look at him briefly before speaking on with a grin.

"So… what is your best guess then?"

Jaune nearly cracked a smile.

"My best guess?  Honestly beyond just looking at it logically I don't know what I could claim that you can't probably guess yourself.  We only have one class set for the next two days and I know she likes to take people on trips while instructing them.  She might have a trip planned… she might not.  I do not know." 

Ren looked at his team leader sideways for a few steps before speaking again.

"I have to remind myself that you and she are very similar to share the same semblance.  There are times you seem very different."  He said in passing.

Jaune issued a sad smile.  Yes… they always tell the truth… yet as similar as they are…

"Well naturally I am not her clone… I do have 2 parents like everybody else after all."  He stated solemnly.

Ren lost the mild smirk and instead of continuing as planned just nodded.

Neither really felt the need to speak up further on that topic as they continued to move.

Ren's thoughts were actually fairly introspective, such that he didn’t notice that Jaune had stopped walking with his head cocked to the side.

"Hey, you alright?"  He asked.

As if pulling himself out of a daydream his face lit up and resumed walking.

"Yes… just… twin senses."  Jaune supplied.

Ren cocked an eyebrow keeping pace once again.

"Should I be concerned?" he inquired evenly.

Jaune gave a quick chuckle before answering "Truthfully I have no idea.  Katherine was just… very very surprised for a moment.  No idea what would have triggered that but… she was shocked."

"Shocked… your sister?  Shocked?"  Not trying to hide his smile that time.

Jaune still seemed only halfway present as he shook his head and continued on.

"She doesn't get embarrassment that doesn’t mean she isn't occasionally surprised.  Think Nora got back and did something odd again?"  Jaune asked… possibly changing the subject.

Ren actually laughed briefly "Nora… I actually do not know where she is."

Jaune froze… when has that ever happened before.

"Is there a problem?"  Was all he could think to say.

He received a negative in response.

"Nah, just… Well you know how she is sometimes she just decides to do something.  Speaking which we seem to have reached the docks."

Ren spent a good few seconds studying the bullhead station before speaking on.  Several Beacon staff members were hard at work managing the ever progressing flow of materials to Beacon even in the lay hours of the evening.  Several students were speaking nearby or saying goodbye to those family just now leaving the campus grounds.  Even somebody as attentive as Ren could not fully detail all of the happenings at the docks.

"Well… I don’t see my contact so.  I guess it should arrive tomorrow.  I suppose you need to head off towards the Headmasters office now huh?"

…

"OOFF!"  Jaune exclaimed.

Ren turned towards the sound … and stopped a bit dumbfounded.  "I…. uh…. what?"

He was forced to blink his eyes several times to ensure they did not lie.  One moment he was walking next to his friend… and the next said person was tackled to the ground by a stampede of golden furred animals.

"Hey C'mon guys!"  A voice cried out.

Finally taking in the scene around him he recognized the speaker.

He had seen her before.

An attractive girl of above average in height carrying a police baton at her hip made her way towards his friend.  The most distinguishing feature he could name about her… was her golden blond hair so prevalent with her family line coupled with her Cadian Military Officer Uniform.  Less carefree and far more structured in her appearance her hair was done up in a bun.  Her clothing was all meticulously calculated and rigorously maintained as that of a professional military officer.  This time she wore the full ensemble, not dressed for battle her uniform was something Ren had seen several times previously in his time with his friends.

Black dominated the somewhat loose but excellently made pant leggings with golden highlights in the striping and detail work.  A shirt of white was covered by a full length black coat opened partly on the side which traveled down to her ankles.  A gold sash synched tight at her waist tied into a knot along her side completed the rather elegant ensemble highlighted by a shoulder pad with the Arc symbol and a red cape.  The Cadian Military uniform was something rarely seen in Vale yet those who wore it tended to wear it proudly.

"Hey come on now fellas don't drown him!"  She spoke again.

At that second plea the Golden Companion dogs finally pulled back and allowed Jaune some space… laughing and smiling though he was.

"Didn't expect to see you Anna."  The Knight claimed trying to balance petting 4 dogs with 2 hands.  He was not all together successful and was once again buried under a mountain of fur, limbs, swinging tails and slobber.

Finally reaching the teammates at her brisk jog Anna smiled in greeting.

"I was not expected to be seen to be fair.  Mr. Lie Ren if I recall correctly?"  She asked offering Ren a hand.

The hand was accepted as he answered:

"Ren please.  Thank you again for your help a few months ago." 

Jaune continued to struggle against the four animals in his seated position and couldn’t easily speak on.

"Think nothing of it."  She replied with a smile.

"Oh hey c'mon guys yes I am happy to see you too!"  Jaune begged still trying to fend off the pooches.

"You were bringing the dogs to Beacon?"  Ren asked enjoying the scene.

Anna grinned.

"Yes… after the attack on Cadia mom felt the need to have them accompanied when they travel.  I volunteered."  She supplied.

Ren smiled back "Always so eager to explain your orders?"  He asked very forwardly.

Anna shrugged.

"It isn't exactly a secret.  No hiding four dogs who obviously don't want to listen." 

One of the animals looked back at her and seemed to grin… before resuming its attention on Jaune.

"Mom asked for them to be brought here so… here they are."  She concluded.

"Who all do we have here?"  Ren asked diplomatically.

Anna smirked before touching two of them on their heads.

"Tyrion and Teclis you already know I am sure, if not recognize."

As she made that claim both Golden's finally ended their assault on Jaune to sit in front of Ren as if saying hello to an old friend.

Ren smiled as he responded "Yes, I do recognize these two ruffians."  At that he started scratching their ears.  The dogs toothy grin advertised this as an acceptable greeting.

Jaune finally was able to stand though his laughter would continue for several moments.

Answering Ren's initial question Anna spoke on moving her hand to another dog:

"This one here is Alarielle.  Yvraine is the others name.  They normally answer to Rain and Elle… when they aren't otherwise ignoring you anyway."  The two females seemed to smile as they walked over towards Ren to make their own introductions.

_The two females who survived the attack where each carrying a litter… I wonder if they are 'mated' to the males?  Hopefully the litter survived._

"Feels weird greeting a dog does it?"  Anna guessed.

At the risk of ending up like his friend Ren instead of answering as he felt he was expected… instead said:

"Not at all… Being around canines who understand what I say is not at all disturbing."  His flat voice almost seemed forced.

"The pups are back home?"  Jaune inquired briefly.

Anna nodded solemly before speaking.

"Not all of them survived given the attack… but yes several did and are being cared for at home.  We felt it best to let the girls stay with the boys for a bit… get some fresh air."

At the mention of the attack the good mood was tempered a bit, such that silence reigned for several moments.

After a brief wait with a glance at his scroll to check the time Jaune was made to proceed.  He did not exactly want to end the conversation prematurely.  But he did feel a need to try and push the situation forward.

"Well… You both can stay and chat but… I do need to get to my meeting with Ozpin."  He knelt down to give each of the pooches one last bit of attention.

"I confess I had hoped Mom would be here to greet me.  I do not actually know where her quarters are."  Anna confessed.

Jaune stood up again as he answered "I'm sorry I cannot take you… it isn't exactly on the way towards the tower." 

Ren shrugged "I think I can get you there."  He volunteered not having any reason to avoid helping out.

"Good idea, catch-ya later Ren.  Have a safe trip Anna!"  Jaune advised with a wave moving towards his destination.

With that… they parted ways.

***Outside Beacons Main Cafeteria***

Growing up Weiss always planed things out…

All Schnee's do.  Meticulously, consistently and routinely in all things.  Didn't matter if the focus was personal or business related.  If you do not plan out your agenda or routine you are liable to make mistakes.  You must plan for alternatives and be able to move in uncertain tangents at a moment's notice.  No plan is foolproof after all but having answers to unexpected questions generally helps.

Yet still… how could a simple walk around the campus with your girlfriend turn into such a disaster.  Normally the only solution would typically involve Yang, Nora or possibly both. 

Yet here… nope, no such scapegoat existed.  Everything was perfect… right up until it wasn't perfect anymore.

Wearing an exquisite hand crafted dress which accentuated everything when able?  Check.

'Comfortable' slightly heeled shoes?  Check.

Considerable time spent in detail minded makeup and hair care?  Check.

So where did the latest plan go wrong?

Wildcards.

As yet another impact echoed through the inner room Weiss could not help but emulate Jaune in one of his many face-palm's.  It was not a dignified motion to take and she made strides to not perform them often… yet here, in this time and place. 

It oddly seemed to fit.

So she stood leaning against a wall the howdy actions of her Partner just inside the building ignited yet another war of sorts… and just like the last time this happened it emptied the school cafeteria.

"YAAAHHH!!!"

Was a sound routinely heard echoing through the area.

"TAKE THAT FIEND!"

The other answered back.

The Heiress didn’t even need to face the scene to understand what was happening.  On their walk Ruby ran into an old friend from Signal.  What started as a kind and thoughtful suggestion to get to know her girlfriend quickly devolved into a scene where high class people did not seem to understand the lives of those less fortunate.

While it was something Weiss took issue with, the Heiress did not make a point of addressing it.  Ruby however decided to come to the defense of her girlfriend… or possibly  her girlfriends honor.  It was just the way she did it that made her hesitate.

"WHAT NO FAIR!!  THIS IS SUPPOSE TO BE ONE ON ONE!"

"I WASENT THE ONE WHO THREW THE PANCAKES"  Ruby exclaimed.

Bringing pancakes into the matter was a fatal mistake for the friend… Nora did not take wasted pancakes lightly and as she has been known to do… materialized to defend her chosen food.

Though the human sized hole in the outer wall did come with its own set of entertainment.  Ms. Goodwitch's expected reaction to it not withstanding.

Why Ruby's friend suggested a food fight to settle things Weiss did not understand.  She understood even less when her girlfriend accepted.  Technically both partners were suppose to be watching and cheering for their teammate.  It was the natural and carefree way everything seemed to fit together which seemed to make Weiss… well.  She just did not seem as if she fit into that puzzle anymore.

"YOU’RE A JUNIOR I GET TO CHEAT!"

"YOU USED YOUR SEMBLANCE FIRST!"

"AND YOURS IS CHEATING!"

It isn't that she wasn't willing to indulge in the act of a food fight.  She was in one already in her Beacon career.  Yet… that was friends verses friends.  A team against a team.  A matter of honor, of in house bragging rights.  Thoughts that the matter was of no concern to her… or that she didn’t belong just never came up.  Though a pie to the face might have had something to do with that in hindsight…  Here… it just seemed out of place and made her feel unwelcome.

"YAAAAHHH!!!!"  Ruby shouted yet again.

Yet more rumbles and ruckus was obviously going to draw the ire of Goodwitch… if not Ozpin himself.

"So…?"  The Knight asked once again.

With a sigh… The Weiss tried again.

All she explained to Jaune as he noticed her alone outside the door on his way to his meeting.  She both knew and could tell that Jaune was short on time… however he wasn't exactly one to leave a friend behind either.

"So… I know why Ruby is in there… I can almost understand why Nora is as well."  He said looking the sideways human sized hole in the wall. 

"But… why are you out here?"  He asked calmly with his arms crossed leaning against the outer wall next to his friend.

_Yes… why indeed am I out here?_

"It's… her friends."  Weiss stated plainly.

Jaune took a deep breath.

"You knew she had friends from Signal Weiss… she wrote to them frequently in her first year especially."  He claimed diplomatically.

"Yes I know that but…"

Weiss floundered.

Jaune took another deep breath.  Another glance at his scroll prompted him to take a guess.

"You are unsure how to act around Ruby… when she is around her friends?"

By her body language… he hit the mark.

There was much she could say on the subject… how while they do not hide their affection they have not made their relationship known in a public setting, though thinking about it anybody who knew them could make the obvious assumption.  She knew how to react around her team and that of JNPR.  You might even be able to add in CFVY or SSSN in that mix.  None of that explained to her how she was suppose to act around her girlfriend… as her girlfriend… with people who counted that person as a friend.  A friend from a previous time which Weiss had not yet fully understood.  In short?  She had not planned for this.

"I… It seemed wrong of me to join in.  They don't know how to act around me I… I don't know how to act around them.  They are wearing normal stuff… I am wearing this dress.  I am completely out of place here right now." 

Such an open admission was telling how much she trusted him… yet under the surface he picked up on some very strong feelings inside her. 

"You want to be proper?"  He asked.

She mostly nodded.

Jaune edged himself off the wall and made to leave.

"Weiss.  You are a friend.  Sure her friends might seem very new to you… just as you are to them.  But as I said last year… 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'  You don't want to get to know her friends?"

"No it isn't that I just…"

"AHH!!! NO FAIR WE ARE OUTNUMBERED!"

Jaune poked his head in the door to see Nora and Ruby both engaged heavily by 2 bodies while 2 more skirted around the sides to flank.

"Weiss… You might not want to get the dress dirty.  You might not want to seem out of place.  But you have one Partner… and I guarantee you she would want nothing more than to look back and think 'Yeah… I remember when my girlfriend came to my rescue.'"

He paused as she picked up the narration.

"Rather than look back and think I stayed out here cause I was embarrassed."  Weiss ducked her head down.

Jaune nodded then checked his scroll yet again…  Arriving late was almost a foregone conclusion now.

"Weiss… just, you don’t need to over think or be so sure of everything all the time.  I doubt structuring a food fight is even possible.  But hey, if you just bring a spare tomato or something from now on everywhere you go, you can at least say you came prepared right?"

She smirked and gave him a light punch on his arm.

Starting off towards his destination Jaune concluded with "I need to go to my meeting I am already a bit late… good luck."

Weiss observed him leave… then took a deep breath of her own paired with a smile.

_He always was good at dealing with people…_

A brief moments of consideration later she came to a conclusion she should have reached some time ago.

Undoing the coil of her bun and shaking her hair free brought on a slight grin.

_The heels can stay but I am not doing this with my hair up._

Picking up some nearby ammunition along with a conveniently placed swordfish.  She hefted the fish, then with a frenzied scream, charged into the fray.

***Headmasters office***

Below his field of vision a warzone seemed to dominate the surroundings.  It might be one dominated by fruits and vegetables instead of metal and fists.  That didn’t mean the cafeteria wasn't actually getting a bit beaten up however.

Ozpin contrary to popular opinion among his coworkers was a fan of rules.  Without them society would not be able to function.  Sure stupid rules existed but as a hole, he was a fan of the principle.  Course that did not mean he was inflexible.  Such as right now… what he wanted to do was remain sitting down in his comfortable chair, sip his umpteenth refill of his favorite coffee brand, and wait for his meeting with one, Mr. Jaune Arc while enjoying the sights of kids being kids.  At least until said meeting had to begin.

However… he could almost not hear himself think those very thoughts that given the constant noise of the room he is currently occupying.

"You cannot be serious!"  The objector repeated yet again.

Being a Headmaster is about surrounding yourself with competent people just as much as it is trusting those people to do and teach at they believe is best.  A wide variety of personalities and priorities with instruction makes for a healthy student body.  Which of course is of the highest concerns to him. 

That naturally being the wellbeing of his students and the quality of education they receive.

Naturally that meant disagreements with the staff about how things be treated do on occasion happen. 

Now for instance.

"Glynda I have said it before and I will say it again.  These people are growing up and being a student is hard.  Letting them unwind is a good idea not a bad one."

He prepared for the retort…. she had many to pick from to be fair.

She could go with 'School property is going to be damaged that *I* have to fix.'

Or possibly 'Letting them unwind is fine but food fights goes too far.'

Or several others.  She was not even wrong in any way.  However that did not mean that he was not also correct.  Moreover he also had the advantage of being the boss… ergo he tended to get the final word.

Ms. Goodwitch evidently decided to go with option C:

"These type of things can be dangerous Ozpin they could get hurt.  The fact that they all have aura or not really does not apply here!"

Ah yes… the safety of the students.  Really the strongest point she could have made… Nobody could accuse the young professor of being incapable of making a good point when she wanted.

"We need to focus on educating our charges not punishing them, a slight hand is often better received than a harsh one."

Almost in relief the elevator finally announced its arrival and seemed to prompt a quenching of Glynda's Ire.

"Glynda… as you realize Mr. Arc has arrived so I must cut this short.  By all means make a point of ensuring this type of incident does not become a routinely seen affair.  Just… try to look at it in a slightly more positive way please."

Jaune exited the elevator and seemed to pick up on the heated but civil conversation which seems to have just concluded.  Ozpin being the more level headed of the two is very commonplace but one wonders just where his limits lay.

Walking in slow steps towards the Headmasters desk he nodded politely at Ms. Goodwitch as she moved in the opposite direction appearing more than a little red in the face.  None the less he stopped after clearing the short hallway from the elevator door… not wanted to intrude.

As normal the Headmaster seemed to be reading his mind.

"Mr. Arc please come forward don't be shy."  He advised with a friendly motion of his hand.

Jaune smirked… but moved forward as requested.

"Sit down please no need to stand around especially at this hour of the day."  He indicated a row of chairs for use and took the time to enjoy a healthy slurp of coffee.

Finding a spot in a somewhat comfy chair Jaune even went as far as to use another as a footrest when he felt the urge.  Jaune was more than willing wait for Ozpin to start the conversation and for the moment just looked around the room.

Moving a seemingly empty mug to a holder Ozpin spent a good few moments looking over his pupil before deciding to speak.

"Do you know why you asked for this meeting Mr. Arc?"

Jaune grew a touch more serious despite the fact he couldn't help but grin at the question.

"No sir I cannot claim to understand why.  I just… felt like I needed too."

True as that statement was… he couldn’t help but get the feeling that Ozpin expected him to ask for the meeting in the first place.  He certainly didn’t spend any time debating before agreeing despite how busy the Headmaster almost always was.

Indeed Ozpin seemed to expect his answer.

"Why don't you tell me about what happened in Cadia.  You obviously have some concerns about how your last assignment was treated?"

Jaune sighed very openly…

_Concerns… Yes I suppose concerns is an accurate word for it._

"To be fair I have more than one."

Jaune's candor seemed to cause a brief smile in the older man, though it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"I invite you to speak openly with me Mr. Arc.  What is on your mind?"

Crossing his arms Jaune took his time deciding on which points to start with… how does one sum up that incident into bullet points….

He decided to start with as close to square one as he could possibly get.

"We as Huntsmen… even those in training can occasionally be given assignments or tasks to complete.  This is something which is known at even the most basic level."

Ozpin nodded not seeing a need to comment.

"We as team leaders are taught to follow the rules in the assignment.  Yet… we are also taught to adapt to our feelings and do what feels best in unclear situations to get everybody out alive."

Ozpin nodded patiently once again.

"That much is common amongst those in your position, yes that is true."  the Headmaster admitted.

"Sir… I am upset because I did not like that assignment from the moment you told me about it in this very office.  Something did not feel right about it then, I continued to believe something was off throughout the entire time I was in transit.  That feeling did not go away as we sat down and began our task.  Had I listened to that part of me the entire situation might have been avoided."

Ozpin seemed to seriously consider that for several heartbeats before commenting.

"You feel as though you should have trusted yourself.  Possibly even as if confidence in your ability to lead has been shaken?"

Hearing it being said hit a bit more close to home than Jaune expected.

"Yes… I suppose that is true enough sir." 

Jaune took a sharp breath and awaited the Headmasters pleasure for his response.  Ozpin did seem to study him with a very sharp eye for several moments before he deigned to respond.

"Jaune this might surprise you but I do not feel as though you made a mistake at all."

Jaune searched around the room almost as if he didn’t believe he heard that correctly.

"How can you believe that?  If I listened to that part of myself my team might never have gotten into that situation."

Across from him Ozpin chuckled.

"Mr. Arc… just think it through logically.  If everybody who lead a team, or even more basic than that.  If every Hunter on a hired out task did not follow through with the assignment the instant they felt something was wrong do you have any idea how few missions would actually get completed?"

That got a slight reaction how of the Knight.

"I don't understand.  How can you teach me as a leader of a team, that I am suppose to follow my instincts and do what I believe to be right.  While at the same time telling me that not following those instincts is the right call?"

Ozpin seemed to stare at him for several seconds before standing up.

"Jaune… walk with me for a moment please."  At that he directed an arm towards the outer observatory to the grounds below.

With a grin that Jaune could not have predicted even if he wanted he answered back "Sure… just don’t throw me off like last time." 

Ozpin grinned at him as they moved to eventually find themselves resting their hands on the guardrail.

Neither felt the need to speak and just took a few minutes to observe the scene below.  Beacon at dusk was a magical sight to behold.  Some students still were active and Ms. Goodwitch still seemed to be in the middle of her lecture as she had a line of food grimy individuals were standing at attention before her.

Being drawn out of the somewhat majestic  sights Jaune once again turned his attention on his Headmaster when Ozpin began speaking again.

"Jaune… Being a Hunter is not a simple job.  Not like being a farmer for example."

"That is a rather specific example sir."  Jaune observed.

Ozpin shrugged.

"Do I need to remind you that we do not all come from the nobility Mr. Arc?"  Ozpin questioned in good humor.

Jaune shook his head "No of course not."

Ozpin gave a brief nod to the students Ms. Goodwitch had in a line "Being a Huntsman is a job where more than almost anything we do not try to teach you what to think, but rather how to think.  We try to replace a closed mind with not a full mind, but an open one."

Ozpin resumed following a brief pause.

"If you disregarded your assignment prior to obtaining proof that something was wrong, you would have made a mistake that many Huntsmen have made.  Listening to your instincts is fine, and if you are a Hunter operating in the field on your own you have the luxury of deciding not to complete a task which doesn't feel right.  However when you are on assignment the keyword of course is:"

Jaune recognizing the lead-in answered "Assignment."

"Naturally.  I do not begrudge you for having misgivings about how things could have gone.  Yet the fact is they didn't go that way.  I am sure you considered the fact that just about anybody of note believes you did exactly what needed to be done."

Jaune closed his eyes took a deep breath.

"I feel they are judging me for being lucky to be honest sir."

Ozpin nodded slightly.

"You might not be wrong.  However luck aside… you directed your team with  clarity and purpose.  You stayed on target and did not allow your personal feelings to get in the way of you accomplishing your goal."

"Sir accomplishing my goal-"

"Jaune... what did I just say about the job being an assignment or about being a Hunter a complex issue?  There are many 'correct' actions one could take.  You could have for example tried to establish contact to inquire about the nature of your assignment before heading into the mine."

Jaune nodded.

"However while yes, at that point we learned that the mission was not in fact legitimate your communication would not have gone through due to their jamming.  Would you then break off the assignment at that time leaving it unfinished without having definitive proof due to your feelings?"

Jaune took a moment to consider… being up in the mountains communication would hardly be ideal… even if he tried he could not claim definitively that he would have chosen not to pursue the assignment.  Even if he following Ren's advise and went back up top that just would have found them right in the middle of the White Fang ambush and they might have lost their chance to retreat.

"Luck runs both ways."  He said.

Ozpin grinned again.

"Jaune, if you need to speak to somebody to help you overcome what happened I cannot blame you for that.  But there are no magical words or sayings which I can say to put everything together for you.  Being a Hunter is a hard job, it is a hard life.  I personally believe what you experience was a mix of your mind believing something was off, but it could also be an instinctual sense that danger is nearby."

Ozpin repositioned himself before speaking on.

"Almost every person who seeks to master a craft will develop a certain feeling when things are wrong.  This is true in nearly any line of work.  You need to learn to listen to that side of you.  To understand that danger might be nearby or something might be wrong.  You must listen… yet not be afraid.  You must understand, yet not overcompensate.  As Huntsmen we must head towards that danger and face it.  Occasionally you will be called upon to do something which is difficult or which runs counter to what you believe needs to be done.  You will face adversity in this line of work regardless of how well prepared you are.  That is a truth regardless of if you continue to operate as a team, or seek to operate independently from other hubs following your training."

"That doesn't make looking back or thinking about it any less stressful."  Jaune advised.

Ozpin nodded in an agreeable manner as he said "That is how it should be."

Jaune took his gaze off the campus below as he awaited the rest of what Ozpin had to say.

"Jaune if you went through what you did, and were not bothered by it at all… then I would have to question your stability.  At some point in this conversation I feel as though I need to point out the obvious.  The manner you directed your team did not result in them being lost.  It resulted in the exposure of a key figure to our ongoing efforts and serves to help unite more kingdoms behind our efforts to provide a safe and stable environment for everybody.  I believe you did an admirable job.  I realize that might not mean much given that ultimately I am the one responsible for your being dispatched in the first place… but if it matters I'm not the only person to believe your team displayed exceptional skill and adaptability that day."

Jaune took a deep breath before exhaling remaining in thought.

"So essentially what you are telling me is what I am going through is normal?"  He asked.

Ozpin seemed to consider.

"I suppose you could take it that way.  Have you spoken to your team about this yet?"

The question… momentarily struck Jaune dumb.  Everything happened so fast…

"No… No I cannot say I have.  I have spoken to my twin about it… and of course Pyrrha as well.  I haven't spoken to Nora or Ren yet."  He admitted simply.

After a moment's pause Ozpin pressed him forward.

"Well… what do they have to say about it?" 

Jaune grinned.

"Well… Pyrrha thinks I did well and Kate is just mad that she wasn't with me.  Neither believe I could have done anything differently."

The Headmaster seemed to stare off into the distance as if in thought for several seconds before looking back at Jaune.

"I would suggest speaking to them at some point to get their thoughts.  We are not a military Mr. Arc.  People come to us for help and as is our charge we try and help them best we can.  But we are not a military order… though Atlas does get closer to that type of direction than others."

Jaune appeared thoughtful for several heartbeats before voicing his thoughts.

"So… you would not have been angry with Katherine if she decided to disobey your orders and come along last year?"  

Ozpin chuckled at that.

"Well…. I wouldn't say that.  I did put her in both of your teams technically so if she did come along I ultimately could not been too upset with her or you.  But that isn't where I was going.  We are teams, we are Partners and we are colleagues.  We do not demand blind obedience.  Your team followed you and your direction.  They did it willingly without complaint even though they themselves had misgivings about the assignment.  I think you should consider that more than you are."

Jaune dipped his gaze to the ground briefly.

"Jaune, you did a great job.  It might not feel like you do, but you did.  Your mother thinks so, I think so, and the other Headmasters think so.  You were lucky to get out alive.  But you did more than that and I for one do not believe luck is entirely to blame.  You should be more willing to take credit as easily as you do accept blame for your actions."  He pressed.

Jaune shook his head briefly before speaking on "I am not comfortable taking credit for the actions of everybody.  Everybody performed well on that assignment…  not just…"  He stopped.

Ozpin's grin turned into a smile.

"Not just you, right?"

A grin found its way onto Jaune's face.

Ozpin looked down and around before re-addressing commenting.

"Well, It seems as if the food fight is over."

Following the older man's gaze Jaune couldn't help but smile.

Ruby and Weiss were joined at the hip walking away…. presumably to clean up.  Nora was behind them still enjoying the food it seems never to waste anything tasty.  The younger crowd of 4 people were moving in an altogether different direction towards their own dorms.  Ms. Goodwitch of course…. was left with cleanup duty.

"She isn't going to be happy about all those holes is she?"  Jaune asked.

Ozpin chuckled "No, not any happier than a couple years ago at any rate."

Jaune brought a hand up to his face to hide his smile.  "I guess we did cause a fair amount of damage back then."

Ozpin nodded "And Glynda never let me forget it either."  He agreed.

When a bell tolled in Ozpin's office Jaune was brought to the realization of the time.

"Getting rather late isn't it."

Ozpin nodded as he pulled himself up straight.

"Yeah, it is.  If you need to talk more over the year… we can do that.  However I suggest speaking to your team on it further.  They do not seem overly burdened by what happened."

With a glance at his scroll Jaune took another deep breath before asking:

"What all has been done about this over the summer?  I only got bits and pieces of it from mom." 

Ozpin directed them back inside towards his desk before answering.

"Beyond what I said previously not much.  All of the schools and the Hunters they maintain have mobilized and are more vigilant than before.  Thanks to your efforts we have a face to watch out for.  But the world is a big place, finding one woman who is obviously good at hiding has not proven an easy task.  As for the rest of her compatriots… well they remain at large as well."

Jaune nodded… Ozpin probably could tell him more about the situation but he is just a student after all and didn’t have any real motivation or need to go further.

"I guess I will head back to my dorm… I do have an early morning tomorrow.  Mom's first class and all."

At that Jaune started to head back towards the elevator.

As he waited for his ride Ozpin felt the need to speak on one more time.

"Jaune, my final piece of advice?"

He turned around to look at the Headmaster.

"Trust your team.  They obviously trust you… you should learn to trust their judgment just as they have yours."

Trust his team… something so obvious in hindsight.  Yet… they trusted him to get them through.  He didn’t feel as though he necessarily had done anything to earn that trust.  Yet… maybe that is how he had earned it in the first place.  All he ever did is try to do his best and earn his spot at the table.  Maybe in the act of doing that… he did.

"Yes sir, I will try."

At that Jaune took the elevator down.  The walk back to his dorm was chalk full of introspection.  He never once considered the need to call Nora or Ren and speak to them about the previous mission.  Why that is… really seemed to escape him.  The best guess he had at the moment was they were on summer break… and didn’t think to bring it up. Maybe Pyrrha just did enough of setting his mind at ease combined with how relaxing the summer was just in general he didn’t get trapped in thinking about the past.  Being back at Beacon now he let those thoughts come back…

Overall the Headmasters words did little to steady his mind… but it did a reasonably well job of freeing his thoughts.  All in all he felt better on the return trip than he did the initial journey.  He knew he needed to get some rest as tomorrow had the promise of a busy day.  Advance class with his mother?  Only time will tell what she had in store.

**A/N**

**So… to keep the note short.  Several more pictures have been posted to Deviant Art.  If you have not checked them out, please do so.  The artists work hard on them and it takes no small measure of time or energy from me either.  If you feel the need, please look them over.**

**Secondly I am sorry for the delay with this chapter.  I took 2 weeks off for the holidays and I realize I didn’t exactly say I was going to do that.  So… I am sorry for the delay.**

**For the individuals who have asked for a Ren X Kate bonus chapter I will be working on that over the weekend.  Hopefully that gets posted without much difficulty.**

**I am still open for suggestions regarding Truth or Dares.  If you have any suggestions please let me know.**

**Finally I had planned on sharing some of my thoughts on RWBY Canon.  I binge watched episodes on Volume 4 through the present one and I almost regret doing so.  I do not feel any of my previous criticisms have gone away.  For those of your urging me to continue with canon… I have.  And my opinion has not changed.**

**Beyond all that thank you again for your time.  If you have any questions or concerns please ask, beyond that feel free to leave a review/comment/fav/follow/kudos/IM or Email feedback.**

**I will see you next time**

**-Sean.**


	37. Y3 Fall: Unexpected Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How is a hike through the woods so challenging? Nobody knows... an what is with all that shiney stuff!

3.12

Jaune would normally be found guilty of waking up before the sun was visible most days.  Given his morning exercise habits it was something done routinely to be frank.  It still felt a bit weird getting ready for a class when he would normally just be getting up to head to the gym with his friends. 

Regardless of how 'right' it felt… or the lack there of depending on one's viewpoint.  The group wandered over to their shared kitchen for some breakfast with plenty of time for them to trudge the remaining distance to their destination.

For a period of time the only sounds made on a consistent basis was the echoing taps of feet on stone and the continual yawns of various people.  Given how crowded these routes can get at times… the comparable lack of chaos was a bit jarring.  This went on without interruption until:

"Well… first day of advance class and we are waking up too blasted early… any thoughts?"  Ren stated mid yawn.

Given that everybody… EVERYBODY was generally either yawning, trying not to yawn or was sleep walking nobody could answer him competently.

However much Jaune may or may not have been able to voice his feelings at that time… he had to admit that he did not know what to expect.  The only instructions which were given were not all that descriptive either.  They only came out minutes of them waking up that morning to be precise.

1) Dress as you would for a hunting assignment.

2) Bring the items you typically would, I would suggest extra water.  Ensure you have a healthy breakfast.  Skipping this step will likely mean you are very unhappy most of the day.

3) As a reminder class is scheduled prior to normal start time of your previous year and we will be gathering even earlier today than normal.  Arrive no later than an hour before start time.  Do not be late.

_At least thus far nobody had the poor sense to challenge any of those points thank goodness…_

Short, to the point and … not all that helpful in determining what was happening though at this point it was very much assumed some type of fieldtrip was in the works.

"I don't understand why we all have to get here an hour early… if class isn't suppose to start until 8 this year why make us get there by 7?"  Yang grumbled as she shuffled slowly towards their destination.

"Can't really say I have a good reason either way"  Ruby agreed mid yawn herself.

"You all just need to get used to getting up like a normal person, you know… earlier in the morning."  A somewhat if oddly chipper Weiss smugly boasted.

The friends shared a glance as Blake took up the conversation… somewhat humorously holding onto -nearly being guided around- by Yang's hair as she held on with both arms.

"It was not so long ago that you used to be the one always sleeping in."

Weiss scoffed "That is why it is called 'The Past' not 'The Present'.  Things will not always be as they are."

The Heiress would continue to speak about the merits of an early morning paired with the tenacious Schnee genes which are less likely to burn out throughout the day for possible reasons she is able to get up earlier… not that Jaune was particularly listening.

"Personally… I call raison cookie on that one Weissy."  Ruby smirked yawning yet again.

Weiss might have made a sarcastic remark but it seems she was more inclined to just giggle given the manner of BS call Ruby opted for.

Even so it was only a few more moments of movement which found the group at the door waiting for the Professors pleasure to unlock it.

As such they more or less moved to find a spot to lean against the wall or sit down as they waited…

Naturally Nora was asleep again within moments… much to the chagrin of the friends.

"I guess that fits her."  Jaune commented sourly.

Resisting the urge to try and catch a few extra moments of sleep he shook his head.  Trying to wake himself up he looked across to his traveling companions to pass the time.  Surprisingly many seemed to update their wardrobe over their summer.  Granted sure everybody is growing up including himself but, he was still surprised to see their new choice of garments.

Kate naturally to no one's surprise was wearing her leather gear setup carrying her pack clearly expecting a sojourn of some form.  She busied herself with some stretches as she normally does to keep limber and try to wake up in her own way.

Ren and Nora seemed similar yet not the same as how they would dress in the prior year.  Ren had much more free flowing material and while his Green White and Black pattern was still found it was much less structured than something he had wore in the previous years.  Nora as well even added a black jacket and reinforced her leggings with boots.  They seem to have adjusted their setup from their last assignment together.

Moving on to his sister team Ruby was possibly the most odd of them all having really redone her outfit… though growing up more might have spurred that on.  A skirt and leggings mix was worn as was her rather rustic top.  Something which Weiss very much approved of if the Reaper was to be believed.  Her ever present cape of course never seemed to go away was found as was a small but comfortable backpack.

Yang's outfit has changed substantially over what he has known her to normally wear the last few years.  She was wearing cargo pants this time and a tank top instead of her previously rather rebellious clothing from the previous years.  However he had never seen the stuff she wore when on assignment either… For all he knew that was her ideal clothing when on a mission.  Given the cargo pants and backpack she clearly could carry a fair amount.

He could not help but scoff as he looked at the Heiress.  Fighting in a dress or 'Combat Skirt' was something only she would swear by and it seems like despite the color changing from white to ice blue… it was remarkably the same.  Only real differences was that her sword was now worn comfortably at her hip via a well made sheath.  A shoulder strap purse was evidently how she intended to ferry materials around.

Blake found herself wearing a white overcoat with a black tank top and black pants.  Mid thigh high boots completed the look while she kept her weapon comfortably on her back.  She might have taken some que's from Kate's setup in that it was very tight to her body yet it also gave her full freedom of movement.

As he made note of all of his friends and teammates all carried plenty of water as advertised.  Some even went as far as to carry spares in dust reserve just in case any Grimm hunting was to take place.

The only two people who did not come as he expected… was ironically enough… Pyrrha and himself.  She did not wear her armor or corset.  In fact she only carried her weapons and a backpack wearing some type of skintight under clothing as if she expected something.  In fact… he almost knew she did as Pyrrha  advised him to come in a nearly identical setup.

It was his Partners goofy and excited grin which prompted him to speak to her as he continued to lean against the wall joined now by his girlfriend.

"Are you going to tell me why you have been so excited now?  Or maybe why I had to come dressed like this?"

He kept his voice friendly despite his rather accusatory tone.  At this point it was no longer up for debate she knew something he did not to the point she might even be in on the matter whole heartedly.

The Spartan answered him with a happy hum and a shake of her head "Sorry I can't… it won't be long now though."  She claimed with a sideways nod.

Following the motion he found his mother walking towards him down the hallway.  Dressed in her leather setup similar to Kate's wearing her sword across her back.  It was the authority and purpose to her stride which surprised him.  She always was one to move and command attention with a whim… but seeing the reputed Professor Arc at work was something he had to admit was a slight system shock.

"Good to see you all can follow instructs and arrive on time.  After the last class I was wondering if I would have to resort to drastic measures again."  She advised with a smile moving towards the door.

_Huh… she must be talking about team CFVY's advance class which started on Monday… Velvet indicated it was a nightmare but not much beyond that._

Yang raised her hand in jest "Are we allowed to ask why we have to be here so early?"

Mom unlocked the door and held it open from the inside as she answered in a slight smile "You are allowed to ask of course." 

She winked at Yang as the Brawler walked past "Doesn't mean I am obligated to answer you however." 

Jaune smiled… the ever present Arc humor showing its face yet again.

His smile continued as he followed the rest of his team into the somewhat dark room.

"Ok everybody find a spot."  Mom broadcast moving towards the front of the room.

"Spot?"  Yang asked quietly still obviously part asleep.

"The standing desks Yang."  Ruby answered.

Arrayed around the room was a line of lecterns all pointing to a circular area in the middle.  Near the center of them was an oddly glowing circle about the size of a person.  An odd glow permeated up from the ground as it illuminated its various markings on the floor.

"Ok so I will skip introductions given that we all know each other by name already.  However I will simply say welcome to my Advance Combat class.  Know that not everybody who has attended Beacon can claim to have gone through my method of teaching.  However those who do tend to enjoy a reputation as that of a superior Huntsman.  I will expect you all to aim to exceed expectations.  Regardless of it is said, the advanced class graduates have served as examples for other to follow for years.  It is a tradition which existed before my time and I will not have it vanish while I am here."

She paused to let her words sink in before continuing  "Without further adieu we have things to get done this morning… A few rules for my class."  Mom began standing near the center of the room once everybody had chosen a standing desk.

The group was rapidly finding their sleep wearing off as with or without them… Ms. Arc was driving the class forward.

"Number 1.  I understand that many of us have a relationship outside of this classroom.  Regardless of that relationship be it a bond of friendship or blood, when we are in a class setting you will address me as Professor or a similar honorific."

Jaune could at least understand the reasoning behind that one.

"Rule 2.  I know and expect that people will make mistakes.  It is something we as Professors press for, to find your limits and hence, to grow beyond them.  Know that I will never criticize you for a mistake.  Just make that mistake going at 100% when you inevitably suffer them.  I firmly believe in lessons of Discipline and work ethic.  I cannot force all who enter my class to live by those words, but while you are a student of mine understand being here is a privilege.  That privilege can be taken away if the opportunity is not taken seriously.  I very much hope I do not have to speak again on this subject, but know that as advance students I will expect a great deal more than what gets by in your every day combat class."

_Well… she seems to be fitting the expectations of her reputation thus far…_

"I might have other rules as we go forward but those two are typically the one ones I have present in nearly all circumstances.  Any questions on either of those points?"

Her voice clearly carried its message throughout the area as that of one used to speaking in public with multiple listeners present.

As nobody made to speak mom… Professor Arc continued to orate.

"Alright then.  What we are doing here early is all of you will be measured by this circle on the ground.  You need do no more than stand in it as the Glyph performs its task.  It is not dangerous in any way, you should not feel anything.  It does however take several minutes and might vary depending on the individual.  Thus we will start up right away."

Weiss acted as if she wanted to speak, but withheld the question.

However it seems the Professor could pick up on the desire and prompted:

"Ms. Schnee you have something you wish to ask?" 

Mom turned towards the smaller girl as she spoke awaiting a response.

Weiss hesitated… but after clearing her throat said "I was curious what that glyph is designed to measure Ma'am."

Mom took the question in stride "To be succinct… you.  I will explain more as the process starts."

It was here Jaune felt something like the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight.

"Ms. Nikos you can do your thing now."  She advised with a very visible if unexpected grin.

Kate smiled from her position on the far right, everybody else looked confused… except his girlfriend.

With a smile so large it belied belief she gripped Jaune by his arm and lead him down towards a room in the back.

"Uh Pyrrha?"  He asked.

"Just a few more steps… and you will see." 

Those words would prove to be true on so many levels.

***Changing room***

"Ok Pyrrha I am able to walk you can let go now."  Jaune complained halfheartedly.

Pyrrha giggled "No Jaune I do not believe I can.  Sorry."

He couldn't see her face but it was obvious his girlfriend wore an ear to ear smile.

She lead him into one of the off rooms nearby noting the lights seemed to be off.

Finally reaching her supposed destination she spun around with her arms clasped low.

"Your mother has a surprise for you Jaune… she asked me to help her … with an added purpose on the side."  She stated plainly excitement oozing off of her.

"You were in on it as well?"  He stated in confirmation.

Pyrrha half smiled.

"Once she brought me in… yes I agreed to help make this happen."  Pyrrha took a few steps back towards a light switch as she spoke.

"Make what happen Pyrrha?"

In response Pyrrha just turned on the lights… and let them do the rest of the work for her.

It was like a scene out of a dream for the Knight.

"But… what…"

Words did not seem to come easily.

Behind his girlfriend were two suits of armor.  One… obviously for a male, another for a woman.  Maybe that’s why Pyrrha is dressed like she was expecting something?  Obviously cause she was…

Lights from the floor were aimed upwards illuminating the armors.  Jaune was seemingly drawn to them like he was being pulled towards what was meant for him.  Reaching a hand out to touch one of the many pieces of it he remained in a sense of awe.

All the while Pyrrha watched from her spot several feet away smiling like a fool.

"This must have cost a fortune do you have any idea what this stuff is?"  Jaune asked flabbergasted.

Pyrrha of course knew what it was.  However this was something she and his mother discussed… she should just sit back initially.  Let his mind accept it… then push him forward in accepting it willingly.

"Yes Jaune… I know what it is."

Almost as if he didn’t hear her he spoke on.

"This under layer is practically armor in itself its… Priceless is the only word for it…"  Now walking around the armor stand soaking in more and more details his eyes quickly traveled up and down in rapid succession.

He did not overstate that claim.  First thing he would have to put on is the extremely tight yet very flexible and comfortable heat transferable leathery material known as Nanofibrosysis, or Nanofiber for short.  Bleeding edge armor development made the stuff incredibly rare to the point even the extremely wealthy could hardly afford more than a handful of suits.  Durable and resistant enough to stop a knife and provided the caliber isn't exceptionally heavy, possibly even a bullet.  Nanofiber was designed to be worn under armor giving it something to latch on too.  While it was itself highly resistant to damage and had many properties besides… it was not the main point of the armor stand.

"This is…"  He could not complete the thought having turned his gaze on to her armor.

Feeling the time has come to gently press him forward Pyrrha took a few steps forward and spoke on.

"Jaune… we need to get changed in time for our class right?"

He finally looked at her "Pyrrha you know how I hate accepting charity this is too much!"

Pyrrha, thanks to his mothers advise expected that attitude from him.

"Jaune… you were happy to use that armor from your first year?  Why is this so different?"

Jaune froze momentarily, before answering:

"That was a learner armor… the armor of somebody in training.  This is-"

"This is the armor of a Duke, Jaune.  It is the armor of somebody who has earned their place at this school.  It is the armor of somebody who because of his willingness to put himself on the line for others, some of those other people have decided to make this for you.  All of your family have armor or something similar made specifically for them… this is yours."

She did a good job of making that seem like something natural.

Somebody like Jaune however… knew a bit better than that.

"Mom gave you that line didn’t she?"  He accused.

She smiled shyly.  "It IS A good line.  Moreover… she is right."  At that… she moved forward to bring her arms to his sides.

Jaune dropped his gaze to the ground seemingly lost in thought.

"Jaune… your mother intends to tell you more about this armor later.  For now… we do need to get changed.  I know I do."  She smirked playfully.

"You think I should accept it?"  He asked.

She dropped her backpack and weapons to the ground as she detached from him and moved the few steps towards the stand with her armor on it.

"I would not have agreed to ask you to accept it if I did not believe you have earned it Jaune."  At that she nearly emulated his sister in how she strutted playfully towards her armor stand and began the task of getting into it.

Tearing his eyes off her as she worked towards getting her own set of Nanofiber on… he kicked off his shoes and began to work into the under layer.

He knew this stuff had heat transferring properties.  In other words it helped regulate the temperature of the wearer.  In frigid areas it helped retain heat, and in locations of extreme temperature it tried to regulate excess heat off his body towards the outside.  It was not a perfect system and clearly had limits for what it could contend with.  That did not take away anything regarding how comfortable the stuff was suppose to be once you got it on.

Stepping into and pulling it up his legs he found Pyrrha studying him as he got dressed.  With a teasing wink she began doing the same thing in getting her legs in the under layer.  Pulling it up around the curve of her hips giving her boyfriend a playful shake in the process pulling it up to her waist.

He grinned but decided not to answer back or otherwise comment.

With the bottom secure he got the bottom layer of his top noting that Pyrrha's setup did not have sleeves for her upper section.

"You didn’t want sleeves on yours?"  He asked.

She shook her head "No, I have always preferred to fight without anything on my upper arms if I could help it."

"You had planned on getting some new armor?"  He asked.

She shrugged "When a warrior from Mistral becomes an adult and has fully grown it isn't uncommon for them to commission an adult armor of sorts.  Given my status as a Mistral Champion I would be expected to have something very expensive.  Even so… this goes well beyond what I would be expected to wear I have to admit.  Not that I am complaining of course."

"So you really didn't know about this until she asked to talk to you alone?"  He asked still working with the underlying material.

Pyrrha chuckled.  "No… but I really could not have asked for something better even if I had commissioned this myself."

Jaune smiled… if she was happy with the armor… that’s all the more reason for him to accept his without feeling guilty.

Finally getting the last of the Nanofiber on he tested his freedom of movement with various motions.  To his surprise it was almost like he wasn't wearing clothing at all.  It did not feel in the slightest that the stuff however tight it appeared did anything in limiting his movements or agility.

Pyrrha hummed in appreciation but otherwise began getting into the armor proper starting with her chest guard.

Jaune lost his focus as he observed the Mecha-forged armor expand with her movements until she managed to get it on and bonded with the Nanofiber under layer.

"Stops it from moving around once you have it in place right?"  He asked.

Pyrrha nodded again in a grin.

"Stuff works amazing… Cadian forge masters seem to know their craft I have to admit."

For a time he was happy with observing her get into her gift.  It took her to gaze at him in a smile that broke his daydream.  Suddenly remembering that they were expected to hurry he finally dipped his gaze and began getting his own chest plate on.

"It does seem to be of the highest tier I gotta admit that."  He murmured quietly trying to stay humble.  The metal of the armor… was lightweight yet resilient in the extreme to damage and pressure.  Equally suited to resisting slash hits, puncture attempts or bullet borne insertions.  It was a great deal for him to take in.

Pyrrha finally paused convinced now that Jaune did not need any further persuasion in regards to his armor.  Being familiar with modern protective gear she knew exactly the price of such a gift… much less two of them.  It was undoubtedly a Princely gift.  Something which she knew, would rub that humble side of him the wrong way.  Just as that same humble side would claim rejecting it would be exceedingly poor form.  Thankfully she did not need to resort to anything beyond pointing out the obvious.  He has earned his place at Beacon, and should accept the armor in the manner it was given.  With good grace.

Such were her thoughts as she found herself observing his form as he got into his new armor.

The chest plate covered far more of his torso than the simple plating he had previously.  Gold and white dominated the armor with some red highlights to match the same flame color of his bracer and weapon.  Sharp angular lines brought flexible lightweight yet beyond sturdy plating to his chest and abdomen.  Wrapping around the sides to his back traveling up to his neck.  Leaving the underside of his shoulder free a thick layered plate covered both shoulders.  Some straps anchored it down doubling the natural bonding nature of the Nanofiber under armor.  A plain armored bracer was prepared for his left arm, leaving just the mecha-shifting bracer on his right arm for his setup on his torso.

Stepping into the armored leg armor a click echoed through the room as it shifted to his size and molded around his lower leg.  Knee guards found its way into place and before she knew it… he was nearly dressed.  The armor covered his shins and knees.  Leaving his feet free to move without the constriction of metal.  Instead erring on the side of maneuverability taking on a boot form in terms of his feet and upper legs.  It was as he picked up the provided belt that she felt compelled to move once again.

Checking the contents of the belt he found it mostly with just excess storage compartments with plenty of room for additions if he felt the need.  Sliding his knife into the belt he tightened the leg strap around his right thigh, then brought the belt tight around his waist.

Taking a moment to test and make sure everything still moved and fit properly he brought out his weapons.  Running them through their various forms to find… to his delight the sword accepted the armor without issue, finding a spot on his back as if the armor had always been part of his load out.

Confident everything was in order he got everything put back into their proper spot, then took a deep breath and turned towards his Partner behind him.

She had not made as much progress with her armor as he had… though to be fair it might be because her eyes remained on him.  None the less with a shake of her head she focused once again on getting dressed.

She had gotten the chest plate on.  It like his, was made of a flexible and light yet very strong material the likes of which is only found on armors made of the highest caliber.  Arm guards found its way onto her upper arms in the form of golden leaves.  On her forearms were two bracers very similar to his own.  To his shock… the bracer on her left arm bore the Arc symbol which she seemed to wear proudly.  To go along with the bracers were gloves built into the armor itself in a manner identical to his own… Or Kate's for that matter.  This had Mom's signature all over it for sure.

Around her core was a red sash similar to what she typically wore.  Above that was a belt much like his own with plenty of room for personalization and customization.

The armor on her legs was much more protective than her prior setup.  Covering much more of her leg going much higher on her thigh.  Multiple straps around her upper thigh was present as a way to help anchor the armor in place despite the Nanofiber bond… Likely to adjust the armor to the size of the user.

A continual running theme with her armor was something Jaune found very much suited her… yet was something he did not expect.

"That looks great on you Pyr."  He claimed honestly.

She smirked but replied back "Thanks… you look great too…"

She seemed to hesitate as she often did when speaking on things of emotional significance to her.  As such he decided to ask another question.

"Is there a reason your armor has all those leaves?"

She smiled again and sniffed appearing a bit emotional.  But nodded.

To his surprise… a few tears began to fall.

He was just content to wait and give her time… until he figured he should probably inquire a bit more given the tears.  None the less she still replaced her weapons on her back resting exactly as they normally did with her previous gear.

"Hey what's wrong?"

She gave a slight hop.

"Oh I'm sorry."  She sniffed again in a grin.

"The Maple leaf is a symbol of a Mistral Champion…  I guess your mom saw fit to give me more than one."  She smiled at him again.

He nodded… that seemed to fit at least.  Littering her armor were leaf designs.  They extended outwards along her bracer, her hips, even her knees and her neck.  Yet… it just seemed to fit her so well it was clearly a remarkable feat of craftsmanship.  It almost gave her armor a very spikey aspect to it… though that was likely not fair given how smooth it otherwise was.  However there was no denying that the leaves stood out tremendously and made her armor pop.  On her hips, near her neck, even in the intricate weavings maple leaves were very much visible.

Beyond that her armor  stayed true to her previous colors, likely something that was very deliberate.  Brown, gold's, and red's were plentiful in highlights and main roles to match his own white gold and red setup.

It did not need to be said… but it was obvious both armor's were made to the highest possible standard sparing no expense in making them the best they possibly could be.

"Pyrrha?  Are you ok?"  He prompted once again given the tears.

She smiled at him again, though a few tears continued to fall.

"Yes… I am ok.  Just… I've always wanted this for you."  She claimed.

Jaune made a confused face and looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

Pyrrha smiled shyly… but pressed on however silly a thought it was.

"Jaune I just… I knew you were special from the moment I saw you.  You always said you wanted to become a hero.  Well… look at you.  You look the part now.  I'm glad to share this moment with you.  You aren't some boy out of your comfort zone in a hoodie and jeans just trying to survive each day.  You look like a Huntsman."  She whipped a tear off her cheek and continued to smile at him radiantly.

He frowned.

"I … do not really feel like I have earned it though."

She reached in and gave him a brief peck on the cheek "That is exactly why, and exactly how… you did."

While both parties would not have objected to a kiss… they just decided to hug each other until a call for them to head out was heard.

"Well… ready to show the world the new you?"  Pyrrha asked.

He took her hand "The new US… I can be ready for that."

With matching smiles… they exited out to rejoin their friends.

*** Back in the Classroom ***

As the Partners walked hand in hand out of the changing room it was hard not the grin at the conversation taking place.

"No Ms. Schnee the Circle is not simply measuring your weight.  It is taking into account many things.  Now please step into the circle and hold still like everybody else before you." 

Jaune could practically picture the stern motherly glare present on the Professor more clearly with each spoken word.

It was so obvious he couldn't help but share a laugh as he looked at his partner… receiving a very similar smile from her.

Rounding the corner their friends stood on the base level foregoing the lecterns of the upper story.  It seems everybody but the Heiress had their turn on the circle already.

"It isn't that just!   What is it measuring?!"  Weiss asked/demanded appearing a touch uncomfortable with the idea of an unknown glyph 'measuring' her.

It was there that his mother saw him leaning against the wall patiently with Pyrrha… and a very obvious smile took its place.

"Nice of you two to rejoin us."  She claimed.

Their friends followed her gaze… and chaos ensued.

"Wow looking good guys!"  Yang broadcast loudly.

"Shiney!"  Nora praised.

Katherine just smiled and offered a quick clap of her hands.

"Well come forward you two… don't be shy."  Professor Arc requested.

Looking down to the ground briefly Jaune smiled… but hesitated.

It was with a gentle pressure on his hand that got him to take a deep breath… and took the first step forward.

"Thank you for the Armor, if fits perfectly."  The Knight claimed humbly looking forwards again.

"Yes thank you it is perfect!"  Pyrrha repeated.

Weiss just appeared speechless as if she didn’t believe what she was seeing. 

_Come to think of it she probably knew better than I do how much this stuff costs… she's probably seeing lien signs right now._

It was through a brief applause that both Pyrrha and Jaune made their way forwards to rejoin their friends.

"Ok ok ok people they got some new shiny stuff and you will have plenty of time to interrogate them going forward.  For now we have work to do yet."  Mom advised somewhat between Professor Arc and Ms. Arc modes.

At that she looked at her scroll.

"Thank you Ms. Schnee you can go back to your line now.  Ms. Nikos please step forward into the circle."

The two women passed each other with Weiss ending up besides Jaune, she kept at least one eye glued to the outer and under components of it seemingly in shock.

"This is the type of thing even the Schnee dust company couldn’t make.  Do you have any idea how expensive that type of armor is Jaune?"  She worded under her breath.

Jaune nodded keeping his eyes on his Partner "Yeah… it is something Cadia specializes in.  I know Ozpin ordered my weapon and I think this armor was made by the same guy.  It has the same pattern and style to its design."

"Quiet you two..."  Mom chastised.

Growing quiet again they waited patiently as the Glyph started to circle and have duplicates of itself spin upwards to pass through Pyrrha's body.

"Careful there is a slight ticking sensation… forgot to warn you of that."  Mom admitted with a slight grin.

Jaune smiled knowing full well that Pyrrha was deathly ticklish on a couple points on her body…

Pyrrha just nodded trying not to keel over in a laugh… and mostly was successful.

When Mom checked her scroll yet again she motioned for Jaune to step forward.

"Now that the hard part is done let me get to the easy part, for those of you anxious to get moving rest assured that part is coming.  You will get plenty of movement shortly."  She motioned for Jaune to rejoin his friends in the line.

Nora and Yang definitely chuckled at that while Jaune moved back to take his place besides Pyrrha.

"Thank you for humoring that Glyph scan.  Now that it is completed I can give you some idea what it does.  It measures various things such as aura reserve, how efficient your body is expected to be at physical exertion and other various things which are summed up to simply measuring you in a very real way."

"Why is this necessary Ma'am?"  Weiss asked.

Taking the question in stride Ms. Arc answered "It gives me an idea of where you all are starting out and what type of techniques would work to get the most growth out of each of you going forward."

"How long have you been holding onto those armor's Ma'am?"  Yang asked still giving an appreciative eye towards both new sets.

Mom grinned "Not like it is important but a bit more than a month now.  No more questions about the armor at least until we are moving.  If you want to talk about it then… fine.  But I would suggest holding on to your breath as best you can.  Any other questions about the Glyph?"

Mom waited a handful of heartbeats until it was obvious silence is all which would answer her.

"Very well.  Ok listen carefully.  Behind you is a grid of rectangles big enough for 2 people to stand in side by side.  I want you to get with your initiation Partner, and get into one of the those spots.  Ms. Arc you can get to the far side take either half you wish."

Kate shrugged and moved to the lead rectangle standing in the left side half hand on her hip.

Pyrrha and Jaune found a spot next to Katherine, then going away was Ren with Nora.  Behind them Yang with Blake, and of course finally Ruby with Weiss.

"Ok, as many of you have probably guessed we are going on a bit of a field trip to give you all some idea of… shall we say the less glamorous parts of being a Hunter.  A pair of rules for this segment:  Nobody will be allowed to use their aura to reinforce yourself if you tire.  No semblances either for those of you with that ability."  Jaune grinned.

Mom continued with "Rule 2: In addition to the restriction on no aura use no physical assistance to those whom you are not paired with."

With those final sentences a pin could have been heard dropping in the room.

"Why would you make those rules Ma'am."  Ren asked seemingly very focused now.

Mom shrugged "I will answer that question once we get to our destination.  Are there any questions with these rules?  I have all of your aura meters set to my scroll and I will monitor its use.  Any uncertainties should be addressed now."

She picked up a few things left about the room as she spoke seemingly getting ready to leave.

"No more questions?  Very well."  She started to move towards her daughter on the far side.

"Ok if you are the 'Partner' Standing on the right, please raise your hand."

Smiling at the question Pyrrha, Weiss, Yang and Nora all rose their hands.

"Ok, those people are now going to pick up your Partner."

Uncertainty filled the room for several heartbeats.

"Pick up? Professor?" Weiss asked.

"Yes Ms. Schnee.  Pick up."  She repeated.

"Pick up how exactly Ma'am?"  Yang asked eager to get to some activity.

Mom hefted Katherine up to her shoulders in a fire-mans carry before turning around to speak again… though Kate clearly had a grin present as well.

"As if you are going to carry that person.  I will not tell you how to do it… but I would suggest in a manner you can handle for awhile."

With a smile Pyrrha lowered herself and before he knew it Jaune was off the ground resting not entirely comfortably on her shoulders.  He knew that Pyrrha could handle his weight… none the less it took some time getting used to the spot.

Pyrrha turned her shoulders to peer behind her observing the others in the class.  Yang was carrying Blake with her arms in front of her body.  Weiss was trying to carry Ruby on her shoulders and was not being altogether successful.  It took some time to get the positioning right.  Nora did not struggle at all as she had Ren off the ground in seconds eager to move.

"Right then… Follow me.  The partner being carried cannot grip down or make it easier for their partner to carry them.  Pretend to be asleep.  If you feel the need to speak… I cannot stop you.  But we are heading deep into the Forever Fall forest so be ready for a long haul.."

At that she started moving out of the room.  Such was the time that they still did not encounter any individuals and cleared the school walls without an incident.

"This is fun!"  Nora claimed.

Jaune smiled… but had to admit judging by the sweat falling down Pyrrha's face his partner wouldn't think it's all that fun."

*** Roughly many many times many bounces into the Forever Fall Forest***

At first Jaune tried to keep track of the number of steps his partner took.  Being carried around left him with plenty of unexpected time on his hands.  At first those being carried had a mildly fun and carefree talk amongst themselves.  The talk shortly was concluded as the heavy breathing of those who by virtue of standing on the right had to do all the heavy lifting… so to speak.

He did learn a few things about Pyrrha that day.

He has never EVER heard her breath anywhere near this hard before.  He has seen her completely drenched in sweat following 4 or longer hour workout session and only have her dampness to show for it.  Well… a largely uphill climb in uneven territory carrying her Partner was clearly taxing her.  She could handle his weight… her legs never stumbled or faltered in the many high steps she had to take in their uneven hike.

But… Pyrrha.  Mortal Goddess she might be… was proving to be mortal of body.  This hike was actually taxing and stressing her endurance.

If it was stressing her level of fitness… one could imagine how the rest of his friends were doing.

At the head of the pack was his mother, carrying of course his sister.  To be fair mom cut a fairly strong figure and Katherine was not exactly a heavy burden.  Sure her legs carried a fair amount of power but she would not be considered heavy for probably anybody in their group to carry. 

Behind them Nora was beginning to struggle.  She did not lack for power… and she at first displayed the least amount of difficulty in their task out of the group.  Now… it was clear that her endurance was lacking compared to her strength and what started as a jaunty upbeat step was replaced by one seemingly barely able to keep going.

Yang was doing marginally better carrying Blake in her arms… though she had to switch to a shoulder style carry probably about an hour into the march. 

Weiss however… despite her training and pushing herself over the last few months was still the smallest and physically weakest of the friends.  Ruby also had grown… and was now a fair amount larger than her partner.  Weiss had to stop, or in some cases having tripped and dropped Ruby.  Only to pick her back up and press on again.  Granted then with much less confidence to her step.

Her panting Jaune could hear even near his spot at the front of the line.

"Pick it up folks we are about to the point where we can switch off.  That flag on the top of this hill is the halfway point for our trip."  Mom broadcast over scroll chat.

"Thank dust for that…"  Blake advised behind him.

The announcement brought some energy back to the team and their pace noticeably improved. 

Over the span of the next few seconds however Weiss' panting became more and more distant.  To the point the Knight struggled to hear it.  Pyrrha seemed eager to complete her task and soon she was only a few steps from their objective only a step or two behind his mother.

"Almost to the top."  Pyrrha muttered under her breath in between gasps.

"Pyrrha wait… hang on."  Jaune stated quietly.

She didn’t waste any breath on answering… instead she just looked up as if to ask "What the hell for?"

"Turn around please."  He requested gently resting a hand on her shoulder.

Pyrrha despite her misgivings about prolonging her burden did not hesitate as she slowly shuffled her feet around to give Jaune a view of those climbing up still.  Despite her initial questioning she seemed to understand Jaune's concern, possibly the act of climbing didn’t allow her to hear… or NOT hear what Jaune had noticed.  Deciding to remain in her spot a bit longer Pyrrha enjoyed the opportunity to regain some of her breath while Jaune tried to formulate something he could do.

Yang soon passed them panting for breath looking as if she just swam her way up the hill.  Blake carefully balancing herself to make her burden seem the least amount possible.

_I should have thought of that…_

Behind and slightly above him his mother advised "Mr. Arc I remind you that you are unable to use your semblance on those around you."

She of course was referencing the individual dominating the Knights attention.

The Heiress was really REALLY struggling.  Ruby was even trying to voice some motivational or encouraging sentiments… but they seemed to be having minimal effect.

Speaking softly his Partner voiced "Do we go down?"

He definitely noted the term 'We'.  Seems despite the fact that She was basically doing all the hard work… The Spartan still considered it a team effort.

"I don't know yet."

Nora finally struggled her way up the hill to join the rest of them looking nearly identically to Yang.

For a time the breaths of the exhausted carriers were all he could hear, however much he was lost in thought.

"Ms. Nikos just another couple steps and you can take a rest."  Mom advised.

Pyrrha shook her head indicated she wasn't going to move leaving somebody behind.

"Understood Ma'am"  Jaune answered for her, Pyrrha gave his arm a gentle pat in thanks.

Waiting for a few more heartbeats Blake spoke on observing her teammates below.  "What if Weiss cannot make it up Professor?"

Mom had evidently walked away from the edge as her voice was much quieter than previously "Then she will need to rest until she is able to do it.  The terms of this was set forth out for a reason Ms. Belladona.  Weiss must carry Ruby on her own power."

"What do we do Jaune?"  Pyrrha asked with as much voice she could.

"Still not sure."

"Come on Weiss you don't have much more to go!"  Blake shouted.

_Huh there's an idea._

"Just a bit more Weiss keep going!"  Yang shouted.

The remainder of RWBY joined with half of JNPR would continue to shout encouragement… yet the effect was minimal.

"They are going about this the wrong way."  Jaune worded to himself.

Still breathing hard Pyrrha asked "Huh?"

Deciding on his course of action Jaune advised "Go ahead and get us up top… I have an idea."

Not questioning him she once again shuffled around, and made the few high steps up to the plateau with the rest of the group… sans Weiss at the midpoint.

"C'mon Partner you are so close!"  Ruby boasted encouragingly.

Jaune looked back after Pyrrha set him down to find that once again Weiss and lost her balance to drop Ruby on the ground.

"Remain where you are Ms. Rose.  Your Partner has to carry you up here."  Mom sternly confirmed.

"That seems like a harsh rule Ma'am."  Blake stated with a sharp look towards the Professor.

Mom took it in stride "Being a Huntress is a harsh calling Ms. Belladona.  It is my job to prepare you for that realization."

"But-"  Blake continued.

"I will explain why I'm doing what I'm doing when the time comes, for now I suggest you prepare for your turn to carry your Partner."  Deb advised dwarfing that hard glare from Blake with one of her own.

Blake was the first to look away and begin stretching herself out.

"Professor, I understand no assistance physically or aura based is allowed, yes?"  Jaune asked.

Mom nodded "Correct."

"Meaning I am able to use my voice?"  He queried again.

Mom nodded in response.

"Alright."  He said and switched his scroll to comlink mode dialing Ruby.

_Shouting at Weiss is never going to work.  Sure she might get embarrassed or feel ashamed, but that won't get her back on her feet.  No… that is not what will work in motivating her… at least unless I miss my guess._

Ruby answered the call sounding somber "Hey Jaune… how's the view up top." 

"Not as good as you might think… how's she holding up?"  He asked.

Ruby turned her head away and spoke very quietly "She's dead on her feat Jaune… it's all she can do to catch her breath right now."

From her tone it was obvious she didn't want Weiss to hear her… but it was also equally obvious that she didn’t believe Weiss had anything left in her battery.

Jaune contemplated the merits of his idea for another couple heartbeats… then made his request.

"Hold the scroll to her ear please."

Even from his position at the top Jaune could still make out the questioning glance The Reaper gave him… but she did not question the request.

"Hey Weiss… its Jaune."  Ruby advised.

Weiss was breathing too hard to speak, her frantic gasping was in fact all he could hear.

"Weiss… you can hear me right?"  He asked.

The Heiress gave an exhausted nod.

"Listen, You are going about this the wrong way Weiss.  Do you remember that feeling you had when you successfully summoned that Knight last year?"

Weiss nodded again still utterly breathless.

"You did it to protect Ruby from a possible threat."  He stated just to really hit the point home.

This time Weiss did not answer in any manner.

"Weiss, you need to tap into that right now.  Imagine Ruby was wounded or something.  Maybe she needs medical help.  You need to get her out of there Weiss, you need to get her up here.  There is no shame in relying on emotion to give you strength when you need it."

Jaune stopped speaking hoping he lit the fire he wanted too.

Speaking through deep gasps of breath Weiss voiced "Not… from within…   from each… other?  Right?"

Jaune had to take a moment to recall the quote of himself from the previous year 'It is not from within we draw our power as Arcs… it is from each other.'

"Yes, that is right."  He confirmed glad she seemed to understand his point.

Weiss slowly pushed herself up using her arms… and gave an unholy focused glare towards her Partner.

The call was still live… and despite Jaune not really trying to listen in… couldn't help but overheard the brief talk between the two below:

"Weiss hang on take a minute to catch your brea-"

" **QUIET!** " she snapped.

The group unknown to the Knight had taken to listening in… and they all were surprised at where that breath came from.

"I **AM** getting you OUT of here Ruby now stop moving so much!"

It was with a series of determined grunts and groans Weiss once again hefted her Partner… and resumed her path towards the top.

At seeing their teammate start moving again Blake and Yang continued their shouts of encouragement.

Jaune decided to give them some room and moved away from the ledge moving towards Pyrrha sitting down on the ground.  He sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  Pyrrha did not speak… but rather reached up and gave a firm grip on his hand.

Jaune was keen to just let her get her breath back such that he didn’t hear his mom walk up behind him.

"Well done Mr. Arc, nice choice of words."  She grinned at him.

He smiled back noting Weiss had finally reached the top and collapsed into her teams waiting arms.

Getting back into her typical Professor body language Deb broadcast "Well done everybody.  We will be switching soon and we still have a fair bit to go.  Those of you being carried previously can take a few minutes to stretch out and get ready to march.  Get some water in you and get ready for another long walk."

While the group seemed prepare to switch rolls Jaune began to do some light stretching.  Just like normal Pyrrha recovered the quickest of the bunch and soon turned around to face her Partner.

"Well… that was a good workout, though I probably won't be putting that in our normal regime."  She stated slyly.

"Would take too long to complete right?" He joked.

Pyrrha smiled as she asked "How did you know what to say to Weiss?"

Before he could answer, Katherine took a place next to the redhead and advised "Because… he sees a complete picture when he looks at people." 

Though her grin advised a partially sarcastic side to her statement.

"Pretty much."  He admitted with a smile.

A few minutes later… and it was time to switch off.  Though thankfully water and stretching was enough to help as they were very much needed for all people involved.

*** Many Many times Many many Many steps later ***

Thankfully the situation with Weiss was the only real possibly game changing scenario the group encountered in their long march into the forest.

Blake probably had the most difficult task carrying the larger and heavier Yang, it wasn't however to the degree that Weiss had in terms of differential with Ruby.

That isn't to say it was easy… far from it.  The lack of an established path down the rocky hill onward was nearly as challenging as getting up it in the first place.  Using only rough landmarks as their guides they could only proceed forwards.

Mom from her spot on top Katherine gave occasional pointers for where to move, but in the end they came upon a somewhat homey but very basic on appearance cabin.  Huge logs were placed in on all sides and locked into place allowing a rather awesome but rather limited getaway local.  How it was made, or how old it is were answers nobody could say for sure and nobody asked the questions besides.  All anybody knew was it looked comfortable… seemed to have running water, and could be a 5 star inn for however much anybody cared.

Jaune and Katherine reached the door first, and were able to let their burdens towards the ground first.

Jaune allowed himself to hunch over resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"You all should be proud, you have prepared well for your Future."  Mom said in praise waiting for the line of people visible behind them to catch up.

The twins were too busy trying to catch their breath to respond, as such Pyrrha responded while giving Jaune a comforting pat on his back "They… we do work hard."

Mom smiled "Just remember… keep going and keep pushing.  Never get used to normal."

She grew more serious once again before broadcasting.  "Just a few more steps folks, then we can relax."

It was only a few more minutes before everybody else had joined them near the door.

"No doubt you all have questions as to why we did this or what the point was.  Before I get into it I suggest we all head inside and clean up.  You will find robes and clothes for the night inside.  I will get something going for dinner.  Remember, be an adult, space is at a premium with this cabin so keep it civil."

With that, in no particular order they opened the door and went inside.

Greeting them was a rather homey scene.  A large fur rug was in the center of the main living room with room for a fire in the center.  A cooking station over the fire was Mom's destination as she went to get the fire going and start a meal.

The place had a rather basic bathroom setup designated men, and women.  No private shower stalls were found instead group showering en masse seemed in order.  Such was their exhaustion neither male cared and instead focused on getting in and out as quickly as possible.

"This has been a long day."  Ren stated as he threw on a robe from the nearby closet.

"I hope the cleaner can handle everything we threw at it."  Jaune agreed commenting naturally on the same technology for cleaning found at Beacon itself.

"I guess most teams are more evenly balanced in men to women.  I can imagine how crowded the girls room is."

The two men had no more exited the room when they encountered Yang and Nora.

"Bout time you two got outa there.  Our shower is too crowded so we are going to use yours, kay?"  They advised.

Neither gave time for any arguments or discussion as they pushed past the two males.

Sharing a look they shrugged "Guess that's fair."  Jaune advised not ultimately concerned either way.

They shuffled their way to the living room to find a spot in the open fire.

"Jaune would you look over the meal while I get cleaned up please?"

He turned towards the voice as he spoke "Sure mom."

Standing up again brought out an obvious complaint from his legs… but that would pass in time.

"What do we have Jaune?"  Ren asked.

Opening the cook top Jaune answered "Looks like mostly meats.  Hotdogs and brats, that sort of thing.  Should be good once they are done.  Glad she had the foresight to bring buns too."

It was probably 20 minutes later when everybody had finished their showers to find a spot in the living room.  Once everybody had some food to feast on Mom decided to conclude her lecture.

"Now that everybody has had something to eat hopefully we can finish the lesson."  She smiled looking around the room.

Looking at each student in turn she asked "Can anybody tell me why we just hiked here?"

Jaune had long pondered that answer, and while he had guesses… he did not know for sure.

Evidently nobody had a definitive suggestion as no answer was given.

"How about why I prohibited anybody from using their aura to reinforce their body?"  Mom tried again.

That Jaune had a solid guess for "Because it wouldn't be fair, some of us have more Aura than others." 

Mom nodded at him "Any other guesses?"

"You wanted to see how well conditioned we are physically?"  Yang guessed having experienced some of Ms. Arc's style of instruction previously.

Mom looked around the room again waiting for another suggestion.

"Anything else?"

It was obvious she was trying to get to something specifically… something nobody was leaning towards.

"Why don't you tell us Ma'am?"  Weiss requested.

Mom smiled again.

"Being a Hunter is not an easy job.  It might have its perks, but it is about as demanding a job which exists.  How far do you think we hiked today?"  She asked.

When nobody answered her she continued.

"When you are on assignments, either given through an institution like Beacon, or something which you find for yourself.  There is naturally going to be an aspect of traveling included with that assignment."

"But Ma'am, that is why we have Bullheads.  They take us to the trouble spot."  Weiss put forth.

Mom shook her head.

"They might take you to a town Ms. Schnee, but surely you understand how many villages have been abandoned or lost over time."

Weiss frowned.

"What we did today is what, on the average, a Huntsman must travel to complete an assignment after they have taken transportation as far as it will go.  You are considering obtaining the assignment, landing at the location given, and seeking out the Grimm causing problems.  In some instances it will be even longer, in others a shorter distance.  But you can expect it to be a sizable distance on the average."

She let that sink in for several heartbeats when another question was asked.

"So why limit our ability to use aura if you weren’t concerned about some people have more than the rest of us?" Ren asked.

Mom smiled again briefly.

"Mr. Lie, I try to instruct as to prepare my students for the worst case scenario.  Can you think of no instances when you would not have access to your aura?"

Suddenly Jaune got it.

"If the mission went poorly, your partner was wounded and you had no aura left over?"

"Or, you had to save yours… whatever you had left for when you would have to fight again… yes."  Mom finished for him.

The friends shared a slightly concerned glance with each other as the weight of those words sunk in.

Mom stood to get another serving before sitting down to speak again.

"That is why I start my year with this lesson.  Many of you are talented fighters, many of you are blessed physically.  But being a Hunter is more than learning to fight or track competently.  The halfway point today was just that.  On the average half of what you can expect an assignment to require.  Granted sure in some cases paths will be available and they won't be on uneven terrain.  But others can be just as hostile and may even be worse."

She paused and was pleased at having captured the attention of the room.

"There is a reason I preach discipline and hard work.  I have always lauded those principles over others and I will continue to do so for as long as I am a Professor.  I hope to open your eyes to the difficulties of this job now, so you all can better prepare for it.  As you can tell some of you are better prepared than others, but all of you have room to grow.  Do not be happy with getting done on time, do not be happy with doing the minimum needed to accomplish your goal.  Because in some cases doing the minimum will not be enough.  That is what I will be doing to the best of my ability with you all in this class.  I hope to teach you to push yourself forwards more and more.  That is my biggest goal with you all."

The twins shared a smile…

_Tough… but fair._

Mom let that speech fade before checking her scroll.

"Ok, you all can relax for a bit if you wish but I would suggest turning in early.  Tomorrow we have our march back.  Your clothing should be ready to go by the time we need to set out."

"Where do we sleep Ma'am?  I don't see any beds?"  Weiss asked clearly letting the lesson sink in.

Mom made a hand motion towards a closet on the side.

"You can find blankets, pillows and sleeping rolls in there.  The fire should stay going throughout the night.  I will however be claiming the bed on the second floor."  At that she smiled mischievously and walked the steps to the upper level.

The group seemed rooted to their spots for several heartbeats before Yang complained "My legs felt like they would fall off… I don't see how she can say we are gona be marching back tomorrow."

"I guess you better get to bed early, get plenty to drink and let your aura heal you up eh?"  Ruby claimed wisely.  A glance upstarts to Ms. Arc let on that she was trying to take these lessons to heart.

Exhaustion seemed to speak more than anybodies desire and following that simple exchange they seemed to spread out finding a spot to rest after all the brats and hotdogs were gone.

Unsurprising to Jaune, his Partner found herself nearby seeking a way to keep warm if not a pillow of a manner of speaking.  Sharing each other's smile, the Partners settled in for the night.

**A/N**

**Ok firstly put away your torches and pitchforks.  I am suffering writers block on the Kate X Ren bonus chapter but I still tinker with it time to time.  I have not forgotten about it so those of you who desire it please be patient until I can complete it.  I am not a professional anything much less a smut writer but I DO try to make things as good as I can.  Turns out that’s proving very difficult in that setting.**

**Thank you for your continued support.  Please like/fav/follow/review/comment yada yada your feedback to me.  I will always talk about my story or other subjects besides.**

**Any questions please IM/EMAIL/ or Note me via various communication methods.**

**Thank you for reading, and I will see you next time.**


	38. Y3 Fall: Foreboding Mysteries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've returned from their trip... what could possibly happen now?

3.13

Getting everybody back to Beacon turned out a simpler endeavor than leaving in the first place.  Something which the majority of the group was very grateful for.  The return trip lacked the carrying aspect but they remained assured that going forward to expect a high degree of challenge.  Many of them would not have objected to the burden of carrying their Partner but… that point had already been made.

Arriving back at Beacon's rear gate the group paused for a brief talk.

"Alright everybody hold up."  The Professor ordered.

Jaune happily reduced his speed and found a place near his partner and twin.  The 3 of them were leading the pack in their jog back, though not to the extent they did previously.  The rest of their group was fairly close behind them.

Mom seemed to consult her scroll before commenting "I have to admit we made good time back.  Seems like I get to release you all a bit early."

Pyrrha from her spot instantly perked up at that "So you don't have anything else planned?"  She inquired.

"I could resort to torture or possibly laps around the school but regrettably I am not that bored."

….

….

Mom evidently teased.

"Uh huh…"  Jaune stated skeptically.

Mom's straight face finally broke as she shook her head "No I do not, but wait around here before I release everybody."

Pyrrha turned her gaze to her partner as a smile found its way into her features "I guess that means we get to have weapons practice tonight!"

She hummed happily.

Jaune chuckled "Yeah… I guess so."  _Not even going to joke about preferring the torture or laps._

Katherine couldn't help but agree "We do need to practice so… yeah I suppose we will have time tonight."

Mom smiled but did not comment, in the next few moments the rest of the group reached the gates.  She wanted until everybody had more or less caught their breath before moving on.

"Alright folks congratulations on your first class with me being concluded.  This initial lesson is meant to be very jarring so do not let yourself get too down if you felt as though you were struggling.  But I would however advise you all to increase your level of preparation outside of classes.  One thing I have always felt Hunting Institutions did not do a good enough job of is in their prep work for how physically demanding the job can be.  Take these last 2 days as a measuring stick and always remember to keep working hard.  Challenge yourself do not use your aura all the time, push your body.  The more you can push yourself in a safe environment the more room you have to be pushed in a hostile one."

Ruby evidently felt curious enough to ask a question "How did we do compared to previous classes Ma'am?"

Mom chuckled.

"To be honest you did well, very well.  The Junior class this year is admittedly proving to be very talent rich.  It is rare for two teams to be selected for the advance class and it is rarer still for both of those teams to actively support and root for each other.  Everybody has room to grow but this first class did set a high mark I will admit that."

She allowed the group a moment of self congratulations via friendly smiles and high fives before resuming.

"Next week will be very much the same, expect to be challenged, expect to be stressed.  Always remember to come well rested."

Looking at the two individuals in question she continued "Ms. Arc and Ms. Schnee if you wouldn’t mind to stick around for a few minutes after class.  The rest of you can enjoy your afternoon."

"Ma'am, will all of our advance classes take up 2 days like this one?"  Jaune asked with a curious glance towards his sister.

"No, not all.  Many will yes but… no all of them will not."  She answered.

Pyrrha smiled again "Well… lets go get cleaned up… we have some time to relax before our weapons practice!"

Her radiant smile lead him to move inside the campus grounds.  Though Pyrrha's hand gripping his own might have had something to do with that too.

"Good idea… I could rest my feet a bit."  Yang agreed.

Ruby looked at her Partner, and received a nod. 

Weiss shuffled her feat looking a bit out of place as Ruby turned to follow the rest of her team.  She moved in front of the Professor standing next to Katherine.

Ms. Arc's gaze followed her students as they moved away before turning front again.

"Don't look so defensive Ms. Schnee I just want to talk."  She tried not to sound or appear amused given the Heiresses body language.  It was rather easy to understand the Heiresses hesitation.

Weiss tried to take a deep breath always having been intimidated to a degree by the Veteran Huntress before her.

"I just… I am unsure what you want to speak about.  Though I might have an idea."

Katherine moved to the side a few feet to give them some privacy anticipating a rather private talk.

"You feel you have some idea of what I want to say?"  Mom inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Weiss took another deep breath and nodded slowly.

"I didn't do well… I just am nervous I guess."

Ms. Arc grinned.

"Oh?"

Talking via nervous energy Weiss spoke on "I didn't do well carrying Ruby… I really struggled I barely made it at all if Jaune didn’t know what to say if … I … er… sigh…"

Ms. Arc made a face.

"Weiss… I did not want to talk to you about your performance…"

The Heiress froze now a bit unsure of where this talk was going….

"… But, I feel as though YOU want to talk about it."  Mom at that found a nearby bench.  A friendly gesture invited Weiss to join her.

Weiss closed her eyes in another deep breath… but made the needed steps to sit down.

"I … let everybody down."  She stated.

Deb angled her head to the side…

"How?"

Weiss blinked…

"How?  I mean it's obvious I barely got Ruby to the top of that hill!  If Jaune didn’t… I might not have been able to finish that climb."

The older woman smiled "But you DID get her up top."

Weiss looked up at her.

"Weiss… You did not make it look flashy, it was not easy for you.  But you did it."

Weiss seemed unsure of what to say.

"Ms. Schnee… I think you have a great deal you can do privately to assist you.  You do I think need to treat more seriously your preparation for being a Huntress especially in the physicality department.  I know you have stepped up what you do… but I feel as though you can do more that what you currently do."

Weiss held her gaze trying to soak in the words… not really fighting or arguing against them.

"Katherine gave me some things to do… I have been doing them privately.  It… hasn't been enough I guess."  She confessed.

Ms. Arc seemed to connect the dots quickly.

"You do appear in better shape than I last saw you… I grant you that.  But… I still feel as though you can do more.  Moreover… you need to tailor those routines to what works best for you Weiss.  Work smarter, not always harder."

Weiss hesitated "What do you mean?"

Deb issued a friendly smile again.

"Weiss… why do you always workout alone?"

_Why indeed?_

_I get judgmental, I don't like to sweat around people I don’t like people being sweaty around me…._

_But…_

_I don't like getting shown up either… yeah …. that too..._

"You don't have to speak it, I can probably guess the majority of what your hesitant to say.  Regardless I do have some wisdom to share, if you are willing to hear it."

Weiss looked up at her again.

"Thoughts of your team, of your loved ones obviously are powerful for you.  Ruby motivates you, that has been made clear now 2 times in very different manners.  Working alone deliberately counters that advantage.  You give up the biggest asset you have in pushing yourself, by not being around them."

Weiss blinked "So you think I should join the team in their routines?"  This talk clearly has not gone the way she expected.

Mom nodded "I think all of RWBY should join in to be frank.  You all are friends and in your own ways, each adds to the other.  I think you should consider that very carefully."

Weiss nodded… It was a valid point and one worth thinking about for sure.

"So… what did you actually want to talk about if not my performance?"

Deb chuckled.

"Right.  Your dress and high heels…. is that really what you wear on hunting assignments?"

Weiss could only blink at the question.

"Well… yes, naturally?"

Katherine from her spot a few meters away could only wait patiently for whatever mom wanted to say… though a grin when she heard the words 'Dress and high heels' could not be avoided… she definitely wasn't NOT trying to satisfy that curiosity of hers when she chose to hear that either… not at all.

A few moments later Weiss stood up looking more than a little relieved.

"See you later tonight Kate!"  She waved walking with much more confidence towards her dorm room.

Kate gave a hand wave and pushed herself off the wall anxious to get cleaned up and relax before Pyrrha's inevitable return to the dubious throne of Tyrants Weapons Practice 101.

"What did you two talk about?"  She asked curiously.

Mom grinned "About her chosen garments mostly."

Katherine rose an eyebrow "Seemed like a long time to talk about her style of dress."

Mom shrugged.  "Let's get back to the classroom… There's a few things I'd like to mention."

Walking back to the classroom Kate couldn't help but ask "Things you want to tell me not Jaune?"

Shrugging Mom evidently decided it was ok not to wait until the privacy of the classroom as she answered "I wanted to remind you that both you and he will have private lessons with me over the term.  I have to make sure you have a solid foundation not just a hurried rushed one."

Kate nodded knowing that much already.

Mom looked hesitant…"Also…to know if you were ok with Jaune and Pyrrha getting new armor."

Kate made a surprised face.  "Of course I am… I am happy for them why wouldn't I be?"

Deb looked sideways towards her daughter "I didn't want to offend you…  I gave your teammate something before I had something made for you."

Kate shrugged "I don’t need armor… I got Uncle Roberts robe.  You already had it tailored for me… remember?"

Deb smiled sadly… she didn’t exactly forget that.

Opening the door to the classroom she continued "I still felt as though I should ask the question Katherine."

Katherine followed her in the room and closed the door behind her.

"No I am perfectly ok with them getting a suit.  The robe suits me perfectly."

Deborah sighed… that ever humble aspect to her twins continued to rear its head.

"You really are not upset?"

Katherine huffed "No… I am not.  I do not fight as they do I do not need armor."

Mom crossed her arms.  It was a tradition of a sort for all Arc's to get something made for them.  Tailored to their needs as they became an adult and took on more responsibilities and duties.  She did not want Katherine to feel left out or slighted.

"Is there anything you do need?"  Deb asked.

Kate crossed her arms appearing to think about it. "In terms of gear?  No not really.  I will think on it though… see what I can come up-"

The knock on the door cut her off.

Mom veered her torso back to look through the door window.

"It's Mr. Lie… huh I wonder what he wants to talk about."

She wanted several heartbeats for a response before swiveling her gaze around the room.

"Katherine!"

Several heartbeats past before A chair toppling over was all that would answer her. 

Her way of saying "I'm staying right here!" apparently.

_That semblance and infinite curiosity of hers!_

The door knocked a second time.

"I could just let him walk away you know!"  Deb teased.

That time 2 chairs fell over.

Withholding a chuckle and putting on a straight face she moved up to the door.  As it creaked open she put forth as much of a smile that she could muster.

"Mr. Lie… did you forget something in the room?"  She asked.

Ren shook his head deliberately before answering "No… I had hoped to talk to you."

Deb hesitated just long enough to make him second guess himself before letting him in the room.  Swinging the door shut it clanged closed behind her.

"You wanted to speak about the class?"  She guessed moved back towards her desk.

Ren shook his head once more keeping a clear head.

"I think you miss understand.   I am not trying to talk to Professor Arc…"

Mom made a face.

"… I am trying to talk to Ms.  Arc."

…

_OH!_

Deb moved behind her desk on the ground level trying to keep her hands busy.

Ren followed her down noting the glyph on the ground… though a dim color now clearly set to off.

Deb pulled her gaze up to Ren noting that Kate briefly let herself become visible behind him before quickly vanishing again.

_I can't decide who to torment here… Ren or my daughter….  Maybe try for both?_

Uncoiling her hair and letting it flow free she went as close as she could to 'Ms. Arc'  dressed as she was for a class.

"Ok… What would you like to talk about?  I hear you have been trying to speak to me for awhile.  Surely you realize you could have called at any time?"  She inquired.

He took a deep breath.

"Well… I could have called but… in my home you would do this in person or not at all."

Katherine could barely contain herself from chuckling or even maybe giggling at her friend.  All this time swearing he had to do this without her presence and he gets his opportunity with her in the room!  Some part of her being told her to leave… a bigger part couldn’t help but stay and watch.

Mom seemed to grin.

"I had heard your hometown met a rather unfortunate fate… I don't recall hearing the name."

Ren seemed to sigh… but did not lose his composure.

"It is a small village… Kuroyuri."

Mom made a confused face.  "That is… or was located on the far edge of Haven Territory correct?   Nearest to Mistral but… well beyond even that?"

Ren nodded "Yes… it isn't standing now… but you are correct.  That is where it was located."

Deb sat down on the desk crossing her arms. "I had heard as much from Jaune… at least that minus the name.  The world needs more Hunters…"

She sighed.

"In that we agree… it is that fact which led me to this school."

She looked up with a smile.  "With Nora in tow right?"

Ren gave a slight chuckle.

"Being a Huntress always fascinated her.  I know her parents wanted her to enlist in the military as was their family tradition.  But after hearing my story she wanted to smash evil not other people…. as she would say anyway."

Mom smiled "Being divided never helped anybody…" she rose her eyebrows clearly giving him a chance to speak his mind.

Ren took the pause as his chance to speak "I had wanted to talk to you… about Katherine."

Kate reappeared behind him giving a slight jump and a silent applause before once again vanishing.

He cocked his head to the side as if he thought something was behind him…

"Yes. Mr. Lie?"  Mom prompted.

Shaking his head he faced forward again and took a deep breath.

"I guess there is no point dancing around the matter… I would like your permission to date her."

Mom withheld the laugh which threatened to emerge at the statement.

"Just like that?"

Ren nodded "Might as well."

From her spot being them Kate could tell mom was contemplating her options…

_Well I might as well make him work for it… With how long he made her wait I can tease him a bit._

"Why?  Why Katherine?"

Ren blinked at the question.

"Excuse me?"

Deb smiled mischievously nearly exactly to how Kate might herself as she asked "Why Katherine?  Why do you want to date her?"

He blinked again… not expecting this line of questioning at all.

"Well… I mean that’s a rather complex question."  He admitted.

Mom's smiled grew as she moved on…

_She is enjoying this way too much…._

"You would not be the first person to be taken with her appearance… many people have asked for her hand previously."

Ren cocked his head to the side…

"That doesn't surprise me… but I did not know that."

Deb shrugged "That might be why she likes to be as open and carefree as she is.  She is the youngest daughter of a Noble house Mr. Lie… many others have inquired if she would be willing."

Ren smiled suddenly getting an idea of what Ms. Arc was letting on…

"How did she respond to those offers I wonder?"

Mom smiled "The last time?  With a bucket of ice water.  I think her own words were 'I do not need pompous people inquiring about me, If I am interested I will make it known.'  She was always a bit of a handful at home."  _Several handfuls to be fair.._

Ren smiled seemingly eager to hear about her life at home.

Mom grinned when Kate reappeared with her arms crossed tapping her finger seemingly bored before once again vanishing.

_She has the aura reserve to literally keep this up forever… Eh… oh well.  I am after all making him work for it is all._

Mom's smile hid a slightly more nefarious purpose as she spoke on.  "She was always one to do what she wanted and if she was interested in somebody… well there was very little holding her back.  As we traveled I think she took it as a challenge to prove me wrong as often as she could.  I am rather surprised she hasn't found somebody to bond with at Beacon to be frank."

She gave him a pointed look at that.

Ren chuckled seemingly sad "She has been very patient with me… I admit that."

Mom cocked her head to the side.

"You have not answered my question Mr. Lie…"

He looked confused "About her appearance?"

Mom nodded.

He sighed hiding a smile "Well she doesn't lack for beauty… but to be honest that isn't entirely why I ask for the chance."

Mom made a face and nodded to go on.

"Katherine… it is true she is the prettiest person I have seen, I knew that from the meeting we had last year.  However… it's her less talked about aspects that drew me too her.  Beauty is only skin deep as the saying goes."

Deciding to draw this out a bit more Mom couldn’t seem to help herself as she asked "You like her stubbornness?"

Ren laughed "Well… I wouldn't call it that.  Everybody can be stubborn.  But her loyalty… her dependability… her traits almost nobody speaks about is what really drew me too her."

Ducking her head down and still keeping her arms cross Deb decided she might as well move this on now…

"Ren… what makes you think Kate would wait for my word on if she is allowed to date you?"

Ren seemed surprised at the question "Well… I guess that isn't my place to say.  However regardless I am asking if I can date her… not if she can date me."

Deb smiled once again…

_Jaune and Pyrrha seem as though they have bonded stronger than any pair she had ever seen and the benefits of that Partnership are visible in the air around them.  She is truly happy for her boy in that regard.  However she always hoped that one day Kate would reign in that rebellious aspect of herself and try to find a match in a way similar to her twin.  Not getting ahead of herself but Ren did seem like a good enough man.  He will have trouble keeping up with my girl but… eh that’s the way it should be._

Changing topics Deb asked "How much do you know about this custom you are trying to follow?"

The topic change left him a touch off guard.

"Not much I am afraid."  He admitted.

Meeting his gaze "Mr. Lie… Ren.   It is not a custom specifically of your home... that you are trying to follow.  It is something which is directly related to the region in general."

Ren cocked his head to the side "How do you mean?"

Taking on a more serious tone Deb answered "The loss of Kuroyuri… I am familiar with it.  It was a massive pack of Grimm which claimed a multitude of villages in the frontier."

Ren nodded keeping his composure.

"I will spare you as many unpleasant memories as I can, but I think you should be made aware of a few things.  What you probably do not know about that situation… is that the pack in question was stopped specifically because of the bravery and sacrifice of your hometown."

He blinked "Huh?"

"Ren… this pack was exceptionally devastating.  It had ransacked a half dozen villages at a speed that made it nearly impossible for Huntsmen to respond.  They simply operated too quick… too efficiently for the Haven Hunters to respond to it.  They were too fast, they moved in unforeseen ways and unpredictable patterns.  We just had a lesson about the distance Hunters must travel?  Well they cannot react instantly in the field.  There is a delay in Hunters deploying to hot spots.  Even those in the field need time to redeploy and intercept those large threats.  Those Huntsmen in charge knew of the pack… they just could never find it or lock it down.  Given its size they could not deploy enough Hunters to keep every village safe… so they had to try and move as a group and intercept it."

Ren nodded focusing in on Ms. Arc seemingly back in her Professor mode.

"The time your people bought allowed for Hunters to rally to the threat.  They encircled it and cut off the pack before it could spread to other villages.  You were only pursued by a small number of Grimm If I recall correctly?"

Ren thought back, they did last many days maybe numbering a couple weeks.  Ms. Arc was absolutely correct in claiming that they didn’t go down easy.  "It isn't exactly the most pleasant or clear of memories… but yes.  It was only a couple beasts which pursued me… anymore and I am unsure if Nora's Father would have been able to handle them."

Standing up Mom continued "Ren, that was made possible due to the time they bought.  As more Huntsmen arrived the pack tried to disperse.  I know it isn't any consolation but the sacrifice of your people were not in vain.  They prevented more loss of life."

Ren smiled again… it hardly made what happened worthwhile to him but it gave him a small amount of pride that his people are remembered for something.

"Thank you for telling me that but… why go into that now?"

Mom smiled again "Because the tradition you are trying to follow is not to ask the parents.  It is to specifically ask the girl's father."

Ren frowned, Deb seemed to be serious and knowledgeable enough on the subject.  "Well… suppose I do not respect the father enough to ask him.  Furthermore given his absence I fail to see why the mother couldn’t answer the question on her own."  He claimed grinning.

Mom smiled again "I never said I believe otherwise… just letting you know as much of your home that I can.  I cannot claim to be incredibly familiar with it but you don’t serve as a Huntress for as long as I have and not pick up a few things."

She paused and seemed in thought looking behind him.

Ren seemed unsure given Ms. Arc's silence as she moved to the door.

"Ren, It is not my place to say who can or cannot pursue my daughter.  In the past children have been used as a political weapon or tool.  Something the last few generations of Arc's have tried to reign in and abolish.  I would say yes… but I think your focus is better suited to asking her directly.  Just… be careful what you ask for."

At that she opened the door and deliberately not giving Ren time to leave… shut the door behind her.

_Why would she do that…_

A sound behind him made him turn around…

Kate was leaning against a wall with a sadistic smile as she more or less tried not to giggle at him.

"I felt like somebody was behind me that entire time…"  He claimed scratching his head.

She seemed to enjoy him seeming very out of place and just slowly walked towards him.

"Uh… I … uba….y-Yes?"  He stuttered out captivated by her seductive walk.  It seemed like she very much had a switch… and if that switch was on she was about the most seductive attention demanding person he had ever heard of.  It was most definitely switched 'on' now.

Grinning ear to ear Kate couldn’t help herself at this point.

"Ren."  She prompted.

Gulping "Yes?"

She loosened her top.

"The truth or dare from last year?"  She purred.

He nodded "Y-Y-Yes, I remember."

She leaned closer and spoke in a whisper "Do that."

He hesitated "But I'm still dirty from the hike."

She grinned deeper "So what?  I am too."

He couldn't really formulate any other objections mentally even if he wanted too… it always was known if Kate wanted something it was nigh impossible for her to NOT get it…

At that moment Ren was rather willing too.

Out in the hall moving back to her quarters Deb couldn’t help but smile… the private lessons between them could be arranged later, though… Jaune could probably do something on his way back.

***En route to the JNPR/RWBY dorm room***

Jaune did not particularly want to extend the time between getting back to his dorm and relaxing a bit before he went through weapon practice tonight… but some things just were not to be.  At least not right away.

_I guess it isn't like there wouldn’t be a wait for the shower anyway._

The good news is the reason for the delay was to bring the dogs currently staying with Mom to his dorm given Mom is going to be in Forever Fall Forest with second years on Friday.  As such once he escaped the avalanche of happy dogs all of which were excited to see him he was able to bring them along home.

In any case getting back was almost sure to provide some measure of entertainment.  He could hear something being said even from the outer hallway but it was only once he got into the joint walk way past the coat closest that he was able to understand what was being said.

"Ruby… why is Zwei here?"  Blake's obviously dubious voice inquired.

"I'm about to load up the video now… I don’t know for sure.  But at least you get along with Zwei right!"

"Really I just got used to not living with dogs all the time!"  She declared a touch frustrated.

One of the dogs issued an amused yelp only to begin wagging his tail.

"Remember take it easy around Blake ok Guys?"  He requested.

Another canine issued a slight growl.

"Ok ok and girls.  Happy?"

With a smirk… he kicked off his shoes.

"Why… why do I suddenly feel outnumbered?"  Blake wondered out loud.

"Maybe Weiss got back?"  Ruby suggested.

A few rapid steps echoed through the room until the RWBY dorm opened up.

"Really I … do….not…."  Blake just stepped backward…. and closed the door.

"I am going to read a book.  Pretend I didn’t see anything and read some more.  Then I might scream…"  Blake would continue to speak presumably but Jaune taking a couple steps towards his teams room across the hall prohibited anything further.

"Ok fellas go ahead and find a spot in the living room."

The 4 pooches energetically moved down the hall to presumably find a comfortable spot as requested.

"OH DOOGIES!"  Nora advertised excitedly.

"Doggies?"  Yang repeated.

With a smile Jaune opened and shut the door behind him.

"Hey again Jaune."  Pyrrha stated in greeting.

"Hey Pyr."  He responded getting ready for his shower.  His armor would need to be stored in a case after it was cleaned off.  Something which was conveniently waiting for him on his bed.  He treated the metal and prepared the Nanofiber for its cleaning via the case… specially built to maintain the entire suit. 

He might not have asked for the gift in the first place but he was determined to take care of it.  It would be disrespectful beyond measure to receive something many are completely unable to obtain only to squander it by not taking care of it properly.

Only once the armor maintenance was done did he try to find his robe for a shower.

…

And summarily noticed that a few things including his robe… seemed to be missing.

"Hey have you seen my … stuff..."  He asked turnings towards his Partner… and noted she had not showered yet.  Though she did seem to have taken the time to clean off her new armor and get it stored away as he did.

With an overly innocent smile Pyrrha declared "I figured …. we could keep with tradition so… I waited for you."

She grinned playfully.

"You… might have some bruises I need to seek out… I know I do."  She grinned not quite innocently.

Jaune grinned right back… he had expected this eventuality but figured she wouldn’t be as eager to shower here compared to at her house.  But…

"Well I am ok with that… I assume you have everything in the bathroom already?"

He received another even less innocent grin in return "Come on in and see."

She moved in a very inviting manner before turning back and winking at her Partner, then entered the bathroom.

_Well… this is not entirely unwelcome.  Might as well enjoy our free time._

Once he shed his under clothing he joined Pyrrha in the shower stall.  For a time they did nothing but  give each other friendly pecks and hug in an affectionate manner.  He could not help but note the happy looks she always seemed to wear of late.

"The shower has plenty of room to move around." He observed.

She nodded "Bigger than the plane at least."  Taking the prepared rag in her hands she began the task of getting the grim off him.

_Guess  she wants to take the lead this time…_

Oh well… if it makes her smile that’s enough for me.

Both ended up smiling for more than one reason before the water cut off.

***Joint Living Room***

"YAAAAAAANNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!"  Her sisters voice echoed through the room.

_Nope nope NOPE!  I did not hear any of that._

A certain exhausted Brawler mused.

Finally… A sofa… a comfy sofa.  I've cleaned myself off… I can rest my aching limbs, forget about being sore and just let go for a bit. 

Jaune and Pyrrha have some alone time… Nora is playing with some surprise pooches… Blake is in hiding in our room.  Ruby will undoubtedly want to play with the dogs too.  Finally,  I can just put my feet up and relax-

"YAAANNGG!!   YYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!"

_I still did not hear that… I am still going to pretend I didn’t hear that._

_"YAAAANNNGGGG!""_

_Nope nope nope nobody is going to interrupt my relaxing-_

A door burst open and overly excited steps announced another's approach...

"YANG YANG YANG YANG YAAANNNNGGG!!!!"

A sigh escaped her hips.

"Yes Ruby I hear you."  _However Much I just swore I didn’t…_

Yang finally turned towards her sister….

"Why and how are you carrying Zwei?"

Yang expected to see Ruby in her post typical post shower mood.  Bouncing with youthful energy in that way which is almost irritating for the sore and tired to witness.

She did not entirely… see that.  Something felt off… but she did appear excited.

"Dad sent us Zwei see!"  She held said pooch out until the dog abandoned Ruby's grip to land comfortably on Yang's chest.

Sighing again Yang advised "Ruby I would like to rest a bit… what has you all excited?"

It was as Ruby reached behind her back to pull out a scroll Yang began to get the feeling Ruby's excitement and otherwise happy outlook was a bit forced.  Maybe bordering on frantic.

"It is this message from Dad."  She answered plainly.

"Ruby I'm tired and sore… plus I  just got a chance to relax.  Can you tell me without making me watch the recording?"

Ruby's posture seemed to freeze… and lose almost all of that youthful energy.

"Like I said its Dad and Qrow… I get it though you want to rest.  I'll leave you alone."

The drastic change in tempo took Yang off target a bit "Hey Ruby c'mon."

Ruby spun around "I am tired too Yang!  I just went through that same class too!"

Yang retreated a bit at the sudden outburst as Ruby… as if a cork just popped could not stop her rant even if she wanted too.

"Yeah I am sore too!  But you know what?  At least YOUR mom had the decency of saying goodbye!  I'm so tired of never knowing about our parents and that message doesn’t help!  You could at least act like you care!"  Ruby dropped a scroll on the sofa.

"Hey c'mon Ruby I haven't even read the message yet!  Give me a chance to catch up alright?  You've already got a leg up… no pun intended on me."  She entreated.

_C'mon legs you need to move._

The Reaper seemed to regret her outburst… but none the less took a deep breath and advised "Yeah well… I don't want to watch it again.  Take a look when you can or don't it's your decision.  Sorry for shouting at you."

"Ruby wait!"  Yang requested… to no avail.  Regardless of the fact her legs were being a bit rebellious at the moment… She tried to get life back in them.  Ruby seemed very much put off about something.

Zwei seemed to sense that Yang was rather rooted to her spot and tried to be helpful by punting the scroll over the few arm lengths needed for Yang to claim it.

"Thanks fur ball."

'Ruff Ruff!' 

At least the sight of her dog did some small measure of cheering her up.

"Any idea what's on this thing Zwei?"

Zwei would only sit down and cock her head to the side.

With a  forced chuckle Yang advised:

"Go ahead and say hi to the other dogs around here alright?"

Zwei gave another happy bark… before bouncing her way towards the other canines just a few doggy trots over yonder.

_Whatever this message is really seemed to get a reaction out of Ruby… I suppose I didn’t help with… I'm not sure what I did actually._

Taking another deep breath, Yang put on the ear buds then hit play on the loaded video… and took in the scene.

First thing she saw was a male hand slowly edging away from the picture.  In the next moments the hand gave way to her father, Taiyang.  Standing with the same sandy blonde hair he had become known for in his rather boring brown clothing.  However joining them were his gauntlets and leg guards.   Yang had not seen him dressed that way personally ever.  Only ever seeing them in pictures previously.

_Dad is dressed like he is going to be a Huntsman again._

Taiyang moved a chair creaking its way along the floor so he could sit and look more levelly at the scroll.

"Hey there girls.  Hopefully… you are watching this together.  If not… well I guess I will just have to repeat myself like always."  He tried to grin in good humor… but it came across as forced.

Clearing his throat Tai continued "Well… you no doubt noticed that I sent you Zwei again.  This time… it is going to be a bit more permanent by necessity."

_Permanent?  What do you mean?  He isn't… !_

"Yang… I have watched you grow up all your life.  You take after your old man in just enough ways to make me swell with pride.  I know your mom would be proud of you regardless of the fact she isn't with me now to say it."

"Ruby… you are so like your mother it shocks me most days.  I mean that in the best way possible.  She is a remarkable woman."

He took a deep breath.

"It is time for both of you to learn something.  It is something I have not wanted to keep secret for so long… but… It was done for a good reason.  Which is why I agreed to play my part."

From the edge of the picture her Uncle Qrow moved in behind Taiyang.

"Hey girls."  His gruff voice advertised with a wave.

"Yang… Ruby.  There is so much I want to say that I sadly do not have time for.  This rather snuck up on me… on us and… well this is the best goodbye we can manage."

Dad took another deep breath… and seemed to struggle keeping his voice even.

"Raising you both… has been the highlight of my life.  I meant to do it so my girls would be spared the realities just beyond the woods… just beyond civilization.  It is the job of the Huntsmen and Huntresses of the world to keep others safe from Grimm.  I did not desire you two to follow in our footsteps… but I have tried to give you the freedom to choose your own way in life."

"Sadly… I always knew a time would come when I… we… would need to rejoin our team…"

Yang's eyes grew huge in shock.

 _Rejoin the TEAM?!_  

"You see, your Aunt, Summer… is not dead.  She was never dead.  You mom… Raven.  She never abandoned you as a child either.  Rather they has served in the frontier for years.  In a mix of both undercover work and-"

"Tai."  Qrow said simply.

Dad nodded sadly "Sorry… some things I shouldn't say.  Just… I guess I should get on with it.  I am leaving everything to both of you.  Zwei I sent on already and a neighbor has stated she would look in and make sure everything stays together while you are away."

_NO NO NO NO NO!_

"Dad!"

"Yang… my little sun dragon.  Take care of your sister.  Maybe in time you will understand why I need to do this.  I hope… if I am lucky to be able to tell you myself.  But… for now.  Your Uncle and I need to leave, we have watched over you both for as long as we can.  Now, we need to go.  You both have grown up into such amazing girls and, I wish you nothing but the best of luck and a lifetime of happiness.  Ruby, you have grown up into  wonderful woman.  My advice to you remains the same, lay off the cookies a bit.  But, you also have grown up so well and beautiful.  Be happy, both of you.  I hope to see you again someday but until then… this is Goodbye."

Yang froze and held her breath for several moments… to the point she barely registered Qrow getting his turn and saying his own short farewell.

"Yang keep your chin up and be strong, remember don't always let your emotions lead you on so much.  Ruby keep doing what you do and remember to keep your heels off the ground when you move!  It slows your swing down!"  Qrow advised with a sad smile.

"We love you both… be safe and be happy."

Ending almost as it began A hand moved forward… and then everything froze into nothingness.

_That… was not the time to get Ruby upset with me._

Yang had made a reputation for herself as a never dying fire… this bright and energetic entity that nothing ever let keep them down…

That fire seemed like a kindle to what she normally felt in her life.

The Brawler was extremely torn on the matter.  Part of her wanted the throw the scroll in anger… another part of her wanted to scream.  Yet another part of her wanted to move towards her sister and issue the hug she KNEW Ruby wanted right now.

Instead all she had right now was a sense of nothingness… the same empty feeling caused her to bring her hands to her face and just blot everything out for a time. 

Instead she was jarred to the fact that her face was a lake of wetness that just seemed to perpetually fall.

"I'm supposed to be the mature one and I can't even keep myself together."  She complained to nobody in particular.

_Damn these tears damn them and DAMN Them too for leaving us again!  First Summer Then Mom AND NOW both of them too!_

_DAMN THESE TEARS STOP CRYING!_

Sadly… she seemed unable to do that at the moment.

Yang would continue to derail herself mentally and it probably took more than a handful of attempts from the speaker before the Brawler recognized the voice.

Though… it wasn't a sound that got her attention.

It was rather the gentle and warm weight of a dogs chin resting on her thigh.

Another gentle grumble emanated from the dog.

"Sensed somebody with their hands free did you… sorry I am not in the best of moods right now."  She claimed.

The dog -Tyrion- made a friendly sounding growl before sitting down formally in front of her.

With a sigh and a sniffle Yang whipped her face free of tears "Look I… I am tired I am thirsty my legs feel like they are dead and I just got a very depressing message.  You know it isn't really a doggy concern alright?"

Ty sharpened his gaze on the Brawler.

"Sorry just… I really want to be alone right now."  Yang brought her hands to her face again as the dog turned on its heel and walked away.

"Great… take out your problems on a nice dog… way to be mature Yang.  Perfect way to set an example."

She remained hunched over until a rather cold object poked her in the side.

Spinning abruptly she demanded "Hey What is poking me in… the… leg…"

The same golden dog stood next to her yet again… only this time with a water bottle in his mouth.

_You have got to be kidding me!  Well… maybe Kate wasn't kidding about sending dinner along with the dogs… huh._

Not long into standing there his tail started to wag.

"You got me something to drink?"  She asked claiming the bottle trying to ignore the slobber for the moment.

Tyrion just sat down again and -using his nose- moved Yang's hand carrying the bottle closer towards her body.

_Damn these dogs are smart…_

"You know I still haven't gotten used to the idea of you understanding what I say."

He seemed to grin but otherwise just began panting exactly like he appeared… a happy, healthy, and kind if… somewhat mischievous dog who at the moment… was concerned for a friend.

"I appreciate the drink but… I still have a lot on my mind."  She insisted wiping off the slobber using her shirt.

She really didn’t know what to expect when she said that… but it was obvious the dogs… at least this one considered her a friend.  Maybe even part of the pack.  As such… he stubbornly stayed where he is.

Yang huffed "Do you know how odd it is for me to vent to a dog?  Much less one that can understand me?"  She inquired.

Ty just cocked his head to the side but otherwise kept his brown and friendly eyes glued on the Brawler.

The 4 legged one ended up winning the staring contest.

With a sigh Yang patted the sofa next to her and said "Well… if you are gona listen you might as well be up here."

Not needing any further invitation Ty leapt up and promptly found a comfortable spot on the provided padding resting his head on her thigh.

Reaching a hand over to offer an ear scratch Yang bemused herself by saying "Still can't believe I'm here talking to a dog."

His tail wagged once.

She sighed sadly.

"I don't think dogs understand."

The tail wagged another time.

"Try me?"

Another wag….

_Oh…. what the hell…_

"Ok Pooch you want to listen?  Well… let's try this out."  She took a healthy gulp to discover it was not his cold nose that startled her… it was the bottle itself.

"How did you get this OUT of the fridge?"  She asked incredulously.

Ty opened and closed his mouth.

_It's like he said "With my mouth… duh."  Great I am being mocked by a dog._

Her misgivings aside… she found herself orating the situation… feeling a bit better the longer she spoke.

"My sister is mad at me… I am sore and don’t want to move.  My partner is probably panicking because there happen to be more dogs than people in the dorm right now…. and I am just confused about it all.  I guess I have been confused for awhile… but…  Ugh… this is silly."

Tyrion whined.

"None of that even gets into the fact that my dad just left… exactly like mom.  At least he had the decency to say goodbye.  Mom just left…"

More thoughts continued to spout forth that did not warrant speech.

"Dad keeps telling us to be an adult, if we are adults not and he doesn’t need to watch over us you'd THINK that means we are adult enough to know WHY everybody Ruby and I tend to love abandons us INCLUDING our uncle!  Speaking about Qrow what the actual hell!?  You TEACH Ruby how to fight basically serve as her motivation for becoming a Huntress and you don’t even see her in person?  Seriously what the @$@! …"

However much and regardless of how easy it is for Yang to get angry and seethe over the matter…

_Well I guess it’s a sign when I know getting angry won't help anything… must be Jaune's influence on that._

Ok _Little Sun Dragon_ , let's try to fix this mess… need to find Ruby… and … fix that.

Yang peered around the room as she spoke keeping a pleasant scratch going for the friendly dog making an interest.  Nora… seemed to be intrigued enough about the message was also keeping her distance out of a sense of privacy.  Though the 3 dogs she was contending clearly seemed to occupy much of her focus.

A nearly amused grumble cause Yang to return her gaze back to the nearby dog.

"What?"

Another insistent grumble from the dog later and Yang couldn’t resist at this point.

"Ok Pooch… I realize you can understand me but that doesn’t mean I can understand you.  We… need a better system than grunts."

"He says you should talk to Ruby."

Yang made a confused face before spinning around to face Nora again.

"Excuse me?"

Nora kept petting the other pooches but none the less advised "Trust me I am good with languages… I know what he means."

Despite her face taking on nothing but unhidden incredulity Yang could not find the energy to begin one of these arguments with Nora.  They tend to keep going until one runs out of the required energy to continue the debate and right now all she could do was just shrug… and accept defeat.

Before should could convince her exhausted aching and currently relaxing legs to move however…

Blake exciting the RWBY dorm room and turnings towards the joint living area prompted a grim on behalf of the people currently residing there.

"Ok… no dogs in the hallway…. clearly I was just seeing things.  There is no way that Jaune would bring 4 dogs into our living room I mean that would… not…. be………  YANG!!!!  You are playing with a DOG?!"

Yang grinned… but couldn’t come to an acceptable response.

"Well… Technically I am talking to one… and Zwei over there somewhere."  Yang corrected.

"And I have 3 over here!"  Nora advised.

"That’s it… I'm buying a cat… a ton of cats.  12 cats! … I can't afford 12 cats… I can get Jaune to help!  Yes I think it's fair if I have to live with dogs."

"Blake…"  Nora prompted.

Blake seemed to remain knee deep in her evil masterminding that she didn’t hear.

"I don’t think she understand if she had all those cats they would steal all the fish we had nearby…"

Freezing her machinations Blake glared down her friends in the room.

"They wouldn’t!"

Seconds later… she thought the better of it a handful of heartbeats later.

"A single cat wouldn't be too bad…"

"Blake?"  Yang tried this time.

Picking a book out of the nearby bookshelf Blake responded with "Sigh… Yes Yang?"

"Ruby is still in our room right?"

Blake began digging to her page even as she answered "Yeah… what's wrong by the way?  I was in the shower when she played the message."

Yang scowled at the question but finally convinced herself to stand.

"I don't really care to watch it again-"

The JNPR door opening up found Pyrrha with Jaune exiting at the same time.  Back in their lazy clothing wearing an irritating grin too happy for Yang's mood at present.

"Hey Guys.  Sorry about the dogs Blake… I didn't get much advance notice myself.  They will behave I promise."  Jaune entreated looking at each dog in turn.

Blake sat down accepting the scroll from Yang's hand with a scoff "They better behave."

Trust Jaune she might…. it was obvious when it came to canines she was very dubious.  None the less dogs or no dogs… she had to double back to the topic of the message if for no other reason… Yang seemed very upset by the entire thing.

"What's the problem Yang?  Bad message?"

"Don't want to talk about it.  Watch it if you want, I don’t care to again."  She stated absolutely.

Pyrrha and Jaune shared a glance…

"Yang… you sure you don't want to talk about it?"  Jaune put forth.

Yang sighed.

_Be mature Yang… be an adult._

"Yes I suppose I should.  I just… just… I gotta talk about it with my sister first.  You all can watch that if you want like I said I don't want to."

Weiss entering the Dorm momentarily sidetracked the conversation.

"I have been trying to reach Ruby for awhile now… and… I….  am I missing something?"  The Heiress inquired.

Yang just grunted, gave Jaune a very pointed and calculated look… then shook her head and entered the RWBY dorm area.

"What did I miss?"

Jaune shook his head "I don't know but… it has Ruby and Yang a bit out of sorts.  We were about to watch it.  Good news?"  Jaune inquired.

Weiss kind of shook her head "Just had a talk… I have some things to think about.  Well… I guess I can work on my glyph a bit.  They are obviously occupied."  She claimed.

_Right that glyph from last year…._

"That isn't done still?"  Pyrrha asked surprised.

As if embarrassed Weiss shook her head "No… its rather infuriating but I understand why nobody figured it out before.  This might be the most complex Glyph ever conceived.  You mind if I use your shower given they want some privacy?"  Weiss asked.

After  receiving a non-verbal answer Weiss went about her own cleanup goals.

"So… I wonder where Ren and Kate are?  They should be back by now?"  Pyrrha inquired.

Jaune just shook his head "I have some idea…. and it might be awhile yet."

***RWBY DORM***

Yang didn’t have a clue what to expect as she opened the door to her dorm room, if she didn’t know for absolutely certainty that she needed to do it… she probably wouldn’t have bothered.

Regardless of her state of mind she really only have 2 thoughts going on at present.

_C'mon legs don’t go all on Weissy on me keep going and stop complaining!_

And:

_What the hell am I going to tell Ruby?_

_Come to think of it I don’t even know what Ruby is doing?_

Turns out she needn't search for her… Ruby was freely laying down.  On her bed… just staring up at the ceiling.

"Is it me?"  She asked.

Yang looked confused.

"Is what you?"

Ruby sat up and turned towards her.

"What do you think?  Dad leaving!  Is it ME?"  Despite the tough exterior Ruby clearly was still trying to piece herself back together.

Yang's initial thought was to say 'No course not'.  Instead… she just sat down next to her.

"Why would you think it's you?"

Ruby pretended to entertain the question.

"Yang… Raven and Dad got along fine when it was just you 3.  Then I am born and My mom runs away.  A few years later Your mom runs away.  Now we are grown up and … well you know."

Yang lacked knowledge of exactly what to say… instead she just pulled her sister into a hug.

Despite her efforts to stop crying… Ruby just started over again once her face found Yang's shoulder.

"Well say something!"  Ruby demanded.

Yang just closed her eyes.

"Ruby… You know it isn't your fault.  You know that."

"That’s what they keep telling me but that doesn't change the fact that I came along and EVERYBODY started leaving!"

Yang sighed.

"Rubes… I don't have anything I can say to convince you.  You should know by now that you are not to blame…"

Ruby sniffed.

Suddenly finding inspiration Yang proclaimed:

"…We will find out what happened.  We will find out where they went.  Someday somehow… we will figure it out.  When we do THEY will tell us why.  Why they left both of us…"

Ruby chuckled… it sounded just mad enough to work.

"Great scheme Yang… search the world for 4 people who obviously don’t want to be found."

Yang finally got some of her smile back.

"I have had worse ideas!"

That time Ruby returned it…

The following hug was much less forced and much more natural…

Though Yang could not help but think….

_Find them… I have no idea how.  But… we will figure that out in time too._

**A/N**

**Thanks for reading, hopefully the chapter proved entertaining.**

**I don't have much for the note this time.  If any reader has a suggestion regarding what Kate's gift could be I am very much willing to hear it.  I have my own idea's of course but I am always eager for better suggestions.**

**As ever if you have any questions or concerns please hit me up with them.**

**Beyond that thank you for reading, please Fav/Follow/Like/Kudos/Review/IM or Email me with any feedback or things you would like to speak about.**

**I will see you all again next time**

**-Sean.**


	39. Y3 Fall: Baby Steps

3.14

One never wanted to gain the reputation of being unable to change.  When Weiss arrived at Beacon she believed herself perfectly prepared for what was to come.  Her swordsmanship was excellent, and her control with her semblance was equally good rivaling that of her sister in nearly all areas.  She did not expect to have her eyes opened up that the world of Huntresses were not quite so glamorous or clean.  None the less after a heavy decision… she decided to take a leap of proverbial faith.

One of the many things she had to accept in being the first from her team to join in with the others in the early AM was that it was going to be hard.  This was of course despite of the fact she had upped what she did already due to their influence.  She knew Jaune and company would welcome her and even be patient as she was fitted into the mix.  She hoped her moving forward would help others make the same choice.  Ruby was on the fence about joining in, but she was also leaning heavily in favor of the idea.  Ruby would want however to be joined by Yang and Blake, holdouts due to group size and a general hatred of mornings respectively. 

Given the message from her father Taiyang and the… expected unease which came with it Weiss did not ask her Partner to join in.  Instead taking the advise she was given to heart she just woke up at the provided time, dressed in her new workout clothing… and tried ever so desperately to keep up.

To her credit… she completed the session.  Well… that was about all she could say on the subject in any positive light which she cared about.  She knew to expect to be behind her friends in many areas.  She knew how in shape they looked and how often they exercised.  Yet still despite not being as in the dark as previously she was… she still was left with a sense of awe.

The group did so much more than what she expected it seemed crazy.  To think they would do this multiple times a day.  At least 2 times a day at minimum just… well how Pyrrha continued to dominate and how fast Jaune and Kate were picking things up seemed to make more sense now.

She knew of the stretching and Yoga to start things off.  She didn’t expect to be breathing heavily and sweating profusely before even the warm up was done.

They then went to weight training… she knew of that in theory.  Yet she drastically underestimated the sheer number of lifts done or the reps and heavy weight they were done on.  Going through the routine and the 5 sets they did was exhausting.  Seeing the sheer amount of mass some of her friends could handle was… beyond eye opening for her and telling that more work from her team needed to be done.  These physical advantages may go away when aura enters the mix but… hello?  Jaune and Kate had a near holy entities worth of aura and Pyrrha wasn't exactly lacking in that category either.  Those physical advantages would pay off down the line… of that Weiss was sure of having seen proof of that already.

When the heavy lifting was done they went through one of the routines Weiss was actually used too.  Those things Katherine gave her and had been doing routinely.  Of course by this point she was beyond exhausted and already heavily drawing from her aura to keep going.

The most mind boggling thing for her that entire morning was when all that was done… they still had more to do.  It was that something which caused her abdomen to find the thought of moving in any manner detestable.

The fact that she had to partner up with and match against Kate… well that just made the situation that more telling.

Pyrrha, Jaune and Katherine have abdomens which tend to make anybody jealous in the extreme.  Defined, strong, thick -and in just about everybody's opinion she cared about- sexy was something earned through some seriously hard work.  Something Ren and Nora are starting to build as they spend time in the mornings with them.  Well… what she saw that morning probably has something to do with that.

Weiss didn’t even know she could lift her legs off the ground using her abdomen… well that was only part of the challenge and something she learned as their time that morning was coming to a close.

Sure some of her misfortune was probably her own stubbornness, insisting that she could handle it all… but she didn’t want to get too off track.

First you take something and wrap it around your ankles.  Then you take a weight band *heavier the better apparently** and attach it to that binding.  Following that you match yourself against another by moving far enough apart to get tension on the band.

Then in sequence lift your legs off the ground, and bring your feet up to your torso… fighting against the pressure from the other person.  5 sets of far-to-many each direction.  5 from a central position, 5 while leaning to the right, 5 more from the left.  Her stomach was sore in places she didn’t realize it was possible to be sore from that alone.

Just about any workout Weiss had heard of would be done with that full routine alone.

Yet that STILL was not the end.  Basically repeat the process by binding your hands together on your chest… and do sit-ups again with the binding tense the other direction.  Again based off a centralized then right and left angling.

According to Katherine… they even have a module where they would do yet another set of reps holding your legs off the ground as you do sit-ups from those three angles.

Sitting where she was Weiss could not reach her scroll currently… though if she had to guess it would likely confirm her aura reserves were depleted completely at this juncture.

Her stomach hurt, her legs hurt.  Basically everything hurt, and she was exhausted like nothing she had experienced previously.  Sitting on the cold ground of the private locker room RWBY and JNPR had to use for themselves was about the least painful thing she could be doing right now.

Somehow the sight of her friends moving around was nauseating. Them talking and laughing like what they went through was not akin to surviving a battle was just salt in the open wound.  She had no classes that day given it being a weekend... even so she had no answers for some questions.  Like for example how she was going to manage actually getting into the shower and moving on with her day.  Or possibly more accurate how that would happen without feeling like she let her friends down again as she was the only person who struggled to finish.

The sound of the shower running lent something to think about beyond just the soreness.  Kate having already had her turn currently was dressing… a sight which gave her another distraction of a sort.  Something at least Ruby would appreciate as both found the Arc woman easy on the eyes.

"I wonder what your mom has in store for Jaune?"  Pyrrha asked as the water cut off just around the corner.

Kate seemed to shrug pulling on her top. "I don't know.  She has private lesson plans for both of us.  That much I know of… but I cannot say for sure what it is about beyond being a more complete explanation for his semblance and family history."

"Well, I guess there is no point in worrying about it.  Nora already ran off and Ren is probably going to relax a bit.  I guess we should just get some lunch and take it easy a bit before our evening routine?"  The Spartan said happily.

"Take it easy being a by-word for enjoy some private time with your boyfriend?"  Kate teased pulling on her typical figure hugging pants.

_Why must she look so sexy in those pants!?_

Rounding the corner Pyrrha's blush was very evident "Possibly.  Maybe it means talk to all my friends not just boyfriend?"

Turning towards Weiss Pyrrha continued drying herself off "Alright Weiss showers all yours."

Nodding the Heiress answered "Right…. be there in a minute."

Accepting the answer Pyrrha quickly got dressed in an outfit to match her best friend.

_It should be illegal to move that gracefully after what we just went through…._

"Well… shall we go?"  She happily suggested.

Kate gave a very deliberate look towards Weiss… before choose not to voice her concerns as she gave a nod of acceptance.

The two women walked down and around the corner.

In her mind's eye Weiss could practically see the hug between boyfriend and girlfriend as the trio reunited.

"Hey Pyr.  You two took your time as always."  He kidded sounding distant but in a friendly manner.

"2 boys 4 girls… there's more of a wait."  Kate pointed out with an unseen but obvious grin.

Weiss tried to get back on her feet… only to get a few inches off the ground before winding up back in that same spot.

_Nope, legs still aren't ready for that again…. ugh._

"Well… let's get back and get some food, sound good?"  Jaune suggested.

"Sounds great.  Coming Kate?"  Pyrrha inquired.

There was a delay in the answer… however the sound of a couple footsteps as somebody turned around served as a an unspoken prelude.

"You two go on I will catch up."

"Going to meet up with Ren again?  You just took a shower!"  Pyrrha kidded.

_Where did that come from I wonder?  Pyrrha sounded very natural with that._

"Ooookay Pyr let's get back to our room."  Jaune tugging Pyrrha along the way was not seen but was yet again assumed.

"Catch you two later."  Kate said naturally in a friendly tone.

Weiss was unsure what Katherine had in mind… until the obvious presented itself.  The door once again closed as footsteps advertised her approach back in the bathroom.

"You doing ok?"  She inquired from the edge of the hallway.

This right here, this exact situation was precisely what the Heiress did not want.  She had the small mercy of not being in the middle of a room full of people… but this scenario is exactly why she was resistant to join in.

When Weiss could only shuffle her feet Katherine moved forward to sit on the nearby bench.

"Weiss…"

The Heiress closed her eyes but still did not answer.

"Weiss… do I need to get help?  I could get Jaune he could-"

"No… don't."  Weiss stated sternly if softly.

Kate took a deep breath and exhaled.  Obviously concerned for a friend just unsure what to do.  She pulled out her scroll for a brief check before speaking on.

"Ok… I'll give Ruby a call she can help-"

"No… don't call Ruby.  I don’t need her to see me like this."

For a brief span a hint of frustration took its place as Katherine sighed.

Getting off the bench Kate sat next to the exhausted girl on the ground.

"Should I call Jaune?  He can reinforce you."  She suggested again.

Weiss shook her head "No…"

"Ok I can help rebuild your aura-"

"Kate… no… Please I do not want help right now."

She could almost hear Kate speak out _'But you NEED help.'_  She seemed to hold that back though.

Kate sighed again keeping a slight scowl to her features… but otherwise seemed to be in thought.

Her scroll beeped.

Checking the message 'Hey… everything ok in there?  Should we come back?'

"What's that?"  Weiss asked dubiously.

Typing out 'Not sure yet.'  Kate answered "That is your friends being concerned for you Weiss."

Weiss closed her eyes as if she was ashamed before burying her face in her hands.

The next few moments passed in awkward silence, Weiss obviously trying not to cry… and Kate unsure what to say … or do to help.

Katherine stayed there for probably 3 minutes before standing up and speaking again "What do you want me to do if not get help?"  She briefly consider the idea of just recharging her aura herself regardless of what Weiss wanted… but resisted that temptation.

Finally Weiss' eyes found Kate's looking vastly different than any look Katherine had seen from her.  Openly innocent and… oddly a bit in awe she seemed to be.

"How…."  She hesitated.

Sitting done once again in front of Weiss Kate just put forth a patient expression.

"… How… do you do this?"

Katherine had seen many looks and emotions from Weiss.  Many different Weiss' she might say.  This one she had seen one time before.  That time when she shared those initial programs from a few months ago.  Yet still that time her look was filled with hope.  This is more… just laced with despair.

"Doooo what?"  She pushed gently.

Weiss scoffed as if it was obvious.

"Do this and make it seem so easy!?  What do you think?  I can barely sit up straight right now and you look like you can do it all over again!  How… how are we so radically different!  I have done things in my life to keep in shape but I am not some… freakish athlete like you all seem to be!  How is this even remotely fair?!"  She could tell that Weiss did not want to whine or sound like she was complaining but… it was very evident the Heiress was frustrated.  She has worked harder… yet it seemingly wasn't enough.

_Something I can understand very easily…_

A scowl once again threatened to take its place on her features… instead Katherine yet again shuffled her body next to the Heiress.  Somehow the job fell to her to help uplift Weiss nearly akin to how Pyrrha did Jaune earlier in their careers.

"We do it the way everybody eventually does it Weiss."  She stated.

Weiss chuckled humorlessly.

"Sure, just keep going one foot in front of the other like that is all there is too it.  I hurt all over like I never even thought was possible!  The thought I need to do it all over again tomorrow morning just scares me!  How is this normal?"

Moving an arm behind Weiss' back she pulled the smaller girl against her shoulder "Well.  Look some people will have a physical advantage over you no matter what you do.  I do not deny that Jaune, Pyrrha and I probably have an advantage in that sense.  But… it comes down to yes.  You take it one step at a time, no matter how long of a step it seems to be.  If you fall or stumble you get back up and you keep trying.  Even if you need to step out for a few minutes and catch your breath you come right back and give it everything you have a few moments later.  Getting tired, sweating, pushing yourself to the point you struggle to walk is nothing to be ashamed about.  You need to accept that as normal.  If for no other reason cause it’s the truth.  Everybody Pyrrha included runs into places where she struggles and needs to overcome them."

Weiss scoffed "Oh please, name me one thing you are better at physically than her."

Kate nodded "I am more flexible.  I confess I have no desire to prove it… but ask her yourself if you like.  She is stronger than me sure… but I am more flexible."

Finally burning through some of that latent emotion Weiss just took a deep breath and lowered her head into her hands again.

"How am I going to do this?  You all are so far ahead of me.  All the training with weapons and glyphs I had at home just did not prepare me for this at all!  Nobody told me this was part of the job!  If they did I might have prepared but… this is so much to take in at once."

Kate made a sad face… and resisted the temptation to repeat herself with earlier advice.  Instead… she pulled out her scroll.

"Kate I already said I don't want you to call anybody!  It is depressing enough for me right now I don’t need Ruby in here too!"

Kate shook her head.  "I might get back to that point… but I am not calling anybody as of yet.  I want to show you something."

Turning slightly to face her Weiss asked "Show me what?"  She knew Katherine was multiples higher than her in the workout programs Weiss used… no that didn’t seem right in this case.

Kate came to a picture on her scroll, one she evidently had saved previously.

"I did not start this well off either Weiss.  I told you that my father wanted me to be a model.  Taking advantage of my looks?"

Weiss nodded slowly if unsure.

Kate handed her scroll over with the picture preloaded.   "It isn't like I didn’t understand his logic for making that claim… I had to work hard, very hard to get where I am Weiss.  Every day was a challenge… yet if you do not make those steps however hard they are or impossible they seem… you never can succeed."

It took Weiss nearly a minute before her mind even contemplated the image being displayed.  The image had a girl… an absolutely gorgeous girl.  She stood tall near 6 feet tall, very hyper thin and compact with long flowing black hair in a bikini standing on a beach.  The girl was young, yet even so…so… _This CANT be Kate?!_

The raven haired girl… was this thin mesh of skin and bone.  Very little definition or muscle was to be found.  She was blessed in height, even in this early age she was tall.  Weiss had seen many pretty girls in her time.  Hell even in the service of the Schnee dust company she oversaw some fashion models.  This girl before her easily blew any of them away.  It was all too much this woman and the girl sitting next to her could NOT be the same person!

Swapping her gaze off the scroll to the woman next to her Weiss did a double take.  Those strong and shapely legs which were so desirable by just about anybody looked so natural on the body Kate had crafted for herself over years.  Weiss always assumed Katherine was just blessed with those sexy curves… a butt that was so perfectly shaped and perfect thighs that equally bled power and agile grace.  She always assumed they were just given to her despite the fact that Kate herself told her how hard she had to work to earn them.  Seeing the before and after… put pay to those objections to some degree.

Setting a hand on her thigh she gave a brief squeeze just to ensure her eyes weren't lying to her.

Thigh shapely and in such superb shape… the woman next to her rivaled Pyrrha in her level of physical fitness.  Sure she lost out in terms of upper body compared to the Spartan.  But even her arms and shoulders were filled out and infinitely stronger than the woman in this picture.  Her legs… those things which drew the attention of man and women alike had to be 3 or 4 times the thickness of the thin barely noticeable limbs she had not just a few years ago.

"I can't believe this is you…This CANT be you!"

Kate just held her gaze without flinching, eyes burning with belief and conviction.

Shifting between the image and her friend Weiss asked "How old were you?"

"13… I grew up quick." She answered with a wry grin.

Weiss just closed her eyes in awe… Kate said previously all these things just, why they were assumed fabrications Weiss couldn't say.

"You could have been a super model easily for sure.  No doubt about it."  She stated truthfully still slightly in awe.

Kate shook her head "No… not easily."

Weiss scowled at her friend "Katherine I am in fashion believe me you would have had no difficulties what so ever in finding an agency to sponsor you on this picture alone."

Kate shook her head again "I accept that as true, I know that.  However that isn't what I mean."

Weiss just met her gaze tearing her eyes off the picture or Kate's legs… however alluring it was to stare.

"Whatever do you mean then?"

Kate took a deep breath.  "Could I have done it?  I suppose I could have.  But I would have utterly hated every minute of my life I wasted doing something I did not want to do.  I WANT to be a Huntress Weiss, I WANT to be a force for good in this world.  Not sit in my castle trying on clothing while others slobber over themselves contemplating how pretty I am or how much money they could make as others do the same thing."

Weiss just stared at her unsure of what to say.

"Weiss… I started probably further behind than you are now.  It was not easy for me.  I had to get a ton of help over the years.  You sometimes struggle to walk?  That was my reality every day.  But I kept pushing cause I wanted too.  That is how I did it.  I did it cause I wanted to push myself I wanted to make up for not going to combat school.  You have a natural balance and grace to yourself but if you just want everything to come as easily as your swordplay or semblance you are going to be disappointed.  Life is not easy, anybody who tells you differently is selling something."

Kate took a breath not losing any of that fire to her eyes.

"But… you can find meaning to the challenges it throws your way if you do what you want to do in life.  If you want to be the best Huntress you can… you will need to accept the work that goes with it."

Taking another deep breath…

"You Arc's have a way of calming me down."  She stated with a slight smile.

Kate grinned.  "It seems to be a talent we have I suppose."

Shaking her head Weiss stated "That doesn’t make anything easy Kate."

Nodding in agreement "No… not easy.  But you do have the choice… keep doing what you want.  Or, stop and give up."

She stood up and offered a hand.

"What do you choose?"

Weiss stared at the hand for a moment in contemplation.

_Do what I WANT to do huh?  Ok Kate let's see how you react to this…_

Accepting the helping hand she slowly… agonizingly slowly got to her feet wobbly legs and all.

"I will try to do what I want… I want to be there for Ruby and everybody else depending on me."

Nodding with approval Kate smiled "Good… I will give you some privacy."

She waited for Weiss to successfully take a step before spinning around to show herself out…

… only to stop when a playful if obviously deliberate spank found its mark on her butt followed by a click of appreciation.

"Yup… absolutely perfect.  I have wanted to do that for a very long time.  Hope you won't hold it against me... doing what I want and all."  At that with an unseen but obvious grin Weiss struggled out of her drenched clothing on her way towards the shower stall… maybe not even getting out of her clothes before the water kicked on.

With a wry smile Kate continued on her way out brushing off the friendly actions.  "I hope you enjoy cold showers… Pyrrha, Nora and I used up pretty much all of the good stuff."

"Wait what YIIPPPPPEE!!" She squealed in objection.

Opening and closing the women's door and finding herself in the lower circular area of their joint area Kate couldn’t help but chuckle at the words:

"Katherine Arc from now on I want first shower!"

She might have ranted more… but as she walked away grinning Katherine couldn't hear anything further.

_She isn't the first person to do that and probably won't be the last… but maybe I can tease Ren about Weiss getting a grip on my ass before he did.  Might just get a scowl out of him._

***Later in the JNPR Dorm room***

Kate really did not find Weiss' actions offensive… many individuals have done that to her over the years and besides it was the women's locker room.  What happens in there basically stays in there.  At least that’s what she told her closest friends when the questions about where she was inevitably cropped up.  As normal Nora's near limitless energy had her leading an expedition of friends into the forever fall forest for syrup farming that left the joint living area rather vacant.

When she arrived back in upper floor she noted the joint living area was empty and assumed -correctly- her brother and girlfriend was in their teams private area just down the hall.  Jaune sitting up in his bed with Pyrrha pressing her back against his chest as she observed him come up with various sketches.  Something she seemed to enjoy when in leisure time between exercising stints.

"Sounds like you handled that situation well."  Pyrrha advised once she finished the explanation.

Jaune set aside his picture book to focus in on the conversation wrapping his hands around Pyrrha's midsection.

"Weiss is a proud girl but… I think given time to adjust she will do ok."  He put forth neutrally.

Kate sat down on her bed off to the side before replying "She will be fine in time yes but… I think we need to give more time in between exercises for her.  Be a little proactive.  She is new to the level we tend to push at."

Pyrrha shook her head initially "That … well I guess we did the same when Nora and Ren joined in.  I … I guess we can do that but it would potentially imbalance our tempo which is a good portion of the point.  Keeping your heart rate up and all."

She seemed to think about it "But I guess it wouldn’t be hard to build in some points in between poses to let people get a drink and catch their breaths.  Would make it easier on anybody who joins in I suppose."

Kate nodded wanting to go into it a bit further… but Jaune spoke first "I wonder if we should invite the rest of RWBY to join in?  Surely if the entire team was getting up it would be much easier for Weiss in that regard."

Kate and Pyrrha both nodded "That might be a good suggestion.  Though Jaune…"  He looked at her.

"You need to start offering to reinforce her, at least at the midway point."

He narrowed his gaze on her "Why?  She has not asked me about it before."

She shook her head narrowly before saying "She… is too proud to ask for it.  Too proud or too stubborn take your pick.  Offer it yourself maybe even frame it like she would be helping you by letting you practice."

Pyrrha felt him pull slightly tighter like Kate was dancing around something which was hard for her to talk about… something Jaune might be hesitant to encroach on.

"This is what you spoke about?"  He stated vaguely.

She nodded slowly "She finds us all intimidating Jaune.  We should make it as easy on her as we can while not letting her cut any corners.  It won't even affect the workouts we do so we have little reason not to."

Jaune pulled back in a way that Pyrrha almost didn’t notice, but picked up what he figured what she was trying to do and why this was so important to her.  Beyond at least helping a friend and trying to be a good one.

Jaune turned towards a clock in the room before giving Pyrrha a kiss on the neck and breaking off from their embrace.

"Mom's private lecture is going to start up soon.  I should head out now." 

Pyrrha expected him to move towards his case where his armor and weapons were stored… yet he didn’t.

"You don’t need your gear?"  She asked.

He shook his head "No… she said like last year this is more about training the mind and spirit.  I confess I do not know what exactly to expect but… whatever it is she indicated weapons were not needed."

"Nice of her to schedule her private lesson stuff in the middle of the day so we can keep to our 2 a day schedule."  Pyrrha claimed with a happy smile.

"Naturally she would want us to keep with our system that works… we all need to work physically and neither Jaune or I can ever get enough weapons practice in."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement… though that time she had predicted was approaching quickly.  The twins were learning at a rapid pace.  They each possessed a natural gift for battle and it was only a matter of time until they had the experience to catch up with their friends.  Already they were more than most anybody else in the year could handle without some serious effort and yet still… more potential remains untapped.

"She does mean the best for her students I give her that.  Want anybody to go with you Jaune?"  Pyrrha inquired.

He shrugged stopping at the door. "You can come… but really it would probably be boring.  I expect most conversations to be done via our semblance."

Pyrrha considered… spend more time with her boyfriend… or spend more time with her best friend.

"Alright… well we can wait for you here.  If you need us just call though ok?"  Pyrrha stood giving him a brief hug and kiss before he opened the door and went on his way.

Turning back to Katherine Pyrrha asked "You are really concerned about Weiss?"

Kate looked up at her for a moment as if gathering her thoughts before answering "I've been in her shoes before Pyrrha.  Surrounded by people with more training and advantages over me at home.  I guess I can relate and…"

"You know what worked for you?"  Pyrrha suggested.

Contemplating it a moment she admitted "Well… yes but I don’t necessarily think it will work for her.  In any case I am just trying to make it easier for her."

Letting the subject drop… and indulging in some of that curiosity Pyrrha occasionally had…. she moved and sat on her bed next to Katherine's.

"Kate… could I ask you something?"

Swiveling her feet up to lay down flat Kate responded "Sure what's up?"

Looking oddly vulnerable but still trusting Pyrrha took a deep breath then made eye contact.

"Can I ask you about your first time?"

Kate blinked "You want to know about my first time?  What brought this on?"

Now looking embarrassed in an absurdly cute manner Pyrrha none the less continued.

"I just… I'm curious.  I mean you aren't likely to get embarrassed about the question, you aren't as likely to tease me about it later like say Yang.  Well… I guess I just trust you and want to know more about you.  Over the summer I've thought more about growing up and… I guess I am nervous."

_Pyrrha the great 4 time Champion of Mistral was nervous when it came to sex?  Never would have taken her to lack for confidence before meeting her.  Can't judge a book by its cover I suppose._

Kate smiled sitting up to partially resting on her hands behind her body "You do understand that my first time was with a woman… right?"

Pyrrha's blush only magnified as she responded "I… remember yes."

"You still want to hear about it?" It was nearly impossible to smile at the cute but embarrassed warrior before her… trying as she might to not giggle.

The Spartan nodded excitedly if still shyly about it.

Taking a deep breath and organizing her thoughts Kate laid flat again before starting up.

"Well… I was 15 at the time that much you probably remember.  I had made a habit of sneaking out of my room at night.  Not every night of course but as often as I could."

"Why?" Pyrrha asked relaxing a bit in posture.

Kate seemed hesitant to fully go into the story… but with another deep breath she continued.

"I do not want to sound like I am complaining… I know even living in a manner I hated… I was privileged compared to many.  But… you must understand.  This was in the time when Mom was almost always gone and Dad was the guy in charge.  I was not allowed to pursue combat school or becoming a Huntress like I wanted.  Not until later when… well mom agreed to take me on."

"Your…. dad expected you get into fashion right?"

Kate nodded "Yes.  Instead of working out and being taught how to fight… I was expected to learn how to walk and pose.  How to be a model.  I guess those things came very easy to me as regardless of the fact I made my displeasure known several times many agencies were interested in getting me into a contract."

Pyrrha nodded not expecting this sidetracking… but listened eager to hear more about her friend anyway.

"Jaune was ill almost every day, Lissette was a thorn in my side and I always had people measuring me.  Either double checking my bust, my waist, my hips or anything else that gets looked at frequently.  None of that touches getting my picture taken in various outfits following those constant measuring… trying to find the best angle for me I guess.  I hated that life.  My brother was extremely unhappy and I was no less so at home albeit in a slightly different way."

"So you tried to find entertainment elsewhere?"  Pyrrha guessed.

Kate nodded "I was always unique amongst my family in that I had black hair.  Barely anybody knew that outside the family however as I always had it dyed blonde when in view of others."

Pyrrha frowned at that memory… hopefully the unhappy memories pass soon for her best friend.

She might have interrupted her… but Katherine continued.

"I was always very rebellious I guess.  I would sneak out at night.  I'd wash out the dye from my hair and try to enjoy myself however I could.  I can walk without a sound without even trying, if I had to I could use my semblance to just be invisible or move through walls.  Basically if I did not want to remain confined to a room it was impossible to keep me there.  Nobody knew I was an Arc as I was sneaking about unless they were already the people I wanted to avoid.  Those people kept to very predictable patterns and stayed in the upper levels of home.  I could almost be a normal girl in the lower levels or if I wished… go out to the city beyond the mountain halls."

Pyrrha smiled… yeah that sounded like her friend.

"I did not start out that daring though.  I started when I was 14.  Normally it was just to talk to people and try to get some entertainment.  If I saw somebody who caught my eye I would try to encourage them in certain ways I guess."

Pyrrha nodded again.  Makes a certain amount of sense.  This incredibly attractive young girl wants to talk to you.  Who could probably pass for an adult if she wanted would be hard to turn aside.

"So how did your first time happen?"

Kate smiled as if the memory was a happy one.

"Well it was one of the few times I was seduced."

Pyrrha blinked sure she heard that wrong.

"Wait wait somebody beat you at your own game?" 

Kate grinned making eye contact as she answered "Like I said I was young.  Moreover… I guess it just happened so fast.  Kind of like Jaune and his first experience.  It just happened before I could think about it.  Sure I wanted it… but I guess I was not thinking."

Wanting to hear more Pyrrha nodded still excited for more.

"I saw her and… I was just enthralled I guess.  She was everything I wanted to be myself."

Cocking her head to the side Pyrrha asked "What do you mean?  Tell me about her."

Kate looked down briefly before aiming up at the ceiling again "She was a warrior.  Everything I wanted to become.  She was strong, so incredibly fit and she had this confidence that just came off her in waves."

"How so?"

"Well… I mean she moved around with basically a corset top and skirt even in a Cadian winter with only a bear cloak for warmth.  She carried this heavy shield and sword around as easily as I might a broom.  She… just walked with a purpose I lacked myself."

"Describe her I am curious."  Pyrrha inquired.

"Well… She had probably the most gorgeous brown hair I have ever seen.  She was around 5'8 maybe a bit shorter.  But a build… maybe about what I am now but more balanced less… lower body heavy I suppose.  She had these high cheekbones and dominating look to her eyes that just compelled belief… she was stunning for me back then."

"An Atlas Shield-Maiden of a sorts from how you make her sound.  She had to be a bit older than you though, right?"

Considering for a moment before making an agreeable face Katherine continued "Well I guess that is fair to assume.  I never got her age and I never gave my own… but she was probably in her early 20's."

"So what happened?"

"Well… she had some strong fingers and a cleaver tongue let me tell you what…  Though I gave as good as I got."  Voiced in her normal never embarrassed self.

Pyrrha giggled "Not what I meant… what happened after you meet her?  What was her name?"  Pyrrha had not forgotten about her primary goal but… well at this point she was just curious.

Kate chuckled right back "Well… She walked up to me and we hit it off straight away.  I learned her name as Astrid.  She was a visitor from Atlas intent on migrating toward Cadia as a citizen.  It was not uncommon for such people to stay in the lower levels of our home as their citizenry was finalized.  She led us back to her room and… well one thing led to another.  I ended up staying the night."

Pyrrha began to understand why this probably isn't a happy memory.

"I get the feeling it turns bad soon?"

Kate shrugged "Not necessarily bad.  Fairly predictable actually.  Anyway we were uh… busy throughout the night if you get my meaning.  I woke up the next day and the castle was up in arms about one of the Arcs missing.  Fearing a kidnapping the guard had ordered a search for me."

Pyrrha nodded "She didn't know you were… you though."

Kate nodded back "No… she did not.  I guess I looked nervous as I got dressed said some hastily put together goodbye and quickly ran out of the room.  I took the time to avoid guards though trying to get back without being seen.  She might have figured out I was that girl as I never saw her again."

"Why not?"

Shaking her head Kate took another deep breath "I didn’t want to get her in trouble… so I didn’t go back the next night.  It was a week before I tried again.  Though she had left at that point.  I assume she got her paperwork and took off to settle down."

"You assume?"

Kate brought her hands behind her head before answering "Well naturally I do not know for sure.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that she would have been terrified of getting in trouble with her new home after sleeping with an underage daughter of a noble house.  That just isn't the type of attention she likely wanted I assume.  But there you go… that was my first time."

Pyrrha nodded… not really getting the exact information she wanted but… was happy to learn more about Katherine just the same.

"You and Jaune really were unhappy at home… I guess I am learning just how unhappy now."  She admitted a bit sad.

Kate shook her head "When people are forced to do what they do not want to do… I guess that is the natural reaction.  I'm happier now that I… we are getting our chance.  Ultimately what happened got me here and here I am happy doing what I want to do."

Making a happy face Pyrrha concluded "Well I will continue my interrogation later…"

Kate looked at her amused at her turn of phrase.

"… For now I would like a happier subject."

She thought about it a brief moment before lighting up brightly "How about we dig through one of Jaune's art books?  It feels like ages sense I last did that."  Pyrrha suggested eagerly.

Kate smiled back "Maybe later… for now I feel like taking a nap.  Feel free to look to your heart's content."

Pyrrha frowned briefly… but none the less moved to the appropriate bookshelf and hunted for the most appealing selection.

"If by-the-way you were looking for my advise on your first time with a man?  Get plenty of foreplay, take your time and just do what feels natural.  Not what may or may not happen in a Ninja's of Love book."  Katherine advised before closing her eyes… though her smile concealed a more nefarious purpose.

Pyrrha scowled briefly looking back at the speaker… before smiling into the next wave of images Jaune had prepared.

***Debs Quarters***

One thing Jaune learned early on in his education regarding his family semblance… is basically everything he thought would be obvious normally turned out to be wrong.  He expected a physically stressing ordeal if not a mentally taxing affair.

That turns out to not at all be what he got.

Upon entering he was reminded never to try and predict his mothers lessons.

"Were you expecting something else?"  She asked amused at his confused expression.

Stepping into the room he nodded in a smile "I confess I rather expected to meet here and go somewhere.  That has been the formula of late."

She grinned "Well… we have a few things to talk about today.  In the future you can and should expect a variety of things but… well I am trying not to overload you with what you will need to learn."

She led the way to a small but cozy living area in her room taking a seat in a chair.  When it was obvious he could sit wherever he wanted he choose a nearby sofa.

"So… what do we need to talk about?"  He inquired noting her weapon nearby behind the chair she sat down on.

She got comfortable before speaking on.

"Jaune… This has been a long time coming and I am sure you realized that a great deal of this was in store in the future."

He angled his head to the side… "So… these sessions won't be about my semblance?"

She shook her head "No… not exclusively.  Jaune to repeat.. you are a Duke now.  One of the youngest family heads to ever exist.  As you are no doubt aware… you were not groomed for that role."

He nodded thinking he got the point "So… this is to help me fill in the gaps in my education?"

She kind of nodded in a non-committal way "Yes and no.  Most of what I intend to tell you is about our family history of which our semblance remains a topic of discussion."

"I must repeat myself I thought I had earned my title?  What more is there to learn?"  He asked.

She took the question in stride "I had not planned on starting on this subject this quickly… but very well.  Jaune in your estimation how much time has somebody given to the instruction of the use of your semblance?"

He contemplated the question for a short span then answered "I assume Pyrrha's time with me doesn’t count… on that assumption probably about 2 weeks or so."

"Those 2 weeks mostly from last year?"  She stated pressing the point.

"Well… yes naturally."

She met his gaze before growing slightly more serious "Jaune.  The study of our semblance is a year's long topic.  The nuances of its use, the multiple things it can do.  It takes years of instruction to fully explain and decades of practice to master.  You passed the test to define yourself a minimum level of competence.  That is true.  However, what you probably do not realize is the lessons to get you there were handpicked to specifically give you the knowledge you need to pass said test.  That does not mean you have a complete understanding."

Jaune… could follow along and understand the point easily enough.

Mom evidently had more to say "In the case of a blacksmiths understudy I taught you how to swing a hammer successfully in the proper manner.  There is far than just the hammer stroke to being a blacksmith.  Regulating the heat of the metal, the types of metals you can forge, how the metals are layered for various properties the list goes on and on.  I need to fill in those gaps with your semblance and help you get up to speed on some of the topics you will need to at least be familiar with to successfully, realistically, serve as the nation's leader."

Jaune smiled inwardly… yes he knew this would happen at some point.  No doubt he would have to rely on his friends -like always- to pick all these topics up.  There's the study of law theory… mathematics… science… the list is nearly endless. 

_Joy, at least some of those topics should be interesting and useful._

"Well… alright.  What do you have in mind for today?"

Mom smiled before standing up and moving away only to return with her weapon before setting it on the table between them.

He of course knew of her weapon previously but has had very few opportunities to study it up close.  Caladbolg was a long and elegant 2 handed sword.  Starting with a pointed tip traveling back towards the handle growing thicker all the way.  Upon reaching the very elaborate cross guard it broke off in a curve back towards the tip with a very stylized design fitting the weapon.  A large hilt topped the weapon off leaving more than enough room for 2 hands to wield in a number of various grips.

As if the weapon knew it was being examined it seemed to shine under the lights preening itself.  Its silver and white star-metal color took on the majority of the metal work.  Dormant blue glyphs traveled the length of the weapon before ending with a slightly darker handle.  All in all a gorgeous work of art by any standard and one of the deadliest weapons ever made.

"Today we have some family history.  Some of this I am sure you know, some of this you have guessed at.  However given your rather… unique training thus far we have not been able to abide by tradition.  Once a warrior passed their test to earn their title they would be given this information.  I am sorry but with you things have gone too quickly for the proper instruction on this more so than I am other topics of study.  In time other subjects can be learned… but there are few opportunities to hear more of our history as a family."

Jaune gave her his full focus oddly eager for what she has to say.

As if she had given this lesson several times Mom started off the topic with casual ease "There are many things in this world which defy all known logic and reasons.  The existence of the Grimm for example has yet to be quantified.  They reproduce, they seem oddly intelligent yet they seem only interested in destruction.  There are the floating crystals of Vacuo.  No effort to change their trajectory or alter their pattern has been found nor has it been explained how they remain in the air.   More locally the Forest of Forever Fall here in Vale.  Trees never age despite the seasons changing… the maples of the forest stay exactly as they are.  Many such locations exist in the world.  No explanations are given and despite being studied for centuries answers have not been forthcoming."

Jaune nodded … familiar with some of those subjects at least.  Forever Falls leaves never changing colors with the seasons being an often talked about mystery of the student body.

Nodding towards her weapon "This sword is one such mystery.  It is a Weapon which is beyond our understanding to remake or reproduce… as such despite our technology it is considered a wonder by the world in general."  She claimed plainly.

"How so?"  He inquired curiously.

She seemed to think about it "There is what I know having seen it firsthand… and what I have been told to pass on only to those who succeed me as Duke or Duchess of the territory.  Both of which I will tell you today."

Narrowing his vision Jaune nodded for her to continue "You are somewhat familiar with this weapon I assume?"

He nodded back "Yes it is traditionally passed to each Arc Heir but has not always been the case.  Occasionally if the eldest sibling did not want to claim it a younger one could have.  The weapon will take the form most beneficial to whomever it considers master."

She nodded in return pleased at having a common ground to start from "That much I can attest as factual.  When I went to claim it, it was but a puddle of liquid metal only taking its form after it accepted me.  What you do not know… is how that weapon came to be.  Or that it can only ever accept 1 master… while that one master is alive no other can wield it.  You can attempt to pick it up now if you like… it will not move for you regardless of how hard you try."

Jaune grinned and couldn’t resist temptation.  His hand found the hilt easily enough and after giving it one sure tug… it stubbornly remained where she placed it.

"Well that is something you don't see every day."  He confessed slightly amused.

Mom nodded "That much I can attest to as fact.  The rest are things which has been passed down for untold years and generations.  I only pass it on out of respect for those who came before… I cannot claim these last points to be true."  She looked a bit suspicious but none the less determined to continue.

"What are those bits of info I wonder?"  He voiced.

She smiled sadly.

"This weapon traces its time to the origin of the Arc family back in Humanities Darkest days.  Even back then Cadia had a reputation as the best armor and weapon smiths in Remnant.  A reputation we carry to this day.  However… much of what we once knew was lost."

"Lost due to time?"  Jaune guessed.

She shook her head "No, you see after the Grimm war… the rest of the world declared war on our nation.  According the history our ancestors gave in to them in order to avoid a war they could not win."

He nodded "Yes I know that much."

"What they do not tell you is that result is something we brought upon ourselves… if this story is to be believed."

Jaune absolutely did not expect that.

"We did something to warrant the other nations attention like that?"

She halfway nodded "What is passed on through Arc rulers is that in our desperation to defeat and drive back the Grimm more and more weapons technology was invented.  Many of it was considered highly unethical for its time and… well it would be very damning now if that type of research continued.  It was not long before living weapons were not just stuff of legend but things that were fundamentally possible.  To save the spirit of a fallen warrior their aura could have been moved into a sword for example.  A way to preserve the knowledge and wisdom of that individual.  Such is supposedly what happened to each Arc ruler as they wielded this weapon.  A piece of themselves would remain inside it."

She took a breath before continuing.

"The next part I can at least confirm as true in part.  When I claimed the weapon you do so by extending some of your aura into it.  It then will form a hilt for you to grasp.  Once you grip the hilt and pull it takes that shape which it will carry for the duration of the life of that individual.  This is the weapon of the first Arc's, the very first Arcs and remains no less deadly to this day.  Supposedly their presence remains in the weapon still.  It was made to be a Bane of Grimm… such was their mortal enemy at that time."

He shook his head "That sounds like a fantasy."

She nodded back "That is what I rather believe too.  I know when Robert became head of the house he choose not to wield this weapon preferring something he could have forged for him to meet his own needs.  Ergo he never actually used this and I claimed it.   However to finish the tale this weapon before you is supposedly the only such living weapon to ever successfully be made.  The smith who forged it is believed to have perished in the Grimm wars.  While it remains one of the most deadly instruments of destruction I have come across.  Its more mystical properties I have never experienced.  I have not for example felt the presence of any other inside the sword despite running my aura through it searching for another's presence on multiple occasions."

He nodded… "Might as well finish the story, I am curious what else the legend claims."

She smiled "Well… again I cannot claim this to be true.  But supposedly those with strong bonds to a previous wielder can awaken the weapon.  I have no idea what awaken would mean or what it would bring on.  In this case it has never been explained to me beyond the rather meager tale I just passed on.  To me it is a superb sword I have been lucky to claim as my own."

Given her finishing he took the time to ask something of a curiosity "Why is that only passed on to Arc rulers?  I fail to see the need for secrecy."

She nodded sadly.

"Mostly because it is a tradition… how it has always been done.  However… The world still looks down heavily on the study of aura manipulation.  The fear of that become prevalent was enough to make Cadia the worlds enemy in ancient times.  That fear could potentially be reignited if the creation of these weapons were more common place… at least in theory.  Again … I remain a healthy skeptic of those tales.  They have been passed on over and over threw millennia after all its meaning can easily have been twisted or gotten wrong at some point in history.  But… it is my duty to pass that on to you and thus I have.  Take it for what it is worth."

He smiled "If nothing else it is an interesting tale."

She grinned "True enough."  She looked at a clock.

"Well that passed remarkable quick.  So… before you take off out at a sprint make sure you pick up those books."  She pointed to a nearby table.

"Read them over the course of your free time.  You don't need to binge read them but they are competent enough I think at getting you up to speed on the first few topics you will need to study."

Jaune stood moving towards the given objects "You don't need them read by a specific date?"

Mom shook her head "No, these lessons are more… private I suppose not an official class.  I do not intend to test you or your sister.  But I do have a responsibility to ensure you have a solid a foundation as I can.  In light of that remember, Weiss is at least knowledgeable on many of those subjects.  If you need to consult her, feel free."

Jaune nodded… true enough much of this would have been taught to him previously had he not been sick as a child.  Arcs were expected to learn how to sing… dance… draw.  To be a student of the arts as well as a skilled combatant.  Such was to be a well balanced person not merely an instrument or weapon.

"Alright… we will be meeting every few days I suppose?"  He inquired picking up the books provided in a sack.

She stood and moved towards him in a hug.  "Yeah… run along now don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.  Love you son.  Next time we will work on your semblance."

"Love you mom."

Smiling as he left he couldn’t help but wonder… how much of that story truly was fantasy and how much was based in fact?  Mom was the expert on the matter and she hardly seem convinced much of it was real.  Oh well, there is still some time left to relax before tonight's session.  Might as well get familiar with these books… she may well add to the pile as the year goes on.  Maybe Kate and I could read them together… I see no reason not to give her the opportunity.

Before he knew it the day was done… another practice session was behind him… and his lovely girlfriend couldn’t help utilizing his chest as a pillow.  A job he would happily perform each and every day she desired it.

**A/N**

**Well… Thank you again for reading.  I have had numerous people asking me my take on RT's new policy for posting videos.  Well… just how do you think I would feel about it?  I have not been high on them for awhile now and a new policy which only tries to pressure people into buying a subscription  lest they have a much higher chance of dealing with spoilers or making it harder for non subs to voice their opinions of course I would not be happy with such a decision.**

**Some people are upset with me for having such standard for RT, I support RT… sometimes that is forgotten.  Citing that it isn't that expensive of a service and due to that I shouldn’t call them out for doing shady things.  Well here's the thing about that.  Those same people call me lazy for not having large chapters or for posting more frequently than I can…. and I am doing this for free.  This is literally a free service… and some people get pissed at me for going about it in the best manner I can not the underperforming paid service which only gets use from RWBY fans 4 months out of the year.**

**Think about that for a moment.  I will happily talk about this with people in private but enough people have asked me my thoughts… well there they are.**

**Trying not to make an entire chapter of the note I will simply say thank you again for reading.  Feedback is valuable please like/fav/follow/kudos/review/IM/ email me your thoughts.**

**As ever I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	40. Y3 Fall:  A Day of Not Quite Relaxation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gang gets a chance to relax... that means its time for Yang to try her hand at what she does best!

3.15  A day of not quite relaxation.

**A/N  Warning, mature content and themes are included in this chapter.  This fic is rated M for a reason.  If that is not your cup of tea consider yourself warned.**

The year had barely began and already it has the makings of being a memorable one.  Basically it started out about as normal and bland as it could possibly be.  Everybody arrived at Beacon and… well just because things went every which way minutes into landing doesn’t mean it didn’t start out just like normal!

…

Well ok maybe it does.

Jaune's mom had returned to teaching.  A certain Blonde Brawler learned that a specific Cat-girl had an affinity for trees and possibly more surprising than anything else…

Weiss has somehow become a hard worker.  A very hard worker.

The girl has began pushing herself to a surprising degree and has even continued to push for the rest of her team to join in.  To convince them to step up what they do to prepare for their future.

Something the small girl has astonishingly been able to do.  While they had only been at it a couple days Weiss' has proven to truly care about Ruby… and has noticeably been a bit brighter in her mood as a result.  Though she continues to struggle more than any other individual… just being the smallest of the group has a distinct disadvantage.  However nobody could question the girls heart, cold as it might have been initially she has proven to be a boon to the team and genuinely care for their wellbeing.

Something Yang would probably have  doubted before RWBY and JNPR began to bond… probably Jaune's influence first and foremost.

However it all boiled down to one simple fact.

All this heavy stuff takes its toll and it was time to get back to the natural order of things.  It was time… for a laugh.

Thankfully the Prank-master is a grizzled veteran, somebody who has weathered multiple prank wars in the RWBY way… last person standing ALWAYS wins.  She, more than any other, has been that last woman standing.  In some cases it was a bloodied or bruised woman standing, but it was HER standing.

Mess with the mammary challenged Weiss' bra sizes?  Bringing them down in size before boosting them up after she gets used to thinking she's grown a bit? 

Yeah she did that.

Changed out Ruby's supply of cookie chocolates in low calorie cheap brands she despises?

Yeah… she did that too.

The crown jewel?  Well that would probably be keeping the book skins identical but otherwise exchanging Blake's Ninja's of Love books with more child friendly versions of those same releases.  Lacking the more… blush inducing moments said Cat-girl tended to adore.

Such was her reign of terror she found her teammates mostly having given up fighting back.  Something which is equal parts a source of pride… and a source of head scratching.  If she didn’t have anybody to prank… then who should she prank?

Well the answer was simple…. and found right across the hall.

If Jaune, Pyrrha and Kate were going to emerge as the elite amongst the school she felt obliged to be able to claim at having gotten one up on them.   Given Jaune's seemingly invincible truth or dare prowess this might be the best manner she had to get revenge.

The fact it also tends to get one up on the unassailable Spartan… well that’s what she calls a perfect target acquisition.

Granted sure she might not be all that gifted at stealth but c'mon now.  The guard dogs are easily bribed.  That’s why they are dogs, belly rubs and burgers tend to outweigh simple things like ownership.  Beyond that they also seem to understand what a prank is and the value a good one can provide…

Anyway Nora was even easier… just the promise of pancakes?  Please that’s so simple.  A few words and a mere half hours planning the stage was set for a prank fit for the ages.  If it was successful; which it should be given the groups consistent workout and practice schedule it was easy to sneak into their room and… make a slight adjustment.

A clean entry… a smooth infiltration… all was needed to succeed was a clear exit.

Sadly just like most of her plans it had the downside of being capable of failing due to outsider influence.

Luckily she was unsure if said possible outside influence noticed her.

None the less Yang shut the JNPR door behind her silently as she could trying to ignore the image of her sister waiting at entryway with an assumed stern expression hands on her hips facing away from her.

"Ruby … is something wrong?"  She asked neutrally.

Ruby huffed "I have a bone to pick with Jaune."

Yang half turned down the hallway towards the exit before answering "So naturally you wait in the doorway?  Why not just call him?"

Turning back towards her sister and taking a casual step Ruby nearly stood nose to nose… seemingly reminding her elder that she was nearly fully grown now.

"I intend to make the biggest point I can… waiting here is my best shot!"  The Reaper claimed still managing to appear adorably cute even in her stern body language.

Yang chuckled "If you insist… I think I'll take a walk."

"Still getting used to the mornings?"  Ruby guessed.

Yang nodded glad Ruby didn’t seem interested in where she was a moment ago.

"Yeah…  Gona try and walk it off for a bit."

Ruby resumed her stern position as her hands found her hips again.

"Ok… I'm going to wait right here!"  Setting her feet firmly on the ground.

_Gee… wonder what Jaune did?  Oh well… not my problem.  Now to escape the scene of the crime… can't be blamed if I am not around right?_

With an unseen but very obvious smile Yang quickly went about her day… sure that this time her scheming would go unhindered.

***In Town***

"Have you made up your mind Ma'am?"

Blake continued to switch her vision between 2 equally perfect options.  Both had qualities which spoke to her in equal measure.  Purrfect…. erm… Perfect in their own way.

"It is hard to narrow it down to just one."  the Cat-girl answered.

The short and pleasant store clerk ended up next to her looking right at home with the situation.

"Have you considered getting a puppy possibly Ma'am?  They might help you decide…. I mean this is a good… one… here…." Blake's hard glare ended that statement before it concluded despite her hand indicating the puppy in question.

"Sorry strictly looking for a cat right now."

Setting her glare directly on the puppy indicated Blake couldn't help but think:

'Your kind has vexed mine for far too long!' 

Though she stopped short of shaking an angry fist at the …. admittedly very cute animal.

'Arf Arf!'  It answered in its absurdly cute manner.

_It is taunting me… life is taunting me.  If I come back with a puppy Yang will officially have my permission to order my own execution.  Gotta figure out which of these kittens is the lucky one… though that puppy does look cute…. NO NO NO Stop it BAD Blake!  Get back to the cats._

"Theodore is a good boy but if you are seeking a kitten I am sure we can find the one you are looking for."  The clerk asserted confidently.

Blake nodded "It is harder to pick than I figured it would be."

Indeed as set as she was on a kitten… she had to admit these puppies are cute…

***Jaune getting back to the dorm room***

"Finally a chance to relax a bit." Jaune claimed with a hearty sigh.

Walking next to him his sister nodded in agreement.

"Thanks for suggesting I come along to those study sessions… I always enjoyed learning new things."  Katherine stated.

He looked at her sideways in a grin "Always?"

She looked right back in a slight scowl "Ok not always but you know what I mean."

He smiled back before facing forward.

"None the less I would welcome an hour or two to relax.  Morning workouts into afternoon private lessons into more workouts is draining the mind a bit." 

She grunted in affirmation.

Indeed having finished his morning workout… joined in now surprisingly with all of their group things have flowed remarkably well.  Mornings workouts are after all easily tailored to more people.  Their evening session while has the physical aspect included is more focused on their weapons practice… as such remains a touch more private in nature. 

"Pyrrha is probably going to want to look through an art book of yours."  Kate advised.

He nodded "Nothing wrong with that… I tend to enjoy myself well enough."

She seemed to consider that "I confess I am unsure if I see why.  I mean you drew them… you probably could picture them in your mind.  What's so entertaining about looking through a book of your own design?"

He smiled back "That’s the thing though… you aren't just looking through a book.  You are observing another react to your work.  Often times that simple fact is all it takes."

She returned the smile "So it's more about spending time with Pyrrha and less looking at art?" 

He shrugged "Accurate enough I suppose but I do enjoy the art aspect as well.  You should try it sometime."

She looked ahead to consider briefly before changing the subject.

"What did you make of Yang alone near the Big Oak?" 

He shook his head "Maybe she just wants to be alone?  No idea."

Making the final turn their destination finally came into view.

"Well… here we are… why do I feel like danger is just inside here?"  He asked.

She opened the door as she claimed "I think that sense of yours is out of comm-"

"JAUNE ARC!"

Jaune actually flinched at the tone.

"Then again… maybe not." Kate corrected looking towards the voice.

Ruby was found not 3 steps from the door hands on her hips dressed in her pajama pants and tank top combo she tended to prefer.  Though her posture remained friendly her facial expression was one of annoyance.

"JAUNE!  I have a bone to pick with YOU!"  She punctuated her point with a stern jab of her finger after closing the distance to him.

_Yeah this must be why I felt something was off….._

Ever the mediator Kate spoke first "Is there a problem Ruby?"

Keeping her silver eyes glued on the Knight Ruby shook her head "He needs to give me my girlfriend back!"

Jaune's caution was firmly replaced with one of profound confusion.

"I… girlfriend… you… what?"

Suddenly appearing a bit bored Kate just opened the JNPR room and advised "Okay then… I will leave this to you two to hash out."

Her mischievous smile spoke to a different reaction however little anybody could point that out.

"Kate!" And… the door shut.

With another hearty sigh Jaune turned his gaze back on his fellow team leader and friend while thinking of a way to disarm the situation.

"Can we sit down in the living room at least before I try to… I don't even know what you want me to do."

Ruby seemed to consider for a handful of seconds before with a hand motion she advised him to move on into the living space.

"Where is everybody?"  He asked.

Ruby followed him not allowing the prisoner any room to retreat and sat across from him once they reached the central fireplace.

"Ren is trying to instill some delicate aiming with Nora in the gun range… Weiss… I'll get back to her.  Yang is on a walk and Blake is in town."  She said evenly not giving up that irritated look to her.

Meeting her gaze Jaune for probably the 5th time came up completely blank about why Ruby was in a bit of a mood.

"So… where does this bone come from?"  He inquired.

Ruby considered for a moment. "Jaune ever sense she started joining in with you she is always too exhausted to spend time with me!"

He blinked.

She took a deep breath and brought her elbows to her knees.  "Look… I really am not angry with you.  I just… it is hard for her to keep up with you all and I mean we all are sore but… I… guess I don’t know what to do."

He took a deep breath "Ruby you do understand that you are the biggest reason she is pushing herself so hard… right?"

Ruby dropped her gaze to the ground briefly "She has not deliberately told me that … no."

He leaned forward "But surely you realize that to be true?  She wants to protect you.  Right now it is hard for her but it will not always be that hard or draining."

She shook her head in frustration "Jaune I worry she is… I just worry about her I guess."

He considered for a few breaths before speaking on "Ruby… she needs to learn that not only is it ok being the smallest of the bunch she also needs to learn that there is literally nothing wrong with that."

The Reaper nodded.

"I can understand that but… that still doesn’t mean I know what to do.  I can barely touch her without her flinching.  I… it hurts me seeing her like that at times."

Smiling Jaune stood up to sit down again next to his friend.  He had no idea why Ruby decided to come to him for relationship advise instead of Yang… until it occurred to him he and Pyrrha have been dating for 2 years now.  He might actually be the perennial relationship guru of his circle of friends, shocking as it was to hear himself think that.

"Ruby.  There is no guide one can follow when trying to help and encourage people in her position.  When you start up something like what we are all now doing there is going to be some growing pains.  Like I said they will not always be that bad.  However if you're asking me what you should do… my answer would be nothing."

She narrowed her eyes in surprise "Nothing?"

He nodded "Yes… nothing.  Just be next to her be with her be available.  She will tell you what she wants.  Just keep letting her know that she has your support.  You matter to her Ruby, so much so that she is trying to change herself for you.  Just being with her will do wonders for her outlook."

She considered "You think she will tell me what she wants?"

He nodded "She did with me, she did with Kate… in due time.  Just don't go in demanding anything.  Walk in with an open mind trying to be supportive not confrontational.  Just sit next to her and let her do the rest."

Ruby nodded happily before moving forward and embracing him in a hug.  _He really is good with people._ "Thanks Jaune."

Returning the hug "Think nothing of it Rubes.  Remember… we all will stumble and struggle, she might be the smallest and physically weakest of us but she has very valuable qualities too.  Don't let her overlook those because she is sore right now alright?"

Ruby grinned back "Besides I am sore too."

"Remind her everybody needs to recover.  Some of us are just more used to it."  He stated rubbing her back.

She broke off from the hug with another nod.

"Well I am going to go test out your advice… wish me luck!"

He smiled raising up his hand wonder what exactly she had in mind unsure if he actually wanted to know.  Once Ruby entered her dorm he followed her down the hall to reenter his own dorm area.

***RWBY dorm room***

Ruby knew hands down that she was naïve on several subjects.  She also knew she wasn't an idiot.  Her Partner was a very proud girl which is both a good and irritating thing.  Irritating in that her pride seemed to be rather frail at times… good in that when she felt honor bound to do something she would typically do it.  Regardless of how hard doing that something was.

At least in general.

Her team had joined in for the last few mornings and that decision came with a variety of good and bad.  Firstly Weiss was pleased at not being the only person from her room waking up so early.  Being with her friends did seem to help her.  However seeing those friends complete the session and be able to walk away afterwards brought about its own negative.

Ruby knew her sister grumbled and moaned probably more than any of the others but Yang was possibly even more determined than Weiss in not getting outshined in a physical activity than the Heiress.  Blake really struggled with the power aspects of their regiment, but at least seemed well suited to the flexibility and endurance part.  Ruby knew that while she did not join in with JNPR in the mornings until recently she did probably do more extra physical work than any other on her team and as such she fitted in fairly well.

That all added up to a cranky Weiss, a grumpy Yang, and a tired Blake.  Not the best mix for enjoying your free time.

On the surface she knew Jaune's advise really was not all that sagely… but hearing him say it and reinforce her own feelings convinced her to put thought to motion.

Entering her teams dorm area she knew Weiss was inside… and probably curled up on her bed trying to recover.  Weiss… the stubborn little princess she was knew deep down a lack of motion didn’t really help your body recover after a workout as strenuous as what they are now doing daily.  That knowledge didn’t however convince her to try and move around more.

Something Ruby had a solution for… if her girlfriend was of mind to take advantage of it.

"Ruby what are you doing here?  I thought I said I wanted to be alone I don't want to talk."  She sounded very tired.

The voice was obvious but unlike her prediction… Weiss was not on her bed.  Instead she had taken a spot under the window from last year.  Something she had come to find sanctuary in of a sort.

Ruby just grunted an acknowledgement of the statement and none the less grabbed her blanket and pillow off her bed.

"Ruby…"  Weiss repeated.

Shaking her head "I heard you Weiss."  Still gathering up her stuff.

Finally looking up to face her partner Weiss continued "Then why are you here?"

Ruby fully turned to face her partner and studied her a bit.  She was so tired it looks like she just threw on some underwear and a robe then found a spot on the ground.  Honestly maybe even skipping the bra entirely… She really is working herself hard.

Moving forward to stand next to the Heiress Ruby went down on her haunches and stated "Weiss…. we need to talk."

Weiss dropped her gaze and gave a slight shake.  "Ruby like I said I am tired… I don't want to talk."

Ruby nodded "Fine, you don't need to talk.  Just listen to me for a moment… please?"

Weiss looked like she almost rolled her eyes before nodding her head.

Shuffling her body next to her girlfriends Ruby sat down in front of her.

"Weiss… I know you don't want to feel like you are letting everybody down.  I know you feel embarrassed about certain things and… that weighs on you."

Weiss maintained eye contact soaking in the talk but not making any more to respond verbally.

"Weiss… I know you are in a way doing all of this out of a desire to help.  A desire to protect other people including me."

Weiss blinked.

Ruby leaned in a bit closer "What you need to understand… is that when you refuse to accept help or company… you aren't letting ME do the same for you.  You are trying to look out for me, I need to look out for my girlfriend too."

Weiss' posture seemed to shudder slightly at those words.

"So… I know you don't want to talk.  But… We are all in this together Weiss.  We all are going through those morning routines now and we all are tired, everybody.  So… here is what I am going to do."

Weiss smiled briefly at her team leaders determination briefly but still did not speak.

"I am going to stay here, and every time you try and tell me to go away I am going to remind you that I am with you.  That you are not the only person who feels sore all the time.  Cause you need to realize that we are a team.  We are partners.  We are girlfriends and I will not have you hurting alone because you think we are ashamed of you.  We are suppose to help each other Weiss.  So I am here and even if I can't do anything for you I will be here for you.  Because that is what Partners do."

Ruby concluded her speech with a deep breath and seemed to await Weiss' inevitable retort.  She knew full well that this angle might result in a fight or an argument.  But ultimately she believed enough in the words to make a stand here.  They are girlfriends and beyond that Ruby was tired of knowing Weiss was pushing herself yet feeling isolated.

The partners just met each other's looks for the next few heartbeats before Weiss actually dipped her head to the ground.

"You really are a stubborn dolt you know that."

Ruby smiled "But I Am your Dolt."

Weiss picked her head back up trying to blink away watery eyes.  "I don't know what to say."  She admitted.

Ruby smiled bigger "You don't have to say anything… just relax."

She slowly shuffled herself over next to Weiss sitting with her back against the wall.

"How can you not … how can you tell me not to feel ashamed when I am the only one who struggles?  What if you were in trouble and I was all you had?  It's obvious I am a poor choice right now."

Ruby moved an arm behind her back and pulled her close.

"Weiss… That is just silly.  These are just hurdles you have to overcome.  Look at Jaune?  He is one of the best fighters in the year now and just 2 years ago he couldn’t beat anybody.  You just need to work at it with the rest of us.  In a few months you won't feel that way."

Weiss shook her head "You don't know that."

Ruby objected "Yes I do."

Weiss gave her a scowl "How can you possibly know that?"

"Because you are you, and you are trying.  As long as you are going to try I know you won't fail.  Those people who fail normally don't put in the work giving them a chance to succeed. - Deborah Arc."

Weiss just blinked at the genuine smile and belief radiating off her Partner.

"So come on chin up. We can help each other push just like everybody across the hall.  That's why you were the first to volunteer right?  To get us all to join in?  Well now we have.  We all can help each other out.  That’s what friends do."

Weiss made a circular motion with her head before resting it against Ruby's shoulder.

"So come on… tell me what I can do to help you Weiss."  The Reaper insisted gripping her shoulder slightly.

Weiss gave a genuinely warm smile before looking away to hide in.

Turning back to her Partner she pointed a finger at her menacingly.

"This did NOT happen?  Understand?"  She demanded strictly.

Ruby made a confused face "Uh… ok… sure."

Weiss then struggled off the ground and brought her legs across Ruby's body.

"Ow…. ow…. ow… sore sore sore."  She complained.

Ruby just sat up straighter as Weiss sat firmly on her thigh and leaned into the crook of her neck.

"Just… rest like this."  Weiss requested.

Wrapping her arms around her Ruby couldn’t help but smile.  "If this helps, of course."  Pulling her blanket both their figures she couldn’t help but smile relieved Weiss wasn't upset by her making a stand.

"You know I sometimes forget that you are all grown up."  Weiss admitted wrapping her arms around Ruby's torso.

Ruby smiled "I don't think I will catch Yang but yeah I guess I did."

Weiss scowled but didn’t pull away "That was totally not what I meant.  I meant… you are sometimes very rarely mature."

Ruby chuckled "If you say so."

"Don't hold too tight I am still really tender."  Weiss advised.

Relaxing her grip slightly Ruby just smiled happy at finally being able to help her girlfriend.

"This better?"

Weiss nodded.

For a long time they just closed their eyes enjoying each other's company in their spot.  Probably as long as half an hour just relaxing enjoying each other's embrace.

When Weiss seemed to have settled in Ruby brought herself to speak again.

"You doing better?" 

Weiss nodded slightly "Yeah… still sore in places though.  This… I have missed this.  It helps."

With a wicked grin Ruby gave Weiss a kiss on her neck.

"Ruby?"

Placing another kiss Ruby answered "You sore there?"

Torn between annoyance and enjoyment Weiss muttered "No not really."

Switching between her neck Ruby made her way to Weiss' lips and engaged in another kiss.

"How about there?  Sore there?"  She engaged in another string of soft kisses such that Weiss was unable to answer right away.

Starting to wonder where Ruby got this playful if seductive side to her Weiss couldn't help but answer "Not anymore."

Grinning wickedly Ruby kissed down to Weiss' chest.

"How about there?  Sore there too?"

Quickly losing her cool Weiss contorted awkwardly with each touch and kiss.

"Ruby…"  She half objected.

"Are…. you…. sore?"  Ruby insisted.

Not trusting herself to speak Weiss nodded meekly.

Pulling back after her kiss Ruby looked at her with her if excited puppy-dog expression "Do you want me to stop?"

This was not exactly what Weiss had in mind when she sat on Ruby's lap… and while her current clothing choice made this simple… _Oh to hell with rationalizing everything._

Weiss shook her head developing a healthy blush of flushed cheeks.

"Good… just remember this never happened.  Your own words."  The Reapers sinister smile was very evident.

"R-R-R-Right…."  Weiss struggled out wondering when Ruby became so good at seducing her... Not that she was about to complain about it.

With that Ruby resumed her work, eventually forcing Weiss off her lap for lack of an acceptable angle.

It was not all that long that Ruby had a good idea of Weiss' sorest spots… and did not feel guilty at all about zoning in on them with the relentless precision she had been known to wield.  Nothing was free from her inspection.  Legs… inner thigh… stomach… or otherwise.

"Oh….. my…."  Weiss gasped out breathlessly.

With a smirk and a smile… Ruby continued her task.  It was a tough job… and she was more than happy to do it for as long as it need be done.

***Big Oak***

At the top of the central staircase from the bullhead station Yang could not help but smile to herself.

_It has been far too long between pranks… it feels good getting back to normal.  They are almost assured to stumble into it at this rate.  When Pyrrha finds that outfit she would probably blame Kate given the ease of access her best friend had.  Then all I gotta do is sit back, watch and wait for the next opportunity to strike from yet another angle as only Yang Xiao Long can!_

_It's funny people still think I'm not good at stealth… what is a good prank if not a manner of stealth or subterfuge?  A clean entry and a clean escape.  The mark of any great plan has had those hallmarks mine are no exception.  I might not be able to move silently like Katherine but who needs that asset when you are a mastermind like myself?_  

Sitting down on the ledge surrounding the tree she grinned.  _Yeah this has been a good….day…_

Then… a sense of alarm filled her being.

_Why do I feel as if my BSS's (Big Sister Senses) are suddenly on fire?  Maybe I should get back and check it out?_

Before Yang could convince herself one way or another a rather amusing sight came into view.  It had the added bonus of being something she did not expect to encounter.

A certain -admittedly very pretty- Cat-Girl carrying what looked like a large pet cage.  Although… the cage appeared to be empty.  Instead it seems its normal occupant seemed to be utilizing her partners shoulder for travel arrangements.

"Yang!"

Yang responded with a friendly wave.

"Hey Blake!  I see you got a kitten?"  She answered back.

Yang stood off the stone ledge to inspect newcomer to the group.  The kitten admittedly was very cute with eyes that carried a certain intellect and awareness to them that none the less brought less of a sense of warmth than what was normally found in her preferred pets.  Its fur was a colorful mesh of white and gray with ears a black to essentially match its owners.  It seemed to just survey the golden haired newcomer with a sense of irrelevance if only moderately curious who this person is and why its standing in front of her.

"Cute is the word.  I think you two match."  Yang expressed with a smile.

Blake issued a warm smile "Don't we?  I thought so too.  It was hard to narrow it down to one.  Harder than I thought it would be anyway."

Yang smiled again "It always harder when you are there in person.  How many did you look at?"

Blake seemed to be unconsciously playing with the kitten with her off hand while she answered.

"Well in the end I was able to narrow it down to 3.  1 even was probably the cutest puppy I had ever seen."

Yang blinked…. then only partially covered her mouth holding back a laugh.

"Really?  A puppy?  You would actually consider getting another puppy?  I find that hard to believe."

Blake's expression sharpened considerably as Yang continued to struggle in her efforts not to laugh.

"Is that so hard to believe?  I was looking for anything that caught my eye… and it was adorable."

Yang seemed to at least realize Blake wasn't kidding and tried to pull herself upright again.

"Ok so you did actually consider a puppy… why did you decide on this cat?"

The kitten crossed over to Blake's other shoulder… evidently wanting attention on the other side of her head.

Blake obliged her tiny friend as she answered "Well… turns out another family came in and really wanted the other cat I was looking at so…  Well they made my decision easy."

Yang nodded accepting that point at least.

"So what's the little girl's name?"  Yang carefully extended an arm towards the cat as she waited.

Blake smiled again "I think I have decided on Shoopuf."

Yang froze suddenly looking a mix of amused and confused…."Shoopuf?  What… what exactly is a shoopuf?!"

Blake scowled again "It doesn’t need to be anything just the perfect name for my cat!"

_Don't laugh Yang don't laugh!  Blake is serious don't laugh you might make it worse for yourself!_

Her expression started to break down from amused to hysterical regardless of however much she tried to convince herself not to… though she was able to keep from entering another fit of laughter.

"Well hello Shoopuf, I'm Yang, nice to meet you."  She traced her finger over the kittens head to receive a purr of appreciation.

"Seems to be a nice kitten.  You surprise me Blake… I didn't think you would ever consider a puppy."

Blake swung her hair around in a way that reminded Yang of 'Queen Blake' from not too long ago.

"Please Yang, I'm as you constantly say a 'Cat-Girl' where are you are basically a humanized Golden Retriever.  There is nothing you can do to ever take me by surprise."

Yang smiled evilly like only she could.

"Oh really… I would bet otherwise Blakey."  She warned.

Looking somewhat haughty Blake stood rigidly upright as she declared "Try me."

Yang considered for a few heartbeats… then made her move slowly closing the distance.

"Yang…. Yang…. Ya-" 

Their lips meeting brought that rather meek object to a silent demise.  For several seconds they remained locked together until Yang pulled back to look pleased with herself.

"Well?"

Blake's facial expression had frozen like a deer stuck in the headlights mouth open with small circle.

"Blake?"

Blake blinked once…. twice….

Two more times…

Then with a puff of smoke she vanished from vision dropping the metal cage clanging to the ground loudly.

"Blake!?"  Yang exclaimed… then recognized a warm weight on her chest as the kitten seemed to land between her cleavage.

A loud hiss from above her made Yang look up.

"Blake?  What why are you in a tree?!"

Blake just looked right down at her again and repeated the hissing sound.

"Stop hissing at me you silly… Silly cat girl you!"

"You kissed me!"  She objected.

"You told me to surprise you!"

"I didn't say kiss me!" She stated stretching herself out on the tree branch.

"It surprised you didn’t it?"  She grinned back.

Blake looked around before spotting her newly bought kitten.

"Shoopuf get away from that… that… That canine lover over there!"

Yang looked down briefly "She seems pretty comfortable here Blake!"

"Yang stop seducing my kitten!"  She climbed down a branch yet still remaining very much out of reach.

"Me?  She just ended up here I didn't do anything?!"

"You kissed me!  That is doing something!"  Her ears began to twitch with an unknown emotion.

"To your cat!  I didn’t do anything to your cat!"

…

"Besides you hissed at me!  What the hell!?"

"You don't just kiss a girl like that Yang!  You should know that!"

Yang shrugged "You told me to surprise you!  Remember?"

Blake scowled. 

"So what you did it only to surprise me not because you wanted too?"

Yang scratched the back of her head "No I had wanted too for awhile just… never convinced myself to do it.  Look come down from there we can talk more alright?  I don't want to shout this to everybody around."

Sure enough a fair number of passerby's had began to look on highly amused at the event.

Suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed for her actions a bit of color took its place on her cheeks as Blake rolled off the branch to land on the ground.

"Can't believe you kissed me like that!"  She declared softly somewhat at odds with the image in front of her.

Yang standing there in her typical confident manner and smile… with a cute kitten enjoying her assets as a pillow was highly adorable.

"C'mon Blake let's get back to our dorms and talk ok?"  Yang requested once again.

Blake slightly scowled stretching out a hand "First I am taking back my kitten… she doesn’t need your influence to corrupt her the first day she is with us."  Plucking the kitten up and replacing it back on her shoulder Blake reached for the cage… only for Yang to beat her in picking it up.

"Don't just randomly kiss me again!  Cat's aren't used to that!"  Blake demanded with a slight grin.

Yang chuckled "Sorry… it’s the dog in me… we can't help but annoy you kittens with affection."

That time Blake leveled a glare on her partner… laced with good humor.

"Canines will be the death me."

Joining hands Yang advised "Don't be so melodramatic kitty-cat!  This is a good moment!"

Walking back towards their dorm Yang was pleased for the most part with the day thus far…

_Now I just gotta figure out why my BSS's are still on fire…_

***JNPR Dorm***

Jaune's newest art book had at first confused the Spartan.  She had never seen him draw animals before, at least she had never seen him study them previously.  She had to admit he had a superb amount of skill in what he drew, nearly on any type of subject matter.

For nearly the full book she had seen several animals.  Birds… wolves, dogs, cats and other wild life.  Dove's and Robin's seemed to be the favored bird though a wise looking Owl also had several pages given to it.  Not always in the same page or picture, but she could not help but chuckle at their facial expressions.  The two smaller birds singing… and the owl looking bored or tired as it tried to sleep, but couldn’t due to said singing.  At least that’s the deepest meaning she was able to gather.

Further in wolves of various colors normally White, Brown or Black.  Even some golden companion's or black cats.  She could understand the golden dogs… his family owned several it was only natural for him to have a particular affection for those type of animals.

What she had no explanation for was why squirrels were normally always in the picture.  If was trying to draw nature the squirrels would fit but… somehow Pyrrha didn’t feel that was accurate.

When Katherine reentered the room she just did her typical stretching to keep that insane level of flexibility.  Even standing on a raised surface she could still get the palms of her hands to the floor, quite a feat given how strong that lower body of hers was.

"It always surprises me watching you stretch, not many are more flexible than I am.  Especially by such a severe margin."

Kate smiled and answered once she pulled herself upright "It's always been a priority of mine.  Besides you aren't behind me all that much at all given what you can do."

Pyrrha grinned aiming for a change of subject "I can't figure these pictures out.  Normally I can see the meaning he is trying to portray but here… I can't figure out what that is."

She put the book on the bed and spun it around for her friend to observe it.

Kate walked over curious about the pictures and smiled once she saw them.  She flipped through the books pages until she came to one of his trademark excellent doubled up images.  Placing it back on the bed and aligning it to Pyrrha's vision she answered.

"Pyrrha there is no meaning… just… look at the picture.  There isn't a meaning just… a different representation for us."

Pyrrha blinked…

_No meaning just a different representation…_

Picking up the book again it only took her a few seconds to start to piece things together.

Firstly those wolves?  The brown, black and white wolves?  They were in the middle of the picture.  Suddenly it clicked.

She was the brown wolf.  Jaune drew himself in as the White wolf, with his sister being the black one.

Granted the fact that the White wolf was sitting down with the brown nuzzling up and cuddling should have been obvious.  The black wolf appearing behind them with a  mischievous grin seemingly ready to bite the tails of the other two were suddenly more logical being the playful person she was.

So ok if this was his Beacon family … who or what would all these other people be?

Well… obviously Yang would be the golden dog barking up a tree with the black cat… who naturally now HAD to be Blake.  It fit so well too how does he do this?  The animal genuinely looked both real and happy with the cat more annoyed than angry as it seemed to hiss back.

So if that is those two… then the birds are probably Ruby and Weiss?  Yeah that makes sense Weiss at least is said to have a superb voice.  Maybe Ruby does too?  They do look fitting sitting there side by side on that tree branch.

Given that, Ren would have to be the owl. 

_Why didn't I see that before?  So then… why there all these squirrels?  Is that the rest of his sisters?_

_…_

_No, no that isn't the case… his sisters would probably be wolves themselves._

Smiling up at her friend Pyrrha excited stated "Ok I get it!  Well most of it.  The three of us are the wolves.  Yang of course is the dog, Blake the cat.  Ruby and Weiss are birds with Ren being the Owl.  But where is Nora?"

Kate chuckled.  "Don’t see it?  Those squirrels are Nora… as in all of them are Nora."

Pyrrha made a confused face.

_They all are Nora?_

Slowly as comprehension took its place she began to chuckle until eventually a laugh emerged.

"Oh my that fits so well!  Why didn’t I see that before?"  At least one squirrel was near every other character in the picture with about 8 of them jumping climbing or bothering the Owl as he stood there with his very blank expression wondering why all the noise is happening when he is trying to sleep!  HA!

Still chuckling Pyrrha couldn't help but say "He really is a good drawer.  You are a good painter aren't you?"

Kate had lowered herself into an extended split using a pile of books under each of her feet moving her torso around to extend the stretch.

"I always preferred paints to pencils yes."

Before she could comment further Jaune entered the dorm.

"Hey again."  He said in greeting.

Setting her torso flat to the ground Kate looked up and asked "What was up with Ruby?"

Pyrrha nodded "Yeah its most unlike her to be confrontational like that."

He sat next to his girlfriend wrapping an arm around her waist as he answered "She was just frustrated with how hard it has been for Weiss.  Just wanted advise about the situation really."

Pyrrha wrapped an arm around his shoulders putting on a smile "Yeah that sounds more normal."

Kate stood up casually after a few moments having finished her stretch and asked "I'm going to get a drink, you two want anything?"

"A water bottle would be great."  Jaune requested.

"Make that two."  Pyrrha repeated with a smile.

With a lazy salute Katherine left the room.

Issuing a sensual smile Pyrrha cuddled closer resting her head against his shoulder.

"I figured out your newest picture book."

"My newest?"  He inquired.

Suddenly feeling adventurous Pyrrha grinned and gently repositioned herself on his lap.

He seemed a bit surprised but didn’t object as she settled in.

"You made me a wolf.  A very playful wolf."  She stated simply.

He smiled as he gave her a brief kiss on the cheek. "Yes… Yes I did."

"I never get tired of looking at your pictures.  Makes me wonder if I should learn to draw."  She wondered.

Letting her get comfortable on his lap he said "It can be rewarding but… well you are going to be your own worst critic.  However it can be fun at times."

Tracing her finger over his chest she continued to grin at him until the door knock brought a smile to his girlfriends face "Seems our drinks have arrived."

With a smile that spoke her mindset she put a slight wave in her hips moving towards the door.

_My sister has been a terrible influence on her._

Joined again by his twin Pyrrha's smirk was telling… she had knew exactly what she did.  Turning into quite the minx.

"Thanks."  He said accepting the bottle taking a hearty drink sending a grin to his girlfriend.

"So an easy weekend.  Nice change of pace… probably going to fall apart next week though.  I hear mom has a rather brutal lesson in store for us."  She advised.

Pyrrha took a brief drink "Well I have to admit I enjoyed the previous one.  It's good for the team as a whole I think."

Taking a seat next to her partner she took another pull from the bottle.

"You like her style of teaching?"  Kate asked sitting down on her bed.

Pyrrha nodded "I can respect what she stands for.  She isn't teaching to try and improve her own ego or reputation.  She does it to prepare her students.  I respect that.  So many tutors or competitors at home would only do a job if they were to gain personally from it.  She… your entire family has a level of selflessness that I've rarely seen.  My family would be considered common by yours, yet that immense ego was all many competitors were summed up as.  Seeing people from a different social standing without the ego is something I still find a bit jarring."

The twins shared a glance and a humbled smile.

"We do try to remember that we all begin in the same manner."  Kate claimed.

Pyrrha just turned her head to look at her boyfriend and smile.

The three seemed to enjoy their drinks and silence in a quiet moment for a brief span until the door to the joint hallway opened up again.

"We should probably introduce Shoopuf to everybody, hopefully the dogs don’t object to her."  Yang stated quietly through the wall.

"Shoopuf?"  Jaune voiced confused.

"Blake's cat maybe?  She said she was going shopping for one."  Pyrrha supplied clearly enjoying the company.

"Should we go see the newcomer to the group?"  Kate suggested.

"The dogs should be fine… they are friendly canines but I still intend to be careful with her."  Blake stated with footsteps sounding towards the teams individual doors.

Jaune shook his head "We don't want to-"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"AHH!"

"YANG!! LEARN TO KNOCK!"  Ruby exclaimed.

"Oh my…"  Blake's voice purred.

"YANG XIAO LONG YOU CLOSE THAT DOOR NOW!"  Weiss demanded.

"WEISS SCHNEE YOU ARE CORRUPTING MY PURE SISTER!"

"Your sister seduced me you brute now close the door!"  The Heiress demanded again.

"YANG GET OUT!"  Ruby repeated sternly.

A door slammed closed.

"My sister… she was…"  Yang gasped out breathlessly.

Blake chuckled "Yes… I saw it… looked like she knew what she was doing too."

"BLAKE!"  The Brawler objected.

"She's growing up Yang… these things are bound to happen."  The Cat girl stated with an assumed smile.

"Please you are just happy cause that probably happened in a Ninja's of Love book!"  Yang claimed.

Blake giggled again "Maaaybe."

"Wow… that sounds like an interesting situation."  Kate observed.

Pyrrha was all flushed cheeks and kept her hands over her mouth seemingly to keep from laughing.

Jaune just nodded at his sister "Yeah that would be awkward."

"Yang?"  Blake questioned.

"My sister… my… Ruby was going to talk to Jaune earlier.  Yes I remember now she was certain she had to talk to him about something important!  I bet he had to have something to do with this!"  Her pounding steps moving across the hall echoed through the room.

"C'mon Yang relax it isn't a big deal."  Blake mediated.

Jaune looked a touch alarmed.

"I am NOT here!"  He voiced quietly.

Seemingly ignoring her partner Yang gave a brutal pound on the door shaking it to its hinges.

"JAUNE I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE!  YOU ALWAYS ARE THIS TIME OF DAY!"

Jaune gulped.

"She is mostly right… you did talk to Ruby."  Kate teased.

The door rumbled again.

"JAUNE I WILL BREAK THIS DOOR DOWN IF I HAVE TOO!"

The door pounded again so hard Pyrrha actually recoiled and spilled most of her water on her shirt.

"Jaune you better let her in."  Kate claimed with a nearly evil smile.

"Joy…"  He said standing up.

"Well I guess I need to get a new top."  Pyrrha stood up moving off to her dresser.

Yet another pound on the door later Jaune was starting to worry about the wall foundation.  Not wanting to have to explain to Ms. Goodwitch that Yang busted down the door trying to talk to him he spoke up.

"Just open the door Yang."  He stated with a  raised voice trying to resist the urge to facepalm.

The door knob was turned and creaked open…

…

Revealing a Red eyes and steaming Yang… ironically enough Blake was behind her as if debating to attempt to restrain her.

"Hello Yang."  Pyrrha stated trying to be the diplomat.

Keeping her body rigid Yang took a few steps into the room… Blake evidently had chose to follow.

"So uh… how can I help you Yang?"  Jaune put forth.

Pyrrha turned towards the newcomers for the moment after setting her practically empty bottle on the dresser.

When Yang struggled to find her voice… she decided to address the admittedly very cute kitten resting on Blake's shoulder.

"Nice choice of pet Blake."

Blake looked very pleased with herself as she responded with "Thank you, I rather like her myself."

Yang had started to twitch… but still was unable to find her voice.

"That is… Shoopuf?"  Kate guessed.

Blake nodded "Indeed."

"Jaune."  The angry one spoke.

Another spree of twitches ran its course before Yang continued with:

"Jaune…. What.  Did.  You.  Tell.  My.  Sister?!"

Jaune put forth an honest expression before answering "I told her to talk to Weiss if she was concerned for her."

Yang twitched again.  "It WAS your fault I walked in on her!"

"Come on Yang, Ruby demanded the conversation Jaune didn’t do anything nefarious."  Pyrrha stressed deciding to change out of her wet shirt now… nothing nobody there hasn't seen already.  Besides I have a bra on.

Yang and Blake seemed a bit distracted by Pyrrha's openness… something she probably picked up from Katherine.  None the less Yang tried to press forward.

"Jaune, You… My… Ruby… I just walked …" _walked in on my sister and her girlfriend!_

Jaune looked on confused… seems she was unable to say it out loud.

"Shouldn't you be happy that your sister is getting over that business with your dad and is trying to be happy?"

Yang twitched again "Don't try to be reasonable this has nothing to do with reason!  I caught my sister and it is YOUR FAULT!  It has to be your fault!"

"Yang it isn't like Ruby and Weiss being together is a new thing-"

"AAAAGHHHHH!!"  Pyrrha voice exclaimed turning towards the group.

Kate looked over and started chuckling at the beat red blush on her friends face.

"Wow Pyrrha looks like you were planning something."  She continued to grin long after speaking.

"Where what?  I didn’t buy this!"  She claimed holding up a … very risqué set of sexy lingerie.

Yang took a sharp breath and exclaimed:  "That was supposed to be in your underwear drawer not for your tops!"

Pyrrha blinked… then put on an annoyed expression moving her hands to her hips.

"YOU did this!?"

Yang seemed to chuckle forgetting why she was in the room to begin with.

"C'mon it was meant as a prank!"

Jaune turned his head back towards his girlfriend and gave a nod of appreciation.

"Gotta admit Yang has good taste, that would look great on you Pyr."  He praised.

"Yeah Pyrrha there's no harm in owning that.  That is a good selection for you."  Kate praised.

Lighting up brightly at the praise Pyrrha couldn’t help but smile happily "Oh you think so?"

_Don't you try to change the subject!_

Yang was very near to voicing that thought… before she caught one of those rare looks from Jaune.  As if warning her to pick her battles carefully.

"C'mon Yang lets go show Shoopuf the rest of the dorm!"  Blake advised eager to move on… and probably get away from any loud noises an argument could bring.

Being pulled out of the room Yang only objected with a raised arm and finger before speaking out.

"Jaune we will talk more about this later!"

Before pulling the door shut once again.

Pyrrha was still studying the outfit with a mix of emotions present.

"Can't believe Yang would try and prank me with this it isn't even a full outfit.  I mean where is the bottom half it seems to be missing?  Just has a top and these garters?"  She questioned looking for the missing piece.

The twins shared a glance… and decided not to voice the obvious.

"It's just a Yang thing I guess."  Katherine stated.

Yeah, everything was indeed back to normal for the gang.

**A/N**

**I figured after the last couple chapters a more fully comical one was in order… don’t yee worry friends and readers however for next chapter things will get serious again.**

**As ever please remember to leave a review with your feedback.  I welcome any question you have be it over email, through IM or via a review/kudos/like/fav/follow whatever.  I enjoy talking about the story and AU I have built so please don’t be shy.**

**As a reminder ANOTHER TRUTH OR DARE IS COMING!  Send me your ideas or suggestions please!**

**Beyond that thank you again for reading this chapter, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	41. Y3 Fall:  Nature of the Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another hike in the forest with suits this time! Oh dear...

3.16  Nature of the Enemy

"I feel like we have been here before.  Have we been here before?  I'd swear we have been here before."  Nora chirped with amusement to break the silence.

For the most part the silence remained uninterrupted throughout their morning but at least the Hammer-wielder got a smile out of the majority of her friends, including the Knight.

Time seems to pass so quickly for him that one minute Yang appeared ready to demand a death-match with the next Ruby and Weiss were teasing the Blonde Brawler about the fact that they had gone undetected numerous times up until that point.  Something which was probably Weiss' idea as at least after that period of bonding with her girlfriend she had more pep to her step.

Ruby's actions succeeded spot on there at least.

On another point it was obvious that the relationship between Blake and Yang had changed slightly.  Nearly everybody had made at least an off comment about how they seem to be acting differently around each other.  They had not made any official announcement but it seemed fairly easy to assume that the two of them had entered into the early phases of a romantic pairing.

Given the large amount of study hours Jaune has found himself putting in as well as the incrementally more difficult physical work and weapons practice he does he barely had time to even consider it.  Moreover it wasn't his business in so far as he was concerned.  Kate was always the more curious of the two and he figured if it became important for him to know she would tell him.  He was certain she already knew all there was to know anyway.

She was like that most times.

So it was that they found themselves in yet another early start for their advanced class of the week and just like the last notable one they had it came with its own rule set provided just in the waking hours of that morning:

  1. Do not bring any armor, weapons or gear. What you need will be provided for you.
  2. As normal do not be late. Get some breakfast… but do not be late.
  3. Get there an hour ahead of our normal start time. Again… make sure you have something to eat.
  4. Wear the provided clothing and footwear. You may bring your scrolls, but that is all.



Instantly it was assumed another hike was in store.  It brought about the expected reactions from the group as most of them did not really feel they had progressed to the point a significant difference would be achieved in their performance.

However the oddest point listed out was the clothing.  Provided for everybody was an extremely skin tight body suit similar to the under layer Katherine wore when fighting in her robe.  It was not the fancy Nanofiber of his armor but it hugged the body about the same.  Why they were forbidden from carrying a pack or even extra water remained a mystery but at least his mother had proven reliable in the creation of inventive class work.  At least the boots provided with the outfit were comfortable.

"The weather is getting a bit more chilly.  This stuff doesn’t really keep you warm."  Pyrrha complained noting the morning chill rubbing her arms.

Shaking his head Jaune could only really grunt bringing himself out of his musings.  Indeed JNPR along with his twin had formed a slight circle with Yang and Blake making camp nearer to the door while Ruby and Weiss are nearly behind their sister team...  One wonders what they had in mind?

"If you insist Pyrrha."  Kate teased moving on to another stretch to keep herself busy.

Pyrrha responded with a very deliberate scowl directed at both Arc's present.

"You could always stretch to build body heat."  Jaune suggested trying to be helpful.

Pyrrha shook her head "I already did that.  I just am used to more layers in the cold then this thin thing.  I guess once we get moving though the chill shouldn’t be as large a concern."

She played with the skin tight material a few moments before giving up on it entirely.

"The winter dance is coming up here soon… this term has really flown by."  Ren advised standing next to his teammates.

"We still have a few weeks but yes… this has gone by so quickly.  I guess that’s a good sign."  Jaune stated before yawning still partially asleep.

Stepping into the circle Ruby asked "Anybody have any plans for the break?  Weiss and I were thinking it would be nice to go somewhere as a team.  Not stick around Beacon like we normally do."

Kate and Jaune shared a glance with Jaune supplying "I had not considered that but we could think about it I suppose."

"Any idea why we need to wear these things Jaune?"  Weiss asked stepping up next to Ruby.

He shrugged.  "I would just be guessing and I suppose we will learn soon enough."

Weiss shrugged giving a slight glance at both Pyrrha and Ruby's chest before making an annoyed face.

_Yeah the tight clothing does rather make a few things clear I guess…_

Before he could elaborate on that thought Mom rounded the corner in a matching outfit with the exception of wearing her sword on her back.

"Glad you all are on time.  Keep this up and it might even be habit forming."  She stated with good humor moving to unlock the door.

Chatter went silent as she arrived per normal protocol… mom tended to have a very strict outlook about talking during lessons.

"Ok folks head on in we have a few things to speak about."  The Professor instructed with a hand motion.

Shuffling their way forward into the room Jaune made note of a few changes.  For one the room did not have the lecterns from before.  It was now open with a few places to sit down.  On the board dominating the center of the room was a somewhat detailed hand drawn map of the Forever Fall forest.  Beyond that though he really could not identify any landmarks.

"Before you move much further I would like you all to look behind to that wall."  Mom instructed pointing off to the right slightly.

Following the direction Jaune found multiple backpacks lined up in a somewhat orderly fashion.

"Find the bag with your name on it and put it on before we go any further please.  Once you are in yours you can find a place to sit down."

Not needing any further instruction the group moved over as indicated. 

Awaiting them was a rather boring looking backpack a black to match their outfits.  It lifted fairly easily and did not take long at all in getting the shoulder straps around his torso.  Also a strap around the waist was also present locking into place comfortably with an audible click.

Once on it seemed to bind to the under layer of clothing and morphed slightly to more fully cover his torso, arms and legs like some type of armored padding.  Not restricting his movements but not exactly something that would be ideal to fight in.

The rest of his friends seemed equally at a loss for words unsure of the point.  Not everybody fought in armor so making them run around in padding seemed a bit odd.  None the less once the pack was on and firmly in place the group found a spot oddly eager to begin the days lesson.

Studying her scroll as if getting confirmation signals mom stated:

"Ok so it looks like the backpack is working for all of you that’s a good thing.  So as you probably guessed we have a great deal of ground to cover today, as such we will jump right into it."

She moved to her desk to pick up a laser pointer and directed it against the map behind her.

"I assume you all at least recognize this area as the Forever Fall forest.  Here we are at Beacon."  She pointed and made a circle with the indicator.

"The last time we had a journey like this we went to this cabin here."  Moving the pointer a fair bit from Beacon and once again made a circle.

"Today our goal is this."  Once again moving the indicator even further away to the point it seemed double or triple the distance of their first hike.

"At the top of this area is another cabin.  I show this to you now so you all can get some idea of where we are headed and treat the hike seriously as we have a great deal of ground to cover with lesson plans along the way.  Any questions about our destination?"  When no questions were brought forth she resumed orating.

"Ok.  So next point of interest.  Where your belt connects around your midsection should be several buttons covered by a hatch sealed panel.  When you push the right most one it will form a helmet around you with an optional breath mask.  This helmet has scroll communication enabled and will be how we talk as we move.  Before anybody asks I do this to keep your hands free given we will be talking at points as we journey today and you might well need both arms free.  The system is capable of carrying on multiple conversations both individual and group based.  As you use it you can personalize your suit to your liking."

Pyrrha seemed to smile at the prospect of a challenging lesson while others seemed nervous at the idea of having to do a difficult hike and burn through breath with words.

"What about the suits padding Ma'am?"  Weiss asked nervously.

Mom looked to the ground and smiled briefly before looking forward again.

"Well Ms. Schnee this is primarily what the Glyph scan was for our first day.  The suits are weighted.  The added weight is not active now… that will be another button I tell you about later.  But the point of the suits is to simply make the hike more challenging."

"How much weight may I ask?"  Ruby asked seeing her Partner appeared nervous.

_Who can blame her though?  The last time we went on a trip like this Weiss barely got by.  The idea we have to go even further this time is probably a bit intimidating._

Mom shrugged "It changes person to person.  These lessons are meant to be challenging in the extreme and push the boundary of what you can do but it is not designed to be impossible.  The suit will measure you and if it needs to lighten the load it will.  Conversely if your body is not struggling with the added weight it can make you seem heavier to compensate.  These suits by the way are yours to keep once the year is done.  I find them a great tool for changing things up a bit, they can be set to make things difficult in a number of ways."

Even from his spot he noticed Weiss take a nervous gulp.  Even Blake seemed unsure given the task ahead of her.

Surveying the room Mom took a breath and decided to really hammer home a point again given how uncertain some of them appeared.

"Class… I feel as though I must repeat something I have said previously.  My job, my goal, the purpose of this class- is to prepare you for life as a Huntsman.  It is not to push you to the point you cannot perform.  Try hard, work hard and push yourself.  That is what I want.  I will not ever ask anybody to do something I do not believe you are able to do.  If you stumble or trip or struggle, fine.  That is what is expected when you wear that suit.  It is going to stress you in ways you likely have not been before.  My lessons are not designed to be impossible, just something that takes effort discipline and focus to complete.  All of you in this room now represent people who have aspects needed to complete these challenges in a way not every student can."

She paused and took a look around having captured the attention of the class.  "Like before my goal is to challenge and open up your minds to new ways of thinking.  To better prepare you for the job of a Professional Hunter.  Try not to look so intimidated by this, if I did not believe you were capable of doing these lessons you would not be in this room now.  Alright?"  She didn’t center her vision on any one person but it was obvious she was trying to keep the spirits of the group high.

Jaune smiled as did most of the group.  Even Weiss ceased frowning at least attempting to trust the Veteran Huntress in her instruction.

"Good.  Now before we go here is just a rundown of everything else in the suit…"

Jaune listened pushing the buttons as she indicated them pleasantly entertained by everything the suit can do.  The helmet was a switch he knew of.  It also had a 3 dimensional imaging map it could place in the HUD along with multiple personalization options he was sure Ruby and Yang would tear into the first chance they got.  It even had a button to turn off and on voice activation allowing for conversation outside of scroll chatter.  A very well thought out and handy piece of equipment to be sure.

"Ok everybody hit the helmet activation.  Again right side of the belt buckle."  Mom instructed finishing her speech on functionality.

Pushing the button and holding his breath he couldn’t help but think he was in a sci-fi movie of some form as the helmet rose up behind his head before rotating up and over locking into place sealing tight with the suit.  An indicator came up active asking if he wanted the oxygen intake mask, with a sideways eye motion he stated no and just observed the UI pre-installed do its thing.

"Even has a movable visor."  Ren observed moving his up and down.

The Knight couldn't help but smile looking behind him to find Ruby alight with excitement watching everything work and come together.

The next time Mom spoke it came through the helmet itself.

"Alright folks.  Pick up some water here on the table, get it attached to your belt and let's get a move on."  She said lowering her own visor and attaching a string of water bottles to her belt.

While getting his water place around his waist Mom spoke one more time.  "Before we start one out last bit of wisdom.  You might note I did not forbid anybody from using your aura to help you.  If you need to feel free, however I would encourage you to refrain as much as possible.  If you must, go ahead and use it to reinforce yourself but to repeat and be perfectly clear; I would suggest not depending on your aura in as much as you can."

With that once everybody had what they needed their trip was underway starting off at a light jog.

"Well at least you don’t have to carry me this time Renny."  Nora chirped happily.

Jaune smiled… at least everybody remained positive and focused.

***Inside the Forest***

Jaune still did not know exactly how much weight the suit added as he jogged in line with his teammates, but figured it was a fair amount.  Less than a person for sure but… well with the correct settings it could probably mimic far more than an individual.  Though admittedly he did not have the time to study the UI much once they were on the move it was clear that the advanced combat program is something taken very seriously by the school.

The suit had a multitude of technology built into it with a feature set that a professional athlete or fighter would find desirable.  It suddenly made sense why every student at Beacon would not undertake this course.  For one the time demands on the professor would be absurd and more to the point…. Mom was right.  Not every student or team is suited to doing this.  There probably could be an argument one could make about how every team should go through this class.  Such a situation would make for a much more rounded and adaptable Hunters pool to draw from.  But that just isn't what is on the table.

Determining it is best to ask his mother about it later he shook his head focusing on keeping up.

Mom lead the way at a brisk pace.  RWBY directly behind her with JNPR continuing the row finally ending with Pyrrha himself and his twin.  From his point at the back of the line he was able to see a pattern form. 

Whatever difficulty setting was programmed by default it did seem to be sorting and adjusting the pressure against each student as they tired and exerted themselves.  At first he did not notice the bright red light on his mothers back shoulder figuring that might be some type of color indicating an admin or leader state.

That theory was debunked with he noticed the same light on Pyrrha's suit as well as his twins.  With some inventive movement he could catch a reflection and see the red light on his own as well.

An orange light was found on Ruby as well as Nora and Ren.

Finally to finish off the group a more yellow tone was indicated on the remainder of the group.

"If you turn to the left you should see the cabin from our original trip."  Mom advertised in between breaths.

Seemingly as one the helmets following her all angled to that direction.  Sure enough the homey looking cabin was indeed present isolated on its slightly inclined hill.

"We are making good time."  Ruby stated between gasps.

They continued to march further into the forest seemingly following a path.  Yet there was no road or walkway visible he could determine.

The scenery did provide some small measure of enjoyment.  The trees with leaves a deep red hue was a great sight to behold.  Seeing how high the trees could grow when unhindered was something taken for granted by most.  Yet being in the forest -and at this point they definitely are in the forest- left one feeling different emotions than simply observing it from a window back at Beacon.

"Ok Folks it is time to have our first mobile discussion."  Mom broadcast with an unseen but obvious grin.

"Talk while we are running?"  Yang queried sounding breathless.

"I remind you all that if you must, you are able to draw from your aura.  I do not expect this to be easy but along with that reminder do not do so unless it is necessary."

Turning towards the left to angle up a small cliff mom continued by asking "How would somebody define the Grimm?"

Weiss' indicator popped up showing she was trying to speak first "Grimm… are…. soulless… entities…"

Nobody spoke up giving her time to talk for a few more steps before Pyrrha cut in "They are soulless creatures and as such they do not have Aura.  They tend to take the shape of animals but that is not always the case."  She sounded winded but still was able to speak clearly.

"Correct enough.  What is the Grimm's purpose?"  The Professor inquired again.

This time nobody spoke up right away unsure how best to answer that question.

"Grimm are drawn to negative emotions, their purpose is to destroy."  Blake stated unsure what more there was to say.

Mom had reached the cliff face and began climbing up.

"So then their goal is to eliminate life?  Not merely to hunt for survival?"  Mom inquired in a slightly challenging tone.

Blake did not respond right away… instead Ren picked up the conversation "It has not been proven but they have not been known to make settlements.  They have only been known to destroy what is in their path."

His answer was slowed significantly by his exertion, such that by the time he had finished the group had reached the top.  Looking over the tops of the trees it was obvious they were fairly deep into the forest.  Beacons tower was barely visible in the background yet the trees never seemed to end continuing on seemingly infinitely in all directions.

"Ok folks we take a break here.  Get some water in you, keep stretching if you need too but we do still have some points to discuss.  Go ahead and disengage the added weight mode for the moment."

At once most of the group issued a sigh of relief and hunched over to catch their breath after pushing the corresponding button.

For a time everybody did their own thing to keep limber and prepare for another fit of movement.

Mom had pulled out her scroll and seemed to be compiling data for a few moments before taking a draw of her own.

"Jaune… look at this."  Pyrrha stated off to the side behind him.

Jaune turned and walked over answering "What's up?"

Pyrrha seemed to be examining the ledge  beyond the landing the group had climbed up too.

Closing the distance it was obvious even at a range something was off with this cliff face… it was not mere rock.  Sharp edges were found cut too precisely to be randomly done by nature.  It was obvious this was a crude building of some form.

"Ok I agree… this looks man-made"  Katherine advised behind him following him over…. silently like always.

"Your curiosity is to be lauded you 3, but for now don’t go exploring anything.  I will talk about that in due time."  Mom instructed towards the ledge in the other direction.

Sharing a glance and a shrug they shuffled back towards the group.

Weiss moved over towards Katherine as they waited for the lesson to move forward.

"I agree, this is no mere rock.  It looks ancient but it is definitely man made."  She proclaimed confidently.

None the less with nothing else to do but get some water in their systems the group seemed to wait and be patient.

A few minutes later Mom evidently determined the break had lasted long enough and it was time to progress forward.

"OK class gather around I don't want to shout."  Some of the outliers moved closer forming a semi circle around the professor.

"This stop here is roughly our halfway point and gives me a good time to get some numbers ran from your suit reports.  Beyond that… this is an important if mostly forgotten landmark in our history."

The group mostly shared unsure glances before directing their gaze back on the professor.

"As many of you had guessed… this is not simply a rock.  As others guessed its time is something very very old."

Jaune once again gave the rock face another glance over agreeing with the statements but unable to draw more than what was said.

"What we are standing on is an ancient survival shelter dating back to the Darkest Days of Humanity."  The professor stated leaning against a rock.

"The Grimm War?   That marks this as potentially 6000 years old.  That would make it even older than Beacon itself."  Weiss commented looking more than a touch surprised.

Mom nodded "Indeed.  I cannot claim for sure how old this is as the Grimm conflict was a mesh of multiple millennia.  But yes, this does predate Beacon itself.  That much I am sure of."

She took a breath surveying her students.

"Can anybody tell me the primary details of the Grimm War?  What were the biggest points?"

Weiss nodded slightly raising her hand along with the Twins and Pyrrha.

"Ms.  Schnee go ahead."

Clearing her throat Weiss began "It was a conflict which nobody really knows how it began.  But humanity -faunus included- were living in a supposed golden age.  Weapons were slowly being edged away as unneeded.  Fewer and fewer people were instructed or learned how to fight as militaries were unneeded by the world at large."

Mom nodded "Anybody else carry on from there?"

Pyrrha picked up the narration with:

"Once the Grimm emerged that age of peace was shattered.  Humanity was unprepared and were nearly whipped out completely.  It not until the discovery of Aura that allowed us to fight back, but even so it was not enough on its own.  Mecha-weapon technology came about around this timeframe as did dust powered shells."

Mom nodded again.

"People survived by hiding in the open planes found throughout the world and banding together.  It took many millennia and the loss of untold lives but the fertile lands of the world were slowly stabilized forming the nations which continue to this day."

Jaune listened nodding his head as the talk went on for the most part agreeing with what was said.  However he also knew that his homeland had a direct hand in eventually ending the conflict… something history has largely forgotten.  But did not decide to voice those thoughts…. something Mom evidently agreed with as she did not add to the point.

Deb gave a final nod before speaking "A nice summation you two.  I do however have a few things to add to that.  Dr. Oobleck I realize is your history instructor.  Much of what I intend to tell you he reserves for the final year of your education.  However I do have a take on it which expands on his lessons.  First, a question for you all.  Why did we need Aura to make our stand?  Mankind has fought multiple wars without it prior to the Grimm War.  Sure our warriors would have been limited at the start of the conflict but a thousand years is a long time.  The Grimm conflict of course lasted for multiple millennia and it was only with Aura that we were eventually successful.  My question…. is why?"

The question sat for a handful of heartbeats before Jaune spoke "It greatly increases our survivability and our ability to damage what we were measured against."

Mom shook her head "While that point is true, it would also be nearly negligible in the big picture.  Sure a spear wielded with Aura will be multiplicative more destructive than one without… a gun really wouldn’t differ however.  Firearms were not at all limited after all.  No that is a truth, but not the reason."

Nobody else spoke up for several seconds.

"What is the nature of the Grimm?"  The Professor inquired.

A confused look was shared amongst the group before Yang spoke "They seek to sow destruction in their wake."

Mom shook her head appearing determined.

"What I say next is not meant to scare you… but to help you understand what it is we as Huntsman fight against.  It is something typically only told to students in their final year… but I tend to take some liberties with advanced students."

She took another deep breath crossing her arms growing even more serious in her face before speaking on.

"A Grimm pack is an ever evolving machine.  It is known that they are drawn to negative emotions.  Nobody seems to dispute that."

The students nodded following along.

"What is not told about them is that evolution is taking our own fears, our own weaknesses and using them against us.  They tend to take on the forms which the thoughts, the fragments of beings we ourselves fear and use that to change themselves.  Thus to truly trap and kill a pack of sufficient size to spawn more Grimm is a task which increases in difficulty the more wounded it becomes.  It will alter itself and what it spawns tailored to that which it fights."

Jaune put forth a surprised look and stated "You would think that is something which should be more common knowledge."

Mom nodded continuing "I do not disagree… hence why I am saying this now.  However… that is not even the worst of it.  Humanity has at least determined that Grimm originated from beyond the edges of the map.  The world has not been fully explored or mapped out.  Those few we have sent out come back with grave tidings."

She took another breath.

"As free as I am with protocol it is still school policy not to share this information until the student is believed to be ready for this knowledge.  Do not repeat this to any student or talk about it in earshot of them.  Am I clear?"

The group nodded gulping with a mix of nervous and excited emotions.

Exhaling Mom spoke on "The number of Grimm that have found their way to our lands is but a tiny fraction of the Grimm that exist in this world."

The wind seemed to blow carrying the sounds of birds or the ruffle of the leaves in the breeze as nobody was willing to speak for several seconds thereafter.

Giving a hard glance at her children confirmed Jaune's theory in his mind that regardless of what mom shares today… more to the story would likely remain.

"Beyond the edges of the known world Grimm roam around in packs of sufficient number to overrun every land and kingdom which stands today.  Multiple such packs exist."

"Ma'am that seems impossible!"  Blake objected voicing the thoughts of many present.

Mom shook her head.

"It has been confirmed by multiple reports and scouting attempts, pictures were taken.  These images are considered highly classified and while I have never witnessed them firsthand… I do not deny the truth of the claim."

She surveyed her students and seemed pleased at the level of focus being given to her.

"Most of those packs however constantly are at war with other packs of their own kind.  What the world calls invasions or Grimm hordes is actually just runaways or splinter branches of much more dangerous and large threats.  Obviously the biggest packs have never found its way to the mainland in recent memory." 

Deb could not help but be pleased as her students seemed accept this knowledge.  Not reject it with denial, but rather accept the fear it brought and attempt to push beyond it.

"What most Huntsmen have come to believe is that the Grimm War was in fact one of the larger 'True' packs finding its way towards the living lands.  Be it somehow crossing the ocean, navigating around the multiple mountain ranges separating them from us.  Or any avenue of traveling, possibly given that danger came to all lands at the same time it was all at once.  More than conjecture is difficult if not impossible for historical records that old."

She took another deep breath and stood off the rock dusting herself off.

"This brings me back to my original 2 points.  Aura was needed to fight this threat, because it allows us to fight without fear.  To drive back those negative emotions thus limiting the Grimm's primary advantage.  It is not a guarantee of victory, but once Aura was discovered humanity was able to stand up against the threat with a fighting chance.  While untold billions died we survived as a species specifically due to that.  With Aura on our side and teamwork… we have proven to have a chance against the Grimm.  That is something you all must take to heart.  Be you somebody who prefers to work alone or in groups.  When it comes to the worst case scenario our only hope of survival is to work, stand and fight together."

The group nodded at least at the sentiment portrayed… Yet Jaune still felt as though more information could be given.  Something a glance at his sister would confirm via her suspicions as well.

"The reason I bring everybody here is to try and show you, as in physically show you what is at stake in your life as a Hunter.  Before Aura, these shelters is often all people would have against the Grimm.  Across the known world you will find these refuges.  Sadly most of them were not successful in their task.  I do not suggest we go inside and look.  Most have been opened and studied by scholars such as Doctor Oobleck.  He does specialize in archaeology and does cover it when he deems it appropriate.  It is something where he outweighs my own knowledge and thus I will let him expand on that point in due time."

Deb took a brief pull of water before continuing. 

"This here is my second point to address.  This shelter did not succeed ultimately… and we have another half of our trip to go yet today where we will find one that did its job successfully.  Being able to identify them in the wild is a skill which might come in handy someday.  So with that said get yourselves back in weighted travel mode.  We have many miles to cover yet today.  Always remember… We are Huntresses and Huntsmen.  We stand against what others cannot because it is our calling.  Do not lose sight of that or your purpose."

Jaune could practically hear the lessons from the past come to the fore again.

_'Discipline and hard work.  Words I try to live by and encourage you all to do the same.'_

Words she practically had branded on her forehead…

Following her instructions Jaune pushed the corresponding buttons to get everything back in place… and for a fraction of a second made eye contact with his mother.  With a subtle head motion so miniscule he almost thought he didn’t see it… it was like she was telling him not to voice his concerns. 

Mom walked away towards the ledge finding a path down with the rest of the group following suit.

His Twin and Partner stood by him for a handful of seconds sensing his hesitation before over scroll chat his sisters voice cut in "No Jaune, you were not the only person to see that.  I wonder what more she could say?"

"I do not know for sure but… it probably has something to do with our homeland."

Pyrrha set a comforting hand on both her boyfriend and best friend's shoulders before speaking herself "I think you should trust her.  She will tell you when she can.  For now let's focus on learning all we are able."

Jaune smiled behind his visor… she always was his rock.

"You're right… let's get back to it."

_I can always ask her about anything else later in private.  But I can't help but wonder… what more could there be to say?  I've learned to read her fairly well.  She normally would only refrain from saying something if she wasn't sure it was true.  Maybe she is only guessing at the rest and didn’t want to pass that information on?_

*** Evening that same day ***

"Your mom certainly doesn’t kid about her lessons…"  Ren observed breathing heavily between words.

Despite himself Jaune couldn't help but chuckle.

The suits the group wore seemed at least to be doing many adjustments as they continued their move.  It was obvious that the various light indicators seemed to be a sense of difficulty or severity… the red lights on Pyrrha himself and his Twin never faltered as they marched.

Yet Ruby seemed to upgrade to that towards the end, a testament to the work she has put in privately to grow for sure.

Their second and final destination only came into view as the sun was beginning to set over the tree line.  Indeed the cabin seemed to be constructed on the top of a high cliff edge isolated from the land below.  Such was their distance that the Beacon tower could not actually be seen.  Easy to rationalize with how many miles the teammates put in that day.

After a lengthy upscale climb on a rather severe incline the group finally seemed to stop for the day a mere 100 or so yards from the cabin.  This one seemed to be significantly larger than the first one with multiple levels and a power generator.  Though beyond that it seemed similar in design to the first.

"Gather around here folks.  Go ahead and disable the added weight again."  Mom advised stopping the march near a somewhat open space.

Instantly slowing their speed the group came to a halt moments later punching the appropriate buttons.

"Glad to see a friendly sight."  Yang claimed hunched over gasping for air as her helmet rolled off back to its backpack.

Jaune Pyrrha and Katherine seemed to form a small circle at the back of the gathering hands on the back of their heads.

"That was a good run."  Pyrrha claimed with a smirk.

Kate smirked right back "This was my everyday life with her in the forest.  Always there was some new landmark to reach.  I'd like to think I am used to it but… well I am not." 

Pyrrha couldn’t help but smile at her best friend… even being one of the few to be able to do this on the hardest setting and not collapse afterward she remained humble.  The twins deserve far more credit than they accept that’s for sure.

Jaune nodded in agreement "I think we have done well in any case.  Our lights were red the entire time.  That should count for something."

The two women smiled back at him.

Some soft footsteps sounded off behind him caused Jaune to turn.

Weiss looked barely able to remain on her feet… though she seemed to have a slight smile as Ruby happily declared.

"You did it Weiss!"  The Reaper moved over and put a comforting hand on her back.

Rubbing her back with gusto Ruby's energy was telling for all nearby observing the partners.

"You did it."  She repeated with a hard pat rumbling the Heiress' body.

Jaune felt he should do his team leader thing and check in on the rest of his friends… starting with the two women in his vision.

"I'm going to see how everybody else is doing."  He stated softly starting his walk forward after setting and removing a hand on each of their backs.

He heard Kate mumble an affirmative behind him and within a few steps reached his fellow team leader.

"I did it… I guess I did."  Weiss admitted absolutely breathless.

"Yes you did… see I told you it will come easier in time."  Ruby praised… then looked behind her as a warm hand settled on her shoulder.

Jaune set a hand on both girls before advising "That was a nice trip.  You two alright?"

Ruby nodded still beaming with pride "Yup I'm good."

Weiss just raised up an arm making a thumbs up.

Chuckling with glee Ruby pulled her partner into a hug… seemingly ignoring the brief squawk of objection the Heiress made.

"Alright everybody take a few minutes to catch your breath.  Once we are done here we can head into the cabin and relax.  Study the rock face independently for a few minutes then come on up here."  Mom spoke from a slightly raised point.

Jaune shared a glance with his partner… before they both shrugged.

Jaune was unsure what exactly mom had in mind, thus he tried to start from the beginning.  From the forest edge the rock became very clear.  A narrow uphill path with a slight curve coiling upward, it all looked very natural.  Unlike the previous shelter they visited this one did not seem obvious to the naked eye at being more than rock.  That minor fact probably had a great deal to do with its success.

None the less he following the path it did branch more into the rock at seemingly random points via various natural caves.  Though caves was probably an ambiguous term given they were literally just crawl spaces.  Far smaller than what would be needed to walk around in.  Looking up following it to its top those holes seemed to continue throughout the entire rock structure.  Tracing the path up top towards his mother he never once noticed an obvious door or specific entry point.  It is possible those natural crevices were the actual hideout.

Once he completed his movement along the path that changed as at this stage one of those crevices was widened out to the degree a man could walk inside.  Though it was barely more than a place for a fire and shelter from the rain.  It seemed so open that it would be ineffective as a shelter though… it was a somewhat defensible point he had to admit that.  Problem was the previous location was even more secure…  Why then did this succeed where the more sturdy structure previously failed?

He couldn’t help but notice that the Heiress at least had all the visual clues of knowing something he did not.  Weiss seemed to be paying special attention to the rock tapping it in multiple points with her hand… but he couldn’t deduce for what purpose.

"Alright folks gather up."  Mom called out.

Already being at the top Jaune only crossed his arms continuing to dwell further on the matter.

"It’s a nice piece of rock but… well I don't make anything special out of it."

He turned behind him to see his sister slowly striding towards him.

"You keep sneaking up on me… but I agree."

She smiled finding a spot next to him.

The group slowly found their way up with Pyrrha being one of the last to reach the top.

"I kept trying to look in one of those holes… but even with my helmet light I couldn’t see far."  She admitted.

"Yeah I didn’t even try to look inside."  Jaune admitted.

Ren and Nora took a spot nearby and seemed to be talking amongst themselves.  Neither looked as though they were sure of anything.  Ruby found Weiss near the man-made cave though she did not interrupt whatever her partner was doing.

"I still can't make out much about the rock."

Jaune recognized the speaker as Yang… though he turned back to nod at her.  Blake behind still sending her eyes everywhere seeking out something to notice about the rock.

"Ms. Rose… Mr. Arc."  Mom called out.

Both persons shared a confused glance before looking towards the voice.

"Come on over here please.  The rest of you move on up as well, form a line here."  Mom requested standing near the large opening.

Ruby and Jaune found a spot near the Professor as their friends made a line in front of them.

Mom moved behind the two students near her and gave a comical bonk on the back of Ruby's head… before making another identical action on her son.

"Ok, they are officially hurt."  She said stepping forward slightly.

The rest of her students looked moderately amused if still unsure what her point was.

Looking back at the team leaders behind her mom issued an exasperated gasp "Ok you two are hurt remember?  Fall over or something!"

Now definitely grinning Ruby comically fainted off to the side mimicking a gunshot wound while Jaune just fell flat landing somewhat comfortably on the backpack.

"Terrible acting."  Yang joked.

"Absolutely horrible."  Kate agreed with a  chuckle.

"Yeah they won't be winning any awards for that performance."  Mom advised still seemingly amused…

…Then grew more serious as the lesson resumed.

She found her daughter amongst the crowd and spoke on "Ok our lesson for the day is nearly over but focus up a bit for this last part.  I am sorry Ms. Arc but I do need to ask you to just observe and think your own way through this next part.  I do not wish to give one side an advantage of numbers." 

At that Kate shrugged then moved forward and found a spot near her brother.

Her students did indeed focus up at that though Yang could not help but keep a healthy grin to her features.

"For this last lesson you all need to assume that your leader has been either wounded or is out of reach.  Thus you cannot gain any insight from them in this next exercise.  Decide amongst yourself who in that case would decide your course of action.  You can take a few minutes for that."

Jaune from his spot sat up right while Ruby also pulled herself upright to observe.

"This should be interesting."  She said happily looking on.

Kate nodded in agreement before voicing "I think your right." 

Jaune decided not to speak instead he focused in on the RWBY camps conversation just a few feet ahead of him.

"What do you think?"  Blake stated evenly.

Weiss pulled her gaze off her Partner as she spoke "Well… I would normally just vote for myself but.  Well I don't want to get ahead of myself."

Yang actually grinned back "Weiss actually I think you would be the right choice here."

Weiss seemed surprised "You do?"

Yang smiled "Look I know how to fight but I haven't studied rocks-"

"Geology."  Weiss corrected.

The Brawler nodded "Exactly… I don't think I am the answer here.  What do you think Blakey?"

Blake shrugged "This area isn't exactly my area of expertise either.  I think that’s the right move."

Ruby seemed to giggle to herself "She always wanted to be a leader."

Jaune smiled looking down "Well it seems she will get her chance here."

"What do you think your team will decide Jaune?"  Kate asked nodding towards JNPR.  They were too far away to hear clearly but they did seem to be in conversation.

Jaune seemed to consider carefully before answering.

"I confess I haven't a clue.  Both Ren and Pyrrha seem to be good candidates with various strengths.  Nora is highly intelligent as well so there could be an argument for her too."

Kate just looked at him sideways seemingly amused.

"Some still think Pyrrha should have been made leader but it surprises me to think you would consider Nora one as well.  I mean you make a great leader Jaune you have proven yourself but I just never thought you'd say that."  Ruby admitted appearing surprised.

Jaune made a face before answering "I am flattered Ruby but I am just being honest.  Nora is intelligent, very much so.  In the right situation she might be the best person to ask."

"Like what?"  Ruby inquired.

"Like if you were in a foreign territory.  She is great with languages and is probably the person to listen to in that instance."

Ruby just considered that for a few moments "I guess we all have our strengths."

Kate smiled again but otherwise seemed content to observe.

"Alright folks, times up.  Gather around here please."  Deb requested.

RWBY having already decided just made the few steps to get back into line.  JNPR took a bit longer but a handful of seconds later everybody was back in a line.

"As I said previously where we now stand is another ancient shelter from the Grimm conflict.  This one was used frequently with objects dating back 1000 to 6000 years having been found within.  I could advise why, but I long ago believe it more beneficial to mix another lesson in.  Thus here we have my final challenge for the day."

The three people sitting down seemed to relax while those standing couldn't help but focus again.

"The Challenge is imagine that each team has been sheltering a group of refuges across Grimm infested territory.  Many are wounded, some are sick and are in no shape to fight.  Imagine you have been separated by your leader.  Maybe they are even amongst those who are wounded and as such can give you no direction."

Nodding slightly the students seemed to understand why Jaune and Ruby were observing this.

"The situation is you manage to get your charges here but are pursued by a pack of Grimm.  You reach the top where we are now and need to decide on a course of action with the goal of keeping both them and yourselves safe.  Would the chosen representative of each team step forward please."

Weiss made a cautious step forward as did Pyrrha.

"They seemed to have chosen Pyrrha."  Kate observed intrigued.

Jaune and Ruby both nodded.

"Do I have a volunteer to go first?"  Mom inquired.

Pyrrha nodded in response "I would be happy to Ma'am."

Mom nodded standing off to the side.  "Very well… what would you decide?"

Pyrrha cleared her throat before continuing "I would have the group of civilians go inside the tunnels while the team would hold off any Grimm that approach for as long as they could."

Mom waited a few moments before speaking "Can you expand on that?  The answer is very simplistic"

Pyrrha nodded her head to the narrow pass behind them and answered "This top area is very defensible.  The narrow walkway means only one Grimm at a time could go in with this area itself being shielded by the top and right hand side.  Thus it wouldn't be difficult to hold both the pass and anything climbing up with just 2 trained Huntsmen.  One might even be able to do the job with the right equipment."

She took a breath before going on.

"Depending on the state of the refugees the third could be inside with them or could even be performing sneak attacks through the various crevices in the rock.  We as a team always carry excess medical supplies and food so assuming the pack isn't too large we should be able to make our stand relatively easily.  If all else fails the team should be able to hold long enough for the refugees to get away towards the nearest safe zone and lose the pack."

Mom nodded "A fighters answer I can understand that.  You would fight as long as you could in hopes of standing against the Grimm?"

Pyrrha nodded "I would prefer to spare the civilians as much as I could.  In the event we are able to push off the pack as I suspect we would in this position we treat any wounded we have, ensure they are well nourished then move on according to the mission plans.  If not we could always retreat into the structure to sneak everybody out the back as an emergency measure."

"Ok, very well."  Mom advised with a second nod.

Pyrrha seemed to conclude her summary and stepped back into line with her teammates.

Jaune couldn’t help but smile at the memory of something she had often said 'I would stand happily against any enemy as long as I have my weapons.'

Weiss seemed to kick her feet nervously as she waited for her chance.

"She will do fine Ruby."  Jaune advised noting how antsy the Reaper seemed to be.

Ruby smirked but otherwise just smiled.

Directing her gaze on the smaller girl the Professor spoke on with "Ms. Schnee… how would you have everything proceed?"

Weiss looked up and took a deep breath before speaking on "Ma'am.  I would have everybody, the team included head inside the crevices."

Several people looked a bit surprised by that, though they did not object to her suggestion.

"You would not fight rather have everybody enter the cave?"  Deb asked to confirm.

Weiss gulped but otherwise tried to stay confident "Yes, I would."

Mom fixed her gaze squarely on the Heiress and asked "Why would you decide that?"

Steeling herself Weiss answered "Because I believe I know why this shelter was successful."

Mom smiled "Do tell Ms. Schnee."

Weiss blinked before nodding towards the shelter "The top here is no more than it seems.  Just a place to make camp and take shelter from the elements.  Sure its defensible as Pyrrha pointed out but… that I believe is only meant as a last resort.  Those small crevices however is not something unique.  It is something I have seen before."

"What it is Weiss?"  Nora asked intrigued.

Jaune halfway believed Mom would stop the lesson but she seemed oddly at ease letting Weiss explain.

"This structure… this rock… is a natural air dust formation.  It is not pure enough to mine or refine into a useable form even with modern technology.  However even given the cramped quarters inside the dust would purify any air.  Even if you needed to cook something it would shield the smoke and conceal the smell of anybodies presence inside.  That would be my guess why it was successful."

"So?"  Mom pushed with a smile.

Weiss smiled back "So, if it isn't unique the refuges would likely recognize that they are safe inside.  The Grimm could not smell them given the rock.  Given the sense of safety we could easily wait out the pack until they wandered off.  If we determine the pack is not a threat we could easily eliminate it once the civilians are safe.  Once any medical care had been given and our wounded teammate was back on their feet we could move again.  This forest isn't exactly lacking in food or water sources so even if our supplies run low we could scavenge for supplies to save what we normally bring with us.  Then it's just a matter of either going out the front door or navigating the hive of tunnels to get outside.  Both should be possible as I understand landmarks or maps are typically left inside for anybody who might be forced to take shelter."

She took a breath and ended with "That would be my plan."

Mom nodded respectfully "Well done Ms. Schnee."

Yang and Blake both pulled the Heiress into a hug from behind causing Weiss to put an embarrassed if incredibly warm smile to her features.

"Ok don't get too excited yet folks.  Yes Ms. Schnee you are correct."

She paused for a moment before speaking on.

"Both of you have answered well enough in accordance with your own knowledge and expectations."

"Was this a test of character Ma'am?"  Ren asked curiously.

Mom seemed to consider for a moment before answering "No not really.  If somebody answered grossly out of place.  Like if for example you answered 'Leave the civilians and make a run for it.' I suspect you wouldn't be a student at Beacon to begin with.  No it was not meant as a test of character Mr. Lie."

She took another drink of water before speaking on.

"The point is twofold.  First is to make it clear that many Huntsmen may specialize in one field of study or another it is important to give yourself as balanced and rounded an education as you can.  Even after your studies here conclude.  Attend summits with various views or theories.  Read books study subjects you might otherwise ignore.  You never know when something as simple as recognizing a dust foundation could be critical.  To mention Dr. Oobleck yet again there is a reason he -a scholar of archaeology and history- is a Huntsmen charged with passing knowledge on to the next generations.  Even if you find history boring, there is value in all knowledge however big or small the source."

Taking another drink she turned towards the three sitting down before speaking on "The second lesson is meant to be for the team leaders themselves.  Many teams are unable to act effectively when something happens to them.  The lesson I hope you two gain is to keep that in mind.  Keep contingencies planed for… however unwelcome they are.  It doesn’t need to be a militaristic chain of command but a clearly ordered goal is a good objective to aim for."

Nodding at the same time Jaune and Ruby both stood up with Kate and moved towards their friends.

Jaune couldn’t help but smile at Ruby as she happily pulled her girlfriend into another hug in greeting.  Something Weiss it seems did not expect but didn’t object too.

"Alright so.  Well that's another day done.  Congratulations on another well done lesson.  What was your impression of the suits?"  Mom asked.

Grinning ear to ear Yang answered with a wink at her Partner "They are great but don’t leave much to the imagination."

Weiss nodded but didn’t say anything though she seemed to blush slightly.

Looking bashful Blake could only give Yang a stern look before the Professor spoke on.

Mom chuckled "Well… that is true.  I feel like I must remind you all this is the advanced class.  Be adults with each other, your training and education is far more important than looking appealing.   That the suits do that is an added bonus not the point."

Pyrrha and Jaune shared an amused smile at each other before looking away as Mom continued.

"Well I guess you should all get inside.  Like before there are robes and under clothes available.  Be civil.  Once you are cleaned up head out here again.  I will get some dinner going."

***Later after the meal***

No more lectures were in store for the group following the last of the evening.  Something the group was happy for as while they found the Professors lessons entertaining and educational there was a limit to what could be gained in a day.  A full day of weighted jogging with lessons mixed in meant brainpower was starting to come at a premium.

Thankfully once the suits were off and they had showered things seemed to settle down in more ways than one.  Pajama's were indeed available as were full length robes.  Something everybody was soon donned in as it was indeed time to eat.

What started as a simple campfire meal with friends had ran its course.  While many of his friends or teammates had chosen to head back inside he remained on his back with his hands behind his head staring up at the stars.

Many subjects ran though his mind given the knowledge gained that day, most telling was his suspicion that Mom still had more to say on the subject of the Grimm War.  The more he thought about it the more he believed himself to be correct.

Sensing more than hearing another settle in next to him Jaune seemed to guess who it was.

"What do you make of today?"  He asked.

"I think our world got a bit bigger and scarier today."  Katherine answered.

He didn’t respond instead just mumbled an affirmative.

"You are thinking about Mom knowing more than what she said?"  Kate guessed.

Jaune hummed amused "You are practically in my mind Katherine.  You know that.  Her look basically confirmed it for me already.  You saw it too."

Kate chuckled "Sure enough but… look my point is you shouldn't don't dwell on it."

That caused him to look at her "How can you tell me not to think about it?"

Looking back at him Kate grew a touch more serious "Simply because I trust her Jaune.  I believe you do too.  When you are ready I believe she will tell you.  I learned that much in the woods with her before.  She did right by me then."

Jaune felt like arguing the point but just couldn't bring himself to do it "I know you spent a long time with her in the past Kate but something like this I feel shouldn't be secret.  I can understand if she is just guessing but…"

Kate shook her head "You don't feel that way?"

Jaune smiled back "Well at that point I would be the one guessing.  I guess you have more experience being her pupil than I do."  He admitted.

Kate just gave him that 'You know what I want to say' look he knew so well.

He smiled looking upwards again… yeah

"What does my heart say?"  He stated quoting mom's favorite saying.

"He can be taught!"  She joked pointing a finger in the air triumphantly.

Scowling back at her briefly he considered "My heart says trust her."

"Mine too."  She voiced simply.

"Glad we agree."  He said yawning tiredly.

They were silent for a stretch just listening to the sounds of the forest on the wind.  Minutes piled into minutes and before he knew it the fire was beginning to die down.

"Guess we should head back inside."  Jaune stated standing up.

Kate rose at the same time seemingly agreeing.

Walking back together Jaune couldn't help but admit "I admit I could use a good night's rest."

Kate nodded answering "Those weighted suits made that really difficult I admit.  The jog itself would probably have been tiring on its own.

Opening the door Jaune let his twin inside first "Well that’s mom for you."

Jaune had barely shut the door before Pyrrha seemed to appear next to him.

"Bout time you both got back in.  I was wondering if you were just going to sleep outside at this rate."

Kate chuckled "Well we evidently decided against that.  I'm off to my bed.  See you two in the morning."

At that Kate smiled at her friend before silently walking away.

"See you Kate."

With a wave behind her Kate continued her path away.

Directing her gaze upon her Partner Pyrrha put forth a curious look "You two have a good chat?"

Jaune chuckled "You could call it that."

They walked off towards their own room together hand in hand speaking quietly.

"You want to talk more about it?"  She inquired.

Jaune shook his head "It is just what the 3 of us already suspected.  We think she has more to say on the matter in the future."

Pyrrha nodded opening the door to their teams room.  Kate was already inside and seemingly asleep… or at least had found an open bed.

"I get that you have your suspicions but odds are she's just saving it for another lesson Jaune."

He nodded in return and whispered back "I agree… in any case I'll try not to dwell on it."

She seemed to hum in appreciation seemingly in thought.

Jaune took off his robe to lay flat on his bed and noted she was hesitant to lay down on her own.  He was not surprised at all when she slithered in next to him to rest on her favorite spot on his chest.

"Let me guess… you are cold?"  He guessed knowingly moving his arms around her.

He felt her smile into his neck as she answered back "Not anymore."

Before long they were sound asleep ready for whatever tomorrow would bring.

**A/N**

**I hope the grammar and such is clearing up… if I spend more time reading these things for checks id would be doing that more than writing.  Just… AGHH!!!**

**So firstly…. holy cow!  500 of each category that’s already blowing the best I hoped to achieve out of the water!  Thank you all so much for supporting this fic… or at least continually reading it : )**

**As ever any questions or feedback is welcome.  Please kudos/review/fav/follow/IM or email me any concerns questions requests yada yada you all may have.**

**ANOTHER TRUTH OR DARE IS COMING UP!  Another reminder any suggestions or funny/sexy goofs anybody would like to see happen might be arrange able with a quick message to me.**

**Thank you for reading… and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	42. Y3 Fall: The Mastermind Returns?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang is feeling a bit down... can anything Cheer her up? Maybe a healthy dose of Velvet could.

3.17  The Mastermind Returns?

_Life is depressing sometimes.  Being an adult sucks, it really sucks._

The down individual took a heavy pull from her drink before continuing with her inner rant.

_Even the drinks are watered down._

Attempting to take a long slurp caused a realization.

_Or maybe mine was just out the good stuff and I was drinking ice…_

"Hey Barkeep!  Another drink please!"  The depressed Brawler demanded pounding on the table.

Looking back and forth a touch confused Ren could only respond "Uh… I'm not exactly a bartender Yang-"

"Just slide me another coke please!"  The brawler requested again.

Sigh an amused sigh and smile Ren reached into the fridge and obliged.

"Long day?"  He asked.

With a grunt Yang placed her face back on the table "Don’t wanna talk about it."

Yang seemed to speak quietly to herself such that Ren was about to go back to cleaning his weapons… before he sensed another person wander closer to him.

"Howdy stranger… you’re the bartender here?"  Her sensual pleasant sounding voice made it clear who it was.  That… and he still didn’t hear her approach.

At this point Ren figured he might as well play the Bartender card a bit and just went with it "I guess so, first day on the job.  Been a rough day, grumpy customers all shift long." 

Sitting down sensually to lean against the table as if she was a professional seductress dressed in her typical figure hugging black clothing Kate couldn’t help but purr out "Seems like you have quite the trouble case your first day.  What's her problem?"

Smiling freely Ren answered "She's trying to drown out her sorrows with the wrong drink.  Coke isn't best for that, I'd say that’s her biggest problem."

Kate leaned in closer to smile at him.

"Little sisters should stay little."  The Sad Brawler croaked out in her defense down the table.

Chuckling the boyfriend and girlfriend combo couldn’t help but enjoy some quiet talk amongst themselves seemingly ignoring the girl further on down the way.

Seriously… being an adult sucks.  Firstly the Winter Dance is going to happen soon and I still haven't figured out what dress to wear.  Blake even suggested I should go in a suit citing my shoulders would look great in one.  I mean I don't even have a suit to match her dress!  I have plenty dresses but not a suit!

To add to that… when did Ruby get in better shape than me?  When… how did I let that happen?  She had been working hard and growing up all around me and I haven't seen any of that at all!

_It wasn't so long ago she was no taller than my knee…_

'You are just mad that she's active now and you've walked in on her a couple times.' The good side to her conscious might say.

_Ugh… that part of me isn't wrong…._

'Please you might as well let her enjoy her private time with her girlfriend but just remember… two people can play that way.'

With a startled shake Yang shattered that thought moments after it came up.

_Did my more evil side really just suggest that?_

_'Really that isn't a horrible suggestion just think about it.  The best way to fight fire is with even more fire yeah?'_

…

_Just going to ignore that part of me for now._

Things really must be down if I am even contemplating THAT type of battle with my own sister… Maybe I should talk to Blake about it?

Yang shook her head again rather viciously.

_Blasted not-so-baby sisters.  Making me come up with weird ideas like this._

"Wait what you are serious?"  Katherine stated a touch loudly startling the brawler out of her musings.

Directing her gaze slightly to the right still resting on the table Yang couldn’t help but smile as Ren seemed slightly distracted by Kate's pose.

"Uh… well yeah."  He admitted.

Katherine seemed to blink and take another drink… being such a natural that even that simple and innocent action appeared seductive in nature.

"You wanted to ask if we could go to Cadia over Winter Break?"  She repeated to confirm.

Sitting down opposite her Ren nodded "Yeah.  Ruby and Weiss asked Nora and I.  The skiing this time of year is supposed to be amazing.  The only people we haven't asked are you, your Brother and Pyrrha."

Kate made a face like she was considering it and took a drink before speaking "I can talk to them about it.  If they are willing I would be happy to go.  But I don't want to leave anybody here.  Pyrrha, well, she has a particular aversion to the cold."

She gave him an amused look before speaking on "You do understand this is about the coldest place you can ever go right?  Jaune and I will be fine but for you all this will be jarring."

He grinned "We understand that.  It still sounds like fun."

At this point Yang could only really grunt "Yay… I did agree to go and freeze my hair off in the frozen north.  Way to go happy self.  I hope you are satisfied."

Taking another pull of her drink she set her face back level again.

Looking at her blond friend down the way Kate leaned closer to her boyfriend across the table to whisper "Is she really upset?"

He responded in kind after shrugging "I don't think so.  Just depressed that her baby sister isn't such a baby anymore."

Chuckling slightly Kate inquired "So… aside from your new gig as a bartender what are you up too?"

He nodded towards Stormflower nearby before answering "I was just cleaning the gun after target practice.  I need to pick up another delivery of shells in about an hour or so… well this is really a part time thing."  He stated in good humor indicating the 'bar'.

"Jaune is busy with mom for another hour or so as well.  I think Pyrrha wanted to observe the lesson this time."  She purred innocently.

He nodded "Well… I guess I can't blame her for being curious.  They work together so much I'm surprised it took her that long to want to join in." 

She grinned knowingly "Oh I would have bet she wanted to join in from the start.  She… was just willing to give him some space until things settled down a bit."

He smiled back "Always with an ear to the ground?"  He teased.

The shared a friendly look before she determined it was time to proceed with her scheme.

She drained her drink before smiling sensually "So where does that leave you in the here and now?"

He could only look at her confused until it dawned on it like a light switching on "Well… I do have some time until I have to pick up those packages…"

A sound of a knock on the entry door startled the pair even as they stood and moved around the table.

"Might as well answer the door on our way."  Katherine stated sliding her arm in Ren's.

Keeping track of the conversation out of the corner of her eye The Grumpy Brawler could really only think one thought…

_Blasted sisters… they are always up to something!  Every last one of em!   How Jaune keeps his sanity with 7 of them I will never know.  Maybe its cause he's the baby of the family…_

_…_

_Though she does make it seem so natural it's almost like she isn't even trying…_

Yang was left to her musing/grumbling as Kate and Ren moved down the hallway to answer the door.

Opening it around the time whoever it was knocked a second time they were a touch surprised at who was calling.  Though the caller was just as chipper and happy on appearance as normal.

"Velvet!  Hey nice to see you!"  Kate said cheerfully happy to see her bunny eared friend.

With a friendly smile Velvet entered the room allowing her ears to droop around the midpoint as was her typical standard way of moving around.  Not shocked, surprised, unhappy or sad.  Just normal.

"Hey Kate, Hey Ren.  Just dropping by before the dance tomorrow.  Wanted to say hello."

She looked over the two people greeting her noting that Ren had moved his hand around Kate's back to her hip.

"Am I interrupting anything?"  She asked as her ears started to straight a touch.

Sharing a brief look and a smile they both answered "No, not really."  Matching each other's tone and enunciation.

Now blushing as she rose an eyebrow Velvet couldn’t help nod absentmindedly.

"If you say so."

Looking to the ground briefly Ren could only smile.

Kate not reacting really just inquired "Where you trying to catch anybody Velvet?  Jaune is busy if you were hoping to talk to him."

Velvet shook her head.

"No I was actually hoping to talk to Yang.  Is she nearby?"  She inquired.

With a head motion Ren answered "She's at the table in the living room."

Lighting up in another smile Velvet answered "Great!  I know the way if you two have uh…. other places to be."

Ren just blushed deep red while Kate grinned and answered back "Ren does have a place to be in an hour."

At that Velvet just blushed even harder before bounding her way down the hallway.

The couple watched her move away before Ren voiced "Don't you ever get embarrassed?"

"I am embarrassed you would think THAT would embarrass me."  She kidded while grinning.

"I guess that was rather tame in hindsight.  Still I have to think something would embarrass you."  He admitted.

She just pushed her chest up against him moving her arms around his neck.

"Not really… at least I haven't found anything yet."  Her look implied she was getting impatient.

Not wanting to test her any further Ren just hurried reached behind him and backed into the JNPR dorm room.

Somehow the door got shut behind them… though nobody would really know exactly how.  Not that anybody cared to ask.  Certainly not the Bunny with a mission walking down the hall.

"And now they are gone and I am sitting here by myself… talking to myself.  The Bartender even abandoned me, nobody is around to slide me drinks."  The Brawler complained to nobody in particular.

Given Velvet's hearing she had no difficulty picking up on everything being said even the bits barely spoken aloud near the end of the sentence.  None the less she deigned to get another coke for herself and Yang before sitting down across from her.

"I see you need a refill."  Velvet stated with friendly cheer..

Checking her current soda can Yang confirmed it was empty with a smile.

"So I do.  You'd make a good bartender Vel."  Opening up the next drink Yang dove right into it.

"I'm in a bit of a mood right now Vel sorry if I am not the best of company."  Yang stated in warning.

Bending her ears slightly intrigued Velvet asked "That time of the month?"

Choking slightly on her coke Yang gave her a deadly look "That!"

A double take.

"What!?"

A triple take and a slight cough.

"No why?  Why even say that Velvet you’re a girl!"

Velvet shrugged "I dunno just have never known you to get upset.  Figured it was something… odd."

Still slightly sputtering Yang drained the coke can and slammed it down empty. "I think you should replace my drink for that!"

Smiling innocently Velvet obliged saying "Careful it seems you have had quite a few of these." As she handed it over.

Taking a few sips of her new drink she couldn’t help but send a few curious looks at the oddly determined Bunny Rabbit across from her.

"You seem odd today Velvet.  Normally you are more timid.  Anything going on?"  Yang inquired going slurping more soda down.

"Before I get into that why are you in a bad mood?"  Velvet asked curiously.

Yang scowled slightly at the small girl before taking a deep breath.

"My baby sister isn't such a baby sister anymore.  She has this annoying habit of getting busy before and after I am around her.  She tends to have some enjoyment of tormenting me in that fashion.  Somehow she got in better shape than I am AND I was just reminded that I agreed to go to Cadia over Winter break where my hair is probably going to freeze and fall off.  So it’s a few things that’s bugging me.  Too add to that it's about time for our annual Truth or Dare game and I've have had to accept it as hopeless.  Jaune is just too cunning, Katherine to crafty, Pyrrha to steady.  I find myself outmatched and anybody I can call on just isn't as determined to win as I am."

Appearing depressed again Yang downed yet another can before placing her face back on the table.

"So yeah that basically sums it up."

Velvet had to use both hands to count off all the points Yang brought up and gave up counting after 7.

"So again I ask you Vel… why are you so chipper today?"  Yang inquired once again grabbing yet another coke can.

Waiting for the Brawler to sit down once again Velvet leaned in close.  "I know you have a trip to Cadia planned for skiing.  I want in."  She stated.

Yang huffed "Please all you'd have to do is ask and you could come along.  You don't have to ask anybody particular about that."

Velvet nodded "True, hence why that’s only half of it."

Tossing her hair over her other shoulder Yang leaned back slightly to cross her arms.

"Ok… so what's the other half?"  Taking another drink of her fresh coke can.

Scanning the room for both visual and audio clues to anybody nearby Velvet whispered "I have a plan for finally beating Jaune at Truth or Dare."

Coughing uncontrollably sputtering her drink over the table Yang could only glare at her friend.

"Velvet Please!  I am … was a Truth or Dare master!  Undefeated!  Nobody could challenge me!  Then he came along and suddenly his side is this unassailable fortress!  Those 3 work as a team and cover for each other!  They have no weakness no pressure points to exploit!  I tell you it cannot be done!"

Lowering her voice still Velvet reached into her pocket as she responded "It CAN be done… you just have to have the right rule set."

Raising her eyebrow with a look of amusement Yang took up the paper willing to indulge her friend with that at least.

Yang read it through several times before giving a look that indicated she was less than impressed.

"Velvet your plan to make them lose is to literally make it a rule that says they can't win?"

Velvet facepalmed taking a deep breath "No-no-no you silly girl.  It's all in how teams are allocated and divided.  If Ren goes first he would likely pick Kate as his teammate.  Then given one of the game rules forbidding Partners from choosing each other Pyrrha would have to pick somebody else.  Thus you could pick him and give yourself the advantage.  Moreover… I have one bit of firepower that even Jaune would struggle to find his way out of if he somehow ends up on another team."

Doing yet ANOTHER sweep she leaned in next closer still to whisper her trump card to Yang.

Yang listened appearing intrigued before barking out.

"JAUNE DID WHAT?!  He and Pyrrha did WHAT over the summer?!"

Putting a hand over the Brawlers mouth Velvet appeared determined.

"Be quiet do you want everybody to know this?  If everybody does it isn't a weapon anymore!"

Yang reread the note more fully taking in that bit of information before finally smiling.

"Ok so maybe that gets him to give up his pass.  That isn't enough to win on its own."  Yang claimed finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.

Sitting back up straight more fully Velvets ears went straight up on her head as she spoke on "That’s why I need you.  Read the backside of that paper I gave you."

Turning the page over Yang started up reading it and actually sat her coke down to focus in on it fully.

…

She looked up at Velvet briefly before reading it through an entire second time trying to soak it all in.

"Velvet when did you become so evil?"

The Bunny girl could only preen her uniform smugly looking proud of herself.

Finally appearing as if she is taking this conversation seriously Yang sat up straight and asked "Ok Velvet.  Say I say yes to this and agree to face him again.  What is in this for you?  Why are you doing this?  I know you aren't out for revenge of any kind."

Velvet actually blushed at that before answering "I just want to see Jaune with his shirt off again."

*Thump*

"Yang!"

*Thump… Thump*

"Yang stop hitting your head on the table!"

Obliging her friend only to laugh loudly Yang seemed to be back in her normal self.

"Velvet…"

She couldn’t speak before going into another spree of laughter.

Now scowling at her friend Velvet crossed her arms.

"Yang be serious for a moment!  I certainly am!"  The agitated Rabbit demanded.

Finally settling down though a smile remained Yang announced "Velvet I think you were exactly what I needed to cheer up.  I sorely needed that laugh."

Though she was unsuccessful in stopping her laugh at that point alone.

Scowling Velvet answered "Happy to help… the Truth or Dare game?"

Sighing into a deep breath Yang took a moment to think.

"Ok Ok… Asking some of his sisters for some dirt is a good idea but to be honest I have an even better idea."  The brawler mused.

Raising an eyebrow Velvet appeared thoughtful for a few seconds before asking "You don't mean Kate?  That didn’t work out so well last time."  She cautioned.

Yang shook her head with a gigantic smile taking root on her features.  "Try again."

Thinking for a few seconds she looked around the room before her mouth opened up in shock.  "You don’t mean!?"

Yang nodded sinisterly.

Grinning into a smile Velvet held out her hand "And you call ME evil?"

Accepting the handshake Yang answered back "Always you must remember I am the original Mastermind grasshopper.  Leave that bit to me though… you just think of some good things to throw at him over vacation."

Yang watched her partner in crime exit the dorm room and stood herself with more bounce to her step that she felt in weeks.

_Ok Jaune Arc.  Let's see how you respond to this… in a few days we meet again.  This time Yang Xiao Long WILL emerge victorious!_

***Debs room***

Suddenly all smiles and happy thoughts Yang practically skipped to her destination.  Though she had to admit to not really having a clue what to expect from the closing moments of one of Jaune's semblance sessions with his mother.  From the looks of it though the window… it was really boring.

Pyrrha seemed to be taking the lessons of a week ago to heart and was finishing up a book on history.  While her boyfriend and teacher just sat on the floor in a meditative pose with their semblances running.

Though running might not be a fair descriptor. 

She had seem his semblance multiple times, each time it seemed to be this beautiful if living flame surrounding him.  In this was it was positively an inferno by comparison.  Wave upon wave of intense light flowed off both Arc's in the room to collide somewhere between them.

The shocking thing was as she was playing the role of silent observer she seemed to be discovered.

'Huh, Ms. Xiao Long appears to be watching us.'  The voice of Ms. Arc echoed through her head.

'Seems that way.  She always stood out in a crowd.'  Jaune's astral voice followed shortly thereafter.

_Ok that was just freaky!_

"You two can both talk to me at the same time?"  She worded out loud ignoring the passerby giving her strange looks in the hallway.

'Pyrrha would you mind letting our unexpected guest in?'  Deb asked through thought.

"Sure."

'Sure.'

Pyrrha responded both though thought and through vocals.

'I think I'm getting the Yang of this… heh heh.'  Jaune punned.

_Steal my bad jokes!_

Yang briefly got the impression of Pyrrha mentally hitting him upside the head with the book she carried in a comical fashion before both partners chuckled.

Finally the door opened up to find her greeted by a highly amused and smiling Spartan.

"Hey Yang.  Come on in."  She said brightly.

Starting to just feel a sense of confusion Yang just slowly if cautiously walked in as the flames around them began to die down until finally with a deep breath Jaune's vanished completely.

"Yeah that’s definitely getting easier to do."  He stated appearing pleased if a touch mentally tired.

Dropping out of her semblance a heartbeat after him the elder nodded "You are picking it up.  It's important to keep your thoughts focused sharply though.  If your own mind is confused as you try to share information and communication with others it will only clutter their own thoughts if your focus isn't on point.  Keep that in mind for where to aim for in private before we meet next."

Standing up Jaune nodded back "Alright I can do that."

Turning towards Yang he asked "Is there a problem Yang?"

Yang getting some of her energy back declared "Not aside from you trying to steal some of my jokes."

Pyrrha and Jaune both chuckling at the same time was equally adorable and telling that probably wasn't the first time he had done that.

Pyrrha put the book back on its place on the shelf before looking out the window to observe the sky.

"It looks like it is going to storm any minute… ugh I hate the cold."

Moving towards the nearby coat hanger she got busy readying herself to move.

"Anything else I should be doing at the moment Mom?"  Jaune asked moving towards the door.

Mom shook her head "No just try to keep up on your reading and practice keeping your mind clear and focused.  You need to get used to thinking about 2 or more things at the same time.  That’s the next big step for you."  She stood and gave her son and his girlfriend a friendly hug before speaking again.

"Talk to you next time you two.  Keep up the good work."

Joining hands the partners began the trek back to their dorm shutting the door behind them.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure Ms. Xiao Long?  I had heard you were feeling a bit depressed of late."  Mom inquired turning to face the Blond Brawler.

Yang scratched the back of her head… she probably should have thought more about how to go about doing this.

"It seems we should take a seat… that might help you find your voice."  Deb inquired with a humored grin finding a spot in a comfortable looking chair.

Jumping over the back of the sofa Yang sunk in with a happy grin.

"Oh I wasn't just depressed just… shocked.  Things happen and change so quickly sometimes.  Ruby in particular has grown up right in front of me so quickly I barely even had time to register it."  She stated broadly enough.

Deb smiled warmly "Believe me I understand what you mean.  One minute my kids are shorter than my knee gripping my leg and the next they are as tall or taller than I am.  The next they are all about weapons and physical training.  The next its taking an interest in relationships."

Yang smiled "I can image so… Kate I understand was a handful.  I'm still getting used to the idea of Ruby growing up and getting into… adult things.  I sometimes feel like my senses are just… on fire."

The Matriarch just chuckled amused and responded back "Trust me Yang I am a mother.  They always know… always."

Suddenly freezing in place Yang worded "That is oddly terrifying to be frank."

Deb nodded "Realizing the world is changing often is."

Reaching for a nearby glass she took a healthy drink setting it down again.  Then just looked at the younger girl for a few moments before speaking on "You wanted family advise from me?  I am willing but I admit, I am probably not the best person for that sort of thing."

Yang considered for a few heartbeats.

"I want advise of a sorts.  I wish for some… very specific help from you…"

Yang went on to explain the truth or dare games and Jaune's prowess thus far to date.  Something Deb seemed unable to belief Yang was actually bringing this to her attention.

Yet she tried to at least treat the request as seriously as she could.

"So… ok you play this game routinely.  I am a bit confused what you need my help with."  She stated honestly.

Leaning in close Yang spoke softly "I want your help to beat him.  You have to know something's which would give me an advantage."

Deb blinked once.

Then twice.

Two more times… then started chuckling looking nearly exactly as Jaune might as she Facepalmed in the many instances he had in her presence.

"Was it a blood moon yesterday?  You are asking me to give up information which would help you embarrass my son?"

Yang leaned closer still "Not embarrass just… help me level the scales."

Twirling her hair with an off finger Deb just glared a confused glare at the brawler for several heartbeats maybe going on a minute before breaking into a very amused smile.

"Tell you what Ms. Xiao Long-"

_She used my last name…. hoo boy she's serious._

"-I will help you… for a price."

Yang gulped suddenly unsure if this was amongst her wisest ideas.

"Price?"

Deb nodded looking confident now in a way Yang herself couldn't fathom.

"I have entertained many silly idea's in my time as a professor and as long as there was something of merit to be gained I was willing to oblige the request.  So here is what I am willing to offer you."

Yang gulped again but nodded getting some of that confidence back.

Setting her elbows on her knees Deb spoke on keeping her eyes fixed on the Brawlers "I will write down 10 facts about Jaune I consider lesser known.  Each on a separate piece of Paper."

Yang nodded "Sounds good so far."

The Matriarch shook her head "Not so fast… see to get one of those hints you will need to prove to me you have taken old lessons to heart."

Gulping yet again Yang asked meekly "Old lessons?"

Grinning evilly Deb mused "The Yang-is-not-undisciplined game from earlier remember?"

_Oh dear I definitely remember that… I think my butt is still sore from all those squats she made me do._

"For each challenge you can do within the time limit I will give you one of those hints.  For each you fail you lose both that hint, plus one other.  I will help you in this, but I want to ensure you have grown as a Huntress.  Are these terms agreeable?"  She definitely looked like her youngest daughter at this juncture enjoying the chance to torment uh erm… test a student of hers.

"What will these hints be?  I must insist regardless of the number of hints I eventually obtain that none of this reaches Jaune through you."  Yang bargained insistently.

Deb shook her head "Lesser known facts that he might not know how to handle.  I can promise no more than that.  Best I can do.  Beyond that I won't pass this on to him… if he figures it out and that backfires you well, in that you're on your own."

_I get the feeling I am going to regret this… It is almost a guarantee at this point.  But… I must taste victory, surely some temporary soreness is a worthwhile price?_

"Ok Ms. Arc… You have a deal.  What is first?"

With a sinister smile the Professor nodded towards a weight rack nearby "Grab the heaviest dumbbells over there… and let's move to a more open part of the room.  I have to thank you for coming over today Yang… I think I will enjoy this."

As confident as Yang wished she felt she couldn’t help but gulp in terror at the determined look found on the Professor… but it was much too late to back out now.

_This better be worth it._

***En Route to the JNPR dorm room***

"Hurry hurry its starting to hale!"  His partner begged encouraging him to move ever quicker.

Jaune could really only smile in amusement at the image of the redheaded warrioress before him shivering shamelessly towing him ever quicker back to their dorm.  From the look in her eyes she seemed ready to plead with him… something he really did not want to force.

Obliging her he entered into a jog taking special care to avoid any other students hurrying to avoid the odd mixture of snow and rain.

"I would give you my coat if I remembered to bring one.  First snow of winter taking me by surprise I suppose."  He stated with a grin.

She just grunted "I am fairly certain you are some genetic anomaly… normal people get cold yet here you don't even feel it!"  She complained trying to keep a smile of her own to remain present.

"I remind you I am not used to the heat of Mistral… it could easily be said you are just too used to abnormally hot temperature-  Oh wow It is starting to really come down now huh?"

Indeed in the span of a few heartbeats the droplets in the air seemed to multiply tenfold at which point Pyrrha abandoned his hand and just sprinted ahead towards the shelter of the Advanced Class dorm building and its covered hallways.

Finally getting to their destination it was hard for him not to chuckle at Pyrrha hugging her limbs just inside the lip of the roof.

Taking her hand again he gently pulled her along "C'mon Pyrrha the sooner we get home the sooner we can warm up."

Moving her body against his to try and soak up heat she stated "We?"  Mostly in jest.

He chuckled "Ok… you.  Not we, just you."

Kissing her forehead she hummed in appreciation as they finally caught sight of their dorm area entryway.  Though it opened up before they actually reached it.

Ren emerged in a rather heavy coat seemingly ready to be out in the elements a bit.

"There you two are."  He said in greeting.

Walking towards him Jaune asked "Going somewhere?"

He nodded towards the opposite walkway going towards the docks.  "Yeah my latest ammo shipment should be arriving.  I need to be there to pick it up so… I am off for a bit.  Nora should be meeting me as well she had some more of those shells from last year to claim as well."

Jaune chuckled noting the increasingly firm embrace of his partner "Well it's nice to expand our arsenal at least.  I think Pyrrha is going to do me harm if we don't get inside so… see you soon Ren."

Ren smiled back and with a wave replied "Yeah, you both might want to warm up and dry off.  I'll be back soon as I can.  Probably be a couple hours though."

Barely giving him time to make his entrance Pyrrha yanked her partner into the warmer area of the joint hallway and further along towards their teams room just inside to the right.

"Ok ok I get it you are cold."  He teased.

She issued a frenzied nod before giving him a slight glare.  "I feel like I'm freezing to death right now.  That… it isn't snow but whatever that is it's horrible."

Not wanting to antagonize her any further he opened the door and followed her inside.

"Hey you two."  Kate's voice came from inside guessing who it was.

_Well… not really guessing she probably felt me get close._

"Hey Kate… any objections to me getting the fire going?  Pyrrha needs all the heat she can get right now."  He inquired moving towards the nearby fireplace.

"None at all."  She answered.

Pyrrha wasted no time in stripping off her wet clothing not even waiting for the privacy of the bathroom.  She was in an entirely new outfit before Jaune even had the fire going after putting her coat on the nearby hanger.

"I guess you were a bit cold Pyrrha?"  Kate inquired grinning the entire time.

Pyrrha finally leveled a glare at her best friend noting she was sitting down on her bed reading through one of the endless books she and Jaune were tasked to study.

"Let me guess… you aren't?"  The redhead inquired knowingly.

Kate shrugged "I had my own way of keeping warm.  Though I doubt I needed it to stay that way."

She fixed her eyes on Pyrrha playfully raising and lowering her eyebrows multiple times before refocusing on her book.

Pyrrha had to think about 3 seconds before what exactly she was hinting at before she remembered that Ren just left not 5 minutes ago….  Though she couldn’t muster up the desire to inquire about it.  She probably didn’t need too however given that her friend appeared to have freshly showered herself.

Throwing a blanket around herself Pyrrha watched her boyfriend finally succeed in starting the fire.  Move back a few steps and change out of his own damp clothing.  Then after grabbing both sets of garments and set them on a line near the fire before finally sitting down next to her.  Upon realizing she was still shivering he began doing what he could to help warm her up.

"You are lucky that none of your tournament foes thought to bring ice into the ring Pyrrha.  I think the world would have found your bane."  Kate joked amused at the sight before her.

Pyrrha leveled another glare on her friend before responding in good humor "Thankfully that never happened.  Cold… my only weakness, woe be me if any enemy threw an ice cube at me."

Jaune chuckled and gave her a kiss on the cheek.  "Let go of the blanket for a moment."  He requested.

Pyrrha looked dubious at the concept of giving up her shield against the cold… but trusted him enough not to question the request.  She soon understood what he had in mind.

Sitting down behind her with his chest against her back he rewrapped the both of them in the blanket moving his arms around her.

"Better?"  He asked.

Responding by just leaning her weight against him she only hummed in approval.

Not really feeling the need to speak further Pyrrha just enjoyed the familiar warmth her partner offered and just tried to enjoy the moment.  The sound of the fire going was a refreshing one as was the smell the wood seemed to bring.  Combined with that of the wind and downpour outside she felt very little desire to move out of her comfy setup until miraculously… she didn’t feel cold anymore.

It shouldn't be a miracle Jaune had managed to keep her warm through worse colds than this, but she felt grateful none the less.  So it was that after several minutes of near silence and unspoken words, she loosened the blanket and whispered:

"Thank you."

She couldn't help but smile suddenly feeling giddy and sense of warmth fill her being when he did nothing but whisper back "Anytime."

Not wanting to break away from warm embrace of her boyfriend Pyrrha looked across the room to her best friend.  She found Kate having set the book down had pulled out a drawing book and pencil… though she seemed unsure what to draw.

Suddenly having some inspiration at what to do and had the bonus perk of not having to move… she lifted up Jaune's current book by the metal rings of its binding and a nearby pencil for him to use through her semblance.

Guessing her purpose he slightly repositioned himself and sat his head on top of hers to give him a way of observing his work.

"What do you want me to draw?"  He asked quietly.

She shook her head and answered back equally quiet "It doesn't matter to me I just want to stay like this.  Draw whatever comes to mind."

Kate from her spot across the room wouldn't help but smile at the image of her bother and… I guess Pyrrha is my best friend isn't she?

The image of her brother and best friend cuddled up and somehow make the bundled mesh of limbs work as Pyrrha held the drawing book for him.  From the spot his head was resting… adorably at the crown of Pyrrha's head he seemed to see enough to actually work.  Though he did have a hand around his girlfriends waist probably to direct where he needed the book.

Spinning the pencil in her hand around she couldn't help but smile at the image before her.

Observing the two move… or their lack of movement was subtle yet very meaningful.  Sinking deeper into their embrace with Pyrrha gaining a progressively larger and larger smile.  Jaune not caring about the fact he never put on a shirt and is only wearing some lounge pants.  Kate finally seemed to understand something she had discussed with her twin previously.

It wasn't just the art… it was the time.  It was the moment those pictures signify and the memories they bring.  Pyrrha was isolated for so long just a few years ago and now felt comfortable enough to strip herself naked in front of people not of her family and get dressed without feeling embarrassed.  She seemed to forget that anybody else was even in the room… or maybe even the world at this point. 

To her all that mattered was her, Jaune, their actions with each other and the book.  Everything else might as well be an insignificant spec of matter in the universe in so far as the Spartan noticed at this point in time.

Such… the pencil came to rest in her hand.  Finally she had some idea of what to draw.

Across from her Pyrrha could not help but be amazed at the skill her wonderful boyfriend displayed.  Seemingly random and unconnected lines or shapes coming together in ways that could only make her smile.

A seemingly random upwards line cutting to the left to start the process out was left alone until her eye picked up exactly what it was he was drawing.  He was drawing… her.  In her wolf form.

Though… well he was also getting more of them in the mix as well.  Much of this she knew already.  She was a brown wolf.  His twin sister a black wolf, and himself a white wolf.

What started as a spectacularly well done brown wolf was evolving into one of the favorite images she had ever known him to draw.  The brown wolf was drawn in such a way that made it obvious it was her.  How he did it she had utterly no idea.  But when the white wolf was placed next to it she knew why.  They were cuddling together taking shelter from the cold almost as if taking symbolism from their present day and adjusting it to animals.

Yet again a black wolf soon took shape bouncing around with a tremendous amount of energy while trying to catch the tails of the other two wolves in the image.

Chuckling despite herself Pyrrha couldn’t help herself at that juncture.  Though he did not stop with only 3 wolves.

Another came into picture coiled up on the ground sleeping.

Intrigued she could only wait on baited breath to deduce who… or what this mystery wolf was.  It was only as he began coloring it a light gray that she made the easy assumption.

"Your mother?"  She asked quietly utterly entranced by his actions.

He nodded in response.

Deciding that the image had enough canines at 4 wolves Jaune began his work on the background.  A rich if wintery forest location at night causing the eyes of the wolves to seemingly glow.  Topped off with a high and full moon in the background with clear stars all around.

"Jaune… this is marvelous."  She praised not loosing that wondrous smile she carried.

What began as random lines ended much the same way, though it was those lines that invariably concluded the image.  Such she was expecting him to pull his drawing hand around her torso after setting the book down on the bed.  Not caring to bother with anything else she firmly set her hands on top of his finding herself utterly content with this moment.

"I could watch you draw every day and not get bored."  She praised looking back and upwards at him noting that the weather had cleared up through the window behind him.

Moving his chin off her head he repositioned down to her shoulder.  "I know you could.  Are you feeling better?"  He inquired.

Her loving and warm look said far more than she should accurately speak right now.  Though she did try anyway by answering "I feel perfect.  Completely perfect right now."

So enthralled with the moment was she that Pyrrha didn’t even notice Kate walk up to her until the Raven haired girl literally tapped Pyrrha on the shoulder.

"Yipe!"  She exclaimed surprised.

Turning her head towards the given direction Kate standing with her weight on one leg hand on her hip grinning like a fool was telling of her mindset.

Spinning around to Jaune she declared "You could have warned me!" 

Though it was said with a playful smile.

He just shrugged "I didn't hear her get near either." 

Matching her smile with one of his own before directing his gaze on his sister.

"What's up?"  He asked.

Holding up her own drawing book Kate couldn't help but let her actions speak for itself.

Turns out while he was drawing them… she was doing the same.  Capturing the partners in their embrace silly smile on Pyrrha and all.  Though her version did have one noticeable change.

"Do we really look that happy?"  Pyrrha inquired first and foremost.

Kate chuckled "To my eyes yes, yes you do."

"That is a great drawing Kate… you shouldn't claim to be so out of practice with a pencil."  Jaune praised.

Pyrrha couldn't help but agree.  The twins carried a very similar -shockingly so- style.  Yet… it was not identical.  Jaune's seemed to be more realistic where as Kate couldn't help but put them in a slightly more thematic light.  Well made for sure but less accurate to reality.  Something which brought her to inquire:

"Why didn't you draw the blanket?"

Kate shrugged nonchalantly and sat the book down before finding a spot herself "If I did it would just be two heads a blanket and a drawing book.  It gives everybody more to look at." 

Pyrrha could only really nod in reply.  "I guess it does at that."

It was telling how Kate viewed the pairing… it was obviously something she approved of given how utterly perfect they seemed to come together in the picture.

"Thank you, both of you.  I think I will remember those pictures for a very long time."  The Spartan announced smiling happily.

Jaune kissed her neck in reply before voicing "Excited for the dance tomorrow?"

Giving him a 'No Duh!' look in return Pyrrha answered "Jaune I could happily dance with you every day.  Of course I'm excited."

Kate nodded in agreement "It will be my first dance as a student too… I'm oddly looking forward to it.  But… I do have to ask you both something."

Keeping their smiles they nodded giving her their attention.

Taking a breath Kate asked "Ren asked me to ask you both.  Everybody else is going to Cadia for winter break.  Something about wanting to ski.  To be honest it sounds fun, I had hoped you both would agree to come along too."

Pyrrha suddenly went pale a touch.  The thought of being in Cadia during their coldest season was evidently not the most welcome of idea's to her.

"It would be deathly cold."  She stated with a slight frown.

Kate shook her head "It would be cold but we have clothing designed to help with that."

Pyrrha cocked her head to the side.  "You want us to go?"

Kate nodded "Of course I do.  Everybody else is going.  It would be a great time to show everybody our home, have some fun in the snow and just enjoy some time away from Beacon.  It isn't like we won't be able to work out or practice if that's what you are worried about." 

The Spartan considered for a handful of seconds before asking "What do you think Jaune?"

He seemed to shrug from behind her "I think it would be fun.  I think you could handle the cold.  In any case Kate is right it would be a great chance to show you more around the place.  With the attack and my wound there left no time at all for that last time."

Pyrrha took a deep breath.  Looking forward to the cold… she was most definitely not.  However she absolutely trusted these two possibly more so than anybody else she knew.  They both said the cold could be managed and… well she did not want to be the only one from the group to say no.

"Ok… just no teasing me about being cold!"  She grinned in good humor.

Kate smiled "Besides I get the feeling Yang is set on another Truth or Dare game.  It would be a shame to disappoint her."

The partners chuckled at the same time as Jaune answered "Yeah… we wouldn't want her suffering from withdrawal or anything."

***The Long wet walk back***

_Ow... my leg…_

More exhausted steps made against the wind later another thought came up.

_Ow... my back…_

Breathing hard an exhausted Yang could really only shamble forward like a zombie hoping it would all worth it in the end.

How the veteran teacher managed to cram all those exercises into such a short timeframe like a couple hours or so Yang was unsure.  All she knew was that her entire body was in agony right now.  Well… everything except her face.

The smile, was very telling.

_Ow… my other leg..._

Just a bit more until we get inside out of this weather…

She was not however heading back towards her own dormitory.  Instead she was taking the scenic route to the CFVY teams room.  Meaning to share what she had learned with her accomplice and store the information for safekeeping.  The last thing she needed was everybody discovering she had this knowledge and forcing Jaune to explain the various points his mother had revealed.  In truth… it really was not the keen sharp points she was hoping for.  But they should be embarrassing in their own right, at least that was the hope.

Coming up to the door she made to knock… before it just randomly opened threatening to unbalance her.

"Hello again Yang."  The somewhat friendly bunny girl said in greeting.

Blinking in surprise Yang answered "Hey Velvet… you were waiting for me?"

Letting her inside and leading her toward her room, Yang got a good look of what to expect in their final year under the advanced class program.  Much larger and more lavish than the second or third year dorm it seems like each person had their own private sleeping quarters.  Granted it wouldn’t be the exact same room given her year had 2 teams.  It was still intriguing to see.

Arriving at Velvets room titled 'The Rabbit's Hole' Yang took a seat trying to work the soreness from her limbs.

"You were successful?"  Velvet asked getting straight to the point.

With a smug smile Yang reached into her pocket and pulled out the 10 slips of paper.

With a quick hand motion Velvet claimed all 10 and promptly shoved them into a drawer.

"You don't want to read them?"  Yang asked.

Velvet sat down on her bed.  "I will just later.  Coco will be back soon I don’t need her catching us plotting.  We still need to work out the details of the game itself."

Putting forth a somewhat evil smile Yang leaned in closer.  It was a comparatively short time investment later when the game rules were basically established.  Though they were flexible enough to allow more suggestions from the players themselves when the time came.

When it was clear the plotting was for the moment… concluded Yang stood up and said "I think I should get back soon.  I've been gone awhile.  I can use the weather as an excuse but the longer I take to get back the more curious some of them will be."

Nodding her head in agreement Velvet stood to let her friend out.

As they reached the door Velvet saw fit to issue one warning.  "By the way Yang."

Yang paused and looked back at her accomplice.

Putting a determined look to her features Velvet declared "I have not forgotten about how you made my sister read my diary last year."

Crossing her arms Yang nodded following along.

Stepping up next to the bigger girl Velvet finished with "I have no nefarious purpose but I promise you, you do not want to try and double cross me in this."

Smiling back Yang answered "Wouldn't dream of it.  We both want the same thing… just to get it in different ways."

Velvet looked unconvinced…

None the less both shook hands a final time before heading in different ways.

***Back in the joint dorm room***

Yang couldn't help think it was a bit out of character for Velvet to confront her about the game last year.  But… well she was taking a risk with coming forward.  Just the act of doing that gave Yang more than enough firepower to ensure she could knock the bunny-girl out of the game if she had too.  None the less a short walk later she found herself back in friendly territory.

She no more opened the door than found an odd sight greeting her.

Blake sitting down back to the entryway with an ear and cup to the door itself.

_What is she… she isn't….!_

_!!!!!_

_She is spying on my sister!  THAT…!!!  GRRRRRR I was too focused to notice my BSS'S!_

"BLAKE!!"  She whispered out angrily shutting the door behind her loudly.

Blake's ear's fired up straight on her head leaping to her feet and spinning in one smooth motion.  Her cat seemed to be resting on her shoulder trying to enjoy a comfortable nap.

"What… Why… You… WHY!!?!!?"  Yang demanded wordlessly.

Blake just scratched the back of her head and smiled unsure what to say.

"Well say something you!"  Yang demanded walking up to her partner very slowly.

Blake just shrugged starting to back away equally slowly.

By the time the retreating partners reached the living space beyond the hallway the RWBY dorm door opened up.

Looking behind her Yang spotted her sister and Weiss leaving both with flushed red faces hand in hand.

"Oh hey glad you both got back.  Weiss and I were just thinking it was about dinner time and wanted to check in with what anybody else wanted."  Ruby stated cheerfully.

"Nice to see you both."  Weiss commented before entering the JNPR room with her partner.

Still unsure what the proper response to all this was Yang just looked back at Blake sure at this point smoke was coming out her nose.

"At least you didn’t open the door on them like last time."  The Cat-Girl stated smugly.

Yang's twitching eye is all that would answer her… at least… for the moment.

***JNPR Dorm room***

Ruby and Weiss found all of JNPR including Kate enjoying a game of cards and had no more shut the door when a chilling howl sounded through the room.

"Sounds like Yang… should we check it out?"  Jaune inquired.

 The game players paused their play to look back at the new comers in confusion Ruby could only shrug.

"Nah… don’t worry about it.  Weiss and I were going to ask about dinner but uh, we aren't that hungry.  Deal us in… I think Yang has some tension to let out of her system before dinner."

With a shrug… the game resumed.

**A/N**

**As a reminder a picture was made for this chapter, the Arkos fluffy moment.  Please everybody check it out.  Leave a comment, add it to your favorites.  It helps both myself as the commissioner and the artist in their future endeavors.**

**ANOTHER REMINDER (that should be very obvious) Another Truth or Dare game is coming up.  Any suggestions for funny/sexy things to happen should be passed on very soon.**

**As ever please let me know what you think. Review/IM/KUDOS/FAV/Follow/IM/ or email me any questions or feedback you have.  I would be happy to discuss any point of the story or RWBY in general to your heart's content.**

**I do try to catch all the grammar stuff I can… I fail, but I do try.**

**Beyond that thank you all for reading, and I will see you next time.**


	43. Y3 Fall: Songs of All Types

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Year 3 Winter Dance

3.18 Songs of All Types

The next morning came remarkably enough, free of hazards.  The weather had its gradual shift towards wintery conditions in terms of temperature but the majority of the group was at least thankful that the typical snow storms Vale was subject too had not yet arrived.  At least those of them who had the virtue of being expected to wear heels and a dress that night.

"Well… we officially have nothing to do but take it easy until tonight.  Thank goodness for that."  A less grumpy Brawler confessed swinging her legs up to lay on her bed.  Dressed in comfortable and warm lounge clothing Yang looked very at ease with herself.  Something Blake would mimic in her clothing selection.

Moving to sit on her own bed Blake commented "Things have been normal yet not at the same time this year."

Yang murmured an agreement "I know what you mean.  The physical work this year has been crazy.  I agree completely there."

Nodding silently in response Blake advised "I still say your shoulders would look amazing in a suit."

Scoffing Yang retorted "I am sure they would… but I just don't have a suit I could wear."

Before Blake could carry on the subject the RWBY dorm door opened to find Weiss entering in her typical high class gown and pajama setup.  Basically her typical after workout stuff.

"You know we are being serious when we put in several hours on dance day."  She commented before tossing herself on her own bed.

"Nap time Weiss?"  Blake inquired curiously.

The Heiress nodded slightly "Possibly.  Can't show up to the dance tired or sore.  At least I really don't want too."

Yang chuckled "I can understand that.  Hopefully Jaune and them get some rest too.  I guess they decided to start up weapons practice after our morning routine?"

Nodding again Weiss simply said barely holding back a yawn "Yup.  They were just starting when I got out of the shower."

None of them really felt the need to comment more on the topic.  They knew Pyrrha would work out as often as her frame could handle, that she would be joined by the twins of the team and those very same twins were constantly trying to catch up with combat training.  Yet from those outside looking in that gap had been essentially closed at this point.

Changing the subject Yang asked "Speaking of the dance where is Ruby?  Wasn't she with you a minute ago?"

Weiss nodded answering "She got a message on her scroll about mail being received.  She went to check it out."

That got Yang's attention, looking directly at the Heiress Yang couldn’t help but look intrigued.

"Mail?  As in old fashioned mail?  Did they say who it was from?"

Weiss shook her head "Not to me."

Pulling out the newest addition to her beloved Ninja's of Love series Blake found a comfortable spot with her kitten resting comfortably on her shoulder.  'Reading along with her'  as Blake would swear too.

"Well… I think I will relax a bit." 

Though she couldn’t help but smile at the image of Zwei wondering over towards Yang and given a lift up to cuddle with anybody willing.

"I believe even Zwei knows we are sleepy… easy cuddle buddies to be found here am I right fur ball?"  Yang mused with a long drawn out yawn giving the pooch an ear scratch closing her eyes shortly thereafter.

Weiss just smiled at the action before shutting her eyes for a nap.

It was a couple hours later when Yang opened her eyes again to chuckle at Zwei using her chest as a pillow.

"Well I hope you are comfortable."  She stated softly.

Being careful not the wake up her dog if at all possible Yang looked around the room.  Blake it seems had long ago abandoned the idea of reading and instead joined her team in a nap.  Weiss still issued soft puffs of breath looking very content herself.  Though Ruby it seems had taken the time to pack for their trip before deciding a nap sounded good herself.

She ended up in her own bed -thank goodness for that- typically she would just climb in with Weiss when she was tired like that.  She took the time to set her dress out for the Dance, laying it down neatly on her desk chair.  Still, her big sister senses were sounding off and they told her to be concerned.

Letting herself shift in and out of rest she continued to nap and think in bursts about the situation with her sister.  Waking up at last to find the room much darker she looked around to find everybody still in their beds.  Figuring they were all just that tired and needed the rest.  Switching her vision to the clock Yang realized it was about the time to get everybody back up, get some dinner in their systems and prepare for their night starting with her baby… not-so-baby sister.

Standing up and moving over towards her sister she moved as cautiously as her normally loud form could move.

Upon touching Ruby's shoulder and giving a slight shake Ruby willingly spun over.

"Good to see you are awake."  She stated with a slight smile.

Sitting down on her bed Yang answered "Please I heard your puffs, you were totally sleeping."

Ruby continued to smile but shook her head "Nah… I was at first but couldn't stay asleep."

Yang forced a happy look into her features and responded "At least you can't blame my snoring this time!"

Ruby chuckled "Yeah I knew you weren't sleeping.  Is it time to get ready for the dance?"

Yang nodded "Yeah getting about that time.  You ready to tell me what's up with that letter you received?"

Ruby shook her head but pointed towards her packed suitcase.

"I didn't read it."

Yang followed the outstretched hand then looked back confused "Why not?"

Ruby took a deep breath before answering back "It's from Uncle Qrow."

Yang sharpened her vision on her sister before pushing further "So again… Why not read it?"

Ruby met her gaze before stating "Yang.  I do not know what is going to be on that letter.  But I can almost guarantee it's going to be bad news or something that will darken the mood tonight."

Yang pulled back slightly but kept her gaze steady trying to stay patient.

"Ruby you shouldn't put it off.  It could be important."

Ruby scowled back but spoke calmly regardless "I want to enjoy tonight with my girlfriend.  After the dance we have to catch a flight to Cadia anyway I will read it then.  If it wasn't urgent enough to send via scroll it can wait a day for me to read when I am ready to do it."

Yang sighed…

"I can hardly get mad at you for being upset Ruby but don't you think if Uncle Qrow of all people is going to write you, that you should read it right away?"

Ruby sighed right back "Maybe, but right now I'm trying to keep what I have now happy.  I will read the note while we are traveling."

Part of Yang's being wanted to argue… another part of her wanted to tear the note up without reading it.  Yet another part felt that she had a right to ask to read it right away herself.  Ultimately… she decided Ruby was making this decision as a girlfriend… not as a team leader.  The part of her that was also a girlfriend decided not to follow through with her urge to argue.

"Ok… just promise me that you won't put it off beyond the dance.  We both read it before we land in Cadia, alright?"

Ruby held out her pinky "I can promise that."

Moments later… the pact was sealed.

***Time to gather for the dance***

It didn’t matter how many times he had done this… it didn’t matter how well versed he was at various dances or how many times he regularly put on a tie for school.  He was always nervous before a winter dance.  He could never seem to shake that feeling no matter how many times he tied and re-tied his shoes.

Dressed in his black suit with gold highlights and white undershirt he thought he looked fairly good.  Ultimately as long as his girlfriend enjoyed herself that was his goal, she would be more forgiving of his looks than she probably should be given how much fun she tends to have with their annual dance.  To go with the suit was a black tie and dark gray vest.  He had been assigned those colors by Pyrrha on the promise it would match her dress.  Typically she wore a red dress but… well this time she evidently had another plan in mind.

Behind him the bathroom door opened up and closed, he did not hear any footsteps to follow though.  Something that gave him a good guess for who it was. 

_I guess the female powwow came to an end seeing my ever scheming sister left the gathering inside._

"Looking sharp."  Katherine stated happily.

"Glad you think so."  He answered before half turning back towards her.

Dressed in her figure hugging blue dress she would look breathtaking to nearly anybody able to judge.

"You do too."  He stated casually.

Smiling she slowed her approach to make some adjustments to his tie.

"I know you hate these things but Pyrrha is putting a lot of time and effort into looking amazing tonight.  You can at least get your tie on right."

Scowling and looking away he allowed the motion until she edged away with a silent smirk crossing her arms.

"Nora and Ren are waiting with everybody else outside.  I assume Ruby and her team is either on the way or waiting for us."

She shrugged "Well given the weather everybody is probably going to go in a pack.  People tend to hide behind us after all."

He chuckled shaking his head "Yeah I guess they do.  I still wonder if a vacation to our home is a good idea."

She waved his concern off "Relax it will go fine.  One day of skiing won't harm anybody, they might just find themselves enjoying it."

He made a face acquiescing the point looking away briefly. 

At the sound of a door knock with a very obvious 1-1-2-1 pattern Kate smiled mischievously again after clapping 2 times in the air.

"Well my job here is done.  I'll be waiting outside, good luck."

"Job?"  He queried intrigued.

Waving playfully back at him she sauntered her way out the door greeting her friends waiting in the hallway.

_Wonder what she meant by that?_

His thought was answered quite promptly as Pyrrha gently turned the knob on the bathroom door.  Her soft footsteps in the carpet advertised her approach as she walked towards him in her a mix of happy-cute-nervous emotional blend… he could not help it when his eyes went wide and he seemed to lose his voice.

She had never looked more beautiful to his eyes.  Normally she would just put her hair in a pony tail… here it was meticulously prepared and dressed giving her a wonderful neck line.  She almost never wore makeup never really needing it to his mind.  Tonight it seemed she added a light amount dress-up to her face with a touch of eye shadow, giving the natural blush she currently wore a bit of backup in the form of an incredibly warm smile.

Finally moving his gaze off her face he was equally impressed with her selection of dress this year.  Her dress… was utterly perfect, completely perfect for her in every way imaginable.  Tight to her torso of a shiny black color with a slit down the left leg very high to her thigh.  Gold highlights accentuated her figure in a way that he never saw in her clothing selections before.  She was breathtaking gorgeous, shockingly so.  Such that he could only watch as she walked slowly up towards him smiling all the way.

"I take it you like what you see?"  She stated happily giving a slight twirl exposing a gorgeous back and set of shoulders to go with everything else he was already struggling to process.

Recovering a bit Jaune grinned bashfully "Very much so.  You look… beyond beautiful."

Reaching him they shared a gentle kiss before engaging in a hug continuing to share eye contact.  "You look very handsome yourself."

They stayed like that for awhile until Jaune figured the party awaited. 

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile warmly as he -ever the gentleman- helped her with her coat before saying:

"Well Milady, shall we move on to the dance?"

Looking away before happily giggling at him she slid an arm inside his and replied "Of course."

***At The Ballroom***

The group shared a brief walk towards the ballroom.  Giving plenty of time for the happy couple to observe the outfits of the rest of their party goers.  Kate in her tight and somewhat short blue dress.  Yang wearing a loosely flowing white dress of a nearly identical type to Blake.  Only difference in that the faunus girl was wearing a purple gown.  Nora was in her typical pink and black setup from her previous dances.

Ren was far more elaborate with his suit, matching what Jaune was wearing except for the highlights being a better match for Katherine's ensemble.

Ruby was in an absolutely gorgeous red dress, full length like Pyrrha's only a dark red and black mesh.  Weiss however stole the show with probably the best dress of the group.  White and silver with a light under mesh on one arm and a formal sleeve on the other.  With a webbed wing on that same arm made for a breathtaking ensemble. 

Something Ruby wasted no time in pointing out as they found a table to claim to gather between dances.

"Didn't hold back at all this year eh Weiss?"  She stated playfully enjoying a drink.

With a rather rare smile Weiss could help but enjoy the praise sitting down next to her "Well… ok yes.   Yes it is.  I had it hand made for me after all."

"You didn't need to do that, but I am glad you did."  Ruby asserted giving her a peck on the cheek.

Sitting next to her sister Yang couldn't help but feel happy.  It had been an exceptionally challenging half year thus far in terms of both physical work and mentally draining given the time consuming nature of the advanced class meant they had to catch up with book work in their own time.

"I think I can speak for your girlfriend Ruby, when I state 'Yes, Yes I did.'"

Weiss couldn't even scowl… at the comment, she never really had problems spending excessive amounts of money on clothing after all.

"At least it's flattering, I still say you should have worn a suit Yang."   Blake said sitting next to her partner with a plate of various snacks.

Yang wasted no time in picking at the snacks as she replied "If you want me in a suit you have to tell me in enough of an advance Blake-y."

Giving a nod to JNPR as they found their own places at the table having finished their rounds at the refreshment line.

"I have to admit that’s a great dress Weiss, seems perfect for you."  Jaune stated simply with a nod of approval.

Pulling her chair near her boyfriend Pyrrha commented "I agree, its rather elegant but fits you well."

Nodding politely Weiss responded "Thank you.  You have always been able to make simple look great."

Ruby chuckled moving an arm around her girlfriends shoulder "You can make simple look good too Weiss.  You don't have to top yourself every year."

Weiss scowled playful but evidently choose not to retort.

Keeping a pleasant smile to her features Kate couldn't help but wonder out loud "I wonder what they have planned for music this year?  Normally whatever it is would be playing by now right?"

Nora drained her cup as she responded "Yeah that’s been the trend, I'm only waiting for the music to start.  I wonder if there is a problem?"

Giving her boyfriend a playful glare Pyrrha happily advertised "Well once the music gets going I don’t intend to stop so… I guess I have to wonder where it is as well."

Though the glare became a full on smile as she fully turned towards him.  One might even classify it as a nefarious glare if Pyrrha had such a look in her arsenal.

Looking to the ground bashfully Jaune grinned and just moved an arm around her back noting some noise begin to pick up throughout the ballroom.

"Uh… Jaune, what is that?" Ren voiced pointing a confused finger towards the entryway as some of that noise began cheers.

"Not, sure…."  He mumbled following the pointed finger before going silent.

Headmaster Ozpin just arrived at the dance.  He wore a black suit with a forest green tie and aside from his gray hair one could not identify him as out of place with his students.  It was who he arrived with that was probably generating the cheers… though he did raise his right arm trying to quiet down the student body.

"Is that?  Who I think it is?"  Yang sputtered out.

Jaune could really only blink in reply.

"I …. think it is."  Kate supplied with a raised eyebrow intrigued.

With the headmaster was a very pretty if in extremely good shape blond woman.  She had her hair done up in a bun exposing a very flattering neck line with her right arm being laced through Ozpins.  The dress she wore was a forest green to match the headmasters tie, and looked very flattering by anybodies judgment.  As in many instances with the group however… is was the blue eyes that gave her away.

"Is that your mom with Ozpin Jaune… uh… and or Kate?"  Ruby chirped out surprised if a bit still in shock.

"There is no way that woman is 67 years old…"  Yang claimed somewhat open mouthed.

Jaune just blinked again.

"Technically she's 68 now… her birthday was last week."  Katherine advised with a smile.

"Shouldn't either of you be more shocked by this?" Weiss inquired recovering slightly.

Jaune just shook his head.

Laughing lightly at her brothers speechlessness Kate supplied "She's a single woman, she is allowed to have some fun.  I see no reason to be surprised."

"Uh huh."  Jaune finally managed to formulate keeping his gaze on the newly arrived couple.

Ozpin it seems produced a microphone and began his typical pre-dance speech.  "Ok folk's settle down.  I will be entertaining autographs later if you are that taken by this."

The group mostly smiled in response as sounds around the ballroom settled down a bit "Thank you.  I would like to thank you all and congratulate you all on the start of another successful year.  To celebrate the arrival of another Winter season and the reminder of our victory over the Grimm many millennia ago.  Please enjoy yourselves tonight, hopefully our staff will get our music situation figured out here shortly.  Remember to arrive back at your dorms at a reasonable time tonight.  As a forewarning those of you who intend to leave school grounds for the Winter Break should be advised to leave campus early tomorrow morning as a storm is expected to pass through in the afternoon.  It is anticipated to make bullhead travel between Beacon and Vale difficult."

It was then, when all power to the ballroom vanished.

Ozpin continued to speak through the microphone so that system was still working, but everything else seemed to fail.

"Well this got interesting."  Yang advised.

"Keep your hands where-  YANG!"  Blake complained half heartedly.

"Ok everybody stay roughly where you are… the lights should- Ahh good."  Ozpin advised as the lights kicked back on.

"Wonder what happened?" Katherine said keeping a curious gaze towards the headmaster moving towards the DJ station.

Leaning back against her boyfriend Pyrrha said just barely loud enough to hear "I hope they figure out something with the sound.  It would be a bit disappointing to dance without it."

Jaune wrapped his arms around her waist and mumbled an affirmative.

A short time later Ozpin moved towards the lift capable surface and put the microphone in its holster.

"Well it seems our sound systems aside from this microphone are inoperable.  I apologize for the inconvenience, but I do hope that we are able to enjoy our evening with good company regardless."

"Well that’s a letdown."  Ruby complained crossing her arms.

"Yeah you'd think they would have a backup sound system."  Weiss agreed looking disappointed.

Pyrrha evidently decided to move away from him to fold her arms on the table "Yeah this is unfortunate."

Jaune pulled his attention off his partner for a moment to observe Ozpin giving a light pat on the microphone.  It seemed to be sounding through the area well enough.  But a handful of minutes later it was obvious the staff couldn’t do anything further given the short notice of the malfunction.

Some couples did wander towards the dance floor but it was not the lively scene most expected from previous experiences.

Looking back at Pyrrha now resting her chin on her hands looked rather depressed.  He knew she loved these dances and particularly dancing with him.  Though he was left unsure what to do given the relative lack of options.

Catching his gaze his twin gave him a rather particular look over the redheads shoulder.  Something he knew to realize she had an idea, one he might not like.  Though he was familiar enough with the look combined with what his twin senses told him that she might have a worthwhile suggestion.

Standing up he gave a bit more attention to his surroundings.  The live microphone near the headmaster on the raised area was not exactly lacking in possibilities.  A piano was nearby as was a drum set.  Neither he was particularly skilled at but… well maybe something is better than nothing.

"I know that look, you have an idea to fix this.  You both do."  Ren claimed glancing between his girlfriend and team leader.

The twins shared another glance before Kate kidded "We have had worse ideas."

With a chuckle Jaune began to walk towards the headmaster.  "Ok Kate let's see what we can see."

Giving her boyfriend a curious glance as he walked away Pyrrha could only voice "I wonder what he has in mind?"

Blake left with a shrug and returned with another couple trays of snacks before guessing "If I didn’t miss my guess.  I think we might get a chance to hear their singing voice."

Pyrrha instantly was intrigued by this always having assumed his singing voice would be a wonderful thing to hear.

"Ohhh!  That’s a good idea!  You should join them Weiss you have an amazing voice!"  Ruby declared energetically.

Scoffing as if she was embarrassed at the idea Weiss replied "Please I rather think they are just going to try and help with repairs."

"I doubt it!  Come on Weiss help the party out a bit!"  Ruby insisted.

Entertaining the idea for a handful of seconds Weiss shook her head "Maybe later if things ramp up but not right away."

Walking towards his destination next to his twin Jaune couldn't help but voice "This probably is not the best idea you have ever had."

Only to receive "To be fair you had the same thought." in return.

With a shrug and a grunt the twins climbed up to the raised platform about the same time Ozpin was descending down on the other end.

Kate wandered over towards the piano for a brief moments of study.  "Seems a bit underused but it's in good shape."  She claimed.

"Too bad neither of us know how to use it or the drum set."  Jaune commented dryly.

"You two thinking of doing something dumb?"  A voice indicated cutting through the white noise of the room.

Jaune recognized the voice but still took the time to chuckle and turn towards it before answering.

"Possibly.  Everybody looks so sad at being unable to dance… We might be able to help with that."  He nodded towards his partner at their table towards the latter part of his claim.  She had turned her chair around to look at him with a fair amount of intrigue.

"You have anybody in mind?"  Velvet responded with a grin.

"Well naturally yes, someone is first and foremost on the list."   He answered walking towards the ledge she was leaning against.

Smiling shyly Velvet nodded towards the piano "Good for you then that I like dumb idea's."

Lowering himself to his haunches Jaune raised an eyebrow and asked "Meaning?"

"Meaning I know how to use that piano. I assume one of you can use the drums?"  She extended a hand upwards as she spoke.

Accepting her hand Jaune shook his head "Actually no, Katherine and I were probably going to sing."

Making a confused face Velvet lowered her ears slightly "Sing?  I've never known you to sing.  Should I do something about my ears before we try this?"

Jaune just froze a handful of heartbeats… did Velvet just make a joke with him?

"C'mon I doubt we are going to win any awards but no, I like to think we can sing fairly well."

Katherine joined in the conversation by energetically declaring "Well we have a dumb idea, the tools we need to try and a chance to humiliate ourselves.  Should we take it?"

"Must you use that word?  Humiliate?"  Velvet objected grinning.

Kate shrugged "Well I never get embarrassed I can't use that."

Velvet nodded accepting the point.

Smiling Jaune couldn’t help but nod and state "Might as well give them something to laugh at if nothing else."

***Back on the Dance floor***

Deborah couldn’t help but chuckle to herself as Ozpin rejoined her, doing a well enough job of hiding his smile.

"You enjoy this far too much you know that?"  She asserted.

He just grinned accepting her arm in his once again "It is an experiment I like to do every few years."

Deb of course knew that… as well as his rational.  That knowledge of course wouldn’t stop him from talking his way through it again however.

"You present a problem and see who steps up to fix it for the sake of others." 

Nodding towards the trio on the platform he seemed convinced that he knew what he was doing.

"And what if those who step up cannot sing?"  She inquired… still knowing the answer.

He chuckled in his reply "One of a few things.  If it's really bad I order the sound systems to be restored.  Two, it causes more people to volunteer, or worst case everybody takes an early night."

Deb nodded… Ozpin much like herself at times ran free and loose with the rules and liked to change things up.  These opportunities allow for team building and a lesson unto itself.  You never know when a previously discounted skill could be called upon.

"Hunters need to be adaptable right?"

He nodded respectfully "Naturally."

Shortly thereafter Jaune's tapping on the microphone quieted the ballroom.

"You ready to help get the party going?"  He asked.

She sighed dramatically "If I must."

***Pyrrha sitting down***

Pyrrha could never really give credits to Jaune for making things seem funnier than they should be.  His brief talk to start things off was hardly awe inspiring.  He could motivate… when he needed too.  But this dance seemed to require a softer touch.  One he was doing his best to deliver. 

Turns out Blake was right, they were about to hear their singing voices.  She was not expecting to learn that Velvet was at least competent with a piano, given the bunny girl had given no hints about that skill previously.  Yet… well she played her part well.  The twins as it turns out had amazing voices, such she had no problems what so ever in putting a warm smile on her face.

Their voices seemed to have a very wide range of notes capable of being hit as well.

Kate's seemed most fitted as a mid level soprano though she was capable of going deeper into contralto territory if she needed too.  It was obvious she was a natural show woman, easily tying her voice with her brothers and matching the piano's melody Velvet put down.

It was her partners voice that caused her smile to turn a bit silly in nature.  His voice was probably naturally a tenor, though he had no difficulties in hitting notes in the lower baritone either.  She could not identify the song they decided to sing having not heard it before… but what she could see in her peripheral vision made it clear multiple couples including the headmaster had began to give life to the party.

She was otherwise so focused on what her closest friends were doing on stage that she did not in fact notice the male to her direct front trying to get her attention.

"Ahem?"  He tried.

Pyrrha just smiled keeping her gaze on her boyfriend's showmanship.

"Pyrrha?"  He tried again.

That time she blinked and looked at him "Yes?"

Ren stood before her with an open hand offering her assistance to stand.

With a sideways head motion towards the platform he said "Given that our dates are putting in some work, might we give them something to look at while they perform?"

Pyrrha lowered her gaze to the ground briefly before smiling up at her teammate "Of course."

Accepting the hand she allowed herself to be lead off to the dance floor.

"You all going to sit there all night?"  She questioned looking back over her shoulder.

Ruby stood up accepting the challenge taking Weiss' hand in hers "Ok Weiss aren't going to let them out dance us are we?"

"What? Wait Ru-  RUBY!!"  Her complaints were taking in jest… or at least given no chance to finish them as the larger girl towed her out of the chair and towards the dance floor.

"Whatcha think Blake-y?"  Yang inquired.

Blake chuckled "For now I want to enjoy the snacks I brought… they have some great fish on the buffet line."

Yang couldn't complain… though she did help herself to some of the morsels nearby.

***Dance Floor***

Ozpin could not help but be pleased.  Not only had some students volunteered to assist with the sound situation but more still stepped forward to actually start the dance floor off.  It had the added benefit that those deciding to sing actually had great voices.

"It has been awhile from the last time so many students stepped forward."  He observed leading his partner in a simple pattern around the room.

Deb smiled "I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing to be honest."

Ozpin grinned "All knowledge can be a good or bad thing depending on how it is used.  I believe this is a good thing."

Nodding towards the siblings on the platform he added "You should be proud.  Those two have done more to earn their place here than many of the most qualified applicants I can name in recent memory.  It's a shame they didn't start at an even playing field but… well I guess dedication can repair much of that as time has proven."

She judged his expression before nodding herself "I should have had a bigger hand in their upbringing… I know.  But I am glad they seem on the right path."

"I didn't mean that as a jab at you."  He clarified.

She shook her head "I know-"

Pyrrha and Ren spun around on their side obviously trying to provide some visual entertainment for their friends on the platform made the older couple chuckle.  Before they had to dodge away to avoid another spin from Ruby as Weiss… it seems her children knowingly or not started a competition of sorts.

"Ah yes, those four also seem to be doing what they can as well."  Deb observed with a grin.

Spinning her away and back Ozpin continued "They have done well in the advanced class?"

Deb gave a look of minor annoyance before answering "You have read my reports, you know they are."

Another spin took its place before he spoke on "Yeah, I have.  I guess letting Katherine join was a good call."

Deb seemed less willing to discuss work than normal -Something that’s expected in truth- thus Ozpin went in another direction "You know you can go with them on vacation if you want.  I understand the two teams intend to go to Cadia over break."

Deb smiled again and shook her head "I am a teacher here now.  They are here year round, it would be wrong of me to take any liberties."

He nodded respectfully.  "Ok, I still felt the need to point that out."

She shook her head again "Thank you but like I said.  There are things I can do here with the rest of the staff."

Ozpin's gaze fully turned back towards the stage and rose an eyebrow.  "Huh… that I did not predict happening."

Intrigued Deb turned her gaze back around… and rose an eyebrow of her own.  She did not realize it until this moment but the previous song had ended and the group seemed to be making some adjustments to its personnel.

"Is that… Ms. Xiao Long on the drum set?"

Indeed the brazen blond girl had taken her place on the drums and seemed to know what she was doing.  Velvet gave up her place on the piano to rejoin her date on the dance floor.  The twins remained near the microphone however… it was obvious her son had a plan of some sort.

Tapping the microphone to gain the attention of the room he began to speak.  "Well thankfully our voices aren't making you all abandon the room so I guess that’s a good thing."

"My ears will never be the same again!"  Somebody shouted in jest.

Smiling Jaune nodded to the voice before leveling his gaze on a certain redheaded girl on the dance floor.

"I would like to dedicate this next song to my wonderful Partner.  For being the best partner anybody could ask for and all the things she means to me."

"Awwww"  The crowd crooned at his expense glancing at the suddenly embarrassed girl.

Growing slightly more serious Yang began the beat keeping it steady while Jaune seemed to sway back and forth snapping his fingers to the rhythm.

Deb didn’t even have to look to the side to know Pyrrha's face would light up with a terrible blush hiding a wonderful smile behind her hands with her eyes darting everywhere begging the gazes at her to find something else to stare at.  Deciding not to be one of those pairs of eyes she and her partner found a table to enjoy some refreshments moments before the song began.

Jaune seemed to come to her rescue as his voice sang out pleasantly giving the party something to dance too.

***Italics represent the song for this sequence, not thoughts***

Shuffling his torso back and forth to the drum beat Jaune started out with a very simple but catch tune.

_"40 days and 40 nights…"_

_"I waited for a girl like YOU to come and save my liiife"_

_"Recall the days I waited forrr youuu!..."_

_"You know the ones who said: 'I'd never find a girl like Youuuu!"_

The percussion kicked up for the chorus as did Jaune's energy to his voice.

_"You were Out of my league…"_

_"All the things I believe!"_

_"You were just the right kind.  Yeah, You were More than Just-A-Dream!"_

_"Yeah you were out of my League!"_

_"Got my heartbeat Racing…"_

_"If I die won't wake me!"_

_"Cause you are More than Just a dream!"_

_"Oooo OOooo OOOO OoooOooo …"_

_Kate's voice took over as the drums mostly died off oohing and awwwing along the tempo he had crafted going through its sequence 3 times before the next verse came in bringing back Yang's percussion melody._

With a wink at his partner Jaune continued keeping on his back and forth arm movements.  Ever the showman Katherine had kept a similar motion with her hips in a back and forth motion:

_"From time to time I pinch myself…"_

_"Because I think my girl mistakes me for somebody else!"_

_"And every time she takes myyy hand…"_

_"All the wonders that remain become a simple fact!"_

Going back through the chorus again the crowd couldn’t help but start its applause early to prelude Katherine repeating her part following the chorus.  Pyrrha seemed to be leading the cheer hopping up and down clapping enthusiastically.

Finally as the song was coming to a close Jaune sang on the final lines.

_"More than just a dream…  More than just a dream."_

Repeating himself a second time the song died down to the enthusiasm of the crowd giving the well known third year teammates an approving set of howls and cheers.

Clapping respectfully herself Deborah couldn’t help but be happy for her son.  Pyrrha's face looked painted a red even darker than that of her hair color.  It had been a very long time sense she had seen anybody quite as taken with each other as those two.  How it happened in the first place was anybody's guess but if they made each other happy that was all she could be concerned about.

"Well I guess I won't need to order the staff to reengage the sound systems.  That was well done considering they had no preparation time before tonight." Ozpin declared energetically clapping gently himself.

Chuckling Deb took a drink and said with caution "Careful the night isn't over.  You might have to eat those words later."

Looking highly confident Ozpin just stated "I wouldn't bet on it."

Not wanting to take him up on that she just nodded before looking away.

Deb found that the team had gone back to their table around the same time her youngest daughter started up a song of her own.  Jaune went to get a drink following his solo outing leaving Kate the microphone all to herself.

She had no more began the song's chorus when Deb couldn't help but issue a soft laugh.

_"I kissed a girl I liked it- I hope my boyfriend won't mind it!"_

_"It felt so wrong - It felt so right!"_

The song seemed to be a popular selection from the student body but the Matriarch couldn't bring herself to take it seriously enough to listen.

Ozpin seemed to read that and just turned his focused towards how his students getting along.

***Back at the table… italics back to normal***

"Breath Pyrrha, his song is over."  Ruby teased giving the Spartan a pat on the back.

Pyrrha just nodded but nothing seemed to be capable of making her smile go away.

"I'm just happy I got to hear them sing."  She claimed.

"And I am sure the song did nothing to cause that blush?"  The Reaper inquired playfully.

Pyrrha could only look somewhat embarrassed and drink some water.

"I think I need a drink."  Weiss declared from her seat and gracefully stood to make good on that claim.

"I'll go with you."  Ruby stated happily.

"Don't wander off you two."  Blake warned just sitting down herself after getting another plates full of snacks offering them to her friends at the table.

Catching up to her partner near the drink line Ruby glanced briefly at the clock to get an idea of the time.  Not much remained until the dance typically was called to a close by the school staff.  She considered the idea for maybe a minute before choosing now as the time to make her stand with Weiss.

"Weiss have you thought more about singing tonight?"  She inquired stepping up next to the Heiress.

Weiss bit her lip but shook her head "No not really, the night seems to be going well without it.  Why?"

Ruby looked oddly determined but responded by saying "Don't you want a chance to show off your voice?"

Weiss sighed "Ruby… Why are you pressing this?  I have records in my name sold I don’t need to advertise that."

"Can't I just want to hear my girlfriends singing voice?"  She inquired playfully.

Taking the time to respond equally playful Weiss coyly stated "You have heard my singing voice… of a sort anyway.  What's the real reason?"

Ruby issued a sigh of her own before pointing back towards their table.  "Weiss, look at Pyrrha.  You know how much she loves dancing with Jaune dating back to our freshman year.  You should sing and give her a chance.  Not much time is left tonight."

Weiss swapped her gaze between her girlfriend and good friend back at the table several times before taking a deep breath.

Taking a pull from her glass Weiss finally surrendered to her girlfriends determined look.  "Alright."

Handing her glass to Ruby she started for the stage.  Taking no more than 3 feet she looked over her should and demanded "I said HOLD not drink Ruby!"

Though her girlfriend couldn't see the smile Weiss wore she never actually expected Ruby to resist the temptation.

Weiss intercepted Jaune just as he was getting back to the platform following Kate's single performance.

"Hey Jaune, hey Kate."  She declared.

Looking towards her Jaune smiled "Hey Weiss, coming to join in?"

Weiss shook her head "No I am here to replace you both."

Jaune looked surprised "Replace?"

Weiss moved towards the microphone temporarily switching it off before shooing the Arc's away.  "You both have people who have been waiting very patiently to dance with you.  Don't make them wait any more."

Suddenly appearing relieved the Twins began their decent to the applause of the crowd, something both acknowledged with a raised hand from the recent performers.

Jaune could feel the excited glare of his partner on him well before he got back to their table.

Taking his seat next to her she wasted no time in giving him a brief kiss on the jaw.  "That was a wonderful performance.  Both of you."  She praised.

Yang rejoined them shortly after evidently also dismissed from her drum duties.

"Seems we all got laid off.  Lousy job security at this place."  The Brawler joked as she sat down before digging into the refreshments available.

Ruby rejoined the table and seemed oddly eager to hear Weiss perform… but before she could begin Ozpin's voice came through the room's sound system.

"Ok folks.  I believe it is time to call last dance.  Ms.  Schnee will be doing the honors of endings tonight's dance.  I thank you all for another wonderful night and please remember to take care of yourself over the holiday break."

Once the Headmasters declaration was understood by all Pyrrha wasted no time in yanking Jaune to his feet and leading them to the dance floor.

Jaune received multiple pats on the back from the student body before ending nearly nose to nose with his partner.

For several heartbeats he did nothing but gaze into her eyes finding nothing but love and endearment.  After a few more moments he inquired.

"What type of dance would you like?"

Pyrrha responded by guiding his hands to her hips setting her own on his shoulders.

"Whatever fits the music."  She concluded with a very warm smile.

They began to moved side to side together waiting for Weiss to begin her song looking slightly around the dance floor.  They had plenty of space.  Much of the student body had retreated for one last refill of refreshments.  Such that Kate and Ren were nearby and dancing close together.  Blake and Yang took a place nearby as well settling into a more energetic routine than the slow movements of his sister.

"That really was a wonderful performance Jaune.  I think I will remember that forever."  Pyrrha declared moving closer to press together.

"Glad you liked it."

Moments later Weiss began her song without any instrumental support.  Her voice was indeed worthy of her reputation.  A flawless alto commanding attention without the need of musical assistance.  Her choice of selection was a bit more fast paced than the slow dance they currently were engaged in.

"Well I have something for the music… think you can follow my movements again?"  He inquired smiling at her.

Looking at the same time incredulously innocent and devilishly mischievous Pyrrha declared "Of course, as always."

Taking her right hand in his they moved an arm's length apart.

Following along with Weiss' melody they stepped towards and to the side of each other in sequence with their torso's only barely touching with each step.

Back and forth they strode doing light turns every 3 rotations looking happy as can be smiling the entire time until the melody changed slightly. 

Letting go of the hand they sleekly changed positions with each other via a partial turn and a shuffle to the side.  Their backs briefly causing friction keeping that playful motion and facial expression throughout increasing in tempo and steps several more times as Weiss amped up her performance.

As the song entered its final phase the partners came together again.  Only this time to lead Pyrrha out via a spin of his arm.

She twirled away gracefully before bring brought back not quite perfectly.  Her back met his hand bouncing her away into yet another twirl. 

As she was brought back he skillfully changed lead hands to send her away to the left.  Still moving with that graceful precision she could wield she twirled her way back just as the song was concluding pressing her chest tightly against him.

Not thinking about anything further her lips lurched forwards to claim his in a very passionate kiss that she could no longer restrain.

Pyrrha lost count of how long they were engaged in that kiss as for the most part nothing else seemed to matter.  When her body demanded oxygen she did however eventually break off to rest her head against his chest.  Happily wrapping their arms around each other.

"I guess that dance was satisfactory."  He stated with a smile.

Pyrrha smiled into his neck before responding "You owe me another kiss when we get back for the silly question."

Kissing her forehead he replied "I can do that."  Before taking a brief moment to look around.  Much of the student body had dispersed at this point though his group seemed to be busy getting ready for the trip back to their dorm.  Blake and Yang each carrying an assortment of goodies however caused another chuckle.  Surprising him however was both Ozpin and his mother raising a glass near the door, he was unsure what to make of that but regardless felt the time had come to move on.

"Guess it's time to get back.  We do have a flight to catch for our vacation."  He gently stated.

Pyrrha seemed to shake her head in a playful pout "I think I am still owed some dances… I only got one with you this year."

Chuckling he worded softly "We can dance more at home."

Finally pulling back to smile at him she replied "Looking forward to it."

Walking back to their friends hand in hand he once again helped her with her coat.  All the while Pyrrha just had this joyous smile that put her previous 'Dance looks' to shame… something Jaune did not exactly understand but was not in any mind to question it.

Before they could get to the door to head back however:

"I think we are all forgetting one thing."  Weiss declared seemingly at random.

Looking back towards her the group just let out a confused grunt in response.

"Where exactly is Nora?"

Smiling Ren supplied "Knowing her?  Probably already back in our room snoring."

"Good… we need to wake up early to get to our flight in time.  Not much time to waste in getting back."  Jaune declared with a glance at his partner.

Nodding they followed the twins back to the dorm.

"I wonder if we will always be used as a wind shield?"  Kate pondered.

Jaune just shrugged "As long as we are together it wouldn't bother me over much."

It was not long before everybody was back and sound asleep, ready to embark on their wintery vacation the next morning.

**A/N**

**Song credit to "Fitz and the Tantrums - Out of my league."  for the song.**

**I also used a line or two from "Katy Perry's - I kissed a girl"**

**I did not make or conceptualize either song, full credit go to their owners.**

**Another picture has been made for this story.  One technically already existed for the earlier part where the Twins sang.  Another was made for the latter part.  You can check it out on DA.  Anybody who has trouble finding it please contact me and I can help out.**

**Truth or Dare R4 is 2 chapters away.  Next they get to Cadia and the one after is the game.  Anybody has exactly that much time to get any remaining sexy/funny goofs or dares they would like to see the characters do.**

**I Wish to thank you all for reading.  Please continue to provide feedback be it a review/fav/kudos/follow/IM or Email.**

**Thank you all again for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	44. Y3 Winter: The Power of Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They Arrive in the Arc home in Cadia, Nora has a plan? Oh dear what could ever go wrong.

3.19 The Power of Silence

Jaune had to give full credit, Weiss knew how to travel in style.  Good thing too.  Getting everybody up in the morning post dance well before the normal time was not without its own set of unique challenge.  Well… maybe not unique… getting Yang up before 10 is a challenge in most cases.  Thankfully he was not tasked with that particular problem.

The long flight to his home began with some energetic talk amongst friends for possibly an hour or two enjoying the serve in breakfast the private vessel allowed.  After 4 hours however it was obvious that the initial surge of energy had run its course.  Now very similarly to how the morning started for him he was once again awake while everybody else rested.

A warm weight on his shoulder made it clear his partner had indeed fallen asleep utilizing him as a pillow, something which caused him to smile briefly.  Checking the time he realized the plane wouldn't be landing for several hours… and doubted he would be able to get back to sleep before it was inevitably time to get up again.

Gently standing off his seat and moving Pyrrha's blanket more firmly around her body he placing a sweet kiss on her check.  She seemed to smile and shift slightly as he moved back towards the private desk behind the rowed seats housing his friends.  Passing them in pairs finally with Velvet next to Nora towards the back.

Pulling out his scroll and putting on his headphones he played through the message received not too long ago for probably the third time.

The message was from his sister Anna.  Following the White Fang attack of a few months ago she apparently requested a transfer to the intelligence branch of the service.   Something which was allowed.  In effect she now served as the liaison between the ruling family and its military.  Technically Jaune was her Commander-In-Chief, but that didn’t mean he wouldn't try to follow protocol as often as he could.  He would not, naturally, be able to remain a student forever.  The sooner he got used to these status updates the better and easier it would be in the long run for everybody involved.

He was probably an hour into the report before A poke to his shoulder prompted him to look over and spot an amused Nora apparently trying while sadly failing to get his attention.  Removing his ear buds he asked:

"What's up Nora?  Can't sleep?"

She shook her head and handed him a drink.

"I've slept enough.  I copied your recipe for this, I hope you like it."  She stated sitting next to him.

Humoring her with a shrug he accepted his cup and gave it a sniff "Hot chocolate?"

She took a sip nodding at the same time "It has more than just that but for the most part yes."

"Thanks."  Taking a test of his own he nodded in appreciation "Very good.  Nice work."

She gave a happy salute "Anytime.  Renny would be happy with me, I didn’t add any coffee to this despite having plenty of opportunity too."  Indicating an open hand to the nearby coffee bins on the counter behind him.

Cocking his head to the side Jaune couldn’t help but think: _So what DID you add to this?_

Though… he refrained from voicing his thoughts on the fact he could not actually taste anything out of place with the tasty drink.

"What were you up too?"  She asked curiously.

He sighed briefly before holding up his scroll.

"My sister sent me an update from home.  I was trying to get well acquainted with it."

Nora scowled briefly before lighting up again "What all does she say?  Anything interesting?"

He shook his head "Well… most of it is just updates about the governing of our home.  Most of it is very dull but… things I need to know anyway."

She nodded "Ok what else?"

He briefly broke eye contact with her for a moment.

"Something you aren't suppose to say?"  She guessed.

He shook his head before speaking again "No not really.  It just isn't things she … or I guess the military is sure of.  Merely things they are guessing at.  We as a nation try to make it a policy to not place much emphasis on guesses or hunches.  Especially in intelligence where she works."

She cocked her head to the side "But surely they have to work off of theories or hunches when you lack information to be sure."

He smiled "Yes, naturally.  That is correct.  Still it's one thing to speculate on something or pursue various theories.  It's quite another to report that information for wide appeal."

She took another drink before smiling again.

"Can you at least tell me what it's about broadly?"  She inquired.

Taking a drink of his own he responded simply "Suspected White Fang activity first and foremost."

That caused Nora to freeze for a handful of seconds.

"I thought they have been quiet?  Nobody has spoken about them in weeks… maybe even months."

He nodded again "That's true."

She leaned back crossing her arms before continuing with "Did they do something after we took off?"

He shook his head "No, at least nothing that has been covered by the news."

She cocked her head to the side again and drained her drink as if in thought before inquiring:

"Then I am unsure why you are hesitant to talk about it."

He sighed again sadly before answering "It isn't that I am unwilling to share it Nora.  I don't want spend all our vacation talking about the White Fang, we are suppose to have fun.  Moreover a lot of what she said was just their best guess.  I don't want it taken out of context."

She focused her eyes suddenly and leaned forward on the table.

"Jaune.  You are a smart guy a great team leader and a friend.  But right now you are forgetting something."

Meeting her gaze he motioned for her to continue.

She held up a finger "First, I asked about it.  Clearly I want to know what you can tell me."

She held up another finger "I got shot, you know, my leg?  I think I have earned the right to know more about what they are or aren't doing."

Jaune held the sad smile back… he hadn't exactly forgotten either of those points but… well maybe he didn’t have any reason to hold this information back.

While collecting his thoughts on the best way to speak Nora continued "Tell you what Jaune.  You have something secret to share.  So do I."

That got him to raise an eyebrow.  "Secret huh?  How many Pancakes you can eat in one sitting?"

She waved that off "Please don't be silly that number isn't quantifiable by modern mathematics.  No this is much more real."

He smiled intrigued "So you mean to tell me this secret does not involve food?"

She smiled right back "Nope.  You go first, and I will spill what I know.  Deal?"

He kept his arms crossed but none the less continued to smile growing a bit more serious given the topic at hand.

"The message from Anna explains, or at least has an explanation for why the White Fang has been silent.  Suspiciously so."

She serioused up a bit as well as if she was on a mission and said "So what have they been doing?  Why have they be so quiet?"

Setting his scroll on the table between them he started into it "Last year they were all over the news.  Attacks here, ambushes there.  They were all over the place and constantly in the spotlight.  You could hardly watch a news broadcast without them being mentioned.  It was always a very similar report though.  White Fang showed up and did something horrible."

She nodded and spoke "Yeah that sounds about right."

He nodded back "They were seemingly invincible.  They lured hunters into ambushes, they ransacked trade routes.  Harassed civilians, interrupted the flow of resources and information.  They seemed unstoppable.  That was a large part of their success.  Their image of invincibility."

Nora continued to listen and cut in by saying "Well that was true up until last winter.  We broke that trend."

He nodded back "Yes we did."

Getting anxious to get to the point she stated "So what's this new information?"

He cleared his throat before continuing  "You see Nora.  They could do that because in a way, the news did most of their work for them.  They kept the matter in the public eye keeping them fearful for their actions.  Likeminded people to their goals would be given constant images of their success and be more likely to finally commit.  That all changed following what happened last year."

Nora nodded back proudly "Yeah for a bit everybody spoke about us and what we uncovered."

He inclined his head before prodding "How long did that last?  Them talking about us?"

She considered for a moment before answering "Well I dunno maybe a couple weeks at most."

"And why do you think that stopped?"  He wondered out loud.

She thought for a moment before guessing "Well, they didn’t do anything else.  It would just be rehashing old news."

"Exactly.  Nora the public is a very fickle thing.  They tend to latch on and like a mob react very strongly if it's an appropriate action they are upset about."  He appeared very focused if upset as he spoke on the matter but remained clear in voice.

"But?"

"But, what if they have nothing new to talk about?  What if the object of their focus was being silent?  Went underground?"

Nora scratched her head briefly before stating "Well the news would have to talk about something else.  They couldn't keep talking about the same thing people get bored."

He nodded a final time "That is what Anna passed on to me Nora.  The White Fang has not been visible for some time for that exact reason.  They want people to not care as much.  To put their focus elsewhere.  So they are less likely to notice them in their efforts to recover."

Jaune could tell Nora wanted to argue, wanted to deny that.  But it only took a handful of seconds for her to think the better of a snap judgment.

"That… no I guess there is some truth to that."  She admitted at last.

Jaune slid his scroll forward and hit a button displaying several pictures in succession.

"They have not been inactive Nora.  They have numbers to replenish and supplies to obtain.  They still have their goals, whatever they are.  They are still active.  But they have evidently learned what intelligence is calling 'The Power of Silence'.  If they are not in the new.  If they don't do anything publicly, they do not get talked about.  Not in a manner they do not want.  Not for any length of time."

Nora considered for a moment before speaking on "That won't last forever.  They will come back again we all know it."

He nodded again "Yes, we do.  But without public support our job of finding them is nearly impossible.  These people are good at going unseen Nora it isn't a nation we fight against it’s a group of people.  People can vanish into a crowd or emerge from that same crowd without a warning.  They have operated in the public without getting noticed for generations.  This isn't strictly the job of Huntsmen to solve either.  We are here to and trained to fight the Grimm.  Yet even so we are called upon to protect the public often enough.  The job of finding them is nearly impossible without the active support of the public.  Something which is more difficult to arrange when the White Fang itself isn't the active menace they were last year.  Many officials from various nations have publicly stated they believe the White Fang were decimated to the point of irrelevance by our clash last year and thus are no longer a threat worthy of investing time in.  Their sentiments often echo the mindset of their citizens for political reasons."

Nora looked away after he finished speaking, trying to soak it all in.  After a few moments she directed herself towards the images in his scroll looked through some of them.  When another thought came to mind she hit the pause button to ask:

"What's this about leadership changes?"

Jaune had moved towards the nearby station to get another drink before sitting down and answering "They believe some serious changes to the organization took place following their last mission."

She scratched her head a bit "Do they mean the change in strategy?  Being all in our face one minute and then behind the scenes the next?"

He took a drink before answering "That's part of it and something that is very likely correct now that you mentioned it.  But no, that's not what they think is happening."

Continuing he stated "By their best estimates for every person in the field it would take about 10 or so people to keep them there.  To that end a 200 man operation like the last one is a massive undertaking.  It is highly possible many in the organization was less than thrilled with the fact so many of them were killed due to the operation failing.  Leadership changes could help retain those individuals who are upset.  Or so Anna speculates anyway."

"So they have been rebuilding and restructuring all this time?  Seems like a long time to do that."  She asked.

He nodded grimly.

"Well naturally some activity I doubt they ever stop doing.  Resource or Intel gathering, recruiting new operatives things of that sort.  However what We -they… I- fear is that they are trying to counter the momentum lost with a single counter strike.  That they are deciding to commit all resources and attention to when they come back public in a big way."

She held his gaze for several seconds before stating "That is always the danger.  All we can do is be prepared and stay on guard."

He looked away appearing more than a bit upset spinning his drink on the table for several moments.

"Jaune, what's bothering you?"  Nora prompted.

He took a deep breath and looked at her before speaking on "I might have a unique advantage in that technically I am the leader of a nation.  But even so the picture I have is hardly a complete one.  Normally I don't even have the time to fully study the data despite trying too.  But it's obvious unless they themselves believe they are in danger the public for the most part doesn’t care much about White Fang activities.  Thus getting cooperation for governments and uniformed services is a very difficult challenge when very few people perceive an active and very real threat.  I'm… deeply bothered by how people can be that uncaring about things which happened just a year ago just because they personally were not involved or impacted."

She shrugged in response "It's sometimes easier to just think it isn't your problem, that’s just being human Jaune."

"Yeah… You are right.  It is still a rather depressing thing to consider." He looked away out the window sipping his drink after a few moments as the topic apparently died down.

Figuring the talk had shifted to her turn and deciding he was in serious need of cheering up Nora wasted no more time.  With an evil grin like only she could manage Nora pulled out a worn piece of paper setting it on the table.

"Well then Captain, I guess it is time for my bit of classified Intel."

Switching his gaze back to her he couldn't help but look amused and decide to play along.

"Ok Sergeant, what do you have to report?"

She made a face before answering "It has to be Lieutenant at least!"

Chuckling briefly he inclined his hand and humored her "Very well Lt.  What do you have for me?"

Nora looked behind her scanning for anybody awake before sliding that paper towards him.

"I have uncovered an enemy plot against both you and Renny!  It's true evil purpose eludes me.  But the culprits are one Ms. Xiao Long and our guest Velvet Scarlatina!  It seems their plot hinges around the Truth or Dare match Yang insists we play tonight!"

Jaune could only blink in confusion at first.

"You seem certain of that."  He voiced.

She nodded enthusiastically.

"I found this evidence."  Tapping her fingers on the paper.

Jaune picked up and read both sides of the note over several times unable to keep a smile from his features.

"Nora how on earth did you find this?"  He asked.

Nora looked proud of herself and smiled right back.

"This was the day Yang went to talk to your mom.  You remember?  Pyrrha went with you to your private lesson."

He nodded following along "Yeah I remember… one of the days I used one of her many dumb jokes."

She nodded back "Yup at least that’s what I hear!  Anyway Velvet walked off and Yang more strutted her way out.  Once they were gone I was curious.  She just left this paper on the desk!"

Jaune scratched the back of his head briefly.  "This plan is a good start but it is incomplete.  They probably had rules to figure out.  Moreover it suggests they contact some of my older sisters for some 'dirt'.  But… Yang… oh dear.  She went and talked to my mother.  That much we already know."

Nora nodded vigorously again "Yup!  That’s why I am here!"

Stroking his chin Jaune got back into character "You done good Lieutenant.  This gives me a good place to start."

Leaning in closer "Correction: it gives us a good place to start.  Renny is also targeted here… as are other teammates of ours.  I think we can out evil genius them.  What about you?"

Jaune took a peak at the clock before answering "Well naturally yes I do.  But we don't have much time before we land.  People are going to wake up soon.  We land in about an hour."

She grinned evilly again "That should give us plenty of time to get started.  I can always wring the info out of Velvet… she is particularly vulnerable to my bear hugs."

"Take it easy Nora.  Let's try to figure out how they are going to attack us.  Let's not forget… rules work both ways.  The same rules that go against me, we can use against Yang too…"

Jaune never took Nora for a schemer before that day, always believing if she had a problem or something she wanted to address she would just take up her hammer and smash it.  Well that morning she proved him wrong.  Working with an energy and driven by a belief that would be a challenge to match in nearly any manner.  Only reason he was able to keep up is a steady supply of hot chocolate with coffee now added in.  A short time later they were ordered back to their seats for their landing.  But enough work was done to give them more than a head start.  Just enough to earn more than a few curious if concerned looks from the bunny and brawler pair arrayed against them.

***Shortly after landing***

_I am going to freeze to death… I know it!  Just look at those gusts!_

Pyrrha was shivering just at the sight of the snowy mountains and wintery currents that dominated the view from the window.  For one, sure, it was a breathtakingly gorgeous view.  The Arc home was literally that of a mountain, flattened at the peak to house an airport.  It was the highest point around giving a superb view as the plane flew in a circular pattern to land.  Mountains were visible in all directions with a fog like dew over them.  Mix in the rising sun and it truly was one of the most gorgeous things she had ever seen. 

She might have seen this particular set piece once before… but that was in the start of their summer season.  This was something else entirely.  The amount of snow on the mountains or even visible in general was mind blowing to somebody who had grown up in her native climate.  What was possibly more damaging to her pride was the city below at the foot of the mountain seemed to conduct business as normal.  As if the extreme temperature and expected biting wind just bounced off their skin.

More than once as the plane approached she heard Nora exclaim: "Oh I wonder how big of a castle I can make!  Look at all that snow!"

Something Pyrrha was unsure if anybody including Nora really knew the answer to.

By the time the plane was on the ground being tugged around by a small vehicle everybody was back on their feet getting ready to leave.

With a 7th glare in nearly as many seconds she scowled as Jaune and Katherine seemed to casually get into their winter coat having a light conversation as if they weren't expected to be bothered by the cold at all.  The worrying thing was Weiss, being raised in nearby Atlas Pyrrha expected her to be somewhat used to the elements.  Yet to her surprise the small girl seemed just as unsure as the Spartan was herself.  Nervously putting on and zipping up her coat.

"We don't have to carry our luggage right Weiss?"  Ruby asked likewise getting ready for the cold.

Weiss nodded "Yeah the luggage gets brought in for us and delivered to our rooms."

"That’s good, I don't want to have to lug around stuff in this cold.  I mean just look at that wind."  Yang commented nodding again to a nearby window.

Weiss nodded in agreement but did not expand on the answer.

"What's the plan for the day then outside of the truth or dare tonight?"  Blake inquired pulling her hood string and mittens on tight.

Weiss made a swooshing motion with her head towards the Arc twins before answering "Well all I really did is pay for the transportation.  It seems we are their guests for the stay.  So… I think they have a better idea of what to say than I."

Pyrrha followed her gaze to find Nora joining them in a slight circle.

"Hey Jaune!"  Ruby called.

They stopped talking to look at them.

"Yeah?"  He asked.

"What's the plan for keeping us all alive?"  Yang inquired with a grin.

"I am afraid I don’t have a plan for that."  He stated flatly adjusting his gloves calmly.

He let that stand for several seconds before the obvious glare's against him prompted him to speak on if nothing else out of self preservation.

_He's lucky I know he was kidding or I'd have to smack him for that one…_

With a humored chuckle he spoke on "Ok ok relax.  The tug should get us close to the entryway.  Unlike the last time we were here it isn't an emergency so the tram system should be operational."

"What tram system?"  Pyrrha asked intrigued.

"Pyrrha our home is literally the size of a mountain.  It would be silly to have to walk everywhere.  That would take hours just getting around at times.  One goes down to the lower levels another navigates around the upper section but both are circular in nature traversing the entire interior."  Kate chimed in.

"Yeah it was being reserved for the military last time so… well we aren't in a state of emergency thus everybody has access to it.  Anyway our first stop is going to be a place near the top.  It will record your finger and hand prints while also getting a head start on the personalized clothing each of you all will get for skiing."

"Fingers and handprints?"  Yang asked.

"Personalize clothing?"  Pyrrha asked at the same time.

Jaune chuckled.

"Yes.  The clothing is specifically designed to help with the cold.  Should be much warmer in it than anything you can find elsewhere."

Suddenly it clicked "THAT’S WHY YOU ARE NEVER COLD!  You have a super coat!"  Pyrrha declared pointing at him menacingly.

Something mimicked in the look of the rest of his female visitors via various glares.

He chuckled again.

"Well yeah I do have some stuff for it but I haven't actually worn it outside of our mission last year."

The glare of his girlfriend seemed to magnify to dangerous levels remembering how impossibly cold it was then even in the summer with his just standing there like he didn’t feel a thing.

"As long as we all get something that helps I guess that should be fine."  She seemed to lower her finger as an afterthought but kept burning a hole in his head. 

_I should have expected him to have some type of specialist clothing.  Makes sense now how he could wear that light suit and still be warm.  Thick skinned he may be I KNEW he had something beyond that to stay warm._

"I guess that is part of why you seem immune to the cold."  Ren stated flatly off to the side standing near an open window.

The twins shrugged "It isn't a force field but there is a great deal of truth that we are just used to the cold.  I don't know how else I can say it guys."  Kate stated mid shrug.

Finally letting the subject change Weiss input "You need our finger and hand prints because why?"

Jaune chuckled "I do not need them at all.  But if you want the guest system to recognize you and be able to order drinks or food on our tab, you would want to oblige us."

Suddenly they were all a bit more onboard with the plan.

"We order with our hand?"  Yang asked.

He nodded "Yeah, it will make more sense once we get to our rooms."

With a beep the pilots voice chimed through the speakers.

"OK passengers please brace against something or find your seats if needed.  The plane will be coming to a halt soon.  Once we are stationary move to the door.  The entryway is about 100 feet straight ahead.  Be careful and cautious as you walk.  I am getting reports from locals that the walkway is a bit icy and the wind gusts might knock you off balance if you aren't careful.  The wind will gust right to left as you exit be prepared for it."

The plane shortly thereafter came to a stop with a slight lurch forward… and everybody was on their way again.

***Inside and on the tram***

If thoughts could kill… the Arc Twins would probably have been in a grave already.  The tram waited for them just a few steps inside the entryway.  They passed through a guard post on their way and before long everybody could either stand or sit in the open face platform as it moved along its path.

That first gust of wind hitting the group nearly made them abandon their plans for a vacation and just hop back on the plane.  What started as a cautious walk quickly became a frantic sprint towards the entrance marked by flashing yellow lights visible above the snow outside the runway.

The only two people not running were, predictably, the brother and sister combo.  Who seemed immune to the sub zero bone chilling dagger like gusts that so hit the rest of them hard.

They just seemed to waltz their way comfortably and calmly towards the entryway.

So it was that several minutes later when the tram was boarded though everybody was still shivering horribly… except the two natives.

"How the … seriously are you two even human?"  Weiss complained completely hurdled up for warmth with her girlfriend.

He shrugged as his sister answered "We grew up around this and worse temperatures.  We are used to it.  Not much more too it.  If it makes you feel better we had a terrible time at first in Mistral.  The heat Pyrrha puts up with is ridiculous."

Pyrrha grumbled "I think another few trips home is in order after this torturous treatment…"

Meeting each other's gaze the twins chuckled.  About the same time that the tram kicked on.

"Finally we are moving."  Yang muttered taking a seat.

With a smile at his sister Jaune stepped forward and sat next to his girlfriend.  She wasted no time in leaning into him with enthusiasm.  Moving an arm behind her he gently rubbed her back sensing she wasn't kidding about how cold she felt.

The group sat more or less in silence as the carved stone which served to decorate the interior walls moved by.  Detailed and intricate given light by both fires and traditional sources at junctures it was soon the topic of those visitors whose previous experience didn’t grant time to study their surroundings.  The ornate engravings of the rock were of the highest caliber in many cases showing stories or histories of the Arc's and their struggles with the Grimm in times past.

It was not long before the heat of the mountain sheltered them from the elements outside and the mood of the group improved significantly.

"It's like it tells a story.  Wow."  Ruby stated slightly in awe.

Next to her Weiss found her spot and added "It does seem to be great quality.  I can only imagine how long it took to complete.  The entire interior is decorated like this?"

Kate nodded while Jaune answered "Some are repeats and others are open for what might be added in the future.  But yes, its similar everywhere along the track."

The tram did not go especially quick.  Probably barely quicker than a man could jog.  But it did move at a consistent pace.  It was a short trip later when everybody got off and got some of their energy back as they were being fitted with clothing for their ski trip and if they wished, more beyond.

Pyrrha soon emerged energetically looking for her closest friends bouncing with excitement at the prospect of having gear which could keep up with the atmosphere.  Something that should be waiting for her in her room later that evening.

She found them on the opposite line of the tram talking amongst themselves arms crossed as if trying to be patient and not rush their guests.  Walking across to join in she caught the latter part of the conversation as she neared.

"… any other ideas for what to do before the game tonight?"  Jaune inquired pleasantly.

Kate shrugged "I guess it depends on them.  You could always stop by the Merchants Row.  You probably need to thank the person who made your armor."

He nodded in return "Yeah I guess I should thank them for that.  Come to think of it I am actually not sure who did.  I should probably figure that out."

"Whatcha talking about?"  Pyrrha chirped moving an arm around her boyfriend casually.

"Just wondering what we are gona do to pass time before the game tonight."  Jaune supplied.

Pyrrha considered for a handful of seconds before asking "Well give me some suggestions I don't know what all is around here."

Sharing a glance the Twins shrugged at the same time before Jaune answered "Well there is a fair amount for a visitor to see.  Most of the upper level is devoted to the ruling family aka the Arcs and their personnel guests.  Below that is the commerce section.  There's the weapon and armor shops that operate as well as the multiple other guest locals, restaurants and stores that operate in our home."

"Merchants operate here not in the city below?"  Pyrrha inquired looking behind her to see Weiss and Ruby leave the store.

Kate took over the advising answering "Well the majority of them have their headquarters in the castle and have branches elsewhere in the world, including the city below.  Most often those spots are highly prized and aggressively bid on.  The castle itself is a tourist location in most times and gets a fair amount of traffic.  Not to mention your right in the heart of the operation of the nation it's great for business I understand."

Pyrrha nodded following along easily enough.  "So what's in the lower levels?"

Kate chuckled slightly as Jaune answered "Well my sister would probably have said 'The Way Out' a few years ago.  But that’s where most of the administration and visitor quarters are.  There is another row of food outlets as well.  However…"

Pyrrha blinked… "However?"

The twins shared a glance before he resumed with a smile "The biggest thing in the lower levels is the Grand Hall.  Basically the old throne room from… a long time ago."

Pyrrha lit up like a light suddenly intrigued "Oh that sounds interesting… what all is there?"

Kate took over as she responded "Well… its basically the entire base level before the main ground entry or exit passageway and checkpoints.  Fairly large in general.  There are statues of most Arc family heads present dating back to our founding.  It's probably the oldest room in our nation that remains original to its founding design."

"Yeah, any public concerns are normally heard there by whoever is representing the family."  Jaune chimed in.

"Well I would love to see that!  You could easily spend the afternoon showing me that!"

"Hey… Jaune, Kate.  Got a moment?"  Ruby inquired back across the way towards the clothing store.

The 3 gave their attention towards the Reaper now encircled by the remainder of their group.

"What's up Ruby?"  He answered.

She made a swooshing motion towards a nearby mural on the wall.  "Can you explain this picture?"

Joining them on the other side Jaune felt as though he had a fairly good idea of what Ruby wanted to show him.  But he didn’t voice his concerned until she proved him right moments later.

"What exactly is this?"  She made an open handed motion towards the picture in question.

The twins seemed unsure what to say for several seconds before Kate decided to answer.

"That one is the root of the bedtime story I told you when you all first spoke to me last year."

"'The light shall never be snuffed out' one?" Pyrrha recounted.

Kate nodded "The image is suppose to be a visual representation from that moment.  But… well nobody really knows more than that.  It did take place around 6000 years ago after all."

Swapping her gaze off her friend Pyrrha gave her complete attention to the mural for the moment.  A combination of dark and light stone concluded the story which had been playing out throughout the tram corridor.  Beady eyes encircled a mountain on all sides closing in with teeth bared and claws drawn.  However illuminating the mountain were several bursts of color.  White at its center burned the brightest covering the majority of the picture.  Other colors dotted the horizon, what was clear however is that no Grimm could withstand the burning heat of their semblance.  Those that tried were reduced to ashes before falling to the ground in a heap of dust.  The Arc's, the handful still on their feet seemed battered and bruised, but unbroken.  Gender's were indeterminable and not at all the point of the story.  They stood together against it all despite the odds, and somehow was still standing in the end.

"For both a promise to all.  That while I still stand, the light will prevail and will never be snuffed out."  Jaune quoted softly.

"That picture is the final mural of that particular bedtime story."  He concluded humbly.

"The craftsmanship is amazing.  The detail in your family is tremendous even the various species of Grimm look clearly defined."  Weiss praised running a hand over the rock.

The twins happily let their friends explore the nearby murals with a surprising amount of enthusiasm.  It was only after several minutes that Pyrrha spoke up.

"Well if we are done here I would like to see the Grand Hall."

Weiss chirped up down ways a bit "Oh I'd like to see that too."

"Any objections?"  Jaune asked.

Moments later when none came forward he advised "Well… Ok.  Lets climb back in and get going."

*** Arc Throne Room/Grand Hall ***

With a surprising amount of enthusiasm the group climbed back into the tram and sped along in the opposite direction from before.  Evidently going straight to the bottom level as posed to traveling through the hectic commerce quarter.  It seemed to move a bit faster than the original stint, something Pyrrha chalked up to a longer trip and thus a greater distance to travel.  Even so the various images carved into the rock made the trip an entertaining one.

As they neared it was obvious much more activity took place in the lowest level of their house than the remote upper one.  Guards pulled themselves to attention once they noticed Jaune amongst the group.  Something he seemed to be ill at ease about.  But… it did fill her with some measure of pride that he was given that level of respect from those who seemed to see him.

Upon opening the door to the back of the Grand Hall however… She could not help but stop moving in awe for several heartbeats.

Such that Ruby actually bumped into her from behind not expecting the sudden halt from the Spartan.

"Ow my nose.  Pyrrha your blocking the way!"  Ruby groaned comically straightening out her nose.

With a gentle hop Pyrrha took several steps forward.  "Oh I'm Sorry!"

"Don't gotta apologize just… oh wow."  Ruby praised looking around as she also slowed to a halt.

"Ruby!  Move forward you dolt!"  Weiss demanded nearly repeating the trend herself.

Finally with the line of friends moving steadily inside Jaune asked his sister "Well… should we go see what all the fuss is about?"

She answered with a sly smile and a light series of steps forward.

Ahead of her Pyrrha couldn't help but smile.  The room was utterly gigantic.  A high ceiling dominated the room with pillars at various points raising to meet it.  The pillars however were not purely circular.  Many near the entryway were still as a cylinder.  However starting at the back going forward towards the center of each pillar a carving showing an individual was presented in various positions.  Many were shown weapons raised as if leading a charge or defense in a conflict.  Others were acting more as an intermediary or negotiator.  Others still had the look of a scholar.  All of them, at least all that Pyrrha could see had weapons in the image.  If not carried it would be either worn at the hip, on their back or was resting in the background.  But it's clear that these images were not all the same person though it was equally obvious they did have a common look. 

Between the pillars were massive circular fire places roaring and crackling supplying heat and light to the room.  Long tables and comfortable chairs separated the pillars and fires from the wall in rows.  Even now some people were utilizing them to eat and relax alone or in packs.

In the center of the room was a long open area that extended from the far back going up towards a slightly raised platform towards the back of the room, that area from which the group entered.  After a handful of steps up one would come to the actual Throne flanked both by obvious guard positions and another pair of fire places.  Highly detailed murals and carvings covered the entirety of the throne room.  Pyrrha could only imagine the sheer amount of manpower and time required to build this place originally.  You could probably put 3 or 4 of the islands that she lived on in this room comfortably and still have plenty of space to maneuver.  It had to be a source of national pride that such work went into the construction of their mountain.

As infinitely impressive as she found it all one thing did stand out.  Such that she was forced to ask about it.

"Jaune… this is marvelous but.  Doesn’t that chair seem out of place?"  She asked pointing chair in the center of the raised platform.

He simply shrugged and said "No, that is the original throne."

Pyrrha just blinked and looked back at it with newfound interest.

She was not sure what to expect.  Perhaps a posh monument to ego and financial gluttony that surrounded her in her tournament days?  A chair made of pure gold and gemstones with thick comfortable padding all around for instance? 

Yeah that is kind of what she expected to see… and not at all what was there to greet her.

Instead the Throne itself was a supremely well made and thick oaken wood chair.  Tall and straight backed with armrests on either side.  Slight padding was found on the seat as she could imagine that chair getting very uncomfortable in extended stays.  But… somehow that chair seemed to fit the family and its owners perfectly.

"I would have expected your family to splurge a bit more on its throne Jaune… that thing looks so plane and ordinary."  Yang voiced surprised.

Jaune shook his head as Kate answered "That is the point Yang.  Lead by example, be one of the people for the people.  The chair is not meant to imply we are superior to our citizens.  It is meant to show we are one of them."

Yang just blinked "Oh…"

Jaune chuckled "If it makes you feel any better our… dad did commission a more elaborate chair as what you might expect.  Once he was disposed of Mom ordered the original one brought back out and it sent into storage."

For a spree the group stuck together, though they did begin to disperse a bit.  Coupled together with Jaune trying not to take on the role of guide or spokesman he was happy just watching everybody else enjoy themselves.  Before long the group had dispersed each having something claim their attention.

"Where does one get a drink around here?"  Yang asked arms out to the side.

With a chuckle Kate moved forward "I'll show her."

Watching her go Pyrrha turned towards her boyfriend and asked "Show her what?"

With a smile he leaned against the nearby pillar as he answered "How to order food and drinks.  You use your hand on the table."

Looking to the side slightly towards the nearest table she commented "Any of these tables?"

He nodded "Yes.  What you can get changes slightly to where and who you are.  You can't expect to order a meal for 100 people here in the audience chamber… but I could if I wanted too.  In our quarters we have access to the chefs and talents of the staff so basically anything is on the table there so to speak.  Down here we do have a kitchen for guests and any needs which arise."

Pyrrha smiled sadly before responding "They don't have anything like that at Haven, or even Beacon for that matter."

He nodded in kind "We have the benefit of the location.  Its blessed with impossible wealth from the land, at the cost of the elements.  But we try to be generous.  My dad wanted to change that.  Exploit it and use that wealth to become even more wealthy.  It was a culture differential as much as anything else."

He shook his head.

Cocking her head to the side she quickly wanted to change subjects not get Jaune thinking about his father.

"I know what we should do!  Tell me about some of these statues!"  She insisted with a happy smile taking up his hands.

"Hmm?  Oh, which one?" He asked.

Towing him forward slightly she inclined the one nearest the throne on the left.

"Who is that?"

He just leveled his gaze on her like he knew exactly what she was trying to do but none the less smiled as he answered "That’s the second king in our history.  Archibald, He first came to the throne following his father's passing at the end of the Grimm War."

Pyrrha gave more of her attention on the statue.  He did not have his weapon on his person, rather it was shown on the background resting against the throne.  Marking him as somebody other than a warrior.  Instead he was shown carrying a rather hefty paper scroll.  As if negotiating with other nations following the Grimm conflict.

"He seems like a normal guy."  She leaned in close to find the words:

"'The Wise?'"  Written at the base of the statue.

Pyrrha looked at him again as he answered "His title.  After their passing a moniker is given to the former ruler.  His was 'The Wise'."

She spun around to look behind her and pointed to the statue across the walkway.  This one carried a shield held high to his front with his weapon low to the ground.  She could not read the nickname at the bottom.

"What about the one across from him?  He would be the first King right?"

He grinned "That is my namesake."

She looked back at him "His name was Jaune?"

He nodded "Yes… Technically I am Jaune Arc the second.  This is the first."

Suddenly combining some facts Pyrrha looked a mix of excited and confused as she declared "You were named after the first Arc Ruler?  Why did nobody take the name again?"

He smiled at her a touch shyly before answering "Yes, I am.  As for why nobody else named their kid Jaune… well I would have to assume they spelled it normally.  As in John Arc.  Me I am spelled as he was."

"What was his nickname?"

"The Craven?"

Both Jaune and Pyrrha looked towards his sister moving back towards them grinning mischievously.

"Oh you weren't talking about dear misunderstood Morgan Arc down the line?"

She settled next to both before Pyrrha asked confused "Some of them were named… less then flattering titles?"

He chuckled "Yes.  We do not come to the name after all like I said the public does.  There are people named the Tyrant… the Schemer… the Craven… the Liar a few others besides.  They aren't always flattering in nature.  Morgan for example is rumored to have gotten the nickname of Craven for refusing a duel after insulting a fellow noble.  Nobody really knows if that’s true or not but… that’s where the name allegedly comes from."

Pyrrha found that beyond fascinating that they would allow a statue of their ancestors given any of those labels… but maybe that’s how they are still looked upon by the public in a favorable light.  They might have exceptions to the rule but most of them are remembered fondly.

"So what was the first Jaune's title?"  She asked intrigued.

The twins shared a glance before Kate supplied "The Steadfast."  Her eyes seemed to switch off her good friend and widen quickly on something in the background.

Pyrrha rose an eyebrow unsure what the matter was but did not have an opportunity to inquire further.

Kate just blinked as if confirming what she saw, then walked away at a quick pace after stating "Excuse me a moment."

They watched her leave without any of the normal playfulness found in her step, probably the first time Pyrrha had seen her that way.

"What's with her?"  She asked.

Jaune shook his head "I have no idea to be honest."

Deciding not to dwell on it figuring Kate would tell her in due time she tried to move on to another topic.  Remembering something from their first year Pyrrha inquired "Crocea Mors."

Looking back at her he raised an eyebrow "Huh?"

"The forger of Crocea Mors.  You said he had a statue outside Beacon.  I remember seeing it a few times."

He nodded "Cromwell Arc.  Yes."

She nodded excitedly again "Where is he?"

Nodding forward down the line he answered "Towards the middle.  I'll show you."

Taking each other's hand they moved down the central walkway and sharing a wave at their friends on a nearby table.  It seems Yang's request for a drink quickly escalated to snacks to be ordered.

"I hope they remember to save some room for the game.  My sister and I have a special plan."

"How special?"  She asked.

With a wink he teased "You will have to wait and see."

Giving him an inquisitive look she bent slightly forward to purr "What category surprise?"

To which he responded equally softly "Delicious."

***Heading away from the group***

As Katherine quickly propelled herself away she really did not want to be correct in what her eye believed to have seen.  Yet it was something she felt compelled to investigate natural curiosity or no.

Coming to a door on the far side towards the front of the Grand Hall was a single isolated and rather imposing door.  She did not slow her stride and the guard did not make an attempt.  He merely straightened his back and entered into a salute hand over his chest as she ventured inside.

Inside a desk to the side was manned by a single man dressed in the style of law enforcement officer.

"Lady Katherine this is a surprise.  Is there anything I can do for you?"  The rather short and heavily mustached man inquired putting his hands behind his back standing at attention.

"Just curious about that last batch that came through.  Troublemakers?"  She inquired.

He inclined his head slightly and answered "Thieves to be specific my lady.  Caught a few days ago, only now arrived in the capital."

Katherine shuffled towards the desk buying a bit of time to think before responding "What I saw of them made them look more than common thieves Officer."

He made a slight face sending his mustache on various angles before responding "Well… the binds were more on fact that multiple people were hurt in their capture.  The tall woman in particular clearly was trained and lacks identification.  Given the state of the world she is being treated appropriately."

"Meaning as a spy or terrorist?"  Kate inquired.

He nodded once again.

Crossing her arms and tapping her fingers Kate waited as long as a minute before the man spoke again "If I might be so bold Ma'am.  I had to stay late due to them arriving my family expects me home soon.  Might I leave?"

She nodded in return "I would like to read through the file.  But yes of course you may go."

He appeared a mix of bored and a touch frustrated but remained where he was, though he did place the file on the table after fetching it from the nearby cabinet "If you wish I can let you have a few minutes but I cannot let you take the file with you.  It might only be a duplicate but we try to keep a trace on all records.  As you well know."

Kate nodded and took up the folder pleased she didn’t have to invoke her name at all to get what she wanted "Of course, I won't be long… Captain?"

He crossed his arms but remained professional in body language otherwise "Lieutenant actually, Boyd."

Kate nodded and began to page through the file quickly as possible.

Quickly speeding through pages the report basically confirmed what Boyd summaries for her.  Astrid Brynjolf and two others were arrested in possession of stolen goods from the event of a week prior.  Several guards were wounded in the attempt but Brynjolf and the two others were apprehended.  Lacking any form of identification it is assumed that Ms. Astrid Brynjolf was thereby working with White Fang forces to disrupt the flow of food and extreme clothing meant for our fringe settlements.  Thus she will be treated appropriately…

The report continued but the next page was that of a picture.  Nearly identical to the woman Katherine remembered.  Beautiful, high cheekbones and gorgeous brown hair.  Extremely fit and still that same woman she knew those years ago.  Though… the fact that she was without identification sent a particular pang of guilt through the Ghost at that moment.

Carefully setting the file back on the table she stated.

"Thank you, have a good evening Lieutenant."

"You too, enjoy your Holiday Ms. Arc."

At that the officer placed the file back in its spot engaging the lock as he did so, then walked out the door leaving Kate alone with her thoughts.  Difficult as they were to organize she found a nearby chair… and collapsed into it.

_Well Kate you bungled that up for her that’s for sure.  What can I do though?  She doesn’t have a lawyer and given the fact she is being treated as a terrorist she isn't likely to get one.  Even if I go to her and talk it won't help… no._

_Only one person can truly help her at this point.  I'll just have to persuade him to intervene._

***Back in the Grand Hall***

Jaune and Pyrrha had joined in the table near his friends enjoying the snacks they decided to sample.  At present?  The high piled meaty and devilishly delicious trademarked Cadian style Nachos.  3 plates in it was still vanishing at a prodigious rate.

"If this is what they have in the lower floor I cannot wait for what the upper levels have available."  Yang praised digging into the appetizer with abandon.

"I wonder where Kate went?  She's been gone awhile now."  Pyrrha wondered sampling the supplied refreshments.

Across the table Ruby nodded behind the Spartan "Not any longer I suppose."

Sitting next to his girlfriend Jaune twisted his torso to see Kate walking with long strides towards him.

"She's moving with a bit of a purpose…"  Weiss commented curiously.

Upon reaching the table Jaune made to invite her to a plate herself… but quickly figured out she was not in the mood for snacks.

"Jaune we gotta talk, now."

He blinked… before standing up cautiously.

"Okay…"  She proceeded to lead him away from eavesdropping distance.  Even those with boosted hearing.

"Whatever it is Kate appears serious.  She's out of range."  Velvet commented taking a sip.

Pyrrha could only watch with a bit of concern as her closest friends spoke silently unsure what the problem was.

***The Twins distinctly out of hearing range***

Jaune kept his posture and expression serious and focuses as she spoke… but had to admit to being unsure at what she expected him to do.

"Katherine I can understand the difficulties of her situation but what do you want me to do?  People were hurt by your recount in some cases seriously.  I can't just write that off and say it didn't happen."

Kate crossed her arms and spoke on "Jaune, she would not be in this position if it was not for me.  She ran off after our … encounter.  She didn’t wait for her documents like I thought.  That's why she is in trouble.  No identifications, no way to get work legally."

Crossing his own arms Jaune responded "You can't prove she isn't exactly what they claim Kate.  Yeah your meeting her didn’t help, but she made the choice to run away."

"Jaune if she were a terrorist she wouldn't have stayed around to help her friends and get caught in the process.  She would just have ran away.  You know that.  Besides I'd bet a terrorist would try to turn me somehow.  Not… just spend the night then evacuate."

He sighed and massaged his forehead with a hand.  "Why can't you come forward and vouched for her?"

"Jaune…  You know why."

He sighed again  "Yeah, I guess I do."

_Right instead of a terrorist she would be treated as a rapist or similar charge for having a relationship with an underage girl.  Trade one crime for another._

"Jaune, Astrid came here hoping to become a citizen.  She needs that government to stand up for her now.  If left to a conviction her life will be ruined you have to help her.  I might have gotten her into this and she might have made it worse by running but it isn't like any of us wouldn’t have done the same in her shoes.  C'mon Jaune you have to help me here!"

They shared eye contact for probably as long as a minute before he looked away and closed his eyes.

More composed and collected he tried to work his way through the possibilities.  He could mandate that Astrid have a lawyer, and would have to come forward with information from Katherine as for why he did it.  Or… given that this is the first time he is at home, as the Duke.  He could try and take an interest in the matter.  Such a thing isn't uncommon but showing favoritism isn't exactly something he wants to  set as a precedent.

"I can't do anything until Monday.  I could claim I reviewed the files over the weekend and decided to investigate myself.  I will talk to her.  That is the best I can do."

Kate exhaled and engaged in a hug "Thanks Jaune."

Ok… now I should somehow get that file and study it before Monday… at least it can happen after the truth or dare game tonight.

**A/N**

**So as it should be obvious next chapter will be the next Truth or Dare round.  Last call for any suggestions be it funny or sexy goofs anybody would like to see.**

**Keeping it really short and sweet, thanks for reading.  Please continue to provide your feedback via the normal methods.   I will see you all again next update.**

**-Sean.**


	45. Y3 Winter: Civil War - RWBY Style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truth or Dare round 4 has arrived... will anybody remain standing when the smoke clears?

3.20 RWBY: Civil War

The tram ride back towards the upper levels was rather full of excitement.  For one the sampling of snacks only served to awaken the terrible beast known as hunger for the group.  As indeed the upper level had full access to the chefs and services of the mountains residents.  A fact which only seemed to ignite the ravenous pack of people who seemed to realize at once that they had not eaten sense breakfast. 

Talk for the most part was energetic and enthusiastic. 

Though, the hosts did seem a bit tame compared to their peers.  Neither of the twins really expected a visit home would be completely free of troubles.  They did however hold out some hope that trouble wouldn’t present itself on the first day of their vacation.  Jaune still didn’t know what to think of Astrid or her capture.  If anything he was leaning more towards supporting the law enforcement officers who of course have made it a career of their pursuits and would likely not be thrilled with the idea of a young Duke sticking his nose in their business.

Katherine was naturally more in line with supporting her one time bond mate.  Feeling guilty about her circumstance however justified did none the less mean that a significant portion of their weekend following the game would need to be spent in review and study than the relaxation they had envisioned.

Thankfully they seemed to get along well enough to not make an issue of it, moreover, they knew to trust each other.  They would try their best and do what they can… just as soon as they could.

Right now however… the gauntlet had been thrown down.  Knowingly or not Yang had opened Pandora's box with this challenge and its goal of finally defeating the Truth or Dare menace known as Jaune Arc and any who would stand by him.  She had not fully divulged the rules for the game, but it was obvious the knowing glances Nora, Jaune and some of the others shared seemed to be getting under the skin of the Brawler and Bunny-Rabbit combination.

So it was that sitting at the back of the tram, as far from any pairs of ears that might be listening in as was possible.  Velvet could not help but feel as if that light at the end of the tunnel wasn't salvation and vindication… but rather a train.  A Nora train with all the bells whistles and kinetic energy that thoughts of a Nora train would normally summon.  A whistling steaming endless ball of energy only contained on its rails by the mystery of science and wizardry.

"I tell you Yang, they know something!"  The Rabbit quietly claimed keeping her ears scanning for any hints somebody had picked up on the conversation.

Yang laughed as if Velvet just told a joke.  "Velvet!  What did you drink that was foul!"

Ahead of her Weiss turned back with a glare of disdain "Even Velvet is telling gross jokes now?  You need to spend less time together!"

She then turned forward again and seemed to not be paying attention.

With a smile Yang leaned next to the smaller girl and whispered "Velvet why do you think something is up?"

Nervously scanning the group again Velvet gulped "Its… just intuition!"

Yang sighed "Intuition?"

Nodding again Velvet continued "Yes!  Intuition!  Nora is bringing up bear hugs whenever she can for one.  She ordered nachos with carrots on it specifically because she thought I might like to share it with her.  When I reminded her that she hated carrots and most things 'good' for you she just pretended not to hear and actually ate it!  Not like a single carrot no, but the ENTIRE plate!  Have you ever known Nora to voluntarily eat a vegetable when she wasn't being forced too!  I tell you it's too suspicious!"

She held off speaking as the tram began to speed up along the straightaway of the upper most level before relaxing again.

"I fear she is up too something!"

Yang stroked her chin a spell before lowering her voice even further.

"Ok Velvet.  Worst case scenario?  She knows everything."

Velvet looked aghast.

"That’s a terrible thing to consider!  You might be able to shrug off embarrassment but I am not so good at that."

Yang shook her head "No Vel, it really isn't that bad."

Crossing her arms and attempting to look stoic Velvet demanded "How could that be anything but horrendously bad?"

Yang sighed "Because its Nora!  This is a girl who gets terribly distracted at the mere mention of Pancakes-"

"DID I HEAR PANCAKES!"  Said girls voice broadcast from the front of the tram standing up and facing behind her… in a rather spectacularly threatening fashion.

"Nothing Nora!"  Yang broadcast back.

"I SWEAR I HEARD PANCAKES!"  Nora pressed pointing a finger at the Brawler.

"Please Nora relax!  You heard wrong!"  Velvet pleaded sounding as stern as she could.

Nora made a face "Only cause you asked so nicely."

Once she was back in her seat Yang had to reconsider a few things…

"Ok Vel… upon further review I do believe she knows something.  But… she cannot know the full rule set.  We will just have to be really careful with how we put things out once we arrive."

Ahead of them… dressed in  their white/blue and black/red clothing… Ruby and Weiss couldn't help but find each other's gaze.

"Did I hear that right?  Your sister is plotting something against Jaune and left us out of it?"  Weiss whispered softly in a grin.

Ruby put forth an equally mischievous grin "She didn’t think to include us!  I do not quite know what to make of it.  It is almost like she doesn’t trust us!"

"The only question is… what will we do now?  Do we support her, or go against her?"  Weiss pondered out loud in a whisper.

As if the powers from on high decided to cast their vote… both of their scrolls rumbled at the same time.

'At some point Yang will remember that I have these things on the top of my head called ears.  I can hear every bit as good as Velvet.'

The partners read the note at the same time, looked at each other, then yet another rumble looked back at the scroll.

'I say we go with the Rule of Funny, what do you think?'

When the statement was met with a smile they knew Blake had the best suggestion.  Rather than settle the matter on a handshake… something that would instantly be seen by the plotters in the back.  They settled on a brief kiss.  Instantly sealing their intentions and casting away any focus the elder sibling was giving the matter.

***Guest rooms living space.  Just before the game***

Yang had to give her hosts credit.  They were certainly being generous.  Each of them had their own bedroom.  In fact the entire personal guest wing was located near the ruling families personal quarters, and were nearly as large.  Moreover there was seemingly enough space to handle upwards of 500 or more guests.  Something which as she surveyed their vacation living space seemed to just never end.  There was always more room, always more to see or another wing to explore.  Even her own private room was nearly as large as the entire house she lived at in Patch.  A luxurious bed with an internal living area coupled with desks mirrors and cabinets, all made of solid wooden or better material.  Her own bathroom was equally princely having a private shower and hot tub.  She quickly foresaw herself abusing its services in their vacation.

The staff did all they could to make their guests feel comfortable and welcome.  Even though really all they did is tour the throne room and order some custom made clothing the Brawler was very much so enjoying herself thus far.  Even if she never really got used to people calling her 'Ma'am' without an insult preloaded.

The seemingly impossible wealth of the Arc family was beginning to color her a bit green with envy, but at least Jaune never seemed to flaunt it.  Rather try to use it sparingly and for the greater good in as much capacity as he could.  Anything she needed was provided without argument, and she got the feeling even if the mountain home was filled to capacity there would still be enough people and supplies to not diminish the experience.

None the less she took some time to freshen up and get her game face on.  It was time to spring her trap, tonight victory would be hers!

Exiting the room to find the Twins and her sister team already waiting for them around the large living space around the central fireplace.  Jaune and his sister seemed to be discussing the specifics of a folder privately at the same time Nora, Pyrrha and Ren were nearby moving chairs and other furniture towards a more open area so the fire would not obstruct anything from its central position.  Whereas Velvet seemed to be directing traffic for where things should go, looking the part too as she carried a whistle wearing a 'Boss Bunny' hat.

"Hey Jaune, where's Ruby?  Or uh… Weiss and the rest of them?"

Holding his scroll behind the papers he hit the send button before looking up to answer Yang "Not sure, I think she's still in her room."

Yang shrugged and turned towards her sisters room just a couple spaces over to the left.

Having learned from her prior lesson's she got within range to knock… but paused as she heard some talk from within:

"OOOF!  Jeeeeze, its tight!  I can't get it to move!"  Ruby complained sounding out of breath.

Somebody seemed to catch their breath before Weiss answered back "You need a better angle, here let me switch…. slightly…"

A loud grunt sounded out before Ruby spoke again "Oh hey that’s better!  But still really tight."

The Brawler was torn between outrage and a near heretical desire to tear something apart with her hands.

_THOSE BLASTED RABBITS!  THIS IS RIGHT BEFORE OUR GAME!_

Yang wanted to curse… but… was just compelled to continue to listen despite herself.

"Here you gotta get your leg into it Ruby… Put your leg-"

"Here?"  Ruby interrupted in good spirits.

"-Yes there good now… you can go that way…"

Another grunt was heard "Still so tight!"  Ruby groaned again.

A subtle weight landed on the ground before : "I cannot watch you two do this anymore.  You BOTH are doing it wrong!  Here let me show you…"

_BLAKE!?!?!?_

"First you grip here-"  Blake continued

"Here?"  Weiss asked.

"Yes good.  You Ruby put your arms here, and move your legs that way."

"Like…. that?"  Ruby chirped curiously.

"Yes good…"

_Good?_

"As for me I will be here-"

_WHAT!!!!!?_

"Now we all can use our legs and hands to get the most friction."  Blake finished proudly.

"Oh hey yeah that’s a good idea!" Ruby praised.

"Indeed!  This works much better!  Can't wait to try!"  Weiss added in sounding sickeningly cheerful.

"Ok now on 3… we can resume."

_Three…._

_Two…_

_One…._

"HRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"  They groaned in unison.

Bursting the surprisingly unlocked door open Yang declared with raised fists "I CANNOT STAND BY AND LET THIS HAPPEN ANYMORE YOU 3 STOP… This….. now….."

Ruby Weiss and Blake all stood surrounding a cookie jar.  All gripping at various points and using a leg to press against something to maximize torque.  Still… the top stubbornly refused to budge.

"Oh Hey Yang!  Wanna help?"  Ruby inquired still visibly straining against the lid.

***Beacon Teachers dormitory***

_Finally… the troublesome students held back over vacation were allowed to leave… and I can finally enjoy a nice hot bath…_

Whistling an upbeat happy tune Deborah started to fill the tub… before covering her ears in alarm.

"SERIOUSLY WHAT THE (Insert chosen curse words here) IS UP WITH THIS TIME OF YEAR?!?!"

***Back in Cadia***

"Did I scream that loud last year?"  Weiss inquired with a humored finger pointed at the Brawler.  Bent over with Red eyes and flaming hair breathing hard carrying the remnants of their cookie jar.

Blake and Ruby both chuckled "Yeah… pretty much.  Though you didn’t grab the cookie jar and crush it hulk style.  At least they weren't fresh cookies."  Ruby answered.

Carrying a knowing smile Blake innocently added "I'm not sure if violently crushing it counts… I mean the cookies didn’t survive."

From his spot on the chair Jaune gave his sister a nudge while still observing the file  "So far all according to plan."

She chuckled in good humor before adding "Turn's out Nora is a great ally when it comes to plotting.  Who woulda thunk it?  She was the one who decided to get Blake on her side after all."

Yang was still breathing as if she ran a marathon still seemingly processing what just happened for several minutes.  It was only with RWBY's help that she seemed to get ready to start the next phase.

"Think she has a clue what's coming?"  Kate asked.

Jaune reached for his drink before responding "She will probably figure it out soon.  We will see how well prepared she is.  Her best hope is to amend the rules to give herself more of a chance."

They nodded at the same time as Pyrrha declared "Ok folks!  We have everything in place!"

Ruby poked her head out of her room to declare "I think Yang needs a few minutes!  Maybe you should order snacks Jaune?"

Jaune grinned evilly.

"That was the next step I wager?"  Kate inquired.

"Yup… liquid chocolate with raspberries, cheesy potatoes and so much more."

Reading between the lines and making an educated guess for what Jaune and Nora decided to do to counter Yang's detective work Kate couldn’t help but chuckle.

"That’s evil, and Ruby is helping you!"

Grinning back Jaune stated "For now… maybe.  But I do not believe for a moment it will last."

***Time for the draft***

It took Velvet and a glass of ice water to get Yang back into a somewhat stable mindset.  Though… even that was most likely temporary.

"Ok… I think I am ready to not throttle my sister next time I see her."  Yang commented still trying to mentally commit to it.

Velvet peaked around the corner before advising "You might want to be sure… you are kinda going to have to see her… you know.  The second you leave the room."

"Yeah I know wouldn’t want to leave Jaune and Co in a bit of 'Crazed Student nearly strangles sister over poorly done bedroom humor with A Rich girl.  Could this be the beginning of a love triangle gone wrong?'  I doubt he would want to explain that headline to the masses."  Yang grumbled downing the glass of water.

Velvet looked like she really wanted to laugh at that and was only successful in not laughing due to forcibly covering her mouth.

"You really need to focus.  These rules need to be spot on or-"  She began.

"Yes I know, or I could end up myself against the world.  I wonder if we shouldn't adapt them a bit… nah we have a good foundation."

She took a deep breath and finally drained the glass her bunny eared friend gave her.

"Ok Velvet, once more into the breach."

With that they shared a nod, before turning towards the group already arrayed in a semi circle waiting for them.

_Why do I feel like a lamb joining the wolves for dinner?_

Was a shared though both Yang and Velvet couldn't help but ponder.

None the less Yang directed herself towards the nearby white-board to write down the games rules.

"Nice of you to join us Yang!"  Ruby cheerfully chirped out.

Yang scowled into a grin "Yeah yeah.  If there are no more delays… I can explain the rules for this year's annual Truth or Dare showdown."

Getting her groove back Yang picked up the marker and wrote the entirety of her proposed rules taking up the entire board doing so.

"So for this year I have decided we really need to switch it up a bit.  Therefore the first rule is thus."  Yang pointed towards the first rule where Velvet read it out:

"We will be in pairs to start us out and you cannot pick your initiation partner."

"Why would you make that a rule?"  Weiss inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Pointing a finger at Weiss Yang answered "Excellent Question Weissy.  The best way to mix it up is to ensure different pairs of people.  Therefore this is to force that."

Jaune made a face and nodded following along… _not terrible thus far_.

"Rule 2:  Each team gets a single pass to use, once gone that’s it."

"Rule 3: Is a copy paste from the previous year's games.  No targeting hair, no restricting favorite foods, no reusing challenges.  Being unable to perform a task means you either must pass or be eliminated."

"Rule 4:  Each team initially will be made up of at least 1 leader, and 1 follower.  When the bottle lands on a team, the spinner chooses who takes the dare or truth.  However if the team leader is removed, the follower is not removed from play at that moment.  However a follower cannot accept a challenge on their own, so if they aren't eliminated by the play of the game, they can be removed at that time.  OR the team leader who spun it can choose to bring that person onto their own team.  Therefore it is theoretically possible to eliminate a follower without them actually taking a challenge."

Jaune definitely brought his eyebrows together at that one deciding it was most definitely aimed at him.

"Any questions?"  Yang inquired.

"Seems complicated but… should be fun."  Ren stated flatly.

Yang smiled and nodded energetically "Glad to hear you are excited about it!  So who will be the leaders you might ask?"  She held a hand to her ear waiting for somebody to ask the question.

When it took several seconds Velvet said "Why yes Yang I was ever so curious… who will be the leaders?"

Raising her finger at the question Yang supplied "Excellent question Velvet!  Take each of our team names… RWBY and JNPR.  The last 2 letters from each team will be the leaders, with everybody else being a potential follower Kate and Velvet included."

Kate grinned while Jaune just shrugged.

"Well we can give it a go, seems awfully complex though.  We coulda had fun with our typical setup."  Ruby commented.

"Maybe so, but like I said we are trying to be different.  Just to get us started I feel as though we should go in reverse order.  Meaning Ren, then Pyrrha, then myself and Blake."

"Jaune you've ordered snacks and drinks for us right?  I will need a drink here soon."  Nora suggested innocently enough.

Jaune nodded "Yeah, should be ready in a few minutes.  Probably about the time we are half done."

"Alrighty then!"  Nora commented finding her place in the circle.

Keeping herself contained Yang was beginning to feel fairly confident.  Pyrrha could not pick Jaune, and Ren was most likely to pick Kate.  Leaving Yang free to pick him in her round and people couldn’t even accuse her of hand crafting the rules to give her an advantage! 

The 4 leaders settled themselves into a section of the groups circle, with those designated 'Followers' standing up ready to be picked.

"First person to choose is me right?  What about those who don’t get picked?"  Ren inquired.

Yang sat comfortably in her seat before answering "Like I indicated those not selected would find a spot, and once the bottle points at them can be drafted into a team."

"Why not just make them a 5th team?"  Jaune inquired crossing his arms.

Yang shrugged "Well… we could.  What do you think should we let Velvet be the 5th leader?"

Jaune nodded as did many of the rest.

"Ok… fine by me.  Ok with you Vel?"  Yang asked.

Velvet just shrugged and found a spot for herself and her initial partner.

"Well… who do you pick Ren?"  Blake inquired evenly.

Ren changed his vision off of every available selection seemingly weighing his options.

"Well I can't pick my own Partner, and to be honest I gotta think this is an easy call.  Jaune, I have been on the receiving end of too many of your dares.  Care to be my partner?" 

Jaune chuckled and walked forward "Naturally Ren."

Yang blinked….

_Ok that wasn't suppose to happen… the plan is falling apart and we just got to the first selection…_

Looking across the room to Velvet, Yang received a shrug in response.

_I guess that’s why I have those hints and big guns from our investigation.  This just means I get to be the one to eliminate him firsthand!  This might work out yet!_

Next to Ren Pyrrha was equally calculating her options….

"Well… I think I would like Katherine on my team.  Come on down Kate!"  Pyrrha made an inviting wave while Kate just smiled bashfully and silently strutted forwards.

_Ok… I guess that makes sense…._

"My turn then…"  Yang stated in thought…

_Well the plan was to pick Jaune… I naturally can't pick Blake.  So… between Nora Ruby and Weiss… who do I want._

"Ok Sis lets show them how Truth or Dare is suppose to be played!"  Yang declared.

With a happy chuckle Ruby walked forward and found a spot next to her sister.

Blake was equally considering her pick however few people remained.

"Weiss… white hair and black hair teams up at last, let's do this!"

Suppressing a smile Weiss gracefully moved forward to take her spot… leaving:

"Guess it's me and Velvet?"  Nora stated.

Smiling Velvet nodded "Seems that way."

As Nora sat down she advised "Goody, you are in easy bear hug range, right where I want you!"

Suddenly Velvet was less confident with her arrangement.

None the less she was rather forced to just observe as Yang produced a spinner with a foot paddle and placed it in the middle of the group.

"Ok first spin to see who is receiving and the second who is giving their challenge."  She declared.

After a step on the paddle the spinner started rotating…

… and coming to rest on Yang.

After the second spin….

"Seems I will be starting us off.  Truth or Dare Ruby?"  Weiss asked with an overly innocent smile.

Seemingly waffling between her options her sister decided to answer for her "She will take truth I think."

Ruby opened her mouth in protest but…

_Well I guess after the prank we just played she probably doesn’t want a repeat…_

_  
_

Weiss swapped her gaze between the two siblings before shrugging and asking "Did you ever read that letter you received?"

Ruby groaned.

"No, I never did.  I had hoped to read it before we landed but well… I slept the entire trip!"

Yang looked like she wanted to scold the Reaper but refrained when the younger girl gave a particularly fierce stomp on the paddle she was able to pick up the message of 'Not now Yang!'

Weiss raised an annoyed eyebrow but decided against pressing the issue at this point.

The spinner came to rest on Pyrrha and Kate.

After a brief moment of putting their heads together again Yang declared "Truth or Dare Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha didn’t need much time to deliberate rising to the challenge as normal "Dare of course!"

Yang leaned in and whispered "Well whatcha think Rubes?"

Ruby considered for half a second before asking "Do you want to be fair or brutal?"

Yang chuckled "Not sure about either… I don't exactly want to start a war on two fronts."

Ruby made a face before guessing "Let me guess… you are still hell-bent on eliminating Jaune personally?"

Yang nodded innocently enough.

"Fine… well let's stay away from personal stuff and just attack something she hates.  I have a good idea already!"  Ruby suggested.

Yang made a hand motion towards the Spartan and said "Go for it."

Ruby grinned in a horrendously evil manner "Pyrrha… we dare you to submit to the Ice-Bucket-Challenge!"

Pyrrha looked confused "Ice… what challenge?"

Ruby nodded energetically "Yup!  You take a bucket of ice water and poor it over yourself."

Pyrrha made an obvious whimper to the enjoyment of the group.

Pyrrha scanned the room nervously while considering her options…

"Do you even have a bucket?"  She asked to buy time.

Ruby answered a touch too cheerfully for Pyrrha's taste as she nodded very happily "Yup!  My bathroom has one!"

Pyrrha was still undecided when Kate leaned in "Are you really going to burn your pass on this Pyrrha?  You just have to be cold for a bit."

Pyrrha whimpered again but whispered back "I guess the dare didn’t require me to stay in the wet clothing…  And we do have a fire nearby."

Eventually mustering her courage Pyrrha stood and got the cold water prepared while Ruby laid out some towels on the floor.  Yang even decided to get into it by ensuring the 'Ice-water' had actual ice in it… something the Spartan was not all that pleased with.

"Yang! It really  doesn't need ice-cubes in there!"

Wearing a huge grin Yang just responded with "Just making sure it's in the spirit of the dare!  I could ask Weiss to lower its temperature further… I mean I know she could do it."

Shaking her head furiously Pyrrha declared "No no that won't be necessary."

Carrying the bucket to the towels Pyrrha looked very uncomfortable… though she did end up shutting her eyes, raising the bucket above her head and ever so slowly pouring the tip over.

***3 minutes later***

It took the group about 3 minutes until their ears began functioning again… all Jaune could hear is a high pitch wail long after Pyrrha vanished from the room to presumably change clothes.

"I think we will live, the worst seems to be over."  Ren stated still covering his ears needlessly.

"I didn't even know that Pyrrha could curse…"  Ruby stated whimsically.

"Who knew with one word everything would just stop."  Nora wondered rubbing her ears still.

Pyrrha's chattering teeth were audible well before she reopened the door to her bedroom and rejoined the group, now wearing sweatpants and multiple layers of clothing including now a blanket.

"Cold much Pyrrha?" Ruby asked curiously.

Pyrrha only grunted as she retook her spot seemingly ready for revenge.

Leaning next to her sister Yang whispered "I think you just made an enemy for tonight."

Ruby responded equally quiet as she answered "Me!?  You were the one who personally judged the coldness of the water!"

"Oh right I did…"  Yang admitted...

_Maybe I did end up with another war on two fronts… oh well we will have to see._

"Let's get the game going again… should probably finish before the sun rises."  Jaune lightly suggested.

"Indeed… there is much to do tonight."  Pyrrha declared through still tittering teeth… though her eyes spoke her meaning very clearly.

Gulping Ruby got the spinner going again.

Coming to rest on Weiss/Blake.

After a brief strategy session Kate declared "Weiss?"

Swapping her gaze between Pyrrha and Ruby's teams Weiss cautiously requested "Truth."

Both Red and Black haired women smiled as Kate asked "How many times has Yang walked in on you and Ruby exactly?"

Yang facepalmed rather spectacularly where as Ruby just blushed keeping a happy grin to her features.

Weiss for her part just seemed rather aghast that Pyrrha would ask such a question until she realized… Pyrrha didn’t need too. 

_Kate and Pyrrha might be a more deadly combo than Jaune and Pyrrha… oh dear…_

Clearing her throat Weiss said with as much dignity she could muster "I would think 4 times.  That I know of anyway." Finishing her statement with a knowing look at her girlfriend across the circle Weiss motioned for another spin.

Coming to rest on Ren and Jaune.

"Ren?"

Weiss seemed like she had one preloaded… until Blake seemed to have a better idea.

"Ren… we dare you to kiss your partner!"

"Pass"

"Pass"  Both men declared instantly.

With a shared glance at Ren and his twin across the way Jaune couldn't help but think….

_Where did that come from I thought Blake was on our side… maybe she's trying to play both sides against the other?  Or maybe she just wants a laugh… either way I gotta be careful after that._

"The Cadian Menace is already without a pass, this is a good sign!"  Yang declared with a grateful smile at her cat-eared girlfriend.

As the spinner was moving again Ren whispered to his partner "We need to be careful."

"Yeah I know."  Jaune agreed as the pointer came to rest back on Ruby and Yang.

"Ruby?"  Ren asked.

Ignoring the advice of her elder Ruby requested "Dare!"

Whispering to Jaune again Ren asked "I trust you have something good?"

In response Jaune pulled out his scroll and sent a message simply stating 'Now please.'

"You bet I do."  He answered back.

Looking at his fellow team leader Jaune stated "Ruby, I dare you to stay in your spot for the next 10 minutes."

Moving her head back and forth as if confused Ruby didn’t really see the danger "Uh ok… sure… no moving for 10 minutes."

"Great!  I have a surprise for everybody… just sit tight for a moment."

Ruby sniffed the air curiously and felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up straight.

_I sense something… It's almost like-_

It was then a knock to the door was delivered and it was opened by one of the house staff.  A female pushed the cart which on its top level had a rather large circular object covered by a lid.  With several compartments that would also store various dishes.

"Mr. Arc, your order is here.  Where should I leave it?"  The middle aged woman inquired.

"Just wheel it near the fireplace.  Thank you, I will let you know if anything else is needed."

At that the assistant gave a respectful nod and removed the lid putting it on the bottom shelf.  Once off a rather specific smell filled the room.

"COOKIES!  I SMELL COOKIES!"  A salivating Reaper proclaimed.

"One mountain sized chocolate chip cookie freshly baked and assorted other goodies.  Hope you all enjoy it."  At that… she left the room shutting the door behind her.

"Remember Ruby… no moving."  Jaune reminded with a ghost of a smile.

Ruby was quite literally slobbering at the mere sight of it… probably 4 feet in diameter and over an inch thick it was the biggest most delicious looking and smelling thing she had ever seen!

…

And she was stuck in her seat for 8 more minutes.

"Ok guys eat up… just out of the oven!"  Kate stated easily rising to her feet.

"Guys!  This is cruel!"  Ruby objected with a legendary pout watching everybody else make their way over.

"Sorry Rubes!"  Jaune stated as he shuffled away.

"Oh my gosh this is delicious!  Ruby you need to try this!"  Weiss praised/taunted sampling a bite.

"Weiss get me a piece!"  The Reaper pleaded helplessly.

Frothing at the mouth Ruby started to twitch as more and more people began to dig in.

"7 more minutes Ruby."  Jaune teased showing a rather delicious looking chuck of cookie, chocolate still partially melting and all.

"Jaune!  This is Cruel and Unusual!"  Ruby complained eying that piece with a ravenous hunger.

Several more minutes later after the group had refilled their plates for a third time Jaune took the time to enjoy something to drink found in the bottom of the cookie carrying cart… some milk.

"Oh wow I had a great idea… good job me."  Jaune stated with a self styled pat on the back.

Starting to worry for her sister Yang offered Ruby a chuck of cookie.

"Here Rubes this should- AHH!!"

One quick 'nom nom' action later Ruby completely devoured the offered food in addition to putting some tooth marks on Yang's finger.

"Ouch!  What?!-"  Yang began.

"THAT WAS DELISHIOUS!  I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE! I GIVE UP!"

Activating her semblance Ruby vanished only to reappear back in her seat eating what's left of the cookie like a typewriter.

"Ruby you only had 30 seconds to go!"  Yang objected sternly watching food disappear at a prodigious rate…

Only to go ignored until the cookie was gone.

"Ahhh much better!"  Ruby stated with a pat to her obviously full belly.

Yang had to fight not to facepalm. 

_Great… Jaune is without his pass just like I am.  I really need to do something about Ruby's cookie addiction._

Once everybody had a glass of milk and settled down a bit the game resumed.

With another push of the paddle it ended up on team Velvet and Nora.

Absolutely trying to keep the game civil… at least until she can accomplish her goals Yang took special care with her selection…

"Nora?"

Managing to appear slightly insulted Yang even had to ask Nora declared "Dare of course!"  With confidence.

_Ok good I can definitely make this an easy one…_

"Nora I dare you go give Velvet a hug."

"Wha no-nonono-NO! wait HURRRK!"  Velvet objected before her eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.

"HA!  Easy dare!"   Nora stated playfully as she finally loosened her grip.

Velvet gave Yang a rather intense glare as Yang gave another spin…

_She doesn’t think I did that on purpose does she?  Hopefully not I don’t need Velvet going after me too…_

None the less the pointer ended up back on the still playful Kate along with the almost-not-freezing Pyrrha.

Velvet and Nora put their heads together before deciding on "Kate?"

Appearing to think about it for a handful of seconds Kate requested "Truth."

Possibly due to Nora's influence a very easy request was made "What's your favorite style of Dance and why?"

Kate looked surprised but had to clarify "To perform or to observe?"

After a moments consideration Velvet clarified "To perform."

Without thinking further Katherine answered with "The Cha-Cha would have to be my favorite.  I just like how playful and fun it is."

Jaune nodded as if he expected that answer as once again the was spinner was spun, to end up back on Nora.

Pyrrha had one preloaded for her teammate it seems as she inquired "Nora have you ever actually ate all the pancakes you could till you couldn't anymore?"

Nora seemed to think about it even going as far as to stick her tongue out before answering "Well Renny occasionally runs out of mix… That count?"

Ren just nodded as if amused.  When it was clear that was the best answer Nora could give the pointer was given another spin, and landed on Blake.

Weiss and Blake waited patiently until Velvet declared "Weiss?"

Weiss seemed cautious but none the less requested "Dare."

Velvet grinned as she declared "I dare you to admit something that your hand made rapier is totally outclassed at when compared to Crescent Rose."

Weiss' eyebrow twitched terribly to the giggles of everybody around her most notably her girlfriend…

_Ok think Weiss there has to be a way out of this without really admitting anything…_

Then… she smiled.

"Well I admit Myrtenastor is not adequate as a sniper rifle when compared to Ruby's… creation."

Ruby couldn't tell if that was a compliment or not judging by her confused expression for anybody trying to keep track.  Though she seemed to be leaning in the "un-good" direction.

None the less it was spun again this time coming to rest on Ren and his partner.

The two males shared a nervous glance when Blake was heard whispering "I got this… Ren what's your choice?"

With typical Ren-esque confidence he requested "Dare."

Her cat ears stood straight up as she declared "I dare you to strip naked and run through the kitchens down the hall screaming the entire time."

Several people giggled at that one while Ren just facepalmed.

"I am afraid I will have to retire at this point."  He suggested sadly prompting a high five between Weiss and Blake.

Yang had to fight to keep herself from rubbing her hands together gleefully.

_Jaune is already on his own!  The next time it points to him he is gone!  …  Or could be recruited into another team…  Better hope it's me!_

Ren moved a fair bit away to get a drink leaving Jaune isolated in his section of the circle as the spinner began its rotations yet again.

"Well it seems you get another choice.  Ren is the first one out."  Yang pointed out keeping mental track… she's out of a pass true but still looking good.

When the pointer came to rest on Pyrrha and Kate, Blake wasted no time in stating "Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha finally seemed to warm up enough from her ice water bath to shed her blanket while still wearing a proverbial mound of thick clothing covering her was in no mood what so ever for a dare at that moment in time.

"Truth."

Putting her fingers to her temple briefly Blake seemed unsure what to ask… until Weiss blurted out "Your Headpiece and your vow with it.  Why did you take it?"

Pyrrha cocked her head to the side in contemplation…

"Well I guess it is no secret now what it stands for.  As for why, I suppose that isn't much of a secret either.  I just wanted to meet a good friend.  I had hoped people would recognize what it meant and be more willing to befriend me.  That obviously didn’t happen.  But that’s why."

All the while stealing both glances and smiles at her boyfriend across the playing field.

Meanwhile… Yang scowled ever so slightly…

_Damn!  I had hoped Pyrrha would pass on that one.  I'd love to get both Kate and Jaune out of this game as soon as possible!_

As the pointer was spun again Yang nearly screamed:

_Don't point at Jaune!  Don't point at Jaune!_

As she knew Pyrrha without a doubt would bring Jaune onto her team rather than remove him from play.

None the less the pointer came back to land on Ruby and herself.

Ruby seemed to be nursing an obscenely full stomach packed to the brim with cookie and as such seemed a bit out of it.  That didn’t stop Kate from requesting "Ruby, Truth or Dare?"

With an audible groan Ruby answered with "Truth… ow my tummy."  Her infamous puppy dog look none the reappeared however stuffed it was at present.

When Pyrrha gave a nonchalant shrug Kate stated "What do you do when life gives you lemons?"

Ruby scoffed "Make Grape Juice…. duh everybody knows that."

The Reaper hit the spinner again before going to get another glass of milk.  All the while Yang kept wishing…

_Land on Jaune!  Land on Jaune!_

It spun and spun and seemed to answer her prayer… Only for it not to be.  Gaining just enough momentum to edge past him winding up back with Nora and Velvet.

Not wanting to antagonize Velvet given their alliance Yang decided on targeting Nora again.

"Nora?"

"Dare!"  She predictably requested.

Expecting that Yang only had to take a moment to think…

"I dare you to listen to a recording to Ruby singing karaoke when she was still at Signal!"

"YANG!  We swore never to mention that again!"  Said girl objected.

Yang just waved it off while Nora seemed to consider…

Then took a deep breath and said "Fraid I gotta pass on that.  Besides I couldn't embarrass you that much Yang, you let your sister do that willingly!"

Yang seemed unsure exactly how to treat that… though Ruby at least seemed pleased nobody had to listen to that fateful karaoke incident of yesteryear.

"Well alright… your turn then!"  Yang advised happy to have claimed another teams pass.

This time the pointer ended up back on Weiss and Blake.

Nora indicated she wanted this one, and as such Velvet nodded giving her a shot.

"Weiss, Truth or Dare?"

Weiss seemed apprehensive… but requested "Truth."

Nora smiled.

"I know your team used to regularly engage in so called 'Prank Wars'."

Weiss nodded sharply.

"What was the best prank you did where nobody figured out it was you?"

Weiss seemed to blush a mixture of emotions… but seemed willing to talk about it after a deep breath.

"Well… I don't think they ever figured it out.  But I messed with the water in the water heater for our teams shower.  Making it really cold, then really hot through Dust when Yang was in the shower."

Yang flexed her hand to the point her knuckles popped.

"She never did realize it was me, just complained to the Beacon staff our heater was on the frits."

"Gotta admit that’s a good one… Guessing Yang didn’t know at all."  Nora boasted happily.

Yang seemed to barely restrain her anger at that…

"My Hair Weiss… you targeted my hair!"

Weiss shrugged "Oh Please!  It wasn't my fault you ran out of the shower with shampoo still in your hair and chased Ruby around with a broom while only wearing a towel barely capable of doing the job."

"Now now Yang relax… it happened awhile ago."  Ruby stated playing the mediator.

The spinner seemed to operate as a peacekeeper working its way back towards Kate and Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha?"  Weiss requested.

Pyrrha normally would declare dare without a second thought… but in truth was in no mood to take on another one after the previous of the evening.

"Truth."

"Would you rather walk around naked, or take an ice-water bath?"

Pyrrha cringed on both points but answered "Walk around naked…"

Jaune definitely smiled at that… _Note to self… just remove all ice from Pyrrha's presence when she is upset._

However the pointer came back on Weiss and Blake…

"Blake?"  Kate requested.

Blake thought about it… then requested "Dare."

With a supremely evil smile Kate said "Blake.  Our family has 2 liters of very friendly and happy puppies not far from here.  I dare you to spend an afternoon dog sitting them while on vacation."

Blake's mouth just came unhinged as everybody else either cried out "Puppies!" or were chuckling too hard to speak.

None the less Blake was forced to lower her ears and say "I have to pass on that."

Next up was Ruby and Yang again.

"Ruby?"

While the sisters considered for a moment Yang couldn't help but be frustrated.  She wanted Jaune gone!  Yet it can't happen if the pointer never ends up on him!  UGH!

"Dare."  The very full Reaper requested.

Weiss blurted out before Blake could object "I dare you to sprint to the doggy area and bring back a puppy for us to play with!"

"WEISS!"  Blake strongly objected.

Ruby groaned "Ugh I'm too full for that… guess I gotta withdraw."

Weiss pouted, Blake just looked relieved.

Ruby didn’t seem too upset about this turn of events and simply shuffled back to relax a bit.

When the pointer went back on Black and Weiss, Yang felt the need to take advantage of the differential in animal preferences.

"Blake?"

Blake definitely felt the heat incoming from Yang no matter what her choice… thus she said:

"Dare.  You wouldn’t embarrass me right Yang?"

Yang just grinned "Course not kitty-cat.  I would just dare you to adopt 3 of those puppies before we head back to Beacon!  You know, to keep your kitten company."

Blake just stopped moving to the point she didn’t even blink for nearly a minute.  Starting to worry Weiss gave her a slight push on her shoulder, Blake toppled over the side as if frozen solid not reacting in anyway.

"Uh I think you broke your girlfriend Yang."

Yang just smiled looking pleased with herself as once again the spinner went.  Eliminating Blake meant both Weiss and Jaune were without their leader… where as Yang was without her follower.  Nora and Velvet along with Pyrrha's teams still had their pass.  Odd game thus far.

So it was for several hours to the point people were beginning to pass out.  Still… the game continued.  Nora and Velvet were eliminated from play, though Weiss was brought over to become Yang's new partner.  However the most irritating thing about this whole mess is that the pointer still never ended up on Jaune.  After being spun nearly 100 times the odds of that happening are so minute it might as well be impossible!

So it was that while Jaune was still on his spot but leaning back against a chair intrigued but very obviously tired… he began to grin like he finally caught onto something that nobody else in the room has.

In any case as the pointer once again wound back on Kate and Pyrrha… Yang was long deliberating her challenge.

Weiss leaned in and spoke on in hushed tones "Look Yang.  It's getting extremely late and we all have things to do tomorrow.  I know you have some things saved up, it's time to use your biggest guns!"

Half turning towards her Yang answered as quietly as she could "Weiss, you have no idea what I had to do to get my trump cards.  They are meant to be used on Jaune and Jaune alone!"

Weiss took a deep breath and retorted "Yang, think for a moment.  The challenges that are good against Jaune are probably good when used against Pyrrha!  You just need to alter its wording a bit right?"

That got Yang thinking…  Most everybody else had found a comfy part of the room to pitch their tent at.

"We are waiting Ladies.  If it takes too much longer tonight we might have to call the game here."  Kate prompted playfully.

_No, I need to win this now.  I had wanted to eliminate Jaune myself but It seems I must do this now.  Eliminating Pyrrha means Kate and Jaune survive, but they don't win.  They merely don't lose.  If it means I win then so be it!_

"As you wish.  Pyrrha, care to answer a question for me?"

Pyrrha grinned "As you wish."

Yang smiled "I would like to know how you and Jaune advanced your relationship over the summer?"

Pyrrha's confidence faltered a bit… and she appeared to really need to think about it.  She cast a questioning glance across the circle to Jaune only to receive a shrug in response. 

_Clearly he's leaving it up to me for what to say…_

It was time for The Spartan and Ghost to have a pow-wow.

"Pyrrha…"

"Kate I can't!  It's too personal you know that!"

Kate just calmly hummed an affirmative "Yes I know.  But I also know you don't have to be specific.  Just answer generally but tell the truth."

Pyrrha cocked her head to the side and took a deep breath.

"Pyrrha we are surrounded by people who routinely walk in on each other being intimate with each other, no need to be shy here."  Kate prompted.

Pyrrha scowled _I get the feeling she is a bad influence on me for this game…._

"Pyrrha?  Do you retire?"  Yang inquired confident of victory.

Steeling herself Pyrrha squared her shoulders cleared her throat and responded "Jaune and I showered together according to Mistralian Custom for Partners."

Yang blinked…

_Wait what?!  Pyrrha was able to answer that?!  Also what does that even mean?_

"What exactly does that even mean?!"  Yang prompted still hoping to embarrass the Redhead.

Pyrrha just smiled smugly and responded "Not my fault if you aren't aware of that custom.  I answered your question truly."

"She's got you there Yang."  Weiss prompted.

Yang gave a particularly vicious press to the paddle and observed the spinner on its mindless rotations.

Predictably the object ended up right back where it began pointing at herself and Weiss.

"Pyrrha… I think you have been a bad girl."  Weiss stated seriously.

Yang just leaned back and asked "What?"

Weiss pointed at her friend to the right smiling with something akin to begrudged respect.

"Yang, I know why Jaune has been safe over there for the better part of 3 hours."

Pyrrha blushed a beat red and looked embarrassed.

"Took you awhile."  Kate prompted.

Yang just blinked…

"What am I missing here?"

It was however Jaune who spoke up.

"She has been using her semblance to ensure the pointer never ended up on me once I was alone… She was pretty good at it obviously."

Pyrrha gave a happy but embarrassed smile in confirmation.

Yang just opened her mouth as if it came unhinged speechless for probably as long as a minute.

"It wasn't against the rules."  Kate boasted with a smile.

Yang was still frozen while her younger sister walked over and stated tiredly "Guy's its really late.  And we traveled backwards so that makes it extra super late… I think it's time to sleep."

That got Yang out of it.

"Oh no no-no-no-no NOOOO!  I did not sit through 3 hours of this game to let all of them survive me again!  I demand satisfaction!"

"What do you want to do?  Pistols at dawn?" Weiss mocked semi-seriously.

Yang seemed to seriously be considering something like that when Jaune spoke up.

"Yang… I have a dare for you.  If you can complete it Kate, Pyrrha and myself will concede defeat."

Yang scowled…

"Not exactly a generous offer."  She objected.

He shrugged "You don't have to take me up on it, but it's that or nobody wins.  Unless you want the pistols at dawn option."

"C'mon Yang its fair, one challenge and you win!"  Ruby prompted sitting down next to Weiss.

Against her better judgment Yang sigh and accepted "Fine… one challenge to determine who wins."

Yang found a spot again while Jaune pulled out his scroll.

"What time is it in Vale?  About 10 pm or so?"  He asked.

Weiss nodded "Yeah about that, why?"

In answer Jaune stated "Yang, my dare is to keep everybody in the room besides myself quiet for the next 10 minutes."

Yang raised an eyebrow in confusion while the Knight made his call….

***Beacon Teachers Living Quarters***

Thank god… it is time for MY vacation to start.  I can finally head home, talk to my parents and enjoy some time to myself.

Set on removing her high class pants, shirt and jacket then soaking in a long hot bath she nearly started her plan… right before her scroll began to beep rudely.

_Who is calling me at this time of night?_

None the less with an aristocratic flick of the wrist she answered the call tossing her scroll on her bed.

"Hello?"

Finally the image came up for the caller… one of her students… Jaune Arc.

"Mr. Arc, why are you calling me at this hour?"

Jaune smiled and responded "Thank you for taking my call Professor and I am sorry to bother you at this late hour."

"Jaune dispense with formalities it has been a long day.  Why are you calling me now?  Is it an emergency?"

He made a slight nod "Of a sort.  It does relate to your sister Weiss."

Winter brought her eyebrows together focusing on the call fully now "Why what has happened?"

Nervously scratching the back of his head Jaune slowly admitted "Well you see I am calling you on her request."

Winter once again sighed "Jaune… get to the point."

With another visible deep breath Jaune began "Well you know that Weiss and her partner Ruby were dating right?"

Winter made a cautious nod. "Yeah I was aware.  Why?  Did they suddenly become engaged?"  She joked.

Jaune didn’t react to the joke at all in a way that made Winter very nervous.  In fact some scuffling could be heard on the other end of the phone.

"Well… see they wanted me to break the news to you.  Weiss did not become engaged to Ruby no."

Jaune had to duck and sidestep as if something was flung at him, but continued anyway.

"She became engaged to Ruby AND her sister Yang, see they were so embarrassed-"

"THAT’S IT GRAB HIM!!!"  A high pitched shrill came through the phone.

"NOOOOOOoooo!"  A deeper one cried out.

"I'll GET THE SCROLL!"

Winter long closed the visual imager and began walking to prepare for her bath.

Various sounds still came through though…

"No don't hit him he's just playing the game!"  That would be Pyrrha's voice clearly.

"FREEZE HIM WEISS FREEZE HIM!"  That had to be Ruby…

"I had it all prepared too-"

Winter filled the sink up with water before casually dropping her scroll in to short circuit the entire contraption.

"Blasted prank callers… At least if you are going to prank call somebody a picture should have been included.  People just aren't what they used to be."

Finally setting herself in the perfectly warm water thanks to her semblance Winter began to relax for break… ignoring the occasional angry wails that came down from the far north.

**A/N**

**I apologize for the delay between chapters.  This one gave me a serious case of writers block and it was mixed in with various family and personal issues that… well in the end it delayed my work and really distracted me.**

**Again, sorry for that.**

**Any questions or concerns you'd like to bring to my attention just give a holler.**

**Beyond that please give any feedback you can.  Through reviews/comments/IM/Emails/Notes or any or all of the above.**

**Thank you again for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	46. Y3 Winter: Penance by Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for a day out on the town! What could possibly happen?

3.21 - Penance by Shopping

For the last day and the predictable future a storm had been raging.  Not one with lacerating winds or tidal waves, but one of profuse downpour.  Several feet of snow had already fallen and the 'Heart' of the storm had yet to arrive. 

Those who dwell in the far north as used to such events.  Tunnels dug below the roads connect the majority of structures in the city below and as such nobody is isolated to a dangerous level.  The city continued to function, just in its underground capacity.  Some preferred it this way, why deal with those around them if they did not have too?  Indeed many esoteric shops only existed in the structures and tunnels allowing its citizens to function in event of storms.

Those living in the mountain home were even less bothered.  Were it not for the rare window, balconies or comparable devices you would never know a series of clouds were above you trying to dump more than a healthy amount of snow on your head.  Nobody, except perhaps those people who were trying to set aside some time to ski for example.

Following the truth or dare match the next day was largely spent dealing with the travel lag the journey would normally bring on.  Such that not much was really accomplished.  The group did their predictable exercise routine, enjoying the facilities the Arcs kept on hand.  Once their weapon practice was done later that evening… that is when the plotting began.  It really only related to two parties.

Guys, and girls.

If you were a guy, you did whatever you could to keep yourself entertained.  Maybe play a video game?  Maybe watch a movie?  Possibly take a nap?  Whatever you did, you did it away from the girls and well outside of earshot.  They even enlisted Kate's help in choosing a location without any easy way to spy on the gathering. 

Not that either of the guys would EVER do something like that…

Anyway they were at it a good long while to the point that both Ren and Jaune gave up waiting to figure out what the next day would bring.

The next day …  Well that was proving to be an interesting one.

Ren was spared any venom as he was removed from the game via fair play.

However it was also determined that Jaune's final dare, while not against the rules, was profoundly unfair in nature.  Thus by popular, but not unanimous vote, he had to serve his sentence the next day.

In a word… the carry-all.

Sitting down in a chair outside the current shop in question.  Towards a side of the long commerce quarter Jaune couldn't help but sigh.  Already the girls had procured multiple bags worth of clothing and the day had barely started being only a few out of several dozen planed stops.

For his part Jaune really was not all that annoyed in truth.  He got to spend time with his friends, they got to enjoy themselves on vacation, and he had some time to try and work out the situation with Astrid and what he could do to fairly influence the situation.  Not that he didn’t do any shopping on his own… just the route the girls planned the previous day did not exactly leave him many avenues for his own entertainment.

It was a small blessing when Evangeline, his eldest sister sought him out a bit before noon to successfully find him at a table safeguarding their new luggage.  Dressed now in her blue and silver robe most members of the ruling family wore when on state business she looked like the aristocrat she was groomed to be, however much she was still a very down to earth level headed woman.

With a teasing smile Eve found a spot next to him… and couldn't help herself.

"I must say this is very unbecoming of a Duke.  Being reduced to a pack mule?  Tsk tsk tsk  for shame sir."

Jaune rolled his eyes "Indeed it seems even I am at the mercy of his closest subjects… even those who technically aren't subjects.  Though to be honest I think guard dog is a touch more accurate at the moment."

Eve chuckled lightly before asking "I see they have made several selections already.  How many more stops do they intend to make?"

Jaune shrugged.  "In truth I have no idea.  They might want to stop at every place on the strip as far as I know."

Eve raised a curious eyebrow "Surely they all had things they specifically wanted to look at?"

Jaune grunted "More like two or three things a piece id say."

Raising his hands he began counting them off.

"Yang wanted to look specifically for Bra's… or I guess underwear more accurately.  Weiss absolutely was dying to go dress or robe shopping.  Trying to get some of our trademark royal silk garments.  Blake wanted to procure as many books as she could possibly get given the company that prints them is just down the way.  She evidently was tired of whatever she wants being sold out in Vale.  Nora I think wanted to sample every food joint in the mountain and Ruby I'm pretty sure wanted to visit the mechanics and weapon/armor shops at the end of the passage way."

"What about Pyrrha?"  She asked.

He shrugged "I think she was just happy to do something with the girls.  But she might have a selection later as we go along."

Mentally adding it up she couldn’t help but chuckle "So a week's worth of shopping in a single day?"

He shrugged "If I'm lucky yes.  It isn't like the lack of a sun is a problem down here.  This part of the city never really shuts down you know that."

She nodded "True enough.  What about Katherine?  Or uh… I think his name was Ren?  What are they up too?"

He faceplanted on the table before providing via a grumble "She was just looking for some entertainment and I believe Ren's exact words were 'I will be taking in the sights.'  You can take that for whatever you like.  In any case I don't know exactly where they are."

Eve's eye twinkled like only an older sisters could before nodding "Well let her have some fun."

He groaned before deliberately changing the subject "So… how is Miyas doing?"

Eve cleared her throat before cautiously answering "She is doing ok, training doesn't come natural to her but she wants to start anyway.  Her back is doing better, she's still having trouble coping with everything that happened.  Beyond that about all I can say is she is thinking of giving up her middle name.  Like how Lissette and Patricia decided to go back to their first name after using their middle names most of their lives."

He nodded "I figure that’s her call, she deserves the choice.  Surprised she even needs to think about it."

Eve nodded "It's odd though.  I've been working with her for several months now.  She isn't exactly a natural with weapons, but her aura control is quite good.  However the surprising thing is she doesn't seem to have the standard Arc Semblance.  I haven't had a chance to talk about it with mom yet but she hasn't shown the normal signs."

Jaune blinked and paused a moment to think "So, you think she shares in with Katherine's semblance?  Is that what you mean?"

Eve shrugged "I don't know to be frank but I highly doubt it.  It is rare in our family for somebody to not have the Arc semblance and rarer still for two of the assassin line to emerge in the same generation.  Far as I know that has never happened.  To be fair… there's a great deal of variance at play here that we have figured out over the years.  Until it manifests, well, I do not know enough to judge.  Most show at least some aspects of one of our 'Knight' based semblances once they start training we can normally figure out where they end up well before it actually shows itself.  Miyas hasn't yet and to be brutally honest… I don’t know what it could mean."

Jaune considered for several heartbeats…

_Miyas might have a unique semblance that isn't a version of the Arc-Knight?  That definitely sounds like something we should be talking to mom about.  Katherine certainly is unique so her being an assassin at heart I guess fits but Miyas…  I have no idea what all this adds up too._

"I can bring it up with mom for you if you would prefer."  He volunteered.

She shook her head in response "No.  I will at some point I just need a good time to do it.  In the meantime what are you working on?  Beyond being a guard dog that is."

Jaune made a lazy gesture towards the file but before he could discuss it:

"He does have the temperament of one."  A voice called out from behind him.

As an instinctual reaction he sighed "Glad you decided to rejoin us Kate."

Half turning towards her he spotted both his twin and Ren making their way over.  Her in her typical figure hugging clothing silently and gracefully swaying her way over… him acting like the act of walking was a painful one.

"What did I miss?"  She asked with a wry grin.

He made a head motion towards the nearest clothing store.

"The ladies have decided that this was the next stop on the list.  I'm still working my way through this… mess."  Finishing his statement indication the file of paperwork he was studying.

"Oh goody that means I can finally catch my breath.  I think I'll just sit down and rest for a week… also I need a drink."  Ren grumbled practically falling into a chair next to his teammate fumbling with the UI to order refreshments.

Chuckling faintly Eve stood and began her exit "Well I think I will head back down to the throne room.  If you need anything just send me a memo."

Before long she vanished into the crowd towards the tram down.

Her expression became an avatar of bemused glee when Kate smiled and turned towards the clothing store.  "Well I do believe I will check in with the gang and possibly try on some clothing."

Jaune's eyebrow rose suspiciously "You actually need something?"  He inquired.

She chuckled "Of course not… but if you think I'm going to miss whatever insanity they all have going on in whatever store they visit then you are clearly insane."

Watching her silently strut her way inside Jaune felt curious enough to ask "Ren… do I want to know why you look as if you nearly died an hour ago?"

_I really hope I don’t regret that question…_

Ren groaned in a way he almost never did at the near exact instant his drink arrived.  Before the waitress could move away he had drained the entire glass and was requesting a refill.

"If you must know your sister is a dancing machine.  I understand perfectly where she got those legs of hers after that… good god."

Jaune chuckled "Dancing is way harder than it looks sure.  What did she put you through?"  He asked curiously.

He grinned "Well I had never actually heard of the Cha-Cha and wanted to see her do it.  I didn't even know a person's hips could do a figure 8.. well I learned a lot that I knew nothing about before."

Jaune grinned "So why are you so sore if she was doing all the work?"

He chuckled back "Well… she was having so much fun showing the female side that she asked me to join in.   In short she was trying to teach me the male routine.  Something about giving you some competition for the Winter Dance next year."

Jaune just looked surprised for probably a minute letting Ren enjoy his refilled glass before responding with:

"I had no idea you or her cared enough about that."

He shrugged "To be fair… I don’t and I doubt she does either.  But it's actually really fun dancing and I get to be around Katherine.  Win-Win for me.  Besides have you seen what she wears it isn't like I could say no and actually look in her direction!?"

Jaune cringed in mock agony.

"Yeah… silly question you and her danced all the time of course you know what she wears."

Suddenly reading between the lines Jaune proclaimed "You were mesmerized and said yes before you realized it?"

Ren facepalmed in turn despite obviously trying not too…

… and both men couldn't help but laugh regardless.

***Girls inside shop***

Grinning like a fool Katherine made her way into the shop, a rather fancy store specializing it upper class -if slightly risqué- underwear for women.  The door had barely shut behind her when her grin became a full on smile.

Velvet was standing not 10 feet from the door trying to hide behind a display seemingly very out of place.

"Velvet if your face was any more red id mistake it for Pyrrha's hair… why are you hiding out here?"

Velvet twitched and shook her head in such a way Kate was reminded of a literal rabbit sticking its head out its hole.

"Quiet you!  They haven't seen me yet!"

Walking next to her to confidently stand hand on her hip Kate couldn’t help but ask "Why are you trying to hide?  This is supposed to be fun?"

Ducking back behind the display Velvet frantically whispered "You are just like Yang!  This is insane I feel like the only normal person in this building!"

Walking slightly beyond the display heading towards the changing rooms Weiss advertised "Velvet I hate to say it but we have always known you were there… your ears are making it rather obvious."

After her proclamation Weiss and her partner made their way to the dressing room carrying a fair amount of items to sample.

Suddenly scowling Velvet lowered her ears with her hands and whispered "Make me invisible please!"

Chuckling Kate did her the service of moving away before answering equally quietly "That isn't how that works… I haven't gotten the hang of how to do that Vel."

"Well now would be a Great time to learn!"  She insisted through gritted teeth.

"Seriously Velvet what's the-"

Walking out in the open towards the back of the building she spotted Yang, dressed only in her bra and shorts… having a rather forward conversation with Blake.

"I'm telling you Blake there is nothing wrong with sexy outfits.  Those things can seriously be awesome in the right spot.  I know the type of books you read you have to know that."

Blake just stopped walking to make a very obvious sigh rubbing her temples… "Yang is this really the time and place for this discussion?"

"Where would be a better place?  We are here, where the stuff is sold, on vacation no less!  We might as well try it on, see if it fits."

Blake seemed to consider it for a handful of seconds before shrugging.  Then, moving very much like a cat she couldn’t help but grin as saw some very… specialized garments off to the side.

"Well… if you insist.  How do you feel about… props?"  Moving slightly towards said objects.

That got even Yang to freeze in her steps before she turned to follow "Props… such as?"  She would continue to speak but would sadly be out of range.

Giggling despite herself Kate couldn’t help but voice out loud "You know I think if I could hear what they were talking about 'I' might even be blushing."

The red on her face somehow darkening Velvet mumbled "I can make it very clear what they are saying if you like…"

Before Kate could comment further Nora and Pyrrha entered into visual range…

"Nora!  Is… is this really… really a full outfit?  I mean where is the bottom half?!  Again what's with these partial outfits with just a top and some garters!?"

Sounding slightly bemused if highly amused Nora grinned and proceeded to drag her teammate to the changing rooms "Of course it’s a full outfit silly!  Just trust your ole pal Nora, she will set you straight!"

Then as an afterthought added "Oh and we should probably make sure it's all in your color… can't get something that doesn’t match after all!  Right Velvet!?  I know you can hear this!"

Velvet just made the rabbit equivalent of a whimper and looked like she very much wanted to disappear.

"Come on Velvet.  Let's find something nice for you to try.  Unless you'd prefer to keep listening in on what Blake and Yang were talking about?"

Velvet gulped and seemed to be weighing her options…

"Fine… I might as well commit to diving in.  I already climbed the high ladder at this point."

Nodding happily Kate commented "Wise lady."

Unable to stop herself from pondering the obvious question Kate began stroking her chin slightly…

_Too play the embarrassment card or not… that is the question._

"The answer is no, not now, never ever!  I know that look all too well."  Velvet spoke.

Raising her hands in surrender Kate just suggested the start of the tour…

***Later when Hunger kicked in***

Jaune gave up the idea of being able transport all their selections in one sitting, such that he had to enlist the help of some house staff to get what they had picked out by lunch back to their rooms.  He was rather impressed in all actuality.  He knew they were, despite appearances, showing restraint.  With him picking up the tab they literally could ask for one of everything and been done with it in about 3 minutes.  Yet… well they did not do that.

Still… the mountain of packages and clothing items had him doing multiple takes as he failed to understand how 8 women would try on and get so much clothing in a single day.  Well… more accurately half a day as that was all before they agreed it was food-o-clock.

It is a shame it didn’t last long.  Weiss and Jaune remained in the private room the group requested across the way from the store currently demanding the attention of their friends.

"Look at that.  It took longer ordering their food and waiting for it to arrive then it did scarf it down.  You'd think they haven't eaten in a month."  Weiss chastised at the table enjoying her drink.

Chuckling Jaune couldn't help but point out "You know you did select more than any other person…"

Weiss scowled and replied "Just cause I have the best taste with a talent for picking good pieces does not mean I started acting like a heathen!"

Jaune raised an eyebrow "I wouldn't call how most of them act as heathen might.  Just admit you didn’t want to set foot in Blake's smutty bookstore that’s why you are here."

Lifting up her chin and looking slightly away Weiss advised "I will do nothing of the sort."

"C'mon Weiss you would feel no more out of place than Pyrrha does in that type of shop."  He teased.

Putting forth one of her classic death glares Weiss declared "Jaune if you are wise you would stop encouraging me to set foot into such a store!"

Raising his hands while grinning Jaune said "Ok ok… very well.  I have plenty to study here anyway."

Picking back through the folder he thought he heard Weiss 'Harrumph' once more… before he was too engrossed to listen further.  Once again trying to figure out a solution to this situation with Astrid.  Going back over everything he knew in the file once again he mentally tallied it all up.

First she was seen exiting the scene of a crime by several witnesses. Witnesses able to identify both her, and the two younger girls she traveled with.  Leaving the scene with multiple coats and several bags of food.

They were pursued for the better part of a week going from one home to the next until they were captured in a police sting where another shipment of goods was seemingly available and without any guards.

In the event Astrid fought several law enforcement officers wounding a handful.  Their injuries were not severe but they would be forced to miss anywhere from a day to a few weeks worth of work as they recovered.

In the end she was arrested on multiple charges most prominent of them not being somebody identifiable.  Therefore the worst case scenario was selected as a terrorist working for the White Fang to disrupt clothing and food heading to their destinations.

Basically… the only out he saw was granting her a formal Pardon.  Something that was well within his authority to do but could also set a very dangerous precedent.  Publically, he did not know Astrid, he had not spoken to her or had any interaction with her.  Moreover all he knew about her was what is written in the police report and that information while possibly written with a bias against her was done by the book.

In essence, he did not know how to help her.  He needed the police to work and be loyal to him.  He remained committed to doing what he can, but what he can was looking laughably thin at this juncture without stepping over a line he was trying very hard not to cross.

Briefly he considered asking Eve for help, and if much more time went by he might have to do that.  But that would mean revealing Katherine's involvement in this which would not exactly help Astrid either.

"You've been awfully focused on that file for nearly 2 days now.  It must be really engrossing."  Weiss commented.

He groaned "Engrossing isn't the word."

Here Weiss scowled "Jaune, we are on vacation, the first real one we have had as a group for more than 2 years, and you are stuck here reading this file you don't even find appealing?"

He rolled his eyes slightly before answering "I guess that's accurate enough."

Weiss somehow scowled harder "You will forgive me for saying so but… what the hell?  What could possibly be on there's that’s so important?"

Jaune suppressed a sigh and tried to keep his temper in check.  He didn’t feel Weiss was out of place really and it said something that she actually took an interest.  Even so…

Weiss it seems had crossed her arms as if waiting for a reply.

"Shouldn't that aristocratic upbringing of yours tell you it's rude to infringe on other people's business?"  He stated with a half grin.

She waived him off.

"Jaune don't give me that I've seen you focus like this before and it tends to only happen with important events.  But what makes this more important than having fun with your friends in the here and now?  Seriously… what is the problem?"  She repeated.

With an air of obvious reluctance and a hearty sigh he began the narrative.

Weiss like always was an attentive listener and got a grasp of the problem with remarkable quickness.

In the end Weiss had to fight not to tarnish her dignity by facepalming… but it was not the easiest thing in the world to resist.

"Jaune… sometimes you amaze me.  You are obviously intelligent but sometimes you do the most dimwitted things I can imagine."

Mentally preparing himself for a verbal onslaught he just picked up his drink and motion to continue.

Holding up a finger Weiss then counted it out "Your sister comes to you with a problem that only you have the authority to solve.  A problem that has no easy solution that it outside your area of expertise where you have at most a bare bones level of education on the functionality of fighting the legal system.  You are wise enough not to straight up pardon the girl but you remain intent on helping her.  Add all that up and you come up with a cluster of a nightmare and you never once thought to bring it to an actual lawyer or somebody who has actual experience in these matters even if one such person is 10 feet from you?"

He sighed again in response.

"Yeah that's what I thought.  Jaune I work for and am next in line to run the Schnee Dust Company.  You cannot find a more controversial entity than that and furthermore I daresay I could wager a pretty penny that I know a thing or two about helping people out of legal messes."

Weiss managed to get yet another sigh out of him.

"I'm trying to help Astrid without making it worse for both her and Katherine at the same time.  That’s a rather tricky slope to try and climb."

Resting her chin on a fist and rhythmically moving her fingers along the table Weiss seemed prepared to wait for him to continue.

"Fine, you are right.  I should have gone to somebody.  What would you suggest?  This is a bit of a minefield to be frank I don't think an easy solution exists."

Weiss proved she was actually listening to the entire explanation as she promptly declared "No Jaune, that is where you are wrong.  It is actually a very simple solution."

Giving her a disbelieving look he stated "Enlighten me."

Looking very proud of herself Weiss advised "Jaune their biggest weapon against Astrid is the fact that they can treat her as a terrorist.  If we remove that power it wins her a day in court with a jury and judge.  Moreover it would give you more legal footing to get the police on your side when you move forward with your Pardon as a compromise."

Considering that for a few moments he asked "How do you figure that?"

"Jaune just … think it through.  What it comes down to is she was caught stealing food and winter clothing.  That isn't exactly dust weapons or anything illegal.  Stealing the life essentials is not nearly as frowned upon by normal people.  The fact they resisted arrest doesn’t speak well for her but… the point is all you must do is start chipping away at their case.  The more holes you can poke through it, however tiny are bound to be very valuable in the long run.  Their case isn't nearly as ironclad as they would like it to be if it were to go to courts.  Honestly I would wager the police commissioner would be willing to work with you if you can get a couple points in her favor.  He would have every incentive to develop a good relationship with you, just as you are him."

He mulled it over for a handful of minutes twirling his drink around in circles taking pulls from it every so often considering what she said.

_Well… it would make sense getting somebody I trust involved.  Weiss does seem to have a reasonable handle on this situation.  More so than I do anyway._

"You do understand that this needs to remain confidential, even from your teammates like Ruby.  You are ok with that?"

She smiled and responded waiting for his reply "For confidentiality I will require an additional fee…"

He groaned "What fee?"

Leaning closer she advised "You stop using that file as a shield and get out there with us."

Smiling slightly at her price he asked.

"Alright Weiss… what do you suggest we do?"

Moving her chair over next to him she advised speaking somewhat quietly "First let's look into what happened when she actually was trying to get her citizen papers in place before she ran off.  Can you access your registry from here?"

He nodded "Yeah I can.  What do you expect to find?"

He opened up the database using his hand print on the table and before long was pulling up archive records from the time period.

Weiss impatiently shooed his hand away and began to page through the selections while answering "Like I said I am trying to take away as much power as I can for the least tradeoff possible.  IF she has identification documents completed and just failed to pick them up for example, then that’s the lion share of what we need right there.  Establish that… she gets at minimum a day in court and the police would need to explain arresting a starving and freezing woman to a jury.  We are aiming for sympathy here.  In short:  I want to know what happened to those original documents."

"You expect to just find them in the database when the officers didn’t?"  He inquired.

She shrugged "I don't recall hearing or seeing any evidence that they actually looked.  Not that I expect to find it right in the open but we would be fools not to try."

Shifting through record after record away Weiss searched through everything from the date Astrid and Katherine met each other to the year ending with the current time period…

"Nothing."  She admitted looking thoughtful.

"Hmm… wait.  Maybe I am the one who did something silly this time."  She admitted sheepishly.

Pausing his own search he murmured "Huh?"

Quickly adjusting the search parameters Weiss answered "I was looking for existing ID cards.  It occurred to me that Cadia probably uses Atlas' identification requirements and as such… only existing and claimed cards would actually be under that category.  What we are looking for is unclaimed documents.  That list is bound to be shorter and… ! … HA!"

Flipping the image to the side so Jaune could read she asked "That her?"

Jaune had to blink about 7 times before he actually realized that Weiss might have just done his job for him.  There on his table was a near duplicate of the image taken years later when she was arrested.  Same hair style and color.  Same eye color same name and identification numbers.

"Turns out Astrid ran away days before her documents were finalized and they have literally been waiting years for her to come in to print them off."  She stated smugly obviously pleased with herself.

Transferring the data to his scroll and fully reviewing the file Jaune was left several levels of confused why something like that was not found by officers.

"Why didn't they even try to find this?  You found it in 15 minutes I gotta believe they could have too."

She looked away somewhat embarrassed before answering "Jaune the unfortunate truth is most nations have a worst case scenario first attitude when it comes to suspected White Fang members.  To be fair she apparently fought like one.  Very skilled even against trained officers.  They didn't look because too them the case was already concluded."

He scowled in response but couldn't argue with the logic being presented, however cold and calculated it was. 

"In any case I gotta say Weiss I didn’t think it was possible.  You've done more in 20 minutes than I have in 2 days of consideration.  Thank you for the help."

Weiss opened her mouth as if to speak… then thought the better of it and responded with another route.  Remembering a bit of humility from previous experiences possibly.

"All I did is use previous experience and a bit of logic.  But, you are welcome."

He smiled "I still will need to arrange a meeting with the Officer in charge of the case… and probably talk to Astrid herself at some point.  But this has done me a great service.  Just need to figure out how I am going to argue her case beyond this."

Weiss stood up as she answered "That you are going to have to come up with on your own.  Finding legal bullet holes is something I am good at but not so much reasoning with people I could just order around.  You are going to have to figure out the rest."

He smiled again and nodded respectfully.  "Regardless this helps a ton."

Observing her friends leaving the bookstore Weiss declared "Well it's time to join the gathering, next stop is the weapon and armor stores."

Jaune smiled "I had planned on visiting them, I still need to thank whoever made my and Pyrrha's armor.  Should probably add my weapon to the list for good measure."

Weiss just scowled "You might have told me that when I gave you my price for helping you."

He shrugged "Why would you undo it?"

Scowling harder she admitted "No… No I suppose not."

"Weiss C'mon lets go see the good stuff!"  Ruby demanded from the street zooming down the path to her destination.

"Coming!"  She shouted back.

"This place is probably going to be a dream house for Ruby."  Jaune stated with a smile.

Sharing a smile of her own Weiss declared "Let's go."

With that the Knight and Heiress, unlikely allies they are rejoined the group.

***En route to the weapon and armor shops***

The trip towards the next stop was actually a rather short one.  Just a short walk up the road and a left turn at the edge of the line was all that was required.

Jaune had no more rounded the corner than he begin to chuckle, try as he might not to laugh at the awestruck looks present on his friends.  Yang and Blake seemed very entertained as did Nora and the rest of them.  The only one who was missing… or at least could not be seen was predictably… Ruby.

Jaune at least could understand why they found this place so appealing.

The overwhelming majority of weapons and armor was produced by one seller.  The same store that dominated the plaza and the view following the turn towards this section of the market district.  Manaforged Enterprises.

They had long enjoyed a spot in the Arc home and a prominent stop on the shopping strip.  Its position was well earned over several generations as the best provider bar none where one could get weapons or armor no matter the material or design.  Such was their motto:  If it was conceivable, they could make it.  If the technology existed but it had never been done before.  They would find a way to do it.  If it wasn't possible with modern science?  They would press the bounds of what was possible.  Edge of Possibility.

It's name was proudly displayed in the center of a rather ornate and large structure at the end of the district.  Shops to either side operated successfully but there was no mistake.  If you went down this way looking for some gear.  Be it weapon, armor or engineered accessory, you were going to stop at the Manaforge.

"Well there's my stop."  He stated looking straight at the building.

"Anything else beyond thanking people or was that all you had to do?" Weiss wondered as she looked right and left taking in the sights.

He shrugged waving to Pyrrha as she came into view.  "Mostly just issue compliments for mine and Pyrrha's armor at least.  Also my weapon if I can."

Looking at him briefly Weiss seemed confused for a moment "I thought you said you don't know who forged your stuff?"

He nodded "The individual person no I do not.  But there was never any doubt which company took the order."

Weiss rose an eyebrow then guessed "You mean this is original famed Mecha-Smith shop from Cadia?  As in THE original?"

He nodded again "Well naturally different people have ran it but yes, it’s the same place."

Pyrrha came into range and promptly engaged in an energetic hug.  "Glad you could join us.  This place is amazing!  I've never seen so much quality weapons and armor in one place!"

Jaune gave her a sweet peck on the cheek as they separated "Glad you are enjoying yourself."

She nodded enthusiastically.  "Oh today has been great!  The shopping was fun but this place here!  Oh my father would be drooling with all these weapons here.  It isn't all Mecha-Weapons either!  Some places sell old fashion blacksmithing weapons still!  I've never see such quality steel in my life!  Oh and the armor its all something most Mistral champions would wish they could have!"

Jaune just chuckled watching her point and exclaim every point with such enthusiasm nearly to match the Reapers expected response.

Weiss listened in while searching for her girlfriend to eventually give up and ask "To the surprise of exactly nobody, Ruby is out of view.  Where exactly is she?  Do you know Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha giggled pointing back to the initial corner opening up to the plaza "She was standing there for a few seconds, then she jumped 3 times and disappeared via her semblance.  I haven't see her since."

Scoffing Weiss exclaimed "Typical… well I guess I should just head to the big building.  No doubt she will zoom through there at some point."

"All is well I suppose.  That’s where just about everybody else headed off too."  Pyrrha advised.

Starting her way down the walkway Weiss kept her head on a swivel looking for anything leaving rose-petals in their wake.

"This is basically Ruby-Paradise I gotta admit.  So many weapons so little time."  Pyrrha kidded as Jaune's arm settled in around her waist.

Looking back at him Pyrrha couldn't help but appear amused.

"Like I said this place is amazing.  You wanted to go to Manaforge?  Did I hear that right?"

He nodded and started towards the entryway.  "Yeah, I know that company forged my weapon and armor but I had hoped to thank the maker in person."

Keeping to his side she hummed in approval and added "Yeah I should thank them as well.  I really have never seen two suits of armor the equal of what they made for us.  I can't imagine the skill involved in making them."

"We are quite fortunate, I agree."

Walking slowly towards his objective the partners couldn't help but point out the eye catching things along the way.  Manaforge might be the crown jewel of the block but everything offered something of note.  Even if that something was as basic as a kitchen knife.

Roughly half the way there Jaune couldn't help but smile "I do believe we have found Ruby."

Following his gaze Pyrrha couldn't help but giggle.  "Or at least where she has been very recently."

Literally zooming across all 5 stories of the Manaforged Enterprises headquarters -in some cases in floorless area's- rose petals were littering the entire area.  As the Knight and Spartan neared the entry way Ruby's voice gradually became audible.

"A Chainsaw-axe-laser rifle!"

"A yoyo-sword-minigun!"

More inventive weapon classifications were on display and it seemed like Ruby was determined to study each and every one of them.

As Jaune got within 10 feet of the entrance the doorman lit up in excitement and exclaimed "Duke Arc!  My this is an unexpected pleasure!  Let me fetch the manager straight away!"

Blinking in confusion Jaune had merely raised a finger and was about to say hello.

"Maybe a raised finger is code word for 'I'm angry?'"  He guessed sarcastically.

Pyrrha just chuckled "I think they are just trying to show you respect.  Just go with it!  Might as well ask the manager who we should thank."

Less than a minute passed before a clean shaven well dressed male appeared before him wearing a suit, tie, vest the whole ensemble.  Jaune would guess he was about 40 years of age by his reckoning sporting  jet black hair and piercing green eyes.  The manager extended a hand to effortlessly exchange greetings with both visitors.

"Duke Arc this is a pleasure.  I believe the lovely lady on your arm is your partner Miss Nikos?"  He took her hand and planted a kiss on her knuckle.

"Indeed.  Might I know your name sir?"  She supplied politely.

Moving his right hand in several rapid circles he entered into a deep bow saying "Horst Van Erestin, the humble general manager of Manaforged Enterprises at your service."

Rising into yet another respectful nod he motioned with an arm for Pyrrha and Jaune to enter the store.

As they proceeded forwards he advised "This is an unexpected pleasure.  If you had given us some advance notice on your visit I would have prepared a much more lavish welcome.  To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Jaune and Pyrrha made eye contact briefly before they both grinned "Sir I assure you we do not intend to take up more of your time than needed.  My Partner merely wished to see the individual responsible for the construction of her armor.  For myself I personally would like to know the maker of my own armor as well as my weapon."

He lowered his head yet again before cautiously asking "There is no problem I hope with the equipment?"

Jaune chuckled briefly before supplying "No of course not, they performed perfectly every time we have had need of them thus far.  We simply want to know who we can thank for doing such a superb job."

Horst was talented enough to keep relief from washing over his face, instead only a flash found its way on before he answered "We here at the Manaforge all wish to thank you for the kind words.  However to answer your inquiry the same group made all 3.  If you would like I can take you to them."

Pyrrha decided to answer by saying "That’s very kind of you, but if you would just point us in the correct direction we can find them easily enough on our own."

With that he bowed yet another time before advising "You can find them in the third floor towards the front of the store.  It should be the only stop on the level.  If you need anything further find any staff member and I will be there within minutes."

Pyrrha and Jaune both gave a polite nod as he swiveled on his heel and moved on with his day.

The partners took a moment to study the layout of the building before heading for the way up a level.

"I confess I can't understand why he seemed so worried at the start.  It isn't like we came here to cause trouble."  He pondered out loud.

Pyrrha shrugged "Jaune you are the Duke of this territory now.  It isn't farfetched to think that your family, and maybe even you specifically are his biggest customer now.  Of the things he never wants to do offending the ruling family much less the ruler himself is on the top of that list I would bet."

Jaune considered for a minute before admitting "Yeah your right about that I suppose but … eh I guess there are no buts in this matter.  I probably should have thought to notify him I was going to stop by.  A surprise visit from me would probably mean something bad for him.  I guess I can understand that."

Beginning towards their destination having reached the third level he couldn't help but chastise himself further "I should have figured that out before I even started the way down here."

She grinned back at him "Jaune you've been distracted of late.  Just take a deep breath and let it go.  Live and Learn."

Sending a brief look in her direction Jaune chuckled and took her advice.  Curiously unlike the first and second floors, which had numerous stands and various people working there was only really one location on the third level.  Rather odd-

"Speaking which how's that going?"  Kate asked from off to the side… appearing from literally nothing.

Both Jaune and Pyrrha flinched slightly before looking at her not really surprised she was there.

"I see I snuck up on you again."

Grumbling Jaune answered back "It seems to be a talent of yours."

Falling into step next to her friends Kate asked "So?"

Jaune hummed and simply said "I had a breakthrough… albeit with some help.  We can talk about it later."

The place Horst advised them to look came into view rather quickly.  Though contrary to Jaune's expectations there was not a forge or any obvious equipment in sight, only a banner with the words "Lions Pride" written across it.  Some open area was found with enough room to spar for example but he couldn’t make much more than that.  There was rather just a counter manned by a very large male polishing a sword.  Beyond that the glass panel making up the front wall, that which opens to the plaza gave a superb view beyond.

When the male noticed the three Beacon Student approaching he stood to full height setting the sword on the table moving his hands behind his back.

As Jaune closed in on the man and got a better look he realized this was a faunus.  A Lion faunus by the look of him.  Very few people forced him to look up yet this man was rather easily.  Lion like Cat ears were displayed on his head as was a rather impressive mane of golden-white hair.  Beyond that he simply stood and waited for them to reach the counter before speaking.

"The manager advised me you might be stopping by Duke Arc.  My name is Aeilan, how is it I might help you?"

Jaune exchanged handshakes with him before speaking on "First I am just curious.  I only see your stall on this level.  I find that a bit odd from the previous two floors being more packed."

Aeilan responded with casual ease "Nothing strange about it at all Sir.  The first two levels are focused mostly on the sale of merchandize.  Those above are normally given to the production of specialty goods.  Mine as you know is the production of top class weaponry and protective gear.  It is a place of honor, not a burden Sir."

Jaune nodded.

"So is this your company or are you the only one here?"  Kate inquired.

He shook his head "Not company Ma'am.  Family.  Manaforge offers the use of their equipment, I and other artisans lend out our talents."

Pyrrha nodded energetically "So you are the forge master then?"

He looked thoughtful before admitting "I was until a few years ago Ma'am.  I have had a long and fruitful career but 20 years ago I handed over that title to my daughter.  I taught her all I knew and it wasn't long before she proved herself every bit as good as her old man."

He was obviously swelling with pride at that claim.

"So you were the one to make my mother's armor then?"  Jaune asked.

At this he gave a slight bow "Yes sir, I did."

"But your daughter is who made our weapons and armor?"  Jaune asked.

Aeilan nodded yet again "Correct sir."

Pyrrha for one was very ready to start plying the man with questions but… she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"We would like to thank your Daughter for doing such a wonderful job with our gear.  Is she nearby?"

Here he bowed yet again.  "Your thanks is like sweet honey for the ears of smiths.  That our work pleases their owners is all we strive for.  However I am sorry to say that she is not present, currently she is working on another piece for another client.  But I will be more than happy to pass on your kind words to her."

Both Jaune and Pyrrha seemed a touch disappointed at that.

"I see."  He said.

"I am sorry but she so rarely is here at our front desk.  She spends most of her time working the forge."

Jaune nodded as did Pyrrha.

"I guess she would have a great deal of work to do."

He simply nodded back.

Unable to contain her curiosity Kate inquired "If this level isn't used for forging or maintaining weapons and armor… what is it actually used for?"

Here the lion faunus lit up in a bright smile showcasing long upper teeth.  "That Ma'am, is help our clients in selecting the gear which would suit them best."

Sharing his sisters curiosity Jaune asked "How so?"

Indicating the various points around the floor he spoke on "Well, when determining what style of weapon or armor would best suit somebody they do not often times know what would suit their needs best.  Many people want plated armor for example.  But not all who do understand how to use it."

Pyrrha nodded following along "So how do you measure that Sir?"

In response Aeilan produced and held up a ring.  "Quite simple miss.  We would give the man or woman in question this ring to wear.  Then have them move, have them fight.  The ring through a glyph would record where and how they carry their weight.  How they dodge, how they block and through that information we are able to build armor that maximizes the needs of the wearer.    Of course this is only one such way to gain that information… multiple such ways exist."

At seeing Pyrrha's eager expression he continued with a smile "Trade secrets I am afraid."

_That must be why my armor and Ovoia just seems so perfect… they knew exactly how to build it._

"Thank you for the information sir but we shouldn't take up so much of your time."

Bowing once again he replied "Think nothing of it, and I will remember to pass along your words to my daughter."

At that the trio began their course back towards the first floor.

"Oh if my dad could get a chance to talk to him I bet they would only stop talking cause they were starving.  That Faunus is clearly a master of his craft."

Kate nodded "Yeah seems so.  A shame we couldn't meet his daughter.  I'd like to meet her someday."

Nodding in agreement Jaune added "Someday, I am sure we will.  Now… we just gotta find the rest of our group.  And… somehow figure out a way to tranquilize Ruby.  I doubt she has stopped zooming around yet."

"Oh that sounds fun!  I have just the thing"  Nora claimed from behind them.

Not even surprised at this point Jaune just found a spot and let Nora and company sort it out.

***Later after the tranquilizers wore off***

"I regret nothing!"  Ruby insisted as Yang and Blake dropped her in her room for the night.

"I would think it strange if you did!"  Yang responded from the other side of the door.

"Goodnight Ruby!  We might be able to ski tomorrow!"  Weiss advised.

"Looking forward to it!"  She replied.

With a smile Ruby got herself cleaned up and ready for bed.  Even going as far as to set out 2 sets of clothes for the next day.  1 in event of their ski trip happening, 1 in the event they are snowed in another day.  Confident she did everything she needed to do she pulled out her scroll for some last minute texts… before catching sight of something she had been avoiding.

Its red color almost warning her away just as much as it was encouraging her to open it up.  The letter from Uncle Qrow was something she really didn't want to read, while at the same time she was fully aware she needed too.

Taking a deep, full breath before calmly exhaling she cautiously moved back to her suitcase and procured the object in question.

"Part of me thinks I should just rip you up and say forget it you know."  She advised nobody in particular.

She stared at it for probably 3 minutes unsure what to do.

_I can't believe I'm here days after getting it and I am still afraid of reading this stupid thing!_

Another minute passed before she had moved on to another topic.

_Really I should just swear them off and try to live my life with what I have.  Not fretting about people who left me._

She had nearly convinced herself of that… before the other part of her began to weigh in.

_Don't kid yourself Ruby, you still care about them even if they abandoned you and Yang.  Qrow wouldn't write you unless it's important and you already promised your sister!  A pinky promise no less!  Just read it and be done with it!  Not like Qrow is known for being wordy._

_…_

_Fine._

Not being at all gentle with the wrapping Ruby viciously tore at the envelope to pull out the rather tiny letter included.

Taking a deep breath Ruby unfolded the message… and took the plunge.  She could almost hear her uncle's gruff voice narrating it as she read it.

'Hey Rubes,

By now I am sure you have more than a few questions with how your father and I have acted.  To be fair there is not much I can tell you.  At least, not without voiding the entire purpose of what we are trying to do.  But, I feel as though you deserve some answers, and those that I am able to tell you I will.  Unfortunately what I can pass on, is rather slim.

See, what Tai told you both in his message, was true.  We are going to rejoin our team.  What he didn't tell you is we have been waiting for years for them to re-emerge. 

Once, a long time ago by your reckoning, there was a mission we took on.  A mission that was crucial to all of Remnant.  Sadly those type of missions also are normally the most dangerous.  Raven, Tai and I barely escaped.  We had your mother, Summer to thank for being alive.  Without her, the 3 of us would be dead.  Sadly this mission left us without a way to contact Summer.  Raven chose to stay in the field, to search for her.  Whereas Tai and I agreed to come back and be on standby.  It might be years before Summer was found and… well we had some little ones to care for.  If Raven could find Summer, or if she were to emerge we would need to try and complete our task.

Well… that is what we have been waiting years for.  We got a message from Raven indicating she found Summer but needs our help to free her.

That is the short version.  The long version wouldn't fit on this note and…

I guess I don’t have more I can say without compromising anything.

Be safe and be Happy Ruby.

Hopefully we will see each other again as a family.

-Grouchy Old Qrow.'

Ruby worked her way through the message another time before finally setting it aside.

Upon the realization that she had been crying she found herself more emotionally broken up than she expected.  Such… she decided something.

Weiss was a bit surprised At Ruby knocking on her door about an hour after dropping her off in her room.  But… at seeing the expression on her girlfriends face Weiss didn’t have the willpower to deny her.  It took the Reaper the better part of an hour… but she did calm down enough to get some rest.

_I will need to talk to her about whatever caused this tomorrow… it really shook her up._

 For once… Weiss was the stable one in the relationship.  It felt good.

**A/N**

**Nothing really new to say for a note beyond the usual.  Any questions/comments or discussion points please hit me up.**

**Beyond that feedback is still very much encouraged via like/Fav/Follow/IM/Kudos/Comment or reviewing.**

**As ever thank you for reading, and I will see you next time**

**-Sean.**


	47. Y3 Winter: Snow and Speeding Brawlers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune moves forward with his solution for Astrid and the Cast enjoys some wintry free time.

3.22  Snow and Speeding Brawlers

**A/N  Another warning about adult material present in the later portion of the chapter.  Those reading have been forewarned.**

Jaune still could not stop grinning even several minutes after the fact.  Nearly an hour by now to be more precise.  Thinking back did a more than fair job of keeping himself calm, even if he remained more than a touch nervous at heart.

Overhead the storm had finally began to die down.  It lasted several days.  None of it was time wasted as far as anybody cared.  The group had plenty of sightseeing in the Mountain Halls to stay entertained for infinitely longer than the few days needed to finally clear up.

They had trips to the Arc Library.  Historical records and books dating back millennia from just about every subject imaginable were found within.  Shops continued to provide entertainment and more than one trip to the Manaforge was made by all.  Not that anybody was trying to brag but there really was no other place like the Manaforge to be found anywhere, the sheer quantity of quality goods they could produce and the wide range they could support really gave credibility to their reputation.

It wasn't exactly time off either as far as Pyrrha was concerned, she insisted on keeping up with their routine.  Something which went without opposition for the most part.  She even seemed to be enjoying herself just observing the quality of the various equipment on offer.  Though… she did make one very specific point…

Stated with the perfect balance of innocence and coyness…

'If I am going to be spending much time here in the future I will have to insist that the restorations to the pool get finished.'

He grinned sipping his drink at the memory, a point she made immediately following its discovery after their morning workout.  Not just the swimming pool large enough to host professional tournaments but heated jet pools for the purpose of relaxation.

'Really it’s a wonder your family didn’t get that completed already.'  She had pointed out just to hammer home the point.

It seemed fair… nobody really swam consistently but it did make sense, her wanting the pool to be done.  It seemed a worthy long term project.  If only slightly suggestive for their future.

Mentally filing that away for future reference he did put it in the list of things to get done when time allowed.

Finishing his drink and setting the glass down he allowed himself one deep breath before standing up and rolling his shoulders noting the individual walking towards him.  Picking up the folder nearby and tucking it in an interior pocket as he did so.  It was just about time to see this through.

He almost never dressed in the manner he was now.  Technically he had a military uniform he could wear when on formal occasions abroad, though right now he wore one of his robes.  Made of the Royal Silk produced by the company of its namesake it was something sought after by traveler and citizen alike.  Though admittedly as its name rather hinted, it was quite expensive and typically had a rather specific cliental.

Nearly identical to what his sister Eve was wearing not a few days ago, his was of a deep dark blue exterior with white cloth fully covering his body.  A gold cloth around his waist combined with comfortable shoes completed the look.  He was unsure how his friends would react to him in the clothing of his station, but if Pyrrha's open mouthed triple take was any measure… she liked it.

Next to him he felt the presence of his sister… invisible though she was.  Something he had insisted on.  Something she barely agreed with, she at least seemed to be playing nice thus far.

As his query closed to the table Jaune issued a polite nod before asking "Is she ready?"

The newcomer -The Police Commander- a man nearly 90 years old who looked as if he were around 60 gave a stern but respectful nod.  The man had long served his post and thanks to his close proximity to the Arc family it seemed he has partially shared in with the benefits of the Arc semblance in terms of a longer lifespan.

"Yes sir, she is."  He replied dutifully.

 "Good, you are ok with this?"  Jaune asked as he slowly began to walk towards the security station in the corner of the throne room.

Falling into step beside him Commander William Cameron, for that was his name nodded cautiously "I understand your reasons for seeking this solution and while I think something more strict should be employed I will go along with it.  Provided of course Ms. Brynjolf agrees."

"I appreciate your honesty."  Jaune commented.

He felt a slight surge of emotion from Katherine… through their link he knew she was on edge and not at all comfortable with how Jaune had decided to proceed.  To be fair he never did promise he would pardon her, just that he would help her.  She was just a bit unsure of the manner in which he decided to proceed.

They almost never argued or had to raise their voices with each other but Katherine really seemed agitated following their discussion previously in the morning.  He couldn’t help replaying it in his mind…

_'What do you mean you won't pardon her?'  She had demanded._

_'I mean just that… I will give her an out but it will not be a pardon.  If she didn't put several officers in the hospital and was just arrested that would be one thing.  But this is quite another.'_

_'Jaune this isn't what I had in mind.  You… She won't be all that receptive to you.  You have to know that!'_

_'Kate this is the best I can do, it’s the best offer she could dream of.  Frankly she would be foolish not to take it.'_

_'Jaune think of what she has been through these last days!  She might not even give you a chance to present the offer!'_

_With an empathetic shake of his head he simply responded 'Then I would have done what I deemed to be morally right.  If she won't listen to me then that is beyond my control.  Yours too.'_

_She exhaled sharply putting her hands on her hips looking away briefly before turning forward again._

_For several hard seconds she just maintained eye contact before voicing 'Fine, at least I understand what you're doing even if I don’t like it.  But I need to be there.'_

_He shook his head 'Kate this needs to be something that I do.  You can observe from the other room if you like.'_

_Shaking her head in return she insisted 'Jaune I put her in this situation!  I have to be there it's my responsibility.'_

_For the most part Jaune wanted to argue here.  To his mind Kate did not put Astrid in this mess.  She might have had a hand in it.  But she did not force her to run away.  Did not force her to resist arrest.  But… he understood enough to know why she felt that way._

_'The best I can do is let you tag along, but you must stay invisible.'_

_'But-'_

_'Katherine you will need to trust me here.  I might not be pardoning her but you know as well as I it amounts to nearly the same thing.  The difference is she needs to agree to it.  I need to be the one presenting it.'_

_For the longest time his twin looked like she was going to follow that rather rebellious nature of hers.  But… she proved capable of surprising even him at that moment._

The hug they continued to share nearly 3 minutes later brought to an end any hard feelings either of them felt…

The Commander speaking again pulled out of his musings when he said "I must admit the switch from your father to you has been a bit drastic."

Jaune nodded slightly.

"I am rather embarrassed that my officers did not find those original documents, still-"

"I thought you said you agreed with this course of action?"  Jaune interrupted.

Clearing his throat he continued "I do, the force is still short handed due to the events of a few months ago.  You are correct in that assumption.  I might not like some parts of it, but I can at least respect what your trying to do."

"Everything starts with an attempt."  Jaune remarked plainly.

A few steps later they had reached the door manned by a guard on both right and left.  One of them, an officer Katherine had met previously named Boyd stepped forward waiting patiently for the go ahead.

"Well I guess I should wish you luck that your first action as Duke be a successful one."  Here Jaune and he shook hands.

"I will be in the observatory.  Show him the way once he is ready Boyd."

"Sir."  He replied.

Cameron moved inside with a soldiers posture leaving Jaune still at the entry way seemingly rooted in place.

"If I may say Sir, I did not anticipate you getting involved."  Boyd commented when it was clear Jaune was not going to immediately follow the Police Commander.

Jaune curiously moved his gaze towards the rather short officer and advised "To be fair I didn't expect to get involved.  Sometime's things happen that way though."

Boyd nodded "Well I'd be lying if I said I think she completely deserves what you're going to offer her.  But in the end we all just want to get it right.  So… if that’s how it works out, that's how it works out."

Issuing a sly grin Jaune couldn't help but agree, still he was surprised an officer had that attitude regarding this.

"I guess that is about the same for me as well.  Lead on Lieutenant."

With another polite nod the shorter man performed a clinical pivot turn and continued into the station.

Jaune paused briefly looking back behind where he knew Katherine was standing.

Judging by the tingle in the back of his head she seemed to understand his look.  _Let things go according to plan, and everything should be fine._

Moving beyond their guide Jaune took note of the station.  Several officers were on hand and unless he missed his guess everything was given a thorough once over in preparation for his visit.  Uniforms were pressed and not the least bit out of place.  The station -like most everything in the Arc home- was larger on the inside than it appeared.  What started as a humble front desk and waiting area had grown into several different subsets and offerings.  Giving space to house a full department.

Jaune of course knew all this on some level previously even as he realized his home had several such structures.  One per district with the main office being on the middle floor in the commerce quarter.

"The Commander should have everything in place for your meeting."  Boyd commented as they rounded a corner towards the back of the offices.

Jaune did not doubt it might be considered odd to speak this candidly but it seemed right to him "To be fair I hope so.  The weather cleared up I had hoped to get a day to enjoy some time with my teammates over break."

Boyd chuckled "Well… I guess that depends on how this works out."

He paused outside a door pointing a thumb just behind him "Well, here we are.  The observatory is just behind us.  Anything else I can do?"

He shook his head.  "No, thank you I should be fine from here."

Boyd gave a formal salute, right hand over his heart before moving back down the hallway.

Briefly Jaune was alone… all he had to do was open the door to proceed.

Coming visible again Katherine asked "You sure you are ready to do this?"

She was dressed nearly identical to him, though her robe was colored black exterior blue interior and silver around the waist.  It like most of her clothing hugged her figure showing it off much more than his own.

He chuckled "Well I better be.  This is my own idea after all."

She issued a half smile hand on her hip before going invisible again.

_My first official act as the head of the Arc family is about to happen.  I hope I am not making a mistake._

With another deep breath he opened the door and stepped into the room.  A desk dominated it as well as 2 chairs, one on either side.

Awaiting him was a fairly tall woman, nearly as tall as his twin was.  Clearly the previous descriptions of her were accurate as she appeared every bit athletic as others made her out to be.  Brown hair tied in a ponytail while wearing a black and orange outfit most people did while in custody Jaune had to admit the girl was pretty.  Though… she also seemed to be slightly nervous as he caught her mid movement pacing back and forth in the back of the room.  Beyond the pacing she stood tall and proud… like somebody who had no regret for their action.

He could feel his sister tense up… but quickly overcome whatever was ailing her to move ahead of him and find a spot in the corner of the room.

He shut the door as Astrid gave her attention to him.

"Well… they told me something was going to happen today and it would be big.  They could have mentioned that one of the Rulers would be having a hand in this."

Jaune could not really read her tone as she seemed to have a slight accent.  Though… if he was forced to guess her confidence was a bit of a front.  He did not believe she was anywhere near as collected as she appeared.

"You seem to recognize the meaning of this robe."  He stated noncommittally.

She nodded "I did try to legally become a citizen here as I said.  I do not know if that part actually made it into the report though."

No mistaking her scorn there however.

Stepping forward Jaune pulled back his chair and motioned for her to take a seat "Let's sit down."

She turned and crossed her arms as if she was wanted to argue.

"Asking me not ordering me?"

He rose an eyebrow and answered "I could order you to sit down but I would prefer to keep things civil.  I am here to help you after all."

She made a face which spoke for her very clearly.  "You are here to help me?"

Sitting himself down and pulling the chair up close he responded "You, as well as the 2 girls you were arrested with if I can."

She looked at him for several seconds before answering "I find it hard to believe that one of the rulers of this nation personally took interest in my case to help me.  You will forgive me if I don't believe you."

Jaune knew that she would probably be skeptical with him, it was something he was prepared for.  Something he had already decided was to try and be as natural about it as he could.  Thus he tried to speak simply as he always had, not as the leader of the nation.

"You can believe whatever you like.  I can't make you believe me.  However a saying I happen to be a fan of is 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'"

She seemed to scowl at him.

"I am genuine in my being here.  You risk nothing by talking to me, so once again I ask you.  Please sit down."  Motioning once again at the chair across from him.

Jaune withheld a smirk as Astrid seemed to judged his words before rubbing her upper arms briefly.  After a couple seconds delay she obliged and moved forward to take her place.

"I can't tell if you are just naïve or if you are trying to play me.  But … you seem genuine I am prepared to admit that.  Are you going to tell me your name?  You already know mine."  She inquired.

Jaune smiled evenly before answering "Well I am sure you have some idea who I am given your attempts to become a citizen."

Looking at him oddly she responded "You believe me about that then?"

He nodded "Yes, I do."

She cocked her head to the side before her eyes lit up in understanding growing large in the process.

"You do have some idea who I am, don’t you?"  He guessed again removing the file from his interior pocket setting it on the table.

In a matter of seconds her body language went from one who was slightly confused to one who was openly very worried.

"You are the Duke.  Why would the Duke personally get involved in my case directly?"

Trying to keep it light Jaune merely smiled.

"Well to be blunt I want my homeland to stand for justice.  To be an example to the rest of the world.  I felt to best do that I had to get involved."

Astrid seemed to gulp.

"I have not changed from the guy who moments before you seemed willing to trust.  I have some guesses for why you would be ill at ease.  Trust me when I say I am not trying to make your situation worse."

She shook her head "I couldn't see why any Arc would get involved with my case and I definitely can't see why the Duke himself would.  The only reason I can see is to make an example of me."

Taking advantage of the nearby water he poured himself a drink before responding "Suppose I say I do want to make an example of you.  It still would be in your best interests to hear me out.  If for no other reason you seem to have plenty of time."

She pulled her posture back and motioned after barely withholding a scoff "Fine.  Let's get this over with.  What would you like to talk about?"

Offering her a drink and receiving a negative he refilled his cup before speaking again.

"For one let's just set the table straight away."

She took a deep breath and pulled further away crossing her arms.

"I could walk you through everything levied against you.  I will if I feel the need.  However as I indicated I know you were trying to become a citizen.  I believe I even have a solid idea of why."

"You believe you do?"

He shrugged slightly "I know what occupation you gave on the manuscript.  Judging by your actions I believe you would be qualified to perform the role.  I do not know why you intended to leave Atlas however.  Why don't we start there."

She huffed.

"I am… or was the daughter of a prominent family.  My parents wanted me to marry into a very wealthy family to increase our station."

She paused to help herself to some water.

"So?"  Jaune pushed.

"So… the man was a pig inside and out.  More than 2 times my age.  He appealed to me in exactly zero aspects.  My parents could not be dissuaded, so I decided to run away."

"That much is in the police report."  Jaune confirmed.

She blinked "If you knew that then why bother asking me?"

He shrugged again "To put it bluntly, I wanted to know how you would answer."

She scowled at him again nearly identical to how Weiss would.

He nearly chuckled, _Maybe cold dead stares is just something native to Atlas girls?_

She tapped her finger against her elbow waiting for him to speak next.

"In the interest of time, I will be blunt here."

She met his gaze and listened very intently as he spoke on.

"By now you know, or should be able to guess, that you won't be charged as a terrorist.  I have been able to verify that much at least to prove that as unneeded."

She definitely exhaled there.  "But I resisted arrest… put several officers in the hospital.  That's probably the next topic on your list."

"Amongst other things, yes you did."  He confirmed.

"So this is meant to be a warning about a reduced sentence?  Thanks I guess but it still means I have a long few years in jail to look forward too."

He nodded "Unless you accept what I am offering you."

Here he pushed the folder towards her.

"I suggest you read it through fully and carefully."

Cautiously eyeing the folder she opened it up and within moments sent a glare at him.

"You expect me to give up all I know about Ikki and Bumi?"

He nodded again "I expect you to verify what they have told us.  Read all the way through."

Once she finally seemed to focus if slightly reluctantly and began churning through the pages… he couldn’t help but grin at her expression.

The two younger women she was arrested with were not exactly family, but they probably served as a replacement.

As he learned the further he dug into her situation, the more he felt he was doing the right thing.

Finally finished with the file she closed it and seemed unwilling to speak for several seconds.  Maybe nearing the several minutes mark.

"How did you get that much info about Ikki and Bumi?"  She asked.

He shrugged "To put it bluntly I asked them nicely."

She sharpened her gaze and seemed caught off guard "I am surprised they were willing to talk to you."

He nodded "At the start they didn’t cooperate much.  However there is a lot you can buy with a good lunch."

She seemed to consider.  "I'm glad then… when I ran away they and other orphans took me in.  I probably would have died without their help.  You intend to bring the group in?"

"3 years alone in the wilderness without a way to work?  Yeah that might be a fair thing to say about your chances.  Beyond that, yes I intend to try."  He agreed.

She seemed at a loss for words before eventually stating "Let me think for a moment."

When she began to tear through the file again Jaune patiently refilled his glass just giving her time to come to terms with that is being presented.

He tried not to make it seem awkward.  He knew that Kate was waiting patiently in the room, and she had the aura reserve the keep herself invisible for a near indefinite duration… but that didn’t exactly mean he wanted to prolong this meeting beyond what was needed.

Finally setting the paper down and taking a deep breath Astrid seemed inclined to speak again.

"So just to make sure I understand.  You are offering me 3 years of probation.  During which time I will rework my citizenship papers and serve as a police officer.  Following that 3 year period the charges against me will be dropped and I will be free to do as I please.  The 2 young women I was arrested with will be moved into Cadia Castle as will the rest of the orphans who took care of me.  They will be given education and shelter, then a possible future once they are ready."

She took a deep breath.

"Why?  I am a nobody?  I broke the law, I freely admit that.  Why do this for me?"

"It is quite simple really and something I already told you."  He answered plainly.

She sighed as if she didn’t believe what she was hearing.

"You want to control what your homeland stands for?  What does this have anything to do with that?"

He gave a slight smile.

"You agree to what I am giving you then?"

She scowled slightly.  "I would be an idiot not too, but I'd like my question answered just the same."

Kate seemed to relax immensely to the point she left the room through the wall.

_She will most likely be back soon unless I miss my guess._

"Ms. Brynjolf, it is fairly straightforward in my head."

She nodded as he lead into his answer.

"My homeland has a reputation for being generous with its time and resources.  Sadly that is something that seems to have fallen aside of late given that a group of several orphans have taken to looking out for each other in an illegal manner.  What it comes down to is I believe that we as a nation should be above treating people who need food or shelter as criminals.  Rather I would see effort put into assisting them to finding a place for themselves in society."

She just blinked several times.

"What about the officers I hurt?"

"That is a bit more touchy of a subject.  However… nobody was seriously hurt.  Moreover you were initially trying to become one as you immigrated."

She nodded again.

"The force despite their efforts remains light given the events of the last few months…  It is a shame but the truth.  We need trained and qualified people in the force.  You serving here under the Commander or who he puts you under will repay that dept while assisting in rebuilding our manpower.  Once your time served is up you can continue to serve or look to finding your own way."

She finally gave a slight smile "I was right.  You are an idealist."

He grinned back "Possibly even a naïve one, but I try to do what I think is right.  It isn't always easy, but that’s the way it should be."

He rolled a pen across the table to help move the talk to its close.

Given the conversation… She didn’t even need to think about it.

After signing the agreement Astrid seemed to be rather teary eyed despite her best efforts.

"I did not expect to be treated fairly when I came here the first time.  My family made it clear that people with my… tastes wouldn’t last without their protection."

"Your taste has nothing to do with what is right or wrong."

She smiled halfway and looked away taking several deep breaths.

Jaune stood as he spoke next "When we leave here an officer will show you where your quarters are.  A trip to the police armory is probably in order as well.  They will set you straight."

She grinned again "Well… could I at least have a bite to eat first?  I haven't had a decent meal sense I was arrested."

Almost on queue the door opened up illuminating Kate for a moment carrying a tray.

"My intuition told me food might be on the menu soon.  I brought some spicy fish stew, sea bass I believe.  Should help solve that hunger issue."  She declared.

Setting the tray on the table Astrid wasted no time in digging into the provided meal rolls and butter included.

Though… she did a triple take when she saw Katherine's face.

"You… I know you."

Here his twin grinned "Well I do live here after all, you might have seen me around."

Swallowing Astrid seemed to nod absentmindedly.

"I guess that does make some sense."

Taking the time to stand up she gave a firm handshake to both Arcs present.

"Thank you again… I will not waste this opportunity."

At Katherine she seemed to wink and whispered 'You have grown up well.'

Kate just grinned her playful grin in response.

Through the intercoms the Police Commanders cut through the room "Well I do believe that concludes what we needed to do today.  I will ensure she is given a fair opportunity."

Cameron rounded the corner seemingly hiding a grin as Jaune and Katherine showed themselves out.

"She is right you know… you are an idealist."  Kate claimed.

He shrugged "I would take Idealist over Tyrant."

She chuckled "Well I guess that’s fair enough.  I think that went rather well."

He chuckled right back "Good timing with the food.  How'd you know she was hungry?"

Giving him a sideways grin she replied "You couldn't hear her stomach grumbling?  It was very obvious to me.  They could probably hear it in the observatory."

"Yeah I guess I had more to focus on than stomach grumbles."

Giving him a careful glance she quietly asked "Still think you made the right decision?"

He nodded "I gave them all a chance.  It is up to them now to do something with it."

From there they made their way back to their rooms… they did have a ski date coming up shortly after all.  Very glad things went as they should have.

***En route***

After getting off the tram at the correct stop and boarding another similar vehicle Pyrrha could not help but send glare after proverbial death glare at her boyfriend.

The gang had plenty of time for their morning workout, then the twins had to take off for as Kate coyly called it 'State business'.

None of that changed how she could feel those wind gusts from where she currently sat, and they did not look inviting.  Not in the slightest.  Her current setup of specialized winter clothing included.

A gentle pressure on her hand did a bit on lowering her glare… but not much.

"Pyrrha I'm serious once you get going you will be fine."

It was hard for her to be upset with her boyfriend but faced with the reality of a Cadian Winter she could not help but be concerned.

"Jaune I am from Mistral!  We get cold on cloudy days!  The storm may be gone but it's going to be horribly cold!"

He shook his head "No it won't.  The clothing will do its job.  I bet once you get a taste of skiing you won't even feel the chill."

She huffed "I somehow doubt it.  It doesn’t take much to get me cold."

"Just, ok look.  If you really aren't enjoying yourself we don’t have to stay long.  Second… just think of it as similar to surfing."

Here she gave him a narrow look "When did you become an expert on surfing?"

Scratching the back of his head he just smiled. "Uh… I'm not?"

Now looking amused she slightly turned towards him "Then why compare it to surfing?"

From behind them Kate input "It's all about how you carry your weight."

"You both have never even been on the ocean before this last summer.  How do you know that?"

Shrugging they answered at the same time "We don’t."

Once again the Spartan scowled facing forward again.  Shortly after nervous energy had her start rubbing her arms.

_I guess they mean well.  Still I don’t want to be the only person who gives up and heads inside right away._

Looking ahead and slightly to the right Jaune caught a glimpse of Ruby sitting in the middle of her team with Velvet nearby.

With a nudge from his elbow Jaune asked "How's the cookie monster doing?  Any better after reading the letter?"  He asked.

Pyrrha shook her head "I don't know to be honest."

Leaning forwards and setting a hand on their backs Kate advised "I know Blake has something in store for Yang.  Weiss might try to distract Ruby somehow I am not sure.  But Ruby is doing better, she is a tough girl.  She always wanted the truth, now she has some of it."

Over the intercom a voice declared "The weather is perfect, we will arrive at the resort in 5 minutes.  I hope you enjoy your time on the slopes!"

Pyrrha just gulped sending sparing a glance at Ren and Nora further ahead.

"I don’t even know if Nora intends to ski… she might just build a snow castle."  Jaune commented.

"Either way should be fun."  Kate stated with a smile giving Pyrrha's shoulder a squeeze.

Sounding like she still needed a great deal of convincing Pyrrha groaned "Fun in the snow and the freezing wind… Sounds like a wonderful time."

***Roughly 10 minutes later***

"YEEEE HAH!!!"

Like something resembling a red dart Pyrrha shot down the mountain below the twins utilizing a ski lift to get back up top.  Hands tucked tight to her torso knees bent to an angle, she took to skiing within moments of being shown how looking like somebody who had been doing it all her life at this point.

"And she said she was worried about the cold.  She is about to lap us again."  Kate pointed out eying the redheaded girl.

"Yeah she got tired of waiting for us after what?  The first pass down?"  Jaune commented amused by the shift in temperament.

Neither of the twins were exactly experts when it came to skiing.  They were familiar with the concepts but neither of them really devoted much time into mastering the skill.  That didn’t mean nobody was having fun.  Even the people who didn’t know which end of the ski was the front that morning.  To be fair it was more new age ski's.  Able to collapse into a boot for you to walk around in and extend out once you were ready.  One of the many specialized pieces of gear provided for the vacation.

Getting off the ski lift at the top they entered the open building for a warm drink.

Inside Yang was found with Ruby and Blake mid conversation.  Weiss seemed to be outside waiting for the green light for another trip down.

"I'm telling you both I'm fine."  Yang insisted testing her right leg cautiously.

"There a problem?"  Kate inquired curiously.

With a deep breath Blake indicated her partner and responded "Yang here was determined to show that she is more stubborn than a tree by butting heads with one on the path down."

Looking as innocent as she possibly could Yang put out her arms and declared "I didn’t do it on purpose!  I was just going faster than I wanted and couldn’t avoid it."

A hearty sigh filled the room.

"My sister here is too stubborn to admit that she gave herself a fairly bad bruise."  Ruby chimed in leaning against a wall behind them with her arms crossed.

A beep from the outside identified it was safe for another group to start its way down.

"Ruby are you coming out here!  Yang is fine she said so herself!"  Weiss declared with a raised voice.

Muttering under her breath she grumbled "She'd have to be dying to say she was hurt…"

Receiving a nod from both her teammates Ruby pushed off the wall and answered raising her voice to match "Coming!"

Jaune waited until Ruby and Weiss were on their way down the slope before saying "If you'd like I can try to heal your leg."

Shaking her head with a confident smile Yang replied "Please my aura is fine.  Just got a bruise is all.  It would take much worse than this to slow me down."

When she stood however a wince found its way to her face.

"Though that’s not to say it doesn’t hurt a bit."

When she caught her partners concerned glare she added "Ok a fair amount of bits."

"Maybe it's time to make one last trip down then call it a day?  We could always come back tomorrow right?"  Blake inquired switching her gaze to Jaune.

Jaune nodded while Kate replied "Yeah it's on the table for the duration of our break.  But it might be a good idea to call it soon.  It will be getting dark out within an hour."

"I thought there were lights allowing for night time trips?"  Yang asked testing her leg more.

Pyrrha entered the room at the same time Jaune answered "Well yeah but trust me the lights don’t substitute for the sun.  It isn't something a novice should be doing."

"Thinking of making it the last run?"  Pyrrha asked with a radiant smile.

Kate moved off to get another drink as Jaune nodded "Yeah, it's getting a bit late.  I see you are enjoying yourself."

Deepening her smile Pyrrha blushed slightly "Well I still hate being cold but you were right.  Once your speed gets up you don’t even feel it.  Turns out it is rather similar to being on the water.  Go on, say it."

Jaune just chuckled "I see no reason to do that.  Just glad we are all having fun…. slight bruises aside."

Yang scowled but seemed able to walk now "Well I should be able to get down, but it might be a good idea to get back and take a stint in a hot tub or something."

Returning with a drink for everybody Kate chimed in "Pyrrha Nikos being a natural skier.  Why am I not surprised?"

Yang and Blake moved forward for their turn down while the reunited trio enjoyed the hot chocolate on offer.

Pyrrha for whatever reason seemed a touch embarrassed by that statement and stomped her foot briefly "Come on I am not good at every physical activity!"

The twins shared one of their infamous looks before sending a duo glare at the Spartan.

Her blush seemed to grow as she just focused on drinking her drink and walking beyond them.

After a few moments of embarrassment they joined her in looking out a window.  The remaining RWBY teammates just got the green light and kicked off on their way down.

A scroll beeped briefly when Jaune advised "Looks like Ren Nora and Velvet decided to head back.  Ruby and Weiss are coming up for another pass down before packing up.  They say they will meet us for dinner in our rooms."

"Good to know"  His sister commented.

For a time they stood there waiting for the light to advise them they could have their turn.

"You know… I was really skeptical about coming here.  All my life I have hated the winter and snow, pretty much anything to do with the cold." 

Jaune moved an arm around his girlfriend as she began to speak.

"But… I have come to appreciate this place.  It's people.  I've been here two times now.  I have been treated well and I do not think it's just because I am your guest.  There is plenty for us all to do and I have to admit… this view is absolutely breathtaking."

Jaune grinned… indeed the snowy slopes with a few trees dotting the descent was breathtaking he had to admit.  In the background various other mountains were in view as was common for his homeland.

"I hope we can come back here.  I suppose after our studies conclude we will be able to choose what we want to do.  Where we want to work."

She took a hearty slurp before concluding with one of her trademark smiles "Thanks again for inviting me.  The cold you two can keep but I will ski with you both any day."

The twins couldn't help but smile. 

"I can't say where we will end up in a few years but… what I can say is we will face it together.  Whatever challenge it is, be it for fun or otherwise.  At least that’s what I want for the future."  Jaune claimed.

Sharing a brief look a slight beep advised it was safe for another group to have a turn down.

"Well… shall we?"  Kate asked finishing her drink.

Following her out Pyrrha couldn't help but get competitive again "Race ya?"

Answering in tandem they replied "You win."

Now pouting in her typical adorable way the Pyrrha couldn't help but extract another chuckle out of both of her friends present.

"We can at least enjoy the trip down."  Jaune claimed diplomatically.

Kicking their skis back to full length they got setup on the ledge… and kicked off on their way down.

The track they were using was not the one meant for experts but it could still be challenging depending on how much the racer wanted to push things.  For the moment they were happy just going at a more leisurely pace.

Following Pyrrha in the turns and various different paths available.  The mountain offered several branches so no two trips down would feel the same.

Such that they found themselves laughing at the sheer pleasure of having the wind in your face and hair being taken by the breeze.  Turning in tandem observing the landscape was an always enjoyable event even if you grew up in the mountains as the Arcs did.

Taking advantage of a slight dip down they tucked down tight to gain speed on the straightaway before the final turn towards the end passing a tree Jaune would swear was not knocked flat the last time he was through this way.

"I think that was Yang's victim!"  Jaune shouted as he passed the rather impressively sized tree.

"At least she gave as good as she got!"  Kate shouted back.

"Actually I'd say she won the contest!  She is still on her feet!"  Pyrrha added.

Feeling a slight tingle in his head Jaune found his sisters gaze.  She made a slight head motion towards Pyrrha and tucked her spurs under her armpits securely.

Taking her meaning he smirked slightly in preparation for their final turn towards the finish line.

Ducking into a form to maximize speed they settled down on the final pass closing the distance to Pyrrha slowly but surely.

She seemed to sense what they had planned as she promptly declared "Oh no you don't!" before kicking and pumping her arms a bit accelerate herself.

"Go go go!"  Kate shouted out with enthusiasm.

"You will never catch me!"  Pyrrha taunted.

More and more snow was shoved aside as the three of them tore down the final pass.  It seemed like the Twins plan might work… taking advantage of the terrain and the turn to get some energy.  But… it wasn't enough.  But only by the smallest of margins.

Pyrrha crossed the line first with Katherine hot on her heels.  Jaune only a few feet behind.

Spinning around to a stop laughing the entire way they couldn’t help but engage in a group hug of sorts.

"I knew you two were more competitive than you let on."  An extremely happy Spartan declared.

"When we want to be."  Jaune supplied concluding with a kiss on her cheek.

"Well that was fun."  Kate added in.

Breaking away Pyrrha leaned in to hug her boyfriend.

"We will need to do this some more.  If not over break some other time."  She stated.

Fully embracing her he answered "Of course."

With a mischievous grin Kate pondered "I wonder what we should order for dinner… think it's time for a roast or should we go something else?"

Coming out of the hug hand in hand they walked along to the tram.  "Whatever it is I don’t think it's possible to have something bad in this place.  The food has been amazing thus far."

Sharing yet another look Jaune answered "Well… I will say cooks choice then.  We can be surprised."

The trip back was not quite as adrenaline fueled as their previous journey, but it provided plenty of time to relax.  Which for Pyrrha, was enough.  Time with her beloved partner was something she would never turn down.  The fact she could lean against him on the way back and enjoy some conversation with her best friend?  Well that was just a worthwhile bonus.

***Back in her room***

That last run down the slope really did a number on her leg.  Yang would never consider herself anything less than tough, and it wasn't like she collided with another tree.  Regardless she was definitely walking with a limp back to her room.

In a side of her rarely shown Blake actually seemed upset.  To the point she had argued much of the tram ride back to devote sometime in the hot tub to try and lessen the pain.  Why she felt a point needed to be made Yang to this moment did not understand as the hot tub was most definitely her destination regardless of the kittens insistence.

In any case it isn't like that bruise was going to be more than a nuisance.

Her aura control might not be artisan level but it was more than capable of healing a bruise once she started to focus on it.  Following the very relaxing bath she was basically back to normal… though the unfortunate tree she crossed paths with probably couldn’t make the same claim.

Expecting to get dried off and get ready for supper Yang more or less just toweled herself off trying to get her hair under control.  With the bathroom mirror for guidance it wasn't all that much of a challenge really.

When a knock to her room door got her attention followed by a muffled "Yang are you decent?"

She figured it was just Blake coming to tell her food was ready.

Thus in typical Brawler fashion she couldn't help but answer "No, but you can come in anyway.  Nothing you haven't seen before."

The delay in the door opening and closing was satisfyingly short.

"You had me worried when you crashed into that tree."  Blake said softly from around the corner.

Trying and failing to find her Partner via the room mirror Yang shrugged continuing her work on her hair.

"Like I said Blake-y I didn't mean to crash into it."

She could hear shoes echoing through the stone floor outside… Blake was closing but didn't appear to be in a hurry.

"That's the problem.  You need to take better care of yourself."

She bent over slightly to splash some water on her face before replying "It was an accident Kitty-Cat what's the big deal?" 

Acting like she didn’t hear the question at all Blake continued "It occurred to me that there is only one way I can make sure you learn to take better care of yourself."

That got a raised eyebrow out of the Blond girl… to the point she stood up straight again prepared to step up and argue about this again.  When… well she managed to catch a good view of the Cat-Girls Garb.  Even confident as Yang was… she couldn’t help but do a double take.

She was wearing heels… Blake almost never wore heels, much less the extremely high heels of her current outfit.  Astonishingly enough that was the least shocking aspect Yang could see.  She wore mid thigh high garters showcasing her lovely long and wonderfully athletic legs.  See-through black underwear via what had to be a thong that could barely get the job done and while her top was designed to be a police officer shirt it really served better as a sexy blue bra.  The black sunglasses were just icing on the cake.

"Blake… was is this?"  Yang stammered out more than a touch surprised.

It was then… she recognized the outfit… something they tried on in the lingerie store the other day.  Though… the crop whip was new.

"Prisoners don’t get to ask questions.  Get your hands on the counter top."

Barely holding back a smile Yang complied.

A sharp impact to her hip followed by "Don't grin missy you are in serious trouble, a hit and run, evading arrest?  You have a lot to answer for."

Unable to help herself Yang blurted out "Hey c'mon that tree totally threw itself in front of me!"

Another smack to her hip… aimed a bit more centralized this time and unlike before Yang couldn’t help but smile.

Noticing the cocky smile Blake gave a slight spank with her hand before stating:

"Oh I've seen your kind plenty of times missy.  Always act so tough.  Stay still I have to search you for anything illegal."

Setting aside the whip briefly Blake's hands found its way to Yang's thigh trailing upwards.  Enjoying the fit strong curves Yang was known for.

"This search is entirely unnecessary as you can see I am not carrying anything!"  She objected.

Gripping down briefly on the bruise Blake switched legs marveling the excellent curves her girlfriend possessed "I felt that wince, keep quiet lest I use your words against you later."

Finally after several more ups and downs Blake's hands finished searching her thighs and moved up to her abdomen.

"Lest?"

Blake's eye might genuinely have twitched at that as she stepped back and aimed a full motion swing right on Yang's shapely behind.

Yang flinched slightly as the impact echoed through the room in a way that spoke she rather enjoyed this treatment.

Once the prisoner had stopped fidgeting Blake resumed her task.

Feeling her impressive abs with both hands Blake advised "I need to be careful, lots of places narcotics could be found here."

Her hands continued to roam even going as far as to issue a slight tickle every so often to only a mild protest.  Finally switching to the sides the tickling only seemed to intensify.

"C'mon Officer let me go I am clean!"  Yang protested with a half smile.

Stepping forward so her hips pressed against Yang Blake sternly declared:

"Fine I haven't found anything yet, but I remain unconvinced."  Switching back to a frontal grip her hands rose above those sexy ridges previously 'searched'.

With her hands just below Yang's plump breasts Blake slowly inched higher and started kneading the perfectly large orbs.  Staying with the most clinically teasing manner The Cat-Girl knew how, supported by multiple Ninjas of Love reads she really seemed to know a fair bit.  At least judging by the color finding its way to Yang's face.  Or at least maybe she was fairly sensitive?

"I wouldn't say you are clean.  These are clearly too big and perfect to be legal."  Officer Blake chastised.

Finding it hard to keep her hands on the counter Yang flinched slightly  to a particularly enjoyable squeeze.  Through it all Blake continued to avoid her nipples, something that had to be deliberate given how alert they had become.

"I can't help how big I grew Officer!"  She protested breath coming in deep gasps doing more than an adequate job of steaming up the mirror.

With a shrug Blake removed her hands prompting a not very well concealed whine.

"Fine but be that as it may, you are still in trouble."

Really struggling to stay in character Yang asked "What is it this time?"

Moving her hands to Yang's upper arms and giving a squeeze she answered "I could never let you go free with guns like these."

Whatever self control Yang had… whatever role-playing she found herself enjoying.  Was already stretched about as thin and long as that string could go.  With those words she found herself in the mirror… and could feel that string snap.

Focusing herself and feeling nigh unstoppable she rounded on the smaller girl to the officers rather meek protests.

"No no bad girl!  Bad Yang put me down-  Hey no… get off... My …   Neck-  Hey what No!  I am in charge I -"

Almost before she was aware of it Blake was the one on the ground with Yang confidently above her.

Slightly annoyed at how easily Yang had her waylaid and pinned to the floor Blake at this point decided to do something she almost never did... surrender.

"Well I hope you learned your lesson."  She said as she stretched out on the stone floor.

"What lesson would that be officer?"  The former prisoner purred confidently.

Removing the glasses Blake responded "Probably not the lesson you needed to learn."

Smiling like only she could, Yang vigorously closed the distance to her partner on the ground.  Before long that bruise was the last thing on her mind.

***Out in the dining room***

Apparently cooks choice turned out to be a rather meaty boar loin roast.  Butchered well so all one must do is cut off a chunk.  Supported by vegetables with cheese for Nora, potatoes and bread the kitchens didn't disappoint.

Jaune was waiting on the staff when they arrived and before long everything was placed out and ready for enjoyment.  It got there so quickly it had only just arrived with Ruby and Weiss got back.

"Whatever that is smells delicious."  Ruby praised as she closed the door behind her.

Nodding slightly Jaune began cutting up the roast as he answered "Mountain Boar, something as its name implies is mostly found in the area around here."

Weiss made a cursory glance at the meat before nodding in approval "I've had it before, never seen quite this much of it however.  It was quite excellent as I recall."

From the table Kate supplied "Yeah its meat is naturally a touch spicy.  Hard to get elsewhere but here… its rather plentiful."

The new arrivals joined her at the table around the same time Nora, Velvet and Ren both joined in and found a place.

"Is there anything Cadia doesn't have access too?"  Pyrrha inquired from her spot besides Kate.

Once again Kate answered "Well… we have a good deal of selection.  The Aurora Plateau is where we do most of our farming in what counts as lowlands around here.  We have the standard beef and pork available.  From the lakes we have various fishing, mostly for cold fish so it's going to be different than what you get in Mistral for example.  We aren't lacking for food variety here, that’s for sure."

"We can have the geography lesson later let's eat!"  Ruby demanded hungrily.

Lifting and setting the meat platter at the main table Jaune said "Sounds like a great idea… but where are Blake and Yang?  They got back before us after all?"

With a groan Ruby got out of her seat "They are probably still in the hot tub.  I'll go get them."

Standing with her Weiss suggested "I will go too… if need be I can just force em outa the water."

"Hopefully that won't be necessary."  Ruby stated hungrily eyeing everybody else claim a thick slice of boar meat.

Nora's face lit up in amazement at just the first bite alone "Oh my, this is delicious!  Oh and we have enough for like 3 or 4 servings a piece!  Perfect!"

With an amused smile Jaune just took his own spot and served himself some food.  Unable to quite keep his eyes of what his friends were doing down the way.

Weiss and Ruby were both pressing an ear against Yang's door.

"Why does it sound like there is a herd of kittens purring inside?"  Weiss asked obviously confused.

"I… don't… know?"  Ruby supplied just as confused.

Ruby knocked on the door and broadcast "Yang?!"

By this time everybody had filled their plate and was observing the scene.

"Think Yang might already be asleep?  I didn't think the bruise was that bad." Pyrrha commented.

With a shake of her head Kate stated "I rather doubt that Pyrrha."

"Shall we go in?"  Ruby asked.

Weiss shrugged… and slowly opened the door.

"Yang Xiao Long we are…. having… dinner…"

Both girls just froze in place, Ruby moved her hands over her mouth while Weiss tried to cover her eyes.

"You need to learn to knock!"  Blake shouted.

"We did!"  They screamed back.

With RWBY devolving into a slight argument that only ended when Ruby swung the door closed Nora couldn't help but ask "If they aren't having dinner does that mean I can eat their share?"

The twins shared a slight glance and chuckled "Somehow I don’t think they will give up their share easily Nora."

**A/N**

**Hopefully these chapters are entertaining to read though it is not quite as focused on the main cast as previously has occurred in the story… but in my view this needed to be done.**

**As ever please provide feedback via however you wish.  IM/KUDOS/Comment/Review/Fav/Follow/Email are all reliable ways of communicating with me.**

**If anybody has any questions or comments I remain willing to discuss this or other topics that might come up.**

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**-Sean.**


	48. Year 3 Winter: Red Stone Blue Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last day of break before they get back to Beacon... Weiss seems to have something on her mind.

3.23 Red stone Blue stone.

It was not much more than the blink of an eye than it seemed their 2 week break was about to come to an end.  Friday came around with classes set to resume on Monday, at least baring any type of unexpected storm in Vale.  So it was that everybody was set to doing their own thing in their own way.  He wasn't even sure if his twin knew all of the goings on as she normally did thanks to the speed time seemed to pass by.  If she did he wouldn't be surprised but it just seemed like so much to keep track of.

Like in most cases they had their morning workout having kept up their habits from previously.  It came and went without incident.  Maybe even elation as several plateaus which had long troubled several of them have finally seemed to push through.  Most notably was Weiss as while she still seemed to struggle at least she didn’t seem as winded as easily.

Sadly the weather did not seem all that willing to go along with their plans.  While they had a few days to enjoy the slopes another blizzard resumed the downpour seemingly moments after the previous storm had passed by.  The good news is that the weather was suppose to clear the next day allowing the gang transportation back for the resumption of class.  The not as good news is at Weiss' insistence they found themselves heading towards the Royal Library that particular afternoon for reasons only the Heiress knew.

"Why exactly did Weiss ask you to join her in the library?"  Pyrrha inquired happily studying the mountain interior.  She secretly expected to find some part of the home which was less detailed or expertly crafted.  Possibly in some of the older locations that remain underused and do not get much attention.  Yet thus far that expectation just had not come to pass, she was starting to doubt it ever would.  Stone lay out with an artisan level of scrutiny given attention to the tiniest of details that could only be described as lovingly meticulous.  Despite the fact that she was in a way buried under a literal mountain of rock, she never felt that way in the Arc home.  It was well lit, the air was always clean and fresh.  It was always a pleasure to just take in the sights, even if you didn’t exactly know where you were or where you were going.

Striding side by side at a relaxed pace Jaune shrugged not really having a true answer for her.

"Beyond asking in such a way that implied it would be dangerous to say no… I have no idea." 

Sending a warm smile his way Pyrrha tried not to giggle at him, somehow his -not a clue- honest expression was just too adorable to resist.

"Less of a request and more of a threat?  Interesting, so Weiss is in the library do you know where everybody else is?"  She inquired casually.

Jaune was about to say no… however as normal somebody was trailing them and her silent walking being, well… silent kept that hidden.

Answering behind them  Katherine chimed in "Ruby is with her sister and Blake… I think they were going to catch a movie at the local theatre."

The partners shared a glance before Jaune scratched the back of his head and replied "How precisely do you know that?  Actually never mind that how long have you been walking behind us?"

Not hiding her amusement Kate answered with "Well I know Weiss suggested they take Ruby to the movie as she had something to do alone.  As for the second-"

"Ok how do you know that?"  Pyrrha inquired swiveling backwards intrigued.

Grinning her amused grin Kate sheepishly admitted "I may or may not have listened in on her as she asked."

Several more steps later she added "What it isn't like I did it on purpose!"

Coming to a stop at the door Jaune decided against making a point of it… she was always the infinitely more curious of the two.

"As for how long I've been behind you… well , from the moment you got the request itself!"

Here he groaned…

"That talent of walking silently is going to force me to put a bell on you, you know that right?"

Pyrrha couldn't hold back the giggle there even if she wanted too.

"Sure great plan.  It isn't like I could just you know… take off the bell.  I do have opposable thumbs after all!"

Shaking his head Jaune motioned for the ladies to enter after opening one of the heavy double doors.

Giving her brother a playful salute Kate strutted past looking about as amused as she normally did.

"Afraid she has you there partner!"  Pyrrha consoled following her inside.

With a humored huff he exhaled and closed the door behind him.  He did not have to move far before Pyrrha seemed to be rooted in place.

"Whoa!  I've never seen!  This is incredible!"  She exclaimed.

With a grin he stepped up to his awestruck partner and felt some words might be needed.

"The Royal Library has served its purpose for multiple millennia, it was one of the earliest rooms completed once the Mountain was decided as our home.  It's reputation as a treasure trove of knowledge basically from the beginning of recorded history in Remnant is something its earned over time.  If you can't find something here… odds are fairly strong you just won't be able to find it."

"Oh that’s right Cadia is a major distributor for printed materials, I remember Blake mentioning that."  Pyrrha mused still taking looking around in wonder.

Deciding to leave them in the entryway Kate wandered off.  Probably searching for the Heiress waiting for them.

Jaune could partially understand his partners awe.  Coming into the aged but preserved and continually upgraded room at its base level you were instantly presented with a rather inspiring if very open view.  Giving a clear view of multiple stories upward with sorted rows upon rows of well cared for books and other knowledge for any interest.  Tables and comfortable chairs were arrayed around the floor with plenty of private rooms for any type of group activity that might arise.  It like most other aspects of the Arc homeland did not seem to lack any aspect or insight for what could be helpful to either the avid scholar or the pleasure reader.

"People could get lost in here this is incredible!"  The Spartan praised energetically.

He chuckled moving an arm around her waist "Thankfully the top most level has a place to get something to eat so lengthy stays don’t prove overly stressful.  I understand they specialize in various coffee blends and pizza."

Ignoring their reason for coming here Pyrrha began to wander through the lowest level wherever her feet may take her.

"I thought the library in Mistral was extensive… you can probably put that entire building in a single floor of this place.  I've… I don’t even know what to say.  You say you can find anything… literally anything here?"  She mused.

Finding his twin on the third level waving at him he nodded in return and angled their path towards the escalator.

"Everything that comes to mind, yes."

Taking a moment to stop and pull out a random book Pyrrha randomly looked through the pages as she asked "How exactly is this arranged?  I haven't found a sorting system yet."

"Well… to be honest I haven't spent a great deal of time here.  If I wanted anything I would just find it in the directory and download an electronic copy.  I know they try to sort it by subject and level but they can't always do that."

She looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment as if wondering why he wouldn’t spend a significant amount of time here… before coming to the logical conclusion if he was as weak as he said he was in his childhood he probably didn’t want to waste energy moving around when he could just download the item in question.

Placing the book back they continued their way as she asked "So that's what the computers are used for I gathered that much.  I am sure many people prefer to just get their info electronically.  You don't have the originals out on display do you?"

"You mean historically important pieces?"  He clarified.

"Mhmm."

"Well we do… just not here.  We keep first generation books in one of these off rooms from what I understand but the most incredibly ancient documents like treaties and paper items are scanned in for record and stored for safe keeping."

"Meaning really old works?"

He nodded turning the corner towards the table Weiss had set up shop at.

"Yeah.  We keep replica's available and if you want to read something written 6000 years ago we can offer the chance but to actually handle something that old safely is not something offered to the standard citizen without the proper training.  Training I do not have myself understand."

Nodding in understanding Pyrrha finally spotted her white haired friend… and somebody she didn’t expect to find.

"Nora is here?  Know what she is up too?"  She asked knowing full well where one found a Nora, Ren was also very likely nearby.

Shaking his head he admitted "Not a clue.  I hope it isn't to try out every blend of coffee on offer.  I am sure the staff doesn’t want to rearrange the entire library."

Weiss was seated at the head of a table with a stack of books taller than she is nearby.  Nora sitting in a comfortable lounge chair off to the side seemingly focusing on the reading was shocking in its own right.  Judging by what he could see if it she seemed to be reading up on various dust mixtures for specialized grenade shell usage.

"Nora is actually reading a book?  This is either going to be hilarious or incredibly dangerous." Jaune kidded softly.

Giving him a slight elbow jab Pyrrha replied "Give her some credit she is able to focus when she wants too.  Besides she is quite intelligent as you know."

"Yeah I know, your right that wasn't fair.  Regardless this should be interesting."

Following his gaze Weiss had found the pair and opened the discussion with one of her cold dead glares…

"Something is clearly eating her…"  Pyrrha agreed.

When Weiss actually gave Jaune her complete attention ignoring the nearby book Pyrrha decided to take a page out of her best friends playbook.

"Well I think I will find something to read and maybe something to drink… you two have fun!"

Jaune could only gawk at her several seconds later as she teasingly moved away.  Taking a spot off to the side of the Heiress Jaune watched her go looking oddly eager to find something particular though he couldn’t guess what that would be.

Turning his attention towards his still scowling friend he issued a friendly "Hello Weiss" and continued to wonder what would put Weiss in this state.

Weiss began to drum her fingers along the table continuing to glare at him as if considering how best to proceed.

_If she is trying to emulate Winter she still has some room to grow… though being so tiny does make the intense look a bit less threatening…_

Finally as if deciding some long considered quandary she took a deep breath and pulled herself upright.

"It is good you are here, I wanted to talk about a couple subjects."

Glad that the glare seemed to have ran its course Jaune prompted "Ok… what can I do for you?"

His question brought back the glare… for reasons he still didn’t understand.

After a slight huff she completely changed her body language to almost Ruby level sweetness and shoved her scroll over towards him as she said "Read that please."

Taken slightly aback at her rapid shifting moods he reached for her scroll.  Being only moderately amused as the sight of Pyrrha and his twin climbing up several stories seemingly searching for something to read.

_If I don't miss my guess Katherine is about to be the source of some embarrassment for somebody..._

None the less a quick study made him raise an eyebrow in confusion.  "This is a bill for a scroll."

Weiss nodded sweetly and muttered "Mhmm… it is."

Shoving the scroll back towards her he asked "Why are you showing me a bill for a scroll?"

Here the sweetness basically vanished "Because my sister is billing ME for one!"

The cold dead stare seemed to return as he followed the obvious lead in "Why is your sister-"

"Because your infernal Dare caused her to short circuit the entire thing!"  Her eyebrow even seemed to twitch slightly here.

"How-"

Cutting him off again with practiced ease she continued "She dropped it in a sink filled with water!  I feel totally justified blaming you for the matter!"

Blinking several times he just settled back as Weiss seemed fully primed now for what she really wanted to discuss.

"Don't tell me you don't feel responsible, I do not feel responsible for it either but none the less she is billing me!"

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.  Sweet Weiss seemed to return at the same time much to the knights confusion.

"However, I will happily take care of this issue with my sister, if you help me with my second point."

Reaching under the table Weiss pulled out something about the size of a male fist wrapped up in a cloth.  She set the object between them then pulled her hands into a temple.

Jaune swapped his gaze between his friend and the cloth several times before he reached forward and pulled it towards him.

"What is this?"  He asked.

Lowering her voice Weiss supplied "This is something I asked Nora to pick up on their way back to Beacon in the summer-"

"Yes she did!"  Nora randomly confirmed from her seat several feet away keeping her gaze on the book on her lap.

Giving a stern look towards the interruption only to find Nora seemed to be ignoring them again.  With another deep breath Weiss focused forwards again.  "Open it up."

Curiously but carefully he pulled open the cloth to find a red stone about what Ruby's hair would normally appear as.  It was not a perfected gem as it still had rough edges, none the less it was a gorgeous if rather large and somewhat heavy material.

"It's very pretty.  Whatever it is."  He stated honestly.

Weiss nodded politely and supplied "It's an Azura Lens cut to a pristine level… which really just means it’s a big chunk that you can do almost anything with."

"A gem named Azura but it’s of a red color?  Seems a bit odd."  He commented covering it back up again.

Weiss nodded again "Well… its only red or as they say ruby colored on the outside."

Feeling somewhat curious he couldn't help but inquire further "You mean to say it’s a different color on the inside?"

Nodding a third time Weiss pocketed the gem and continued "If you just drill or hammer your way through no, it would remain a red color.  However the second part of the name -Lens- implies there is a special way of cutting it.  On the inside it is actually very similar to a deep ocean blue."

"Interesting, do you know how they manage that?"

Shrugging as if she wasn't entirely sure how Weiss answered "Well, truth be told I don’t entirely know.  I assume it is something where if its cut without oxygen touching the inside it will keep its blue coloration but I am just guessing at that.  Kind of like how our blood is really blue, only oxygen turns it red."

Nodding as he followed along Jaune prompted "So how exactly can I help you with this?"

Collecting herself the Heiress took a deep breath and met his gaze "Jaune, I've been holding on to this for awhile unsure what exactly I want to do with it.  But… I think I've decided.  I mean for this to be a gift.  A very special gift.  I've been trying to find a company who is able to cut this as I need it done.  Sadly not even Nora's hometown -the place where these gems are found- can do exactly what I am trying to do."

Following along easily enough Jaune couldn't help but ask "You mean this as a gift for Ruby I assume?"

Weiss nodded back cautiously looking somewhat out of place at the admission.

"She has been through a lot with her family.  Then her father and uncle leaving her… She is hiding it well but she's hurting.  I can tell."

Jaune didn't argue, he even agreed to a certain extent on her summation.

"She needs to know that I will always be there for her.  That… well I guess I don't need to get into it much but.  The point is I believe I have found a company who can do what I need done with the care and detail I require.  I just need your help getting it done in a timely fashion by getting my feet in the door."

Holding back a chuckle Jaune just nodded for her to continue refraining from stating the obvious about how Weiss still hasn't said what she needed.

_I suppose this is normally territory where she would stumble a bit._

Another deep breath later Weiss visibly mustered her composure and continued.

"I need your help arranging something."  Clearing her throat she continued as if she had practiced this part "The Manaforge as you know doesn't just do Weapons and Armor."

Easily admitting this point he agreed "Yes, I naturally know that."

"Well I did some research.  While the first 2 levels is reserved for selling goods those above are set for specific purposes."

He nodded yet again "The third I know is setup for specialty weapons and armor orders."

Ignoring some giggle from their friends above them Weiss stated "The fourth as I found out is meant for engineered items.  Not really a suit of armor or a weapon.  Rather something more specific like a belt or something of the sort, basically a custom moving parts solution venue.  The fifth is for decorated items, more old fashioned things."

"You mean blacksmithing?"  He guessed.

She shook her head "No more like jewelry or gem work.  Decorations they might say.  They do blacksmithing don’t get me wrong but the item would only be meant as a display piece.  If you want something to use in combat well… that’s level 3.  I've learned they can handle basically any gem, set it into any specified harness.  Basically if it can be done they can do it.  In my case I already have the stone.  I just need it handled properly with the correct care."

Smiling Jaune commented "I knew the place could do a lot but I never knew they could do jewelry too.  I suppose that shouldn't surprise me though.  What do you want me to do?"

Clearing her throat she stated "I need you to notify the General Manager I will be coming and to give me his complete assistance.  I don't want you to place the order for me nor do I want you to pay for it.  I will handle that.  But no amount of money is going to do what a word from you could.  Write me a letter, send them an email, call them on your scroll.  Whatever gets the royal treatment is what I am asking for."

He seemed to hesitate catching his partner with a blush a deeper red than the stone itself as she skimmed over the title of a book a couple stories above them.  The Heiress seemed to misunderstand the caution however and she spoke on.

"Understand I am not asking for my own sake.  Not that I am above that sort of thing mind you… I want this for Ruby."

Switching his gaze towards her deciding not to comment on her own remarks about her character, he responded "Don't worry I can easily give you a letter if that is what you like.  I can even call ahead.  I cannot promise how quickly they can get it done but I can get you that much at least."

Responding with a surprisingly warm smile Weiss looked very relieved.

"Thank you… sorry for the scare tactics at the start but believe me my sister has been near cruel and unusual after you called her over that dare.  I really need that out of my hair."

"I personally think blaming Yang is more appropriate than myself.  But I am happy to help."  He took the time to type up an email and send it on to the Manaforge Management address as requested.

Looking upwards Pyrrha seemed so embarrassed she could barely keep herself upright even so she couldn’t stop herself from reading even if she wanted too.  At some point she turned around and moved away from the ledge.

With a shake of his head he turned his attention back towards Weiss.  "So… what exactly are you doing here beyond the stone?"  He commented gesturing towards the unwieldy stack of books nearby.

Weiss smiled ruefully before answering "Well it goes back to that glyph I've been working on for the last 3 years."

Sharpening his gaze on her Jaune couldn’t help but voice "That thing?  You are still working on it?"

She sent him a brief glare of disdain before sighing very much like her partner might.  "Yes I am still working on it.  With what I found out today I might never stop working on it."

Indicating the stack of books Weiss closed her eyes resting her forehead in her hands for a moment.

"What makes it so complex?"  Jaune asked.

Weiss took a deep breath and met his gaze again.  "Jaune, I do not believe you even know how complex of a question your asking.  I promised your mother I'd keep working at it but I don’t even know if she knew how difficult of a task this is."

With a shrug he got comfortable in the chair and said "You might be right, only way to know for sure is to try me."

Rubbing her temples Weiss ultimately began her answer "You need to understand how energy works in relation to glyphs.  The simplest thing, the… the… the number 1 rule I learned when I was learning to control my semblance is the more complex the glyph, the more things it does or has to do, the more aura it is going to require."

Easily following along thus far Jaune nodded and said "Makes sense."

"That's easy enough for anybody to understand.  The bigger the task, the deeper the hole, the more energy it's going to take to dig.  That is just common sense.  However this is not something like summoning which is an expression of myself or simply making an ice missile to freeze your target and do some damage in the process.  They are singular in purpose and its simplicity is exactly why the drain on the user is minor.  With what I am trying you are talking about running multiple processes concurrently covering a wide range of territory.  The energy that requires is difficult to comprehend even with an aura pool like yours."

Putting a hand on the top most book, an ancient looking issue with most of its color drained due to time, Weiss continued "What I am trying to do has been attempted before by people who had much more aura than myself at their disposal."

"My mother was able to heal your scar.  In time I should be able to do the same thing, if I can't already.  Others in my family have had equivalent or even more powerful healing abilities.  I won't say it comes naturally to us but I fail to understand the difficulty yet."

Weiss sighed theatrically before continuing "Jaune it comes down to very simple steps.  Steps that must be completed in order.  The primary differences are in how our semblances differ when healing the same wound."

He nodded politely to Pyrrha and Katherine as they rejoined them at the table carrying a book or two of their own.

"First your mother used her aura to find the damaged tissue around my eye.  She did this by meticulously searching through my body.  Even if she knew where to look, which she naturally did because of her eyes, her aura would still need to find it.  A person has eyes, a glyph does not.  That right there is a monumental difference and a key problem."

She moved her hand to the second book "The question then becomes how does the glyph find the damaged tissue?  Well that is in itself its own problem.  A human has intellect, a glyph must be told exactly what is damaged and how to find it.  Do you just look for deformities in the skin?  That won't always do the job, skin tags or moles could easily be mistranslated by the glyph and waste its energy or alter its purpose entirely in potentially dangerous ways."

The newcomers brought with them some drinks for everybody, Jaune took a pull from his before asking "So the process of finding the damaged tissue is hard for a glyph to do compared to our semblance?"

Weiss nodded briefly enjoying her own drink "Hard is not quite an accurate enough word.  Again it all goes back to energy and how detailed of a search the glyph would perform.  Could I come up with an under layer for meticulously searching through the body of the individual and finding the damaged tissue?  Yes, but by then my Aura would already have been nearly depleted if it would need to do the search as accurately as a human eye.  Leaving nothing for actually supplying the energy for the host to regenerate the damaged skin.  That is even more draining than the act of searching for the damage."

Nora chimed in from across the room "Couldn't you just use a smaller glyph or several different glyphs to focus on which specific tissue you are focusing on?"

"That was my first thought as well, but no I cannot.  Limiting the glyphs size and therefore its search area would possibly limit its operational size, but it wouldn't change any of the previous problems.  It would still need to find the damaged skin, and repair it.  The size of the glyph would mean it would also have much less energy to work with.  Thus again we are at a fail state."

Moving her hand to the third book "One of your ancestors proposed a solution where the glyph doesn’t search at all and simply assumes all skin on the body needs to be repaired.  This takes away the first problem, but exponentially multiplies the energy required for the second.  So once again we are at the matter of not having enough aura to do what is needed."

"Could you get assistance with casting the glyph from another person?  To use their aura in addition to yours."

Weiss actually seemed to freeze and stroke her chin a bit "I had not considered that, and while yes that is technically possible they would literally need to just offer their aura.  Any thought or intent of their own could alter my casting and that could prove disastrous.  I might think on that but using more than just my own aura is technically possible.  I can't… uh… pull or draw it though so it would have to be freely offered.  That might be an idea I can work with.  In any case none of that even gets to the third problem which is of course, the pain.  I have no idea if a glyph would cause the body to remember the pain of the initial wound.  I have to assume yes though, I should also figure out a way to add in some pain shielding through the glyph but… well as I've said there just isn't enough power to go around, not that would be available readily with just my own reserves."

The Knight kept a mental tally of everything being said relating it to his own understanding of how his semblance worked.  He probably understood more than Weiss expected him too.  She explained it simply enough and he was able to follow along with the step by step process in a way that people could get it.  The job of finding the trouble spot with his aura and focusing enough power into it so the cells remade the wound is simple enough when he was the one doing it.  But how do you tell a  glyph to do it?  Seems like Weiss understood what needed to be done in a way that spoke she knew what she was at least -trying- to do.  He just didn’t have any specific advice at the moment that might help.

"Jaune… your scroll in ringing."

Snapping to attention he muttered "Huh?"

"Jaune, your scroll."  Pyrrha repeated.

"Huh?  Oh…. right."  He answered fumbling for the beeping contraption.  "Looks like it’s the Manaforge front desk confirming that they know your coming."  Pushing a button the beeping ceased.

"What did you pick out there Pyrrha?"  Jaune asked curiously eying the book on her lap.

With an innocent smile Pyrrha answered pulling the book to the table "Oh just something Kate thought I might like."

Taking advantage of the pause Weiss took the time to stand.

"Well thanks for everything with the stone but I am going to get going.  I guess the staff just gets everything back for you if you turn them in at the doorway so, see you all later for dinner."  She stated as she picked up her book stack.

Jaune had to try and read the title upside down thus it took him a few tries before he got the name, much to his surprise and Katherine's amusement.

"Kama sutra -For the athletic minded individual-!?  Do-  do you know what you have there?!"  He sputtered out nearly coughing up his drink.

Weiss blushed a red so deep it might have been purple as she made a quick escape on her way out.

Nodding innocently Pyrrha read more from the cover "Oh yeah this stuff is meant to get your heart rate up and really give your body a workout!  I figured I should read it at least!"

Jaune facepalmed as his twin just couldn’t hold back her giggling as Pyrrha energetically opened the book and observed some of its pictures.  Her facial expression changed as one might expect…

"Ah Wha- This is… KATHERINE!!!?!!"

Her attempts at finding the troublemaker was a fruitless endeavor however as Kate predictably had decided to make herself scarce.  Though a subtle itch in the back of his head made it clear what she thought of the situation.

Weiss wasted no time in mimicking the raven haired girls decision as she quickly bolted away.

_Whatever fallout happens… I am pretty sure Jaune can handle it._

***Merchants Row***

Happy to get away from whatever shenanigans the rebellious one had arranged Weiss hurried along towards the tram only getting turned around 3 times in the process.  Something she was fairly pleased with.  Once seated on the transport she decided to check her scroll finding a message from her partner only recently received.

'That was a funny movie but I doubt you would have liked it.'

Scowling slightly Weiss responded 'Why exactly wouldn't I like it?'

'Cause Yang and Blake barely spent any time watching it.'

With an audible grown that Ruby must have sensed her scroll beeped again.

'I'm kidding!  So what are you up too?'  A teasing happy face smilie brought out a grin from the Heiress.

Wording her reply carefully she answered 'I just left the library.  I will be back in our rooms for dinner.'

'Okay, remember we gotta leave early for our flight back.  We shouldn't be up too late tonight.  Don't be late!'

Unable to stop herself from smiling fully Weiss just sent a smile back.  Ruby being the responsible team leader was something previously considered to be an impossibility.  Though she has had to admit when Ruby wanted to be she could be mature beyond her years.

Her smile faded into a grin as she pulled out and bored her eyes into the large chunk of stone this current trip requires.  Spinning in slowly observing the various flat and curved surfaces.  Unsure if it was the lights or just a property of the stone in question but she could almost make out the pure blue of its interior from various angles.  But it was probably just her imagination.

_I still am unsure when I will get these things back finished.  Not to mention when or how I will actually present them to Ruby.  I guess I have some time to think about it._

Noticing the tram had reached the merchant quarter she rewrapped the stone and set off for her destination.  This part thankfully, she really couldn't get turned around in.  The Manaforge was something with various signs advising travelers on its location so even if she was unsure where she was it was all but impossible to get lost.

Rounding the same corner as she did her last visit here the same impressive structure came into view.  Even with this being the second time she had seen it, she still found herself impressed.  Various braziers along the path kept the pathway lit alongside the stores to either side of the walkway. 

She didn’t feel nervous about as she approached the door space.  She was the heir apparent to a multinational mega corporation and as such she was used to being expected.  It still took some of the edge off when the doorman greeted her.  If for no other reason she never had tried to do something this personal in public before.

"Ms. Schnee we were expecting you."  He worded with a polite nod as she stepped up to the main door.

Gripping the stone in her pocket she cleared her throat and nodded back "Thank you for seeing me.  I was under the impression the General Manager would be waiting for me?"

"Ah unfortunately he is currently assisting with another matter but I am told it should be resolved shortly.  If you like I can take you too him?"

Trying not to scowl Weiss just took a deep breath.  She is rather forcing this meeting they didn’t have much advance notice.  Even so she rather doubted that if Jaune had shown up instead of her this same scenario would play out this way.

"Just let me know where he is and I can find my own way thank you."

Another nod that might have turned into a partial bow later and Weiss was headed up to the third floor.

"Thank you."

Keeping her hands pocketed she slowly picked her way through the busier lower two floors until she found the floor in question.  Turning towards the front of the building a large male faunus as well as an equally large female were behind a counter working on a very… odd scepter was the most accurate way Weiss could describe it. 

Moving towards the counter she could make out various crescent moons were displayed with such skill this could easily be a museum piece, though with it being made by these particular artisans it was obviously a fully functional weapon.  It seemed to be a mecha shifting instrument though how it shifted Weiss could not do more than guess.  Various gems were seen giving some indication of its cost… though unless she missed her guess they were laid out in such a way that would make it easier for the user to channel aura based attacks through it.

Getting into range she could hear part of their conversation and finally found the General Manager standing by seemingly observing the finishing touches on the weapon.

"… I think that about does it."  The woman said.  Her voice contrary to her appearance was rather sweet and friendly. 

The speaker stood up lifting the scepter with one hand observing her work.

Weiss had catch herself from speaking about the woman's appearance.  She looked every bit as muscular and strong as the male even though she looked a mere fraction of his age.

_By the broken moon… her arms look thicker than my legs._

"I believe the buyer named the weapon 'Crocus' if my memory serves me."  The white haired male advised.

"I think you have outdone yourself Icaria."  The managed praised off from the side.  His gaze shifted towards Weiss and he stood to a rigid attention.

"Goodness it seems time has gotten away from me.  Good work on the order I am glad that we managed to finish it ahead of schedule but I need to see to our guest."

Both faunus issued thanks for the praise before setting the weapon into a rather elaborate case and placing it aside seemingly ready to work on the next order.

Moving forward at a quick walk the manager entered into a bow stopping halfway before speaking on "I apologize for making you wait Ms. Schnee.  I had wanted to oversee the final stages of that order myself and I am afraid time got the better of me.  I am Horst Van Erestin, General Manager of Manaforge.  How is it I might help you this evening?"

Part of Weiss wanted to smile, the other wanted to be annoyed.  Jaune could have sent word for what exactly she needed done.  But figured it is just as well he didn’t.  This way messages don’t get mistranslated in any way. 

"There is no problem for the wait.  I needed to get some custom built jewelry made."

Horst managed to actually impress Weiss as he tried to get some more information on what exactly she need with the perfect balance of professionalism and curiosity.

"Custom made jewelry.  Well we are most likely going to need the expertise of those individuals on the 5th floor.  Is this something you intend to wear or give as a gift?  Do you have some idea of the stone you need used?"

Effortlessly Horst set them moving upwards towards their destination as Weiss set into her answer.

"I already have some of what I would like done.  The rest would need to be custom made."

Nodding as he replied "So I am to assume you need more than one piece built?"

Coming to rest on the top most level Weiss had to take a deep breath before answering.

"Yes I intend to have 3 items made."

Stopping at the top of the stairs Horst advised "The Master Craftsmen for Manaforge's jewelry needs is a rather eccentric individual but she is the best in the business.  Allow me to make the introduction and I will leave you two alone to discuss details.  Sound fair?"

"Sounds excellent."

At that she followed his steps towards the surprisingly unnamed counter to spot the rather short and round faced woman behind it.  Weiss' first reaction was actually to turn around and find another store.  The uncared for unkempt hair on the woman whose eyes were made large by the multilayered microscopic glasses she wore made her seem several stages of silly on her appearance alone.  Add to that her hair that seemed to have recently been on fire how all over the place it was and Weiss couldn't quite believe that this was the worker responsible for some of history's greatest jewelry work.

The unnamed woman had her vision set to an inhumane magnification as she seemed to be inspecting some gold at a level well beyond what the human eye could see.  Too add to it all… she also seemed to talk to herself.

Much to Weiss' chagrin.

"Ok ok Cass, just a few more passes through and we can make sure that ravine won't show up except under the most ultraviolet of lights.  Unless this was mined on a Tuesday and the moon was full that night.  Oh that would just be horrible I've lost 2 full orders of gold too that.  Full moons always affect how many imperfections get seen in gold!  Worthless!!  This piece is worthless to me!"

With a near casual arrogance she tossed the small gold chunk over her shoulder into a pile labeled "To be melted down" finding it nearly full of such pieces which evidently failed inspection.

Not entirely sure this women was completely sane Weiss just held her ground outside of handshake range as Horst closed the distance and cleared his throat.

"Cassandra."

The woman seemed to be muttering to herself as Horst repeated "Cassandra!"

The woman responded finally by saying "You know I don’t respond to that name Horsey."

She earned a flash of something less than professionalism from Horst as the man actually took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Cassy, I have a client who needs your expertise."

Finally Cassandra seemed to look at the pair and remove the lenses from her face showcasing a rather striking set of green eyes.  Finally getting a halfway decent look at the artisan Weiss concluded this person was probably older than she appeared… though she was not entirely sure how old she appeared to be.

It was around this time that Weiss got the feeling Horst did not like engaging Cassandra in conversation and only did so when he needed too.  Surely her skill in her craft made up for the unease with which she presented herself thus far.  At least that’s how the Heiress had to rationalize it as she couldn’t understand why this person who thus far seemed very out of place kept her position.

"Oh I see that now.  Well run along Horsey I can take it from here."  She clumsily walked around the counter to stand in front of Weiss.

With another sigh Horst advised "If you need anything further please let me know."  At that he pivot turned and made his way back down.

After he was out of earshot Cass advised "He is always so straight backed and stubborn oh it always brightens my day to get his goat!"

Trying not to bite her lip Weiss just nervously cleared her throat.

_Is this really the person I am going to put THIS order through?_

"Deary I assure you it would be easier to talk about it if we were sitting down."  At that Cass made her way towards a nearby comfortable chair across from another just like it.  A table separated both but was stationed off to the side.

Taking a deep breath Weiss figured she was already in the water she might as well dive in at this point… and found a spot in the chair opposite Cassandra.

"I do have a few things I would like made.  That is true."  Not exactly the best way to start up conversation…

Cass made an almost Velvet like move with her head side to side giving Weiss time to organize her thought.

Wanting to curse for how more difficult this was to talk about with a stranger than a trusted friend Weiss seemed unsure how to begin.  Until she started with the obvious.

"I need a few things made out of this stone."  She set the rock still wrapped on the table between them.

Swapping her magnifying lenses back down the expert picked up the stone with surprisingly agile fingers and twisted it before her vision.

"Interesting specimen.  Pure Azura Lens semi recently harvested cut to pristine specifications.  You can do almost anything with this much.  Though I assume you are aware most of the stone will be wasted in the processing steps?"

Grateful for having something mutual to talk about Weiss answered "Yes I assumed as much."

Something about how much attention to detail and focus Cass gave the rock Weiss began to get a bit more confident that this person at least knew what she was doing.

"What were you hoping to get done may I ask Miss?"  She asked finally setting the stone aside.

Clearing her throat Weiss answered plainly as possible "Well, for starters I was 3 pieces done.  Two of them necklaces."

Nodding herself Cass prompted "Taking advantage of the dual coloration nature of the stone I assume.  You want one red with a blue interior or both that way?"

Weiss had to blink unsure what she was being asked to clarify.

"I am afraid I don’t understand the question.  I know there's a blue core to this rock.  I was not aware of any other way to do it."

Here the other woman smiled rather happily and elaborated "Well you see, you are not wrong.  You can cut the stone to have a red exterior blue heart.  However, provided the first part is large enough.  That part which is still blue on the inside.  If you were to cut into that piece you would find the opposite is true.  A blue exterior with the same ruby red you see now at its core.  It would react to light exactly as this does now just… well the color pallet would be reversed."

Weiss smiled unexpectedly "That sounds perfect… I didn't know it could be done."

Cass gave a goofy smile back "Well that is why I am here darling.  What else could these necklaces have?"

Thinking to speak as specific as she could "Well I want a tightly coiled gold chain.  The gem should be cut into a thin oval so both blue's and red's are visible under light.  Gold should surround the stone in both necklaces."

"So really it is more of a pendant than a necklace correct?"

Weiss nodded "Yes, I suppose that’s a fair statement."

Smiling warming Cass continued "Should anything surround the gold holding the stone?"

Weiss thought about it for a handful of seconds before answering "I didn’t know you could add gems that close to the stone without weakening the brace."

Waving her concern off Cass confidently declared "Deary there is all sorts of tricks we can do.  Making the metal more dense or other various solutions.  Trust me when I say so if I cannot do something without some consequences."

Smiling halfway Weiss requested "Can you add some diamonds in an evenly measured pattern surrounding both gems?"

She received a supremely confident nod in return.

"Of course, the gold would need to be a hair thicker surrounding the gem."

Answering without a thought Weiss said "A bit more cost won't be a problem." 

Cass took a handful of seconds to make a brief sketch of the proposed pendants.  Any doubts Weiss had about the skill of this woman vanished as in just a few seconds she had perfectly captured exactly what was being pulled from her the Heiresses mind.

"About like that?" When she received a nod Cass continued "Anything else about the pendants?"  Weiss shook her head.

Setting the paper back on the table Cass refocused on the small girl before her.

"What about the third item you wish to be made?"

Weiss tried to hold her gaze and respond but… she just couldn’t manage it.  When the Heiress seemed to lose her voice Cass took this time to talk.

"My you are a shy one."

Weiss seemed to scowl slightly "Shy?"

Chuckling softly Cass repeated "Yes, I do believe you are a touch shy."

Weiss had half a mind to leave the store then and there… but took a deep breath in and out trying for patience.

"Miss, I believe you misunderstand my meaning."

Setting her glare squarely on the older woman's face Weiss demanded "How did I misunderstand you?"

Cass leaned in closer and quietly supplied "You take it to mean a bad thing.  Being shy, in my business, is a wonderful thing for a customer to have."

Not having any doubts about Horst's warnings about her eccentric qualities Weiss couldn’t help herself at this point "How could that be a wonderful thing."

In a surprising move Cassandra reached her hand forward and gripped Weiss' wrist with a reassuring level of pressure.

"Because it means what you are about to request is hard for you to say.  Because it comes from a place not of familiarity but need.  Because it matters so much to you that you want nothing more than to get it right.  An artist can do much with such emotions."

Weiss seemed to blink a bit amazed at how accurate Cassandra's reading of her was even as she continued to talk. 

"It means that I have the opportunity to make something truly special for those seeking my services.  When shy people have a request of me it normally means it comes from the heart.  That is why it’s a wonderful thing."

In a somewhat magical turn of events whatever venom within Weiss seemed to vanish as she just looked on the pure conviction of the others words.

"Take your time.  Whatever you tell me naturally has full confidentiality."

Taking another leap of faith Weiss breathed in and out… then tried to make her final request.

"The third item… is a ring."

Lighting up in an excited smile and a clap to match Cass spoke on like a teenager spreading gossip "A very special ring?"

Chuckling into an embarrassed grin Weiss confirmed "A very special ring."

By the time details were hashed out and a timetable was arranged Weiss felt totally justified in walking back towards the tram in full confidence that she just spoke to the one person in all of Remnant who could do exactly what she needed.  Jaune might not have gone about her request in the manner she expected, but he gave her something no amount of money could give her.  Right now, that meant more to her than all the currency in the world.

***Bedrooms after dinner***

Weiss didn’t say how her trip to the Manaforge went… but judging by her smile it seemed to go well.  She got back just in time for dinner and following that nights weapon practice the trio set themselves off to bed early that night knowing they had to get up early for their flight back the next morning.

Pyrrha despite how utterly good natured she normally was, was still glaring daggers every time she turned in his twins direction following that moment with the book in the library.  The Spartan knew better than to try and force an encounter with his twin.  If she really didn’t want to be found… well it was nearly impossible to find her. 

Such that despite her flushed cheeks and embarrass fed outrage over the incident Kate was reasonably safe throughout the entire night.  Including dinner and weapons practice.  That didn’t mean Pyrrha was entirely happy about it.  She was too much of a professional to take it out in one of their workout routines.  But… well now more than ever she was clawing for something, anything she could fire back with. 

Of course the problem with that was his twin was nearly unassailable in the personal embarrassment department.  Jaune himself wasn't even sure he could come up with anything.  Despite promising he would try. 

Following their joint shower, something which was becoming more and more frequent the pair was about to get comfortable for the night.

"Easy Pyrrha it was just one of her pranks.  She only pranks you if she likes you."  Jaune pleaded as he settled into bed.

Pyrrha grumbled "I know that but… oh I just really want to think of something.  I must be such an easy mark with how… sheltered I am in some areas."

She climbed in to her favored spot on his chest a bit more high strung than normal with a huff. 

Sensing he could do something to help he brought his hands up and down her back trying to ease out whatever tension was still present.  Seemingly without trying she relaxed further into him letting go of that anxiety that she had carried throughout the afternoon.

Like most of his actions it had the desired effect "I swear your hands are magical."

She hummed happily into his neck just enjoying their time together.

He kept up the motion to the sound of her humming for an extending time going on into the night.  He might have guessed she was asleep, until she gave his neck a kiss and asked "Jaune… can I ask you something?"

She didn’t move off him so they could make eye contact, thus he just dropped one of his hands to her perfectly shaped behind resting it there.

She chuckled at that but didn’t otherwise object "What do you want for the future?  For Cadia I mean?"

He had to blink and think about it "What do I want for my homeland?  What do you mean?"

She put her forearms on his chest and pushed off slightly to look at him as she clarified "You are the leader of this nation.  I know you haven't spent much time in politics yet but… what do you hope to accomplish as its Duke?"

He smiled and looked away briefly as he thought about it.  There really is only one thing he could say at the moment.

"To be honest Pyr… that is something I haven't really had time to think about but.  There is one thing Katherine and I spoke about as children, something we would like to try if we had the chance."

Intrigued Pyrrha just mumbled "Mhmm?"

"We thought it would be great to regain our independence somehow."

Cocking her head to the side Pyrrha couldn't say she expected that "You want Cadia to be its own kingdom again?  You desire to be a King?"

He chuckled giving her butt a gentle spank "Pyrrha I am the youngest of 8 siblings.  I never once considered I would become the nation's leader.  So no I have no aspirations to be a king… though I suppose King I would be if we did get our independence again."

Enjoying his attentions she just prodded "Why then wish for that as kids?"

Repeating his motion again he answered "Because it is something the citizens want.  They feel it was taken from us wrongly, and they want to be its own Kingdom again.  Not a subset of Atlas.  Very few things frustrate our people more than outsiders telling us what we must do.  We are generous with our time, energy and resources.  But telling us what we can do with them crosses one of the few lines we as a people have."

Leaning a touch closer to her chest more fully pressed against his she considered it for a moment.  It seemed like a worthwhile cause.  Not out of what would benefit him.  Really there wouldn't be a benefit to him.  He was already the nations ruler.  But for the confidence and moral of his people… it is what he would strive for.

"Seemed like a noble goal."  She stated warmly.

Moving his other hand to her back again he replied "Glad you think so."

Suddenly having an idea of what Jaune could do to make her forget this issue with that prank from earlier… Pyrrha felt herself get a bit rebellious… though his continued actions to her butt might have spurred them on.

Blinking her eyes and appearing much more mischievous Pyrrha leaned her head back down fully pressing against him now.

The kiss she engaged contained none of her earlier frustration.  Only that of hope and love for the future.  They had shared a wonder winter break together and tomorrow it would be time for a return to Beacon.  She figured… it was time to kiss her wonderful Partner again.  Besides… she was the one on top.  At least according to that book… that meant she was in control. 

Though nobody cared to contest that point.

 


	49. Y3 Winter: Lost in the Crowd Pt. 1

3.24 Lost in the Crowd pt 1.

Getting everybody back to Beacon turned out to be a rather ordinary affair.  The weather played nice, the flight went off without a hitch and while the more moderate climate of Vale proved very hospitable for all involved who cared about such things it was still after all winter.  Though to the twins the warmer temperature basically meant it was summer for what they grew up with, not that anybody was keeping score or anything.

Moving roughly as a pack the streets were surprisingly busy.  None of them, the Heiress included, was carrying a tremendous amount of luggage.  Though they did arrive with more than they left with on account of some indulgent shopping.  Really all anybody wanted was to get their stuff back to their dorms then see what could be done.

"Well, we got back on a Saturday.  It is always refreshing when schedules go as they should."  Weiss commented brightly pushing her bags along the ground via a cart.

"All in all it’s a nice day.  Clear skies, sun is out and it isn't ridiculously cold." Ren agreed.

Pyrrha seemed to chuckle at that last part though it could just as easily have been any of them.

"Anybody have a guess to why it's so busy in town?"  Jaune asked as he picked his way through the crowded streets.

"Maybe the weather just cleared and everybody is trying to get things done?  Vale isn't immune to storms after all.  I mean there is plenty of snow on the ground."  Kate suggested with a shrug.

"That’s as good a guess as any."  Nora input happily shouldering anybody out of their way from the front of the pack.

Jaune could only chuckle at the sight.

It was difficult to recognize familiar faces given the winter environment had almost everybody in coats with most wearing gloves and hoods.  As such nobody really tried to spot any friends who might be nearby.  Instead they just moved towards the bullhead station.

Arriving at the familiar flat open station the group found it much busier than it would typically be.  The line was a slightly unwelcomed surprise for those eager to get everybody back and situated.

"Wow this is about as bad as the start of a year.  I wonder if there weren't storms here throughout the week.  Everybody is trying to get back today possibly?"  Jaune pondered.

Finding their place in line Jaune finally spotted the bullhead rising from Beacon in the background on its return trip.

"Be awhile till it's here."  Ruby commented sounding bored.

When Ruby's yawn was the only sound for several seconds Yang decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Well… can I just point out how many first years we seem have in this line?"  She stated walking up next to Weiss.

"What about them?"  The Heiress asked suspiciously.

"Well it's just that they seem to get shorter and shorter every year.  Though even they are taller than a certain somebody I know."  All said while resting her forearms on Weiss' head.

Ruby backed away slowly as Weiss' eye seemed to twitch before her foot acted on its own accord…

"OUCH OW OW OW that was uncalled for back off the shins!"  Yang protested retreating towards the end of the line near Blake and Jaune.  Though the one legged hopping was somewhat amusing for all involved.

Seeing Ruby try to calm her girlfriend/partner down Blake couldn’t help but whisper "Worth it?"

To wit Yang couldn't help but offer up a cocky "Naturally."

Never mind the massaging of her lower leg for the moment.

Jaune couldn’t help but chuckle… though he didn’t have any desire to repeat the joke.  That kick looked rather vicious to his eyes.  Not to mention had he said that Weiss might have aimed a bit more centralized and higher…

"Well it looks about ready to land now."  Pyrrha stated happily eyeing the bullhead on its landing pattern.  Bundled up as she was it was hard to recognize her.

"Guess your eager to get back behind some walls with heating."  Kate kidded from her side.

Pyrrha chuckled "I was tempted to wear the thermal clothing from our trip.  That stuff actually managed to keep me warm… though it would look beyond ridiculous here."

"That it would."  Nora couldn't help but agree.

"Though I still don't understand how you folks can walk around in a sweatshirt with that wind.  You Cadian's must just have thicker skin than us mortal folk."  Ren stated with a wink at his girlfriend.

"That or just thicker blooded…."  Pyrrha gripped.

"Or thicker skulled."  Weiss suggested.

"Mule headed?"  Nora supplied.

"Ok ok I think we have beaten that well into the ground by now."  Jaune stated mid facepalm as their query finally sat down on the landing pad.

"About time."  The Reaper announced following the line in.

The group was able to get their luggage stored on the lower compartment easily enough.  However space on the craft itself seemed to be coming at a premium.

"Wow its filling up quick.  I don’t think we will all get on this one."  Jaune stated cautiously.

"Joy more waiting around in winter…"  Pyrrha complained with a pout.

"This is why I normally use a personal craft."  Weiss stated sagely.

"Well we will have to remember that for our next break."  Jaune stated diplomatically.

Turns out his prediction was an accurate one.  As the bullhead filled up it seems there wasn't enough seats for 3 people.

"Well… I guess we can just catch the next one."  Jaune said matter of fact.

"I don't want to leave you behind though.  Yang why don't you take my spot?"  Pyrrha suggested rising from her seat.

"Nah I think I will wait here with Blakey, I need to check on Bumblebee anyway."  Yang shook her head.

Pyrrha pouted seemingly torn out of loyalty to her partner and a desire to warm up.

"No that’s ok Pyrrha you go back and get warmed up.  This cold doesn’t bother me.  Just get our luggage back home that should be fine."

Pyrrha issued a shy smile as she sat back down again.

The three of them backed away as the bullhead doors swung shut.

Jaune was about to turn find a place to sit before the pilot issued a warning "It will be awhile before I can return.  Figure at least a few hours.  Need to get these people dropped off and refuel so it won't be a short wait."

"Thanks for the warning."  Blake stated with a wave.

Raising a hand Jaune watched the bullhead take off with a whine then head off towards the tower in the distance.

"Here is where I would make a joke about how even a Duke can be the odd man out… but I suppose I did volunteer to stay behind."  Jaune stated flatly watching the craft slip further and further away.

Yang chuckled and gave him a pat on the back "Way to toss that authority around eh?  You know I still haven't gotten used to the idea of you being a noble."

Jaune chuckled "It doesn't mean as much as many would claim."

With a quiet purr Blake turned around and advertised "Well… I think lunch is on the table.  Plus I could always drop by a book store."

"Of course, first thing on the kittens mind is fish."  Yang joked.

With a devilishly innocent purr Blake retorted "Not always."  Before strutting away.

Jaune moved his vision between Yang and Blake several times as the Brawler seemed rooted to her spot rather spectacularly.

Snapping his fingers inches from her nose finally seemed to get her attention.

"Glad to see you back with us Yang."

With a shrug Yang could only supply "What can I say?  Kitty-cats are super-effective against me."

"If you insist."

Smiling now Yang started walking away with a nice impression of her typical brazen confidence "Well I need to check on my baby then I might see about finding the kitten.  You behave yourself now!"

Half smiling Jaune turned back towards the bullhead.  By this point it was probably a quarter of the way there.  The estimation of at least a few hours was probably an accurate one.  Well… what to do then?

I could go get something to eat but the 3 of us might do that later.  What to do what to do…

Around this time a rather silly idea popped into his mind…  He did promise his girlfriend he would try to level the scales between her and his twin.  While he doubted this idea would do the job… it might get everybody to laugh about it.  That is probably the best he could hope for.

As such having decided he pulled his hands into his coat pockets and set off towards his destination.

***  Custom Motor Hotel Spa and Resort ***

It took Yang the better part of her trip towards the garage where her bike remained to clear her head enough to begin whistling a happy tune.  She still was unsure how Blake did it but every now and again the kitty-cat would do something that ticks all her boxes to the degree she could scarcely think of anything else for a time.  Not that she really objected mind… Blake was a scrumptiously delightfully sexy individual to think about after all. 

Hence the 15 minute delay in clearing her thoughts… she was perfectly happy being that sort of distracted all things considered.

The name of her destination -Custom Motor Hotel Spa and Resort- was a rather obtuse name.  It did offer more high end care, pampering if you will, for most vehicles.  In her case all that would be her destination is a simple garage where her baby girl waited under a tarp.

Sadly she hasn't had the time to tinker with the ole girl as much as she typically would prefer.  In the end… dealing with custom built parts and pieces.  Putting them all together always striving for perfect efficiency and ever improving performance never really spoke to her. 

That was always more her sisters deal. 

That isn't to say that she doesn't enjoy it to some extent.  She did build her own weapons after all and for the most part built her own bike too.  She just always found more enjoyment in the after effects.  It might be a bit vain, but if she were a painter she would paint so she could show off the painting.  Not because painting brought her a tremendous amount of joy.

In her case show off the painting translated to drive around as recklessly fast as possible pushing those custom parts to their limit. 

It was something she hasn't been able to do all that often, but she still liked checking in as often as she could.

"Hey there BB, how's my girl?"

Yang to this day didn't know why she liked talking to her bike… it might be something Ruby threatened to put her in the house for.  But to her mind it made no less sense then talking to your weapon.

Removing the tarp revealed the rather large black and yellow 'lady muscle' bike known as Bumblebee.  2 large tires made the bike equally suited to both off and on road usage though the build being low to the ground and forward meant off road would likely be hard on the user.

"Everything still where it should be girl?"

One of the many things her bike had through which she was immensely grateful was a simple port near its left grip.  Simply plugging in the appropriate module in and a diagnostic computer could give a simple yes or no if everything is reporting in correctly. 

This is hardly groundbreaking as it is common place with most technology nowadays but even so Yang remained proud of herself for installing it correctly as a younger girl.

"Seems all this downtime hasn't been hard on you.  Don't worry girl this time I will take you with me and we can have fun over the summer!  I guess that’s one of the few good points of owning the house myself.  Nobody to tell me 'no' about putting you in the garage."

Looking down and away she found herself not quite ready for her own joke.

"That hit harder than it should have…"

Shaking her head she decided to do more than what was planned.  Closing the shutter and swapping out a coat and gloves with more oil friendly garments she decided to pretend to be an engineer for the day and work her way through her frustration.  Each nut and bolt as they come.

*** Still not believing he was about to do this ***

Jaune felt several stages of silly as he went his way to a rather peculiar store.  His first… and hopefully only time he would have to make this trip.  Though he had to admit it was much more pleasant on the inside than the view from the road would suggest.

By fate or by chance he seemed to follow Blake for the majority of his trip.  Seems the book store she frequents and his destination were right across the street from each other.  Not like that was planned after all but it was nice to know he wasn't totally in the wrong side of town.  She probably noticed him given her being a faunus and all but if she did, she made no visible effort at making him know it.

The store that was his destination sold leather clothing.  Though… he really hoped he wasn’t making a mistake in coming here based off the products on the walls.  He only gave a quick glance at them given he really didn’t feel at home in this shop.

"Hello welcome to Unorthodox where nothing is ever what you expect yada yada yada how can I help you?"

The speaker was a rather tall and somewhat attractive girl.  Though her dress would put her in a somewhat uh… gothic nature.  Ear piercings along with other various instruments were visible as was her figure given the tight black leather suit she wore.  Seeing her lazily stand behind the counter giving as much attention to him as her scroll made him envy how much weight his name carried back at home.

Deciding the best way of getting in and out of here as quickly as possible would be to just ask… he decided to go with it.

Clearing his throat he took a breath and asked "I hope so… I am looking for a uh… gift."

She seemed to take the statement at face value enough to actually looking at him.  After a couple seconds of consideration she placed her hands on the countertop and asked "What type of gift?"

With a nervous smile he concluded "A gag gift."

Smiling now she continued "The best kind.  What specifically are you looking for?"

He looked around the store another time briefly just to see if he could spot what he was looking for.  Failing a second time he declared "A uh… collar I guess you could say.  Like ahh, for a dog but a human, with a bell on it."

Laughing and clapping her hands briefly she excitedly declared "Oh I like it!  For a special lady I assume?"

"Sister actually."

He stopped and thought a second time after saying that before face-palming in hindsight.

"Well… I was never one to judge another."  She stated evenly beginning to lose interest.

Shaking his head he tried again "Like I said it’s a gag gift.  The bell is to help keep track of her.  She has this nasty habit of following me around without me knowing."

She held his gaze for a half second before giggling in a way that made him curse the entire female gender.

"So it's a gag gift for your sister.  What is to stop her from taking it off?"

He shrugged "Nothing I guess.  Humiliation isn't my goal, just a laugh."

"Sure, sure.  Just a laugh with a side of obedience right?"

Lowering his face into his hands again he could only groan.

_At this point I doubt I will ever get out of here alive._

"Is that something you can make or do you sell it?"  He asked.

Unable to help herself she could only state "I think you might like to try a pet store… that seems to be what you are looking for!"

_This is getting me nowhere._

"I think I will be on my way.  Glad you enjoyed a laugh."  Was all he could say as he turned to leave, the happy store clerk still giggling behind him all the way.

"You know what… there are better ways to do this.  I think I should be able to find something around here." 

Unsure what to do at this point he mostly just stood around letting his annoyance fade while trying to relax.

It was then he spotted a familiar but unexpected sight… and figured he had worse ideas than following along.

*** Following her nose ***

Blake would have had to been seriously ill to not notice Jaune following her a fair distance away.  She never believe he was in fact pursuing her… but he did make all the same turns.  It was mostly for curiosities sake that she went into her favorite book store. 

She never expected to find anything that she needed much less anything she wanted.  Her vacation to Cadia meant she was well stocked up on her favorite past time.  Filling some much needed holes in her collection and supplying various works that she didn’t anticipate having a chance to obtain.

When Jaune left the store across the way she more or less had her curiosity satisfied.  He didn’t buy anything, what he was looking for she could only guess but if she was forced to make a wager.  It would be on either Pyrrha… or his twin.  Something either of them could use.

Her stomach reminded her that it was time for some tuna, and given the relatively close proximity to her favorite tuna stop she considered sending a message to her friends in town to meet for some chow.  She even had her scroll out and numbers primed.

That was when she was forced to take a breath and pause.

The street outside was crowded.  People packed moving in both directions made it difficult to follow any one specific person without a rather significant amount of luck. 

Which is why the hairs on the back of her neck started to raise, her cat ears stood at full alarm and she seemed rooted in place.

For one terrible moment, they locked eyes.  One she once parted ways with when they no longer walked the same trail.  One who taught her a great deal and helped her along as a child.  Sadly they were no longer on speaking terms.

So in that instant where their eyes found each others, and he had the nerve to smile… it was rather nerve shattering.

She burst through the door alert, torn between evacuating to safety and following him with equal measure.

"What to do… what to do…" 

Trying to remember her Huntress training, the first thing she did was take a calming breath.  Never being one to be rash or reckless.  Always quick to caution, Blake decided to do the brave thing.  She had no reason to assume violence.  It is possible a talk would prove all that was needed and then the matter would be settled.

Unable to use her ears given the number of people in the street, she had to rely on her eyes and sense of smell.  After vanishing into the crowd her target had not shown himself again.  Though…

:Sniff…. sniff:

That scent… he hasn't changed after all this time…

Her feet began her moments well before she convinced herself to do it.  Like a hunter keeping the prey in line even if it wasn't in sight she navigated the growing crowds following along.

Measured and controlled yet as quickly as she could ducking in and out of crowds she continued to search for her query.

_Why the hell would he show up now?  He knows full well why I left the White Fang, I told him so!  If he has come back to recruit me he is going to be very disappointed._

Continued navigation around all these bystanders granted more time for unwanted thoughts to creep their way inside.

_Ok ok lets not think like that Blake.  Maybe what Jaune mentioned over the break is right and there was serious consequences with White Fang leadership?  If that is the case maybe he needs my help to clean out the organization?_

_If so…. maybe I should consider his offer._

_Where the hell is he going?  Maybe he didn't even want me to follow?  Where is he going?  What am I doing?!_

Continuing to pick her way forward brought her to a very crowded area of town near the main highway ramp.  Mostly suited for commerce the scent lead her towards… a bank.  Rather plain on appearance none the less a simple branch.  People were conducting business or personal transactions seemingly like any other day.

_Ok Blake… he wouldn't be going inside.  He was never one to do that.  Maybe this is to make me feel safe?  All these people around, very public setting.  It just doesn’t seem right he is here to attack me…_

As she continued to search along the room she finally found her query.  Towards the back of the bank, standing in plain sight.  Dressed in his typical black clothing, though at the moment he carried neither his mask or his sword.  He gave a playful half wave in her direction before vanishing behind the structure with a lazy spin.

Something about that spin caused her to slow down… the long thin black case that was his sword sheath, finally coming into view.

_Do you really think he sought you out NOT to threaten you?  To go back over everything we have already said?  Why even lure you away here?  What is he doing Blake come on you are smarter than this!  Even if this isn't a trap you shouldn't go in there without backup!_

_What are you playing at Adam?_

Shaking her head viciously she found herself moving forward again, granted a bit slower than her previously heated movements after him.  Thankful she kept Gambol Shroud close, though she kept it sheathed for a moment if for no other reason he had only shown his weapon… not actually drawn it.

Finally reaching the corner he disappeared around, she spared a moment to study her surroundings and spotted him without any real difficulty.  Leaning against an external strut from the building arms crossed otherwise looking down towards the ground.

Taking a deep breath or two Blake found herself moving towards him until she was leaning against the same strut, just on the oppose side.  Once in place she found out why he had chosen the spot.  Mirrors were arranged in such a way that both could see the others face, while not actively appearing to know each other.

_Clever…_

"So you followed me I see."

His rich and somewhat menacing voice speaking without preamble took her a bit off her game.  To the point she would swear she was hearing….

_No just my imagination._

"Why did you bring me here Adam?"

If he was going to be blunt, so would she.

Grinning slightly back he seemed to evaluate his one time ally before responding "No time for small talk?"

"Not anymore than you anyhow.  It has been years since we last worked together I doubt either of our views has changed, why are we here?"

It was hard to hold his gaze, though in forcing herself to, it seemed to gain his respect.

"The time has come to choose a side Kitten.  Your family needs you back."

Something about how it was said caused Blake to look away briefly.

_Why am I still having this conversation shouldn't I be alerting the authorities?  This is a known White Fang Officer of the violent kind!  What am I doing here?!_

"I have chosen one Adam.  The one that doesn’t end with genocide on either side."

"Such a compromise is no longer possible, history has seen to that time and again."

Putting some steel to her voice Blake bit back "Compromise is always possible as long as people are willing to listen."

"Listening in inaction is what allowed Faunus everywhere to be treated like second class citizens!  It is a mark on the path of weakness which we have already walked before."

Deliberately taking a deep breath Blake stalled the conversation.  Both to keep her own thoughts in line and give him a chance to cool down.  Both agreed that Faunus had been mistreated by society as a whole but blaming all of humanity for the actions of a few is something Blake refused to do.  Where as if it got the results he wanted… Adam was fine with it.

"You didn't bring me here to argue about this again I hope.  What do you want?"

Pulling himself fully upright he spoke on via a half smile, keeping his voice quiet and barely audible.  Yet another measure for taking advantage of Blake's senses.

"I have been moving up in family Kitten."

Blake twitched slightly at the term family… but otherwise continued to listen.

"This last year has been interesting.  A masterstroke really.  So many of our organization died in that fiasco last winter.  I never thought I could be happy with the death of so many of my Faunus brethren."

Scowling hard at him Blake hissed out "What could possibly make you happy about that incident?  It was an embarrassment to everything the White Fang used to stand for!  Violence?  Acts of terrorism is NOT the organization I once served in!  Not if it expects me to serve again."

He chuckled "Believe it or not most of the Fang who served in that operation where those most open to talk.  Very much so by design."

Blake's mouth opened partially seeing where this could lead.

"Many of our officers and most experienced operatives were present.  All planned out by that pompous nobleman-"

_Jaune's father?  He is still with the Fang?_

"The plan they were told was not to kill that rich pup or his friends, but rather to capture them if possible, kill them otherwise.  It was remarkably easy in hindsight, many of them acted as if they truly believed those orders.  I think on the inside they knew better."

"They killed a great many people, too many for me to believe they went there hoping to take captives."  Blake hissed out in a whisper.

Chuckling as if he was amused made him appear a bit piteous in the mirror.

"It ultimately doesn’t matter if you believe me or not.  They are now gone and the voices of those more open to discussion have nearly died out with them.  Pompous as he is that nobleman came up with a good plan, I have to give him that.  Of course that meant many on hand had to be willing to go to great lengths in the event those of us in the know, had to perform some nasty business."

Playing back the memory in her mind she did remember both Jaune and Nora taking wounds to the leg…  Maybe the woman wasn't really the leader, she was just somebody trying to follow orders.  I doubt she was one of those open to talks.  Maybe she was just acting to keep those following her believing in the plan by trying to wound them?

Continuing on as if proud of his part "You don't understand the plan, it doesn’t matter.  You aren't sure if you believe me, again it doesn’t matter.  Regardless of if I am lying to you or not none of that matters.  Your friends fought well, escaped our trap and caused every non-essential person to … cease breathing.  Strengthening our cause in the process."

"You act as if you have some secret knowledge of that entire operation."  Blake accused.

"I was there Kitten.  I was one of those doing the massacring when it failed.  Me, the woman and a few others."

Not wanting to believe that she paused before organizing her thoughts.

"Why would you do that?  Those men and women followed orders they served faithfully regardless of moral obligation killing them in cold blood is not right!  Not because they disagree with you about how the Fang should act!"

Stomping his foot firmly caused Blake to recoil slightly.

"The ends have always justified the means!  Their loss meant new leadership was needed!  I am nearly where I need to be to avenge the wrongs we once sought to correct.  We always knew it could get nasty in parts I am simply willing to get my hands dirty to make change."

"I have said all I need to say on the matter.  I will not be a part of it."  She asserted.

"Your Fang brethren-"

Acting in a huff and nearing the end of her patience Blake spat out:

"Stop calling them my family.  Any organization that chooses violence over principles will not have my support.  Peaceful change that is what I strove for! Peaceful solutions THAT is what I wanted and what I helped to build!  You are choosing blood over anything else and I will not be a part of it!"

_What the hell is that sound?  I swear its regular…._

"Enough!"  His voice actually broke the quiet speech they had using his full voice for the moment.

Barely able to focus on him she continued to swear at a sound in the background.  She might not be as crazy as she thought.  This spot might not be entirely friendly.  Having had some time to look around now she thought she spied Fang agents in the crowd… she could be surrounded and not even realize it.

"You will come with me again now, I think we both know that!"

Suddenly understanding how Yang feels when she gets rolling Blake exposed her teeth in her angry retort.

"I will have nothing to do with you!  I came here hoping you had came to your senses, that you were going to fight against the evil in the Fang but if this is what you have become I will not join you willingly or no!"

He laughed and pulled out a small box "Oh I very much doubt that."

He smirked.

_That sound… that….!  It’s a bomb counting down!_

"You recognize that sound now do you?  Join with me, I will disarm it.  Refuse…. well... you can guess what happens I am sure."

The seconds seemed to draw on for an agonizing amount of time. 

"You intend to hold a bomb over me for my assistance?  What type of ally would either of us be then!"  Blake hissed out still searching for the source.

_Where is this Bomb!  Where?  What?_

"You won't find it in time Kitten give me your decision now or have it made for you."

Her eyes and ears frantically searching everyone and everything she could give her attention too, Blake knew it was close.  She knew now going with Adam is not an option, but neither is letting that bomb explode in a somewhat crowded public area. 

"Make your decision Kitten."  He gloated confidently.

Like a call from a long forgotten friend the voice cut through the crowd like a gale, though she doubted the speaker intended to have that effect.

"Hey Blake, everything ok?"

Turning across her body she spotted her friend… Jaune.  Evidently she had been followed and was simply too distracted to notice.  Her breath hitched in her chest as she seemed to have a weight sitting on her. 

Spotted nearby was the source of her distraction… a briefcase.  One she saw him carry, beeping as if in the last seconds of a countdown.

Suppressing the fear and anything else she might have been experiencing Blake made for the blinking briefcase.  Several other Blake's appeared and made their own path upwards.  One jumped up a single level and leapt again into the air.  A second climbed the tallest building nearby and again jumped as high as possible, all the while another image ran for the potentially deadly object on the ground.

In the span of a couple seconds the image of Blake on the ground picked up the case and heaved it upwards and away.  Changing bodies with her nearest body double the airborne Blake caught the case before twirling and launching the case higher still in the air.

The highest image caught the case and once again tried to get it further into the air. 

Too distracted by the ceased beeping Blake was unable to focus and switch back to the safety of the ground.  As if happening in slow motion the case exploded mere moments after leaving her hand the final time.

Yet it was not a deadly blast that awaited her.  No this was a noxious and rather foul neon green dust cloud.

From his spot on the ground Jaune could barely follow along.  One moment Blake is talking with a stranger the next she picks up and heaves a briefcase near him and by way of her mirror semblance air lifts the object about 100 meters into the air.  All in the span of a few seconds.

However once that cloud appeared his surprise made way for concern.  The instant that green cloud touched his friend all other images vanished and she started to fall.  As if it was disabling her aura somehow.

"Oh no!  Blake level yourself out!"  He screamed running to try and get below her, only to find that mysterious friend blocking his path.

"Can't let you do that princeling, step back."  He stood there carrying his sheath in one hand and White Fang Mask in the other, cocky smile ruling his visible features.

Having exactly zero time or patience to explain himself to anybody carrying that mask Jaune did the one thing this guy probably did not expect.  He charged up his fist with a bit of aura and did Yang proud with a right cross square to his face.  Doing an admirable job of clearing the walkway in the process.

Running forwards Jaune didn't even look back to see how quickly his target recovered.  Sadly even his efforts to force the issue turned out not to be enough.  Blake was simply too far away and crashed ripping through an external pillar in the process.

"BLAKE!"

Not thinking further he sprinted forward to help however he could.

*** Groups Dormitory ***

"I think some hot chocolate is in order."  Ruby declared from the kitchen.

Pyrrha smiled into a toothy grin…

"You know what, that sounds great."  She agreed.

"Need help?"  Weiss asked from her chair in the living room.

"Nah I think I got it."

Pyrrha shuffled forwards to a spot near her to relax a bit.  Now that everybody had their luggage back in its place more and more folk were starting to wander back towards the living room. 

"Don't feel bad about leaving Yang and them behind?"  Nora queried sitting next to her teammate.

The Spartan grinned "I didn’t leave them behind.  They volunteered, besides it was a lack of space not anything else we could have done."

Vaulting over to land in her spot Kate joined the gathering.

"How do you do that and not make a sound?  That shouldn’t be possible." Weiss protested.

Kate shrugged  taking a sip of her drink "I don’t think about it I just do it.  It is rather hard to explain, but you just gently and gradually spread out your weight along the floor.  That’s the best I got."

"Here you go Pyrrha."  Ruby stated.

Looking up she accepted the warm beverage "Thank you."

Ruby took a spot next to Weiss as she asked "I wonder what they have going on in town?  The Bullhead should be heading back by now I would expect."

"Well I dunno, we should probably ask Kate.  Use those twin senses of hers."  Ren stated playfully.

Kate seemed a bit distracted looking away slowly lowering her cup.

"Kate?  What are those twin senses saying?"  Pyrrha asked giving a nudge with her foot.

After allowing several seconds for an answer Ren gave her a playful poke in the rib.

"Kate?  Everything ok?"  He asked.

Standing abruptly she declared "We need to leave, get your gear."

Blinking at her in disbelief Pyrrha asked "Kate?  What's wrong?"

Kate moved quickly towards her dorm as she answered "Just trust me something is wrong.  Get your get your gear we need to move."

Pyrrha just exchanged confused looks with everybody else present before standing "Kate would you slow down what is going on?"

She took no more than 3 steps towards her friend before she might have received her answer.

Muffled as it was by distance the echoes were still made abundantly clear.  Even if it wasn't the sight of explosions sounding off in town from the kitchen window in the town beyond made for an eerie if disconcerting sight.

"That… doesn’t look good."  Ruby declared reaching for her scroll.

"The town… it was so packed today."  Weiss stated thoughtfully.

"I hope Jaune wasn’t involved-"  Pyrrha began.

"Guys HUSH!!"  Demanded the local Team Leader.

"I'm getting a Beacon SOS from the town… any bets on that being Jaune?  We gotta go."  Ruby declared putting her scroll on her belt.

Finally moving beyond their inaction they found themselves walking with purpose towards the door.

"Don't have time to get into our gear… really just need to grab our weapons and get at it."  Nora conceded noting Pyrrha staring at her armor case.

"Think we should carry Jaune's stuff?  He isn't even wearing his bracer right now."  She asked clearly worried about him being weaponless at present.

Ruby poked her head in the door and declared "I just got a message from Ozpin.  He needs us to get into town and see what's happening.  It seems we are the first upper class teams to get back.  He needs us get there asap, both our teams."

"So we are just going to take a bullhead and home in on that SOS?"  Ren guessed hurriedly getting his weapons set in their holsters.

Ruby nodded seemingly back in leader mode "Well we have been instructed to get to town and see what's happening first but yeah that generally the plan."

"What about the people?"  Weiss asked after getting her weapon on its place at the hip.

"Local's are taking point with that and Beacon can send more help if its needed but Ozpin wants some of his own people on the ground.  The fear is it’s a White Fang action."  Ruby answered twirling her scythe around before setting it on her back.

Seeing the that everybody had turned to her, Ruby wasted no further time.

"We need to hurry guys lets go."  She declared.

Ren and Pyrrha both grabbed some extra clips on their way out, but all agreed it was in fact time to go.

*** At Bank ***

He spotted the familiar cat-ears and black hair of his query within moments of reaching the now broken pillar, though… she was not moving.

"Blake you alright!?"  Jaune barked out heaving with all he could to clear the rubble on top of her.

His frantic movement led him to his teammate.  Taking that fall without the protection of her aura would not be a fun task.  Somewhat luckily it seems the pillar broke her fall midway.  Though that isn't to say she looked good.

One of the smaller points finally gave way and topped off to the side.  Moving on to another piece he prompted:

"Blake c'mon say something."

Coughing lightly she managed to squeak out:

"Meowch…."

_Well she can't be dying if she is using a Yang esque pun right now…_

"Really?  A pun?"  Jaune asked failing to move the biggest part of the pillar off her leg.

Coughing meekly she gave a pained smile "It was the first thing that came to mind."

Jaune briefly considered igniting in his semblance to try and brute force the pillar away… but another push caused a rather pained yelp from his wounded friend.

"AHGH!  Don't!  Don't do that!  My leg… I think..."  She struggled up to look down at her leg briefly before falling flat again.

"Yeah my leg is broken.  I can't feel it at all."

"Well if you can't feel it how do you know it's broken?"  Jaune stated as a reflex before angling his sight down a bit…

… and quickly changed his tune.

"Ok your right… the leg is broken."  Taking a moment to think about what to do next he didn’t notice the sound of a sword unsheathing.

"I warned you not to do that."

The voice was cold and full of menace, the two friends shared a glance briefly before Jaune fully turned around.  The man had decided to don his mask and no longer looked at all amused.  Though he did brandish that weapon like he knew how to use it.

"Adam I told you I will not go with you!"  Blake exclaimed as loudly as she could.

Pointing his sword at the male across from him he replied "This has nothing to do with you Kitten.  This one struck me.  I cannot let that pass."

"You have some ego if you think every time something happens you don’t like the world owes you a favor."  Jaune stated evenly as his eyes searched the area.

His visible features hardening further Adam moved his sword to the ready position "I wonder if you will speak this freely once I remove an arm of yours?  That normally stops smart talk."

When Jaune grinned at something in the background Adam seemed completely off his game.

"You know what else tends to stop smart talks?"

Adam made a quick hand motion and cut in with:

"I have no time for your games-"

Before being cut off himself with:

"-I have no time for your terrorism or senseless brutality.  Yet I seem to have no choice but to entertain them."

Blake could scarcely believe that this guy standing up too and staring Adam down was the same guy from the start of her Beacon career.  The fact he was doing this without a weapon of any kind really spoke to how brave Jaune truly was.

"Boy, you are an expert in making things worse I'll grant you that.  By all means keep going."

Jaune's grin somehow deepened.  "Answer my question, and I will entertain you."

Adam seemed to smile as he answered with "What tends to cut smart talk short?"

Diving to the side to try and shield Blake however he could Jaune shouted back "Angry motorcycle drivers!"

From above the din or chaos of the crowd and the panic it seemed to cause the loud roar of Bumblebee operating at peak performance finally made herself known.

Colliding with the sword wielding Fang Officer, sending him spinning overtop in the air and forcing several behind him Jaune barely even noticed to dive for cover Yang arrived on the scene sending a torrent of explosive shotgun rounds at anything that moved.

"Damnit Yang not at me!"  Jaune chastised as a couple shells hit closer than he would typically prefer.

"Did somebody call for the cavalry!?"  Yang screamed leaping off her bike to run at her friends still firing off shells at whatever she could.

Across the street several other individuals, now seen plainly as wearing the same red based mask associated with White Fang members were partially helping and partially restraining Adam.

"We need to leave more will arrive soon!"  A nameless one declared.

"Not without completing the mission!"  Adam demanded whist remaining unable to overpower those towing him away.

"The mission was the bombs not your games!  We are leaving now.  Join us or leave on your own."  The same one spoke before jumping in the back of a van and screaming away down the street.

Yang seemed highly confused quickly swapping her vision between Jaune and the guy with the sword visible in the back of the van before it vanished around the corner.

"Ok what did I …. miss."  She finally looked down at her Partner/girlfriend.

"Oh Sh… Blake are you ok?  What happened? Did he?"

Her eyes quickly escalated to her trademarked angry red as she reloaded her gauntlets.

"Yang, I am ok.  How did you get here?"  Blake asked quietly.

Acting as if she barely heard the question Yang grunted "My scroll picked up an SOS… I was nearby with my bike and just decided to get here."

"GET DOWN!"  Jaune yelled tackling Yang to the ground.

Several bullets fired from above cut a line through the plaza and nearly hit all 3 of them.

Yang pulled around ready to fire off another shell before deciding against it given the distance to its target.  But could not help but notice the same mask wearing people screaming away down the highway or the fact one of them carried an automatic rifle to try that pot shot.

"Those are Fang members.  We need to chase them this is a good chance!"

"Yang that is too risky!"

"Our job is risky!  They have been silent for months and now we have a chance to take out or capture some of their members!  We have to go!"  Yang demanded.

Blake caught her ankle and halted her movements briefly.

However… she just couldn’t bring herself to forbid her partner from going.  Part out of duty and partly because if their situation were reversed… she would want to do the same thing.

"Just be careful."  She demanded letting go.

Walking away confidently Yang declared "I am always careful."  Ending with a wink.

Jaune seemed unsure what to do… torn between helping the wounded and going with Yang.

"Jaune."

He didn’t hear her speaking.

"Jaune!"  This time gripping his collar and pulling him down Blake sent a blood chilling glare directly into his being.

"I will be fine help is on the way but do NOT let my partner go after them alone!  Please!"

Jaune just blinked and hesitated.

Taking her weapon and shoving both it and him away she repeated eying Yang's progress a few feet away. "Jaune!  Please!"

"Jaune I am leaving in 3 seconds with or without you!"  Yang declared putting on her goggles.

Moving backwards initially Jaune nodded before turning around and sprinting towards the angry Brawler.

"Yang.  Wait Yang!"

Reaching the bike barely before Yang shot off like a rocket Jaune moved both his hands around her waist and held on for dear life.  Taking the upwards ramp towards the main highway they were quickly pushing Bumblebee to its limit trying to catch up to their query.

"You know, your girlfriend's ex really screwed my day up."  Jaune stated sarcastically.

"Yeah well… I am in the mood to screw somebody else's day right now."  She declared giving a glance down towards Blake below them.

"I doubt I need to remind you this is neither the safe or wise play."  Jaune advised.

"They hurt my girlfriend Jaune, could you just sit by if Pyrrha were wounded and her attackers were within reach?"

Jaune took a deep breath briefly closing his eyes.  "No, I suppose not."

**A/N**

**Before you pull out your torches and pitchforks, take a breath.  This chapter ended up being way to big for a single chapter thus I have broken it into 2.  The second piece will be uploaded this afternoon.**

**Feel free to let me know what you think as ever.**

**-Sean.**


	50. Y3 Winter: Lost in the Crowd pt 2

3.24.2 Lost in the Crowd Pt 2.

***Beacon's away team***

Commandeering one of Beacon's deployment Bullheads was rather easy.  Upon receiving their official instructions from the headmaster himself the group lacked no motivation towards getting into gear as quickly as possible.  The sight of the town however… well that was a much difficult thing to bear.  Not just because of the emotional significance but the literal smoke made it hard to identify what was happening on the ground.

"This looks horrible."  Weiss stated eying the various fires.

"It could have been much worse than this.   The bombs were mostly centered around the finance sector.  If the Fang wanted to cause as many deaths as possible there are more lucrative targets than that."  Ren stated factually if sadly.

"Don't worry about the fires for the moment folks we have to find that SOS point.  The city has its supporters but finding that emergency hail is our priority right now."  Ruby broadcast as a reminder.

Weiss shared a glance at her, she knew it was hard for Ruby to say that.  Right now everybody had their job to do and theirs was track down that SOS, then make an educated decision on the next step.  Not the other way around.

Throughout it all Kate had her eyes glued like a hawk and, if Pyrrha didn’t miss her guess, was using aura to try augmenting her sight.  She had been this way ever sense they took to the air.

"Do we actually have proof the White Fang was responsible?"  Pyrrha asked setting a comforting hand on her friends shoulder.

Nora had continued to monitor any news on the area and answered "There have been eye witness' confirming those wearing their masks.  Take that however you will."

"Uh oh…"  Weiss stated looking at her scroll.

"What's wrong?"  Ruby asked moved back towards her.

In response Weiss held up her scroll on team display.

"Blake… her aura is gone and she is flashing seriously wounded."  Ruby stated with obvious concern for all to hear.

From up front the pilot declared "We are getting near that SOS.  I can't see anything with all this smoke though, how about you?"

As if in reply Katherine vanished from view utilizing her semblance.

"Uh… where'd she-"

Only to reappear a second or two later.

"Blake is down there, under one of those broken pillars."

Weiss seemed confused.

"How could you see her?"

Kate shrugged "The world looks different through my semblance.  I found her easily enough.  She is wounded and immobile but I think otherwise ok."

Ruby nodded and turned behind briefly.

"Pilot get us as low as you can!"

"I will try, no promises with all this smoke and the buildings.  Low as I can might not be much lower than this!"

While the pilot did his best to cope with the elements the team set to scouring the area looking for their other 2 friends.  With minimal success.

"I don't think Jaune is around here."  Kate stated sagely.

Pyrrha refrained from questioning her… when it came to the twins their instincts about the other are almost never wrong.  If she said Jaune wasn't nearby that’s basically all the proof she needed.

"Best I can do right here!"  The pilot announced.

Ruby looked down briefly and declared "Well we should be able to get back up here with an aura jump."

Switching her scroll to comlink mode she advised "Weiss and I will go down there.  Pyrrha setup shop up here for a bird's eye view.  The rest of you spread out on the rooftops, see if you can find anything interesting."

Dropping down with her partner neither waited to see how anybody else responded.  Instead they made for their teammate on the ground, gradually becoming visible the closer they got.

"Blake!"  Ruby shouted.

Blake had to look upside down to see them approaching from behind her but seemed to sigh in relief.

"Glad to see a friendly face.  The cat in me hates being trapped here."

"Well you can't be that bad if you can joke."  Weiss claimed closing the distance, though she stopped once something came into view.

"Uh… Ruby."  She said pointing.

Ruby seemed to be smiling when she started following her girlfriends finger… the smile seemed to vanish.

"Blake… your leg."  She said.

"Ruby listen to me, my leg can wait.  Yang and Jaune are off pursuing several Fang member's, believe me they will need help."

Ruby blinked "Wait what?  They chased them are they insane?"

Blake made a pained shrug "Yang was angry and I guess I guilt tripped Jaune into going with her.  Look you both need to get after them."

"Blake how?  We only had 1 SOS and it led us here."  Weiss asked.

Blake shook her head "Home in on my scroll.  When I convinced Jaune to go I slipped it into his pocket.  I doubt even he didn’t notice.  It should be sending out a signal as well.  Seriously you need to get going they are outnumbered enough as is and more might follow.  Just follow the highway that way and you should reach them soon enough.  You NEED to hurry, they have this new dust mixture.  It can disable the aura of anybody it touches.  That’s how I ended up like this."

Ruby paused putting her hands on her hips. 

"We must go after them, she is right."  Weiss insisted.

Ruby sighed "Yes I know."  _But I can't leave Blake here… not in this shape._

"I need you to stay here with her."

"Me?!"  Weiss objected.

"Yes you, you are the best suited with glyphs for help and given the town it might be awhile until she can get some proper medical aid."

"Ruby I think you are over estimating how effective my healing is, she needs an infirmary with proper medical assistance.  My glyphs cant substitute in for that."

Subtlety pulling her partner/girlfriend closer Ruby whispered "Weiss you are all we have right now.  Look around, help is stretched rather thin at the moment.  Her leg looks really bad.  Aura can only do so much I'm worry about it.  She needs your glyphs, it's all I have available for her.  I need to get going but I need you to stay here relay information with the tower and get her help soon as Beacon can send aid."

Weiss exhaled and considered… "Ok I should be able to help until Beacon can get a medical evac unit here.  Guess we get to see if that studying over break helped…"

Ruby nodded gratefully before gripping Weiss' hand gently, then pulled away and placed a finger to her ear stating over scroll chat "Kate, Ren come on down here."

Ren answered "On our way… what's up?"

Ruby jumped up to a building and set off to the hovering bullhead again.

"I need both of you and Weiss to stick with Blake."

"Why?  Blake just said Jaune might be in trouble!"  Kate objected.

"Yes and if more White Fang operatives are in town Blake or anybody else could be in trouble.  We can't overlook that more Fang actions could be in the cards, until more teams get back we are all the Headmaster can call upon.   Both of you should be suited to helping people until aid can arrive.  I was told to make an educated decision after getting more information and I have.  All this negativity might even lure Grimm or any other meanies.  You both understand?  Things might get worse here and people will need you."

The surprising amount of steel in her voice gave pause to any further objections, even Kate's.  As much as she wanted to help find her brother… she was also committed to being a team player.

"Give em hell when you find them for us ok Rubes?"  Ren stated landing on the ground near Weiss.

"Bring them home safe alright?"  Kate stated giving Pyrrha a concerned look before dropping down from her perch.

Pyrrha caught Ruby's arm mid jump and pulled her into the Bullhead as the pilot set out the new course everybody who was going in tow.

"Will do."  The Reaper promised.

"Good thing I brought these super shells."  Nora stated taking the time to fully load her grenade launcher having decided what should be loaded in.

"I think they might be useful soon."

***On the highway going way to fast ***

"Lean to the side!  Lean to the side!!!"  Yang barked out.

Jaune cursed under his breath and tried valiantly to follow instruction.

"I remind you I have not been on a bike before!  Leaning is a touch more than I bargained for!"  Jaune complained.

Making a sudden swerve to the side around a car they barely avoided the firepower coming from the Van.

Jaune despite being fully committed to helping Yang had to admit the longer this went on the more and more outnumbered they became.  What was 1 van became 3, to make matters worse there seemed to be no end to the amount of weapons or ammo they carried.  At this point the city might have to completely close the highway due to road damage from this event.

"You could at least fire back!"  Yang growled as a stray bullet whizzed by and seemed to scratch up the paint on her baby girl.

"Yeah sure like I know how to use this thing!  It isn't operated by aura like mine how the hell am I suppose know what I'm doing!?"  Jaune complained.

"HOLD TIGHT!"  Yang instructed.

Going into another steep curve to avoid the latest contraption they had to contend with… a rocket launcher.  Then another fired from a different van hitting altogether too close for comfort.

"I CANT HOLD ON ANY TIGHTER!"  He claimed hysterically.

After yet another dodge in the opposite direction Yang gave him a slight elbow.

"Jaune push the button for gun mode and fire!  Do something don’t let them shoot up my bike!"

"What is the gun button?!  There isn't a button labeled gun- WAAAHHGHH!!!"

Yang pulled the bike nearly parallel to the ground to slide under a semi trucks trailer dodging yet more firepower.

"IT’S A GUN BUTTON HOW DETAILED DO I… oh… oh right.  She changed that."

"She changed what!?"  Jaune screamed.

"The button that looks like a happy cat.  Push that!"

"A Happy Cat?!  What-  You know what I don’t want to know."

Bringing the weapon in front of him and fighting against the bumps in the road he had a more than complex time finding a switch that looked like a 'happy cat'.

To his mind they all looked like happy cats, all 4 buttons.

"Jaune just push it already!"  The Brawler implored firing off an explosive shell herself.

"FINE!"

Pushing the button and preparing to fire Jaune nearly died of embarrassment.  Instead of forming into its gun shape it rather went to jelly in its whip mode.

"At this point I am pretty sure I can hear even their drivers laughter…"

"THE HAPPY CAT JAUNE! Happy cat not the smug cat!" 

"What the hell is the difference-  WOAHOOOAAHH!"

Veering once again to the side they went airborne on a ramp nearly to land on top of one of the vans.  Another danger presented itself as she was equally in danger of falling off the highway entirely.  Thankfully a couple forceful explosive shells later and the pair was back on the 'safe' path once again.

"ROAD ROAD ROAD!!! The other way!"  Jaune screamed out before touching down without losing any speed.

"Damnit Jaune I don't know the difference just keep pushing buttons until you get a damned gun!"

Adopted sister Blake may be Jaune couldn't help but curse everything about her feline mind at the moment as he continued to push away at buttons showing the multiple forms her hand crafted weapon entailed but still failing to find its gun module.

"HERE LET ME LEND YOU A KNIFE!"  One of the Fang members stated throwing a knife at the pair.

He missed… but that was hardly the point.

"Jaune you are specifically being mocked for being unable to use a gun by a guy with a knife in a gun fight… I think you should contemplate that for a moment."

"HA!"  Jaune announced with the weapon finally forming up to her automatic submachine gun mode.

"Finally!  Aim for-"

"The tires yes yes I know just… try to keep us level!"  He screamed impatiently already trying to line up a shot.

Sadly the road seemed to disagree with his aim.  He couldn't find any sights where they would normally be and its kick took him by surprise.

Several bursts later he had yet to hit anything.  But at least he caused the Fang drivers to try some evasive maneuvers of their own.

Keeping one arm tightly gripped to Yang he tried to raise himself up a bit to get a better angle on his target, noting the signs on the road as being partly distressing.

"Yang at this point we are going to outpace anybody coming to help.  A bullheads range isn't infinite and it won't be much longer till we aren't in Vale territory anymore but the wilds."

"Then I suggest you hit them promptly or otherwise force them to stop.  I aint stopping this bike until we get what we came for!"

He decided to not point out the obvious retort of running out of fuel forcing the issue… but instead just tried to focus on how best to do that.

Taking aim and firing yet more bursts he still could not hit those tires.

"Yang those tires might have some protection against bullets or maybe we are just too far away but I doubt I am going to damage anything with this thing."

Yang seemed to grunt as she replied "They might be.  I've hit the vans with a dust shell or two.  They seemed to only make them drive faster.  I doubt those bullets will do better."

Continuing to contemplate their dilemma as Yang made yet another extreme dodge Jaune came to a single conclusion.

"You need to get closer.  I will aura charge this thing a bit.  That should punch through whatever protection they have on those tires.  But I can't aim this thing with the road rocking, bouncing or whatever else we have going on."

"We might not have time for that Jaune, look."  Yang advise nodding forwards.

Looking beyond his elusive targets Jaune's spirits fell slightly "Oh… well that’s wonderful.  How long has a dock been there?  I don’t recall seeing that on a map."

The rapidly approaching sea port had all the impression of being rather quickly put together.  No boats were moored or visible on the horizon but if this is where they were running towards it can't be that critical to their operations.  Not if they intended to use it again.  A few twists and turns remained including one rather severe turn near the ramp off.  But they had less than a mile before the road would bring them back to ground level.

"Actually I'd say it’s the perfect opportunity.  As in the last one we have unless we want to fight all these guys at once."

Yang fired another shotgun blast to successfully hit the van to their direct front another time.  Still whatever protection it seemed to have was still holding strong.

"Your arm canon is one thing but you're dealing with bullets now.  You are sure you can hit them?"  She questioned settling in for a burst of speed flipping up a cover for a switch.

"Pretty sure."

"I was hoping for better than pretty sure." She lamented.

Jaune shrugged settling in behind her "That’s all I got.  With luck we can do some serious damage to the van.  Maybe even get it to spill over the side.  We can't fight everybody in all 3 vans at once Yang, those are horrible odds."

Yang gave him a brief smile over the shoulder "Well its bold its risky and seems dangerous.  I like it.  Just make sure you hit them.  I'll floor it after this next turn and give you your chance."

Readying themselves to act Jaune gripped tight trying to plan ahead… when he saw yet another unwelcome sight.

"We might be even more outnumbered than we figured." 

"What?"  She asked.

"On the horizon out to sea, I see a bullhead.  It could be bringing reinforcements or be trying to pick up these people.  Either way it's not good."

"Doesn’t matter, don’t have time to worry about it.  We are coming up on that last turn… you ready?"  Yang asked with her finger hovering over that switch.

"As ill ever be."  Within seconds his borrowed weapon began to glow and flash as it received his aura.

"Just hope this does the job…"  Jaune whispered firmly gripping down with his left arm.

"3… 2… NOW!"  Yang shouted finally hitting that switch.

If Jaune thought the sound of the motor was loud before he had no doubts about its potential for frenzied rumbling now.  Cranking the volume up to 11 the Bike lurched forward seemingly doubling in forward momentum gaining on their targets at an impressive rate.

"Here goes nothing…"  Jaune stated lining up a shot.

His finger was a hair's distance from pulling the trigger when Yang yelled out:

"DUCK!"

The bike swerved one way then immediately righted itself in another direction to dodge 2 streams of literal fire coming from the two enemy vehicles.

"Flamethrowers!?"  Jaune cried out hysterically.

"Take the shot now or never!"  Yang implored banking hard to the right to follow them down on the ramp.

Their turn had them come up practically within punching distance of the nearest Van.  This was not his original target.  But it was the only real shot he had if he actually wanted to hit something.  Bringing the weapon across his body another frantic dodge from Yang caused his arm to shift unexpectedly.

The end result is instead of focusing on the tires like he wanted it rather streamed across the open flank of the target.

"Damnit!"  He declared properly vexed.

"Guess we just have to fight them on the ground!"  Yang declared getting some distance from the vehicle.

"WHOA!"  Jaune screamed as that same Van hit the barrier between the edge of the road and even somehow vaulted over the rail entirely to fall helplessly at the ground below.

"Wow… guess you hit something important eh?"  Yang declared with a first pump.

"I guess-"

Something inside the van exploded with a sickly green cloud mid air and a second later a deafening explosion made quick work of whatever was nearby when it finally hit the ground.

Jaune seemed a bit somber through it all…

"Well… I guess we don’t have to worry about them."  Yang stated factually.

Shaking his head Jaune faced forward again and advised "That was the same cloud that disabled Blake's aura, or at least it looked like it.  Safe to say nobody in that van was likely to survive."

Reaching the end of the circular ramp they spotted the remaining 2 enemy vans near the entry doors on the makeshift port.  It didn't exactly look defensible but enough shipping containers were in place to provide ample cover.  Course that also meant that cover could be used against them.  Yang wisely slowed down, but Jaune felt it best to insist on the tactically sound calls.

"Pull over."  Jaune instructed.

"WHAT?!"  Yang demanded.

"Pull over this has trap written all over it.  We aren’t going in the front door and that’s that.  This is not some lame bar in town."  _Though only a fool would think we aren't being watched right now… I sure as hell would have a lookout posted.  Even if we can't see them I don't believe for a second they can't see us._

Yang was torn between a smirk and a smile… but decided to follow his lead.

"I'll stash BB in one of these bushes, I won't leave her in the open."

After deciding on a spot for her mechanical baby they tried to move as quietly as possible.

"Jaune we don’t have much time… look."  Yang advised pointing into the air.

"I noticed"  He replied.

The unknown bullhead from the open sea was nearly able to start its landing approach.  Time was clearly running out.

"Jaune we need to make a move."  Yang asserted.

"Yang we made a move.  We took out an entire team of operatives.  At least 6 of them with that van.  We are still facing 6:1 odds and that’s not even counting if any reinforcements are on that craft.  The smart play is not to engage here."  He claimed.

"Forgive me for saying so but to hell with that.  We drove all the way out here we need to do something."

"Again we did something.  Getting killed or captured serves nobody."

Yang seemed to head forward when Jaune decided to do something rash.

Gripping her upper arm and swerving her around he came face to face with her angry red eyes.

"Jaune-"

"Yang enough!  I get that you are angry!  Blake matters to me too but charging recklessly into this is NOT why she gave me this weapon.  We are huntsmen not hitmen, use your head!"

Yang seemed incensed… but after punching the ground and taking a deep breath she seemed a touch calmer, though her eyes did not revert to normal.  After looking away briefly she declared.

"We might have backup of our own." Pointing off towards the highway.

The Knight raised an eyebrow and followed her indicator to spot another bullhead approaching from the highway.  It was flying so low to the ground it's a miracle Yang managed to spot it at all.

"Well… maybe so.  Ok we go in but we go in carefully and quietly.  Follow me."

Or at least, that was the plan.  Several Fang members making themselves visible on the containers carrying various weapons made themselves known.

"Keep down and follow me!"  Jaune instructed trying to keep out of sight as they closed in.

"We know you are out here!"  One of them yelled cocking an automatic weapon of some form.

"Jaune we have a clear shot!  We should take it!"  Yang insisted quietly.

"NO!  Something tells me that is what they want us to do."

"I gave you credit for bravery on the drive over, showing yourself to be cowards now!"  The speaker declared.

"Keep moving."  He instructed keeping himself out of view.

"Jaune why-"

"Cause this is a distraction Yang!  They are obviously hiding something over here and they don't want us to see it.  I don't care what they do or say, ignore them!"

Yang grumbled something between an affirmative and a curse.  None the less she followed tight on his hip moving towards the back of the dock.

"Very Well!"  The speaker shouted.

"What now-"  He wondered.

"Oh no!"  She exclaimed.

On the speakers instruction another Fang member aimed a rocket at the bush where they had left Bumblebee and fired.

"Oh boy here we go…"  Jaune lamented trying to find the button to get Gambol Shroud back into a sword.

The explosion sent pieces of shrapnel and rock in every possible direction painting a rather clear picture of what happened to her mechanical baby. 

Jaune didn’t even try to hold her back, likely wisely determining he couldn’t at this point.

"You MONSTERS!"  Yang roared exploding into the aura energy of her semblance leaving cover and launching herself into the air.

Falling towards the container leading with a right cross at the nearest 'jerk' She could see Yang became this maelstrom of violent energy laying waste to anything in her path.

Hitting that first Fang member so hard he was lifted off the ground and keeping him there with subsequent hits she finally sent him spinning off the container with a spinning kick.

Raising her left arm into a block she intercepted a counter as her spin had her face forward again.  Rage removing any desire of fair play she possessed she gripped down on her next enemies wrist and violently impacted his elbow with her right arm nearly snapping his arm off his body.

Sending a knee into his face another was tossed off the container in the first few seconds of the engagement.

The remaining enemies seemed to gain their composure and attacked in a more coordinated fashion.  Not only stalling her offensive but striking her and successfully pushing her back.  Trading blows with the supposed leader of the group Yang sent him to his back with a strike squarely across his chin.  Sadly she took a counter for her efforts that managed to send her tipping over the edge herself.

Landing on the container one level down on her back she rolled to the side to avoid a Fang member from unleashing a torrent of bullets at close range.  Coming to rest gently on the ground she rolled her shoulders still ready and rearing for a fight.

Jaune came around the edge on the ground running quick as he could and took her arm.

"Follow me now!  Quickly!"

She followed along carefully reloading her weapons with whatever she could spare in the process.

"Keep moving we have to get to the other side."  He instructed.

"Jaune that would leave us in the middle with the enemy on the high ground on both sides!"  Yang instructed.

"I know."  He didn’t pause his movement.

"Jaune that is beyond my level of reckless that is suicide what are you trying to do?"  She demanded.

Keeping a firm grip on her arm he kept pulling her along as he answered "I do not have the time to explain it right now just trust me.  It won't be trap for us, but for them."

Cocking her weapons she solemnly stated "I hope your right…"

Yang did trust that tactical mind of his but in this case she couldn't see the sense of it.  This path literally has them surrounded on both sides.  She could even see Fang members from the interior courtyard follow along with their movements anticipating cutting them off.

"Jaune this is a really bad idea."  She repeated.

"Trust me it's so subtle they won't even see it coming."  He gave her a reassuring grin before issuing a happy  "Ah-HA!"  As he finally succeeded in getting Blake's weapon into its sword mode.

Her enthusiasm was quenched then their retreat was blocked off and another Fang operator spoke.

"Well I gave you credit for bravery and inventiveness but it seems you are also idiots.  This was about the worst decision you could make."

Looking up maybe 10 or so Fang members had their weapons trained on them from the raised position shipping containers allowed.

"If you surrender we might consider sparing your life.  Though I doubt I could promise you would remain completely whole.  Adam is against me even having this discussion with you."

"I would propose another option."  Jaune declared.

With a smile he could see on the ground the speaker… possibly the leader of the group laughed briefly "You are a bold one.  Go on then, this is interesting.  Let's hear it."

"You all surrender to me, and we won't blow you all into the next age."

As expected that resulted in nothing but several chuckling individuals above them.

"You will forgive me for not taking you up on that-"

"Get behind something… quickly and quietly."  Jaune whispered to his unsure ally nearby.

"- I fail to see you having any ability to threaten us."

Jaune shrugged "If you say so."

As if unsure whether or not Jaune had lost his mind the speaker shrugged and seemed to be prepare the order to eliminate them…

Right up until a high pitch whistle  seemed to pierce the air.

"Oh Crap… DUCK NOW!"  Jaune declared diving to the ground covering his head.

Following his lead they got the ground a fraction of a second before a massive explosion shook the earth sending shipping containers, crates and enemy combatants into the air with relative ease.  Several more shells rained down turning the rather plain dock into a pothole filled roadside mess in an instant.

"Help is here!"  Nora screamed out as she landed on the ground happily firing away at anything she could.

"Nora! Nora is your subtle help from earlier?"  Yang questioned comically standing up.

With a shrug Jaune answered holding up Blake's scroll "I was under the impression it would be something your sister cooked up.  Guess Nora won the argument."  _Or possibly didn’t even allow an argument…_

Now reviewing the battlefield it seems it was the Fang operatives who were trapped between Jaune with Yang, and the new arrivals.

"Get the plan now?"  Jaune stated igniting in his semblance.

Smiling Yang answered "I still have some frustration to work out."  Then she noticed the golden fire surrounding her body.

'This is going to be interesting'  She thought.

'Yes… yes it will.'  Jaune answered.

As the white light of his semblance spread through the battlefield he got a rather acute understanding of what's happening.

Finding Pyrrha with his thoughts he asked 'Blake, how's she doing?'

'Fine, we left help with her.  Weiss advised a medical evac unit is bringing her back to Beacon now.'  She answered.

'Good.'

Over scroll chat Ruby advised "We… I'm not sure what we are doing here.  What's the plan Jaune?"

Arriving in the somewhat open courtyard Jaune took a second to observe as the rest of his friends arrived on the ground.  Last to get down was Ruby herself… looking very surprised to see a silver flame around her body.

'Whoa I don't!  This is cool!'  she thought.

Jaune chuckled as he answered back in a way everybody could hear 'Well I really shouldn't be doing much fighting.  This … thing of Blake's and I just do not agree.'

Realizing most of the remaining Fang operatives were moving something onto the nearby transport Jaune decided to go with the obvious statement.  'Aim for those canisters.  They are the dust mixture that took Blake out of the game unless I miss my guess.  Be careful though they still outnumber us.  Don't engage in close quarters unless you must.'

As he instructed several more Fang members from the transport took up position around the dock.  It seems there were still many more of them than they were allies nearby.

Jaune successfully hit the 'happy cat' switch this time and found cover behind a collapsed crate.

'Where is that guy with the sword?  I don't see him over there.'  He broadcast over his semblance.

'Not sure.'  Yang answered.

In front of him Pyrrha Ruby and Nora all seemed to converging on the enemy transport.  Ruby and Pyrrha were even opening fire on targets downrange.

'Think you can get in range to hit the engines Nora?'  He asked moving up firing off a burst of firepower.

'Maybe… I can try-'

A shipping container next to Jaune literally was split in half revealing the sword wielding Fang member Blake was speaking to earlier.

"There you are."  He said.

Jaune backpedaled quickly as he could fumbling with the weapon trying to get it back into a sword.

'Jaune!'  Pyrrha screamed out over thought.

Cursing himself for not even wearing his bracer at the moment he did his best to dodge the measured sword strokes his adversary was directing at him.  Ducking down, leaning back or more movements quickly proved themselves to be necessary.

"You are a fool for bringing that weapon."  Adam declared rushing at him in an overhead stroke.

Jaune did a quick sidestep careful to avoid the blow and chose not to reply.  Even if he didn’t really disagree.

'Pyrrha keep focusing on those guys, I got this.'  Somebody advised before thundering closer towards the two males fighting towards the far side of the battlefield.

Jaune at least seemed to be able to avoid his enemies sword, but he wasn't able to do much more than that.  His borrowed weapon getting knocked out of his hand before he could switch it to a sword he was forced to play it very defensively.

"You interfered with my business today, I think it's time to draw this to a close."  He declared.

Moving now with purpose his sword took on an eerie glow.  Making an unexpected sword thrust Jaune only narrowly avoided it because he happened to slip over the body of a Fang member on the ground.

Smiling with some sadistic glee Adam made another stabbing  action.

Rolling to the side the deadly blade narrowly missed his shoulder, instead cutting into the body of his comrade on the ground.

Jaune kicked out striking him in the jaw and rolled away still unable to get to his feet.

All amusement now lost from his features Adam surprised Jaune, by throwing his sword at him.

Somewhat easily avoiding the spinning Katana aimed at him Jaune seemed unsure why Adam would do that.  Until a sharp pain in his leg revealed Adam now carrying Gambol Shroud in its sword form somewhat kneeling over him pushing the blade down with both hands.

"Finally, got you princeling.  Blake was kind enough to keep the order in place from before… kind of her."

'JAUNE!!'  Another scream from Pyrrha.

"Wondering why that aura of yours didn’t shield you?"

"No not really."  Jaune answered through pained teeth.

Twisting the blade Adam spoke "My semblances lets me bypass anything… troublesome semblances… particularly strong armor… anything, with any weapon I wield.  I had to endure your witticisms from early, now you can endure mine."

He twisted the blade again.  Jaune ignoring the pain best he could kept a mental tally of the battlefield through his semblance… as such he figured he knew the best action to take.

"I fear you will have to endure one more smart comment from me before the day is done."  He stated evenly.

Smirking Adam answered "What would that be?"

Jaune reached up and gripped Adams wrist holding him in place.  "Have a nice trip."

Adam appeared confused until he looked up, at nearly the exact moment Yang's uppercut connected with his nose.  Striking with such force Adam's glove was still in Jaune's hand while the man in question was sent spinning and twirling along the ground.

Pulling the weapon out of his leg he let his aura do its job as he stood.

'Well at least one good thing happened.'  Yang suggested.

Jaune winced as his leg got knitted together and rolled his shoulders 'Yes?'  He asked.

Looking back and winking at him Yang advised 'You finally got her weapon in sword mode!"

'Hardy Har Har very funny Yang.'

'Jaune!  Answer me are you ok!?'  Pyrrha screamed frantically over thought.

'I'm Fine! I'm perfectly fine.  My aura already has the wound healed up nicely.'

Jaune spotted Adam had recovered and had moved near the ramp of the transport.  Somehow he obtained what looked like a rocket aimed at Ruby and the others making progress towards them.

"Oh no."  He said.

'Everybody pull back get behind cover!' He roared over thought and ran forward quickly as he could.

Adam fired the weapon, and found himself surprised when Pyrrha was able to completely deflect it with her semblance into the sea.

"We must leave everything left is loaded!"  One of the Fang members near him stated.

Jaune just now got a somewhat good view of the craft.  It seems while he was occupied with Adam they had loaded whatever they were carrying into the transport.

With obvious reluctance Adam seemed to casually step into transport as the remaining White Fang personnel boarded.

Not quite through with the day however he still had something to say while the ramp closed  "HUNTERS!  THIS DAY IS NOT OVER!  THE FANG HAS A GLORIOUS PURPOSE AND NOTHING WILL STOP US.  GO BACK TO YOUR SCHOOL AND PRETEND YOUR ACTIONS HAD MEANING IF YOU MUST!  WE WILL RETURN MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER!"  With a snap the ramp clutched tight.

Jaune and Yang came to rest at the base of the dock joined by Pyrrha Ruby and Nora.  Pyrrha seemingly insisting at standing before all of her allies shield raised not allowing any further shenanigans on their part.

"Should I fire?  I could probably hit their engines from here.  Maybe even knock them out entirely."  Nora asked already aiming for a target.

Ruby shared a look with her fellow team leader… until they both sighed and Jaune shook his head.

"No Nora… I don't want whatever substance they have spilling into the water.  People depend on this area for drinking water, we can't risk contaminating it.  They got away this time."  He instructed as the enemy craft lifted off with a whine and screamed away faster than any other Bullhead he had seen.

Finally dropping out of his semblance Jaune found a nearby crate to sit down on.

"This has been a hell of a day…"  Jaune stated tiredly.

"You could say that…" Yang agreed finding a spot to rest.

"Are you sure you both are ok?  I mean you have tears and scrapes all over your clothing!"  Pyrrha inquired worriedly.

"Yeah and that road looked like it was through a warzone.  Seriously that was reckless!"  Ruby asserted.

"We might have been dealing with a less than healthy amount of firepower… nothing I couldn't dodge though."  Yang stated with a cocky grin.

"I wouldn't say that… you didn’t see all the hair of yours get hit with various rounds."

"They hit my hair!  Why didn’t you tell me?!"

"I was too busy looking for 'the happy cat.'"  He stated with a smile.

Ruby Nora and Pyrrha all shared a confused glance.

"What the heck is 'the happy cat' suppose to mean?"  Ruby asked.

With a sigh Jaune stood up "You can ask Blake for the best answer.  We should probably get back.  I am sure Ozpin will want to know what happened."

"Not to mention a certain kitty cat is going to need some friendly attention."  Yang agreed.

Moving as a group back to the nearby friendly bullhead… the next trip was much less exciting.

**A/N**

**And there we go, the full chapter.**

**As ever please provide me whatever feedback you have.  For a limited amount of time I have a commission slot open to use and I find myself unsure what exactly I should have put into picture format.  If you have an idea you feel is a good one hit me up.  I obviously can only do one image but I am interested in your suggestions.**

**As ever please review/kudos/comment/email/like/favorite/ blah blah blah your feelings on the story.  And I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	51. Y3 Winter: Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fallout of the White Fang attack on Vale is felt as the gang comes together in a crisis. Following that Blake is still left confined to a bed... a Cat faunus trapped to a bed? What a horrible fate for a kitty-cat to contend with! Maybe Yang to the rescue? Who knows.

3.25 Intervention

Thankfully the trip back was less stressful than the race to the dock.  Yang did take a few minutes to survey the wreckage of her bike, but it seems the White Fang's rocket was more than adequate to, well… do its job.  Yang ended up leaving the everything in place for the inevitable survey teams Beacon would send to study the location.  Jaune had half a mind to try and cheer her up, she spoke often of her bike always in a fond manner.  But, well Yang was never all that clingy of a person and probably was just making a mental list of what changes she would make in her next bike.  Whenever she had the chance to build it.

By the time they returned to Beacon all that anybody really was able to do was get some much needed dinner, clean themselves up and head to bed.  Many of them wanted to visit their injured friend, but as they learned Blake was undergoing some type of treatment on her leg and as such they would have to wait until the morning to see her.  Jaune knew as a team leader he needed to make the trip even if he didn’t want to as a friend.

So it was that after their morning workout he showered, and proceeded to do his thing as a leader.  However his plans had to change slightly from messages received on his scroll.  Firstly he needed to visit Ozpin for a debrief of sorts.  Secondly from his mother, he needed to get to the infirmary to see Blake.  Blake was his second destination anyway so the message was superfluous, but he was curious why his mother was the one sending the message.

None the less he donned his coat and prepared to set out.

"You know I would go with you, it just seems like the headmaster wanted to talk to you alone."  Pyrrha stated with a towel on her head.  As the last to shower from their morning workout she had not yet completely dried off it seems.

"I know you would, I doubt I am in trouble.  Though… well I doubt Vale is happy about what happened to the highway."  He reassured her pausing at the door.

"Where are Ren and Nora?  Are they working on another grenade shell again?"  He inquired noting them missing right after their exercise that morning.

Kate flipped herself up to her bed as she answered "I think so.  She mentioned something about trying to boost the range of her launcher… I think she blames herself for being unable to hit the engines before they got everything loaded.  The entire White Fang cell might have been taken out if she could have disabled that craft."

Jaune shook his head "It was my call not to fire, that doesn’t come back on her at all."

Kate shrugged "I know that, you made the decision and nobody doubts the logic of it.  That does not change the fact that she wishes she could have done more.  That weapon of hers is effective but the technology that runs it is rather old… I am pretty sure it’s the oldest of all our weapons design wise.  Tinkering with it if they could boost it somehow is something worthwhile."

"Well, I guess it is a good idea on the whole.  I don’t think she should blame herself at all though."  Pyrrha concluded getting on her clothing.

A knock on the door followed by a friendly "Hey guys, can I come in?" prompted Jaune to open it given his proximity to the door, the wait was rather miniscule. 

"Hey Ruby, what's up?" He asked.

Ruby dressed in comfortable lounge clothing was still putting on her coat as she answered "I got the message from Ozpin too… I guess he wants both of us there.  Probably not best to keep the Headmaster waiting.  Shall we get a move on?"

Jaune took a deep breath and nodded.  Looking back over his shoulder he noted Pyrrha's encouraging smile while getting her hair under control.

"Let's go."

And so… they rounded the corner and left through the hallway.

The walk towards the Headmaster's study was not long, but it was rather uneasy.  Winter conditions seemed to be showing themselves slightly and a light snow fall meant the walkways might not be completely tended too.  Either way it did provide several pleasant visuals with freshly fallen snow mixed with the open Beacon grounds and trees were rather pleasing on the eye.

"Why is it that every time Ozpin calls me to his office it seems to be during a snow storm?  I hate the snow…"  Ruby grumbled beside him clutching her limbs close to her torso.

He chuckled.  Ruby was a tough girl but the cold is one of the rare things she hated to face.  Nearly identically to Pyrrha in that sense.

"How is Yang taking the news about Blake's leg?"  He asked trying to serve as a distraction of sorts deciding to not mention the fact he didn’t even notice the chill.

Ruby snorted as their destination came into view "About as good or bad as you'd expect.  Her first reaction was that reckless motorcycle chase.  Her attitude has calmed somewhat but she is still angry about it."

Pushing the button for the elevator Jaune said "Well I guess that is to be expected.  Did Weiss say anything about her leg?  I know they had to put her through some type of treatment last night but… well, nothing beyond that."

No wait was needed as the carriage was already at ground level, waiting for them it seems.

Ruby entered the elevator and shot him a happy smile "She was rather pleased with herself.  She didn’t like the fact I made her stay behind, but I think she knew it was the right call.  The medics indicated she might have saved Blake's leg with her glyphs.  Something about how it was broken in 3 places and Weiss managed to restore blood flow.  I guess we will find out once we get to the infirmary.  I am going there after this meeting, I assume you are too?"

Jaune had joined her and pushed the button for the top of the tower listening before responding "Yup… that’s stop number two.  Mom wanted me there for some reason, I am not sure what yet.  But… well one crisis at a time."

When the elevator started to slow towards the top they by unspoken consent halted the friendly chat getting more into a business mindset.  With a familiar 'Ding!' the door opened to reveal… a few unexpected visitors in the Headmasters study.

Ruby seemed to get the majority of her shivers under control by the time they reached the top, to the Knights perspective anyway.  Conversation amongst the 3 of them ceased at the new arrivals.  To the degree to new comers weren't exactly sure what to do.

"I am sorry headmaster… are we early?"  Ruby asked.

Ozpin stood from behind his desk and shook his head.  "No Ms. Rose you are not imposing.  Please come in, you too Mr. Arc."

Walking forward together Jaune seemed oddly ill at ease with Ozpin's guests… well one of them anyway.  One known factor was a Professor at Beacon, Dr. Oobleck.  He was standing near the edge of Ozpin's desk holding a small but broken metal cylinder in his hands.

The other… was somebody who was probably not all that happy to see him.  Standing with his arms behind his back with a rigid military man's posture in his white uniform and combed back black hair, was James Ironwood.  A General in command of Atlas' military forces and somebody who frequently disagreed with his family on how to govern his home.  That would possibly explain why my mother wanted to talk to me… and why she isn't here.  Nothing to be done now but keep moving forward I suppose.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice."  Ozpin stated with a friendly smile.

Turning his focus towards his colleague he continued "Doctor I believe that was all you had to say?"

Nodding and taking the cylinder with him Oobleck answered "Yes Headmaster, I will set about studying this as soon as I can."

At that the lanky glasses wearing professor made his exit carrying a slight tune via a whistle.

Ozpin waited until Oobleck had left the room to speak further.

"Jaune I believe you know my other guest but for the sake of Ms. Rose I will introduce him just the same.  This is General James Ironwood of Atlas, a friend and ally of mine for a long time.  I have asked that he join us here as a consultant given what happened in Vale yesterday."

Jaune gave a polite nod as Ruby seemed a bit surprised.  "Oh!  Well hello there nice to meet you.  Uh… I'm not sure what I should call you?"

With a slight smile Ironwood replied "James is fine for most situations.  You are not a soldier of mine and I am not trying to treat you as one."  He switched his gaze to the other newcomer " Mr. Arc it is good to meet you in person."

Accepting his hand Jaune replied with "General" as politely as he could.

Overcome with curiosity Ruby couldn't help herself from asking "Headmaster, what was that canister Oobleck was carrying?"

Ozpin took a sip of coffee before replying "Well I guess we might as well just get into it, we all have much to do today."

Jaune couldn't help but be intrigued by that… what does he know that I don’t?

_I guess that little voice I hear is my conscious telling me he knows everything I don’t… fitting._

"We have had a busy last 36 hours here at the tower.  Dr. Oobleck led the salvage operation on the White Fang port.  The crashed van was also something he took too observing.  That canister was found on site, it was empty but finding it has given us some inside information on what it carried.  It actually is what we wanted to speak to you both about.  The General is more knowledgeable on this than I am so… James if you wouldn’t mind…"

Jaune got the distinct impression the General was rather pleased at getting right into business… likely gladdened that Ozpin didn’t waste time with pleasantries, if he had his guess.

Ironwood cleared his throat before continuing "In the interest of time I will get right to the point.  The canister is made of a rather rare, underused alloy.  Of the materials included in its composition, silver is one of them, the key in fact."

Jaune and Ruby shared a look, before looking back at the speaker.

"You see that canister was carrying something very dangerous, you know that.  We do not believe however, that you know just how dangerous."

Ruby interrupted his speech with a collected but rather pointed "We know it was a dust mixture that has the ability to disable somebody's aura.  That is dangerous sure, what it did to Blake made that clear enough."

Ironwood remained unfazed shaking his head  "If it was just a dust mixture they would not need the silver.  Nor would it command our attention in this manner."

Jaune contemplated that before asking "So you're telling me it was not a dust mixture they were transporting?"

Ironwood seemed a bit perturbed by the second interruption but answered the question just the same "We do not know exactly what it was carrying as we did not get an intact sample.  But we can guess.  It is rare and takes extraordinarily rare resources to create, but what happened to your teammate was nothing completely unheard of before.  Dust mixtures that disable the aura of somebody have been made previously.  My own military has access to it, as does Cadia's.  However they also tend to only work while their victims remain in the dust cloud.  Thus simply walking, or falling out of it would have been enough to regain the function of one's aura.  That is why we wanted you both here to have a brief chat."

Ruby raised her hand… with a  smile Ironwood nodded to her "What do you mean this is something new?  Whatever happened to Blake is something we haven't seen before?"

Ozpin and Ironwood shared a brief look before Ironwood shook his head.  "That is something I cannot really expand upon.  We have known it was theoretically possible, just that we believed the process of replicating it to no longer be possible due to the materials to make it being unavailable.  We are currently looking into that, but it isn't something we can speak about freely yet.  Needless to say that merely touching it either drained or disabled Ms. Belladonna's aura for a time is rather a disconcerting fact in itself."

Ozpin decided to pick up the conversation from here "The specifics of what happened are still being ironed out and neither of us wants to guess.  What we can share with confidence is that the General here has agreed to lend some support to Vale in the wake of the attack and has sent assistance to help us study the canister along with the battle site.  This and other knowledge is what I wanted to pass on to you both given the events of yesterday."

Jaune chuckled "So this isn't an interrogation of sorts?"

Ozpin seemed to chuckle right back "No, we have read your reports and while it is regrettable so much damage was done to the highway, both James and I believe what you did was the right move."

Ozpin took the time to circle around his desk before speaking further, lowering his voice in turn he sounded much more somber when he continued.

"As Team Leaders I am going to require some discretion from both of you.  We tell you this because in your role as advanced upper classmen it is possible, maybe even likely that you will encounter this substance again.  So I intend to make perfectly clear how both of you should act when and or if that scenario takes place."

Both Jaune and Ruby seemed to pull back to attention out of habit as they prepared to settle in for the long haul.

"If that canister was transporting what we believe it was, then it is vital to understand a few things.  It is one of the most dangerous substances known in modern science, touching it can severely drain your aura if not disable it entirely for a time.  Getting it in your bloodstream is anything but a signed and sealed death sentence.  It is difficult to purge from the body and hard to cleanse from the land."

"So… my decision not to fire on that craft…?"  Jaune started curiously.

"Was absolutely the correct one.  The entire seaboard could have been contaminated.  Everything from fish to drinking water would have been rendered useless for a very long time.  It getting dispersed in the air is the least dangerous option.  But even that can be risky.  It does not take much to spread out over a wide area and those caught in the cloud will be very vulnerable for a time after."  Ironwood finished.

Ruby and Jaune shared a brief look of concern.

_I'm glad I didn’t try and shoot down that craft… Blake was probably very lucky to have emerged relatively unscathed from that gas cloud.  I wonder why they didn’t try to use that weapon on Yang and I as we chased them?  Maybe they didn’t have a way to fire it on us?_

"Sir… why are you so surprised to see this weapon?  Why did you believe it couldn't be made anymore?"  Jaune asked, likely a hairline faster than Ruby herself did.

Neither Ozpin nor Ironwood seemed eager to talk about it, but it seems Ozpin was willing to give some information out.

"To be honest this is not something those still in training are told.  What I can tell you is that the substance is rare.  It is rare because it requires rather specific Grimm venom to create when mixed in with a dust distillate.  The act of even handling the venom often killed the person making the poison.  That is where its gaseous form comes from.  The pure venom itself… well just pray you never encounter what creates it."

Ironwood stepped forward and cut in "The reason for our silence is we do not want to speak where no data exists.  We believed the manner of Grimm that is required to produce it to have been hunted into extinction ages ago, neither of us are prepared to adjust our stances on that yet.  We do not yet know if the White Fang have found another, if there was a reserve of the stuff which was missed in ages past or if they found an alternative venom to use in the current blend.  The point is, it is as dangerous as any enemy you will ever encounter."

Jaune looked to the ground briefly wondering if he could connect any dots being left out.  The Vampire parasite… why does this venom sound like what the Vampire parasite does.  Mentally holding back a groan he didn’t like where this could be going but knew firsthand the Vampire's weren't hunted into extinction, thus it wasn’t likely that manner of Grimm.  Maybe… Maybe mother would know?  She was on a mission hunting Grimm when she encountered the Vampire in its larval state… I wonder if they are related.

Ruby seemed to have a question and succeeded in breaking Jaune out of his thoughts in the process.

"Then what are we suppose to do if we encounter any of those canisters in the future?"

Ozpin seemed to smile while Ironwood just nodded.

"Yes… that specifically is why we brought you here."  The General stated.

With a look at his colleague, the Headmaster spoke on.

"If you see anything of the sort.  You will need to use your heads.  Ideally you would bury the canister in the ground.  Mark the spot on a scroll or map, and alert the Tower when you return to friendly territory.  We will send a team to collect or destroy it at that time.  It is too dangerous we cannot order students to carry it around or to destroy it without knowing how pure of a mixture it is.  Be leery of destroying them in the field as well.  It could be used as a weapon against our enemy but it could very easily put yourself or your own teams in harm's way.  Above all exercise caution and use discretion at all times.  That is what I wanted you both to take away from this."

Both leaders nodded, the instruction seemed sound enough.

"Good, then as much as I enjoy speaking with my students I must ask that you please see yourselves out… I understand your teammate is still in the infirmary.  Perhaps you should visit her?"  Ozpin suggested kindly.

"Yes sir, that was our next stop."  Ruby advised with a smile.

As the two leaders descended back down the elevator Ironwood couldn't help but say "You seem to place a great deal of trust in your students old friend.  I know in Atlas no trainee would have been given that much information."

Ozpin reclaimed his coffee mug and refilled it as he answered "Those two teams are a step ahead of the other's.  I feel we will need to depend on them a great deal in the coming years."

"Still it might be a bit reckless don't you think?  Especially with Mr. Arc.  The young man has already encountered one supposedly extinct Grimm, to be linked to its relative-"

"We don't know that James, so much about the situation with his father is unknown but if he is involved with that poisons creation it makes finding them even more critical."

Ironwood sighed and rubbed his forehead with a gloved hand "I guess we had best hope that STRQ is up to the task.  I still say my Special Operatives Unit would have had the problem solved by now as an overall better solution.  Have you heard any more information on their situation?"

Ozpin choose to ignore the chance to enter into another argument and simply nodded sitting behind his desk again "Last I heard they had found their query and were moving to engage at first opportunity.  Beyond that its radio silence as normal."

The elevator dinged again as the next round of business arrived.  Both Winter Schnee and Glynda Goodwitch exited.  It seems the Headmasters day was going to be a busy one.

***Moving towards the infirmary***

Jaune could not help but shake the feeling he was being told about half the story.  This is not the first encounter he had with Ozpin's principles on sharing information, he knew much of that already from various Advanced classes.  Particularly dangerous or panic prone data is normally not told to younger students or even students in general.  This likely had something to do with that and yet…  He just could not shake the feeling.  Regardless of the logic behind it -even if the decision was a sound one- was potentially putting those lesser experienced people at risk.  Would them knowing the truth really be that bad?

"I know what you're thinking."  Ruby claimed shivering again in the falling snow.

With a grin Jaune answered "Oh so you’re a mind reader?  Wonderful, it seems my sisters talents are multiplying now."

Ruby gave him a half amused half pointed look "You are thinking that they are holding something back.  Something that might be important."

Jaune kept pace with her as he retorted "It doesn't take a seer to predict that.  Anybody who heard that conversation would make the same conclusion."

Giving him a mixed grin and glare  Ruby stated with a coy smile "My point sir, is that you are asking yourself the wrong question."

"Do I trust Ozpin?"  He guessed.

"And you call me the mind reader!  Yes that is the question."

With a grin he recalled one of his mothers lectures from the previous term.

'There is logic in withholding information at times.  It isn't a pleasant thing to think about, but it is a truth of life.  If information could cause a panic, or divide a cause, or possibly it is dangerous knowledge but knowing it won't help the situation.  Then it is normally best not to be as free with knowledge as many would want.'

"I trust him… I cannot do anything but trust him and still be a student here.  That doesn’t mean I think withholding any information is a good thing."

With a happy hum Ruby declared "Then you shouldn't worry about it.  When it can help or when we need to know, we will be informed.  That is just sometimes how it is."

Jaune smiled as she energetically opened the door to the infirmary for him, choosing to be diplomatic and not mention the obvious retort about her family and how she basically still knew nothing about that situation.

_I hope so… I really hope it works out that simple._

With a deep breath and a sigh… Jaune had to admit that at minimum he could do nothing about it now.  Ozpin had his talk and he doubted he could convince the Headmaster to share information he was not initially willing too without an outside force shifting facts in his favor.

He shut his eyes briefly and took another deep breath stepping though the opened door.

Sharing a look with his friend and fellow leader the two set out to figure out which room was entertaining their wounded friend.

They did not have to go far before finding another individual… namely his mother.

"Oh… hey mom.  You wanted to talk to me?"

She held up a finger… and it was then he noticed she was talking on her scroll.

"Oh… sorry."  He said quietly.

"I'll find the room… I think she wanted to talk to you."  Ruby stated before spinning around to find the directory.

Nodding back at her he found a place on the wall and crossed his arms.

Jaune was unable to contain his chuckle as Ruby seemingly grew bored very quickly with finding the directory and just decided to search the infirmary.  Following a very familiar puff of rose petals she disappeared off to the side and up the stairs.

"What?"

"Hey?!"

"This is the infirmary be careful!"

Various complaints were heard above him as she seemingly did not slow down for a good bit of time.

"She is so very much like her mother… excitable at a moment's notice."  Mom stated off to the side.

Turning towards her he noticed she had her scroll covered up… evidently her conversation was not completed yet.

Appearing as quickly as she disappeared Ruby materialized off his shoulder and declared "Room 304, found her!  Oh… sorry am I interrupting?"

Mom shook her head "No, I still have this talk going and it might be awhile yet until I am done."

Nodding politely Jaune asked "You wanted to see me?"

Mom nodded back and indicated upwards with a thumb "Yes I do.  You were going to visit your friend right?  Wait for me up there.  Ozpin wanted me to see to something regarding her and I feel it is best if you are present as well.  I shouldn't be long but I do need to see this talk through.  Don't let her know what happened but Weiss did save her leg.  I will mention it to her once I can get up there."

At that whoever she was conversing with seemed to come back and thus their conversation resumed.  With a hand motion she advised the two students to move on.

"Well… I guess we might as well head up there."  He declared.

The two leaders destination now figured out they set off once again.

"Think we should get anybody else here to see Blake?"  She inquired leading the way.

Jaune shrugged "I know they would come if we asked but Blake has never been one for crowds.  Pyrrha probably wants to have as little to do with the snow as possible.  Ren and Nora will probably drop by later, but when Nora wants to focus on work its best if we let her.  Kate would probably decide to drop by at the same time.  Not wanting to crowd the room and all."

Ruby looked over her shoulder briefly before seemingly agreeing via a nod.  "Well we can ask Blake if she wants more company now or not I suppose."

"Oh I bet by the time I am done with her she will just want somebody to throw me out and lock the door."  He declared with a grin.

Ruby issued a warning look "Jaune she's been in the hospital take is easy on her."

With an even deeper grin he said "Oh unless I miss my guess she will be laughing along with us."

Arriving at the third floor and looking completely confused Ruby just mumbled "Uh huh."

*** Later in the kittens room ***

Naturally she could not see herself… that would be silly.  But even so Blake was fairly certain one thing went without saying.

"This… is stupid."

She said it anyway just to make a point.

There she was, dressed in comfortable lounge clothing, sitting up in her bed cast on her left leg, about to be tortured in her own room.

Before her was her team leader off to the left, to the right Jaune… pointer and marker in hand.  Seemingly deciding to make a point.  Though… what point that is the cat-faunus had not yet figured it out.

Upon their arrival Yang couldn’t help but find a spot under her right arm and embrace her in a hug.  Her partner had been at her side nearly the entire time she had been in the medical care facility of Beacon.  It was a welcome comfort she had concluded, having her partner nearby.  She brought with her a nice handmade card with some… barely tolerable drawn images with get well wishes.  In hindsight Yang is many things but an artist is not one of them.

That didn’t mean that she didn’t try.  After flipping the white board around she wasted no time at all in drawing images of anything which came to mind including various phrases, which given this is Yang we are talking about, was a wide and varied topic to consider.

"That is supposed to be used for medicinal purposes…"  Blake claimed flatly.

Giving her a pointed look Jaune indicated an image her girlfriend had drawn.  An image of Yang herself both pointing and giving a thumbs up in her direction while advertising 'My girlfriend is da bestest!'.

"And I suppose this, was drawn by the nurse?"  The Knight challenged behind a wide grin.

Yang held up a finger for emphasis "Hey now!  I might as well be a nurse!  Being my girlfriend has both off and on the job privileges I'll have you know!"

"Of that I have no doubt however I do feel this needs to be said."  He retorted before seemingly getting ready to begin a seminar on… cat emojis.

Blake seemed to scowl at him while Yang just settled in on the bed next to her intrigued for what Jaune had to say.

After clearing his throat Jaune began with:

"You are free to build your weapon however you wish… however I would respectfully suggest that when using images to express feelings a certain standard needs to be obtained."

With that he indicated the image furthest away from him using a pointer "This here…. is a proper happy-cat.  You might note the otherwise happy qualities it possesses especially in its lip and ears?"

Yang nodded energetically while Blake just somehow scowled harder.  Ruby just cupped her chin and looked on happily if slightly intrigued.

Lowering the pointer slightly he concluded "This is NOT a happy-cat… it might be smiling but as you can tell happy is not exactly the first word that comes to mind…"

_If Jaune is going to do this for all 40 of those images… I will … you know what I have no idea what I will do.  I am kinda trapped here at present._

He did go through all of those drawn images one at a time.  Blake was left with a rather flat look by the time he was done.

"… as you can see THIS is a proper angry-cat.  That is what leads me to my conclusion.  When using what I will be calling 'Cat-Feelies' for your weapon it is best to tell your friends what each button does or make itself self explanatory enough so that won't be needed.  Hopefully this easy to use list will inspire you in the future.  Feel free to copy any of these images as you deem necessary."

"I'll be sure to include an instructional booklet in the future.  I mean it isn't like I made that weapon for me or anything."  She claimed dryly.

"It would genuinely help those who have to use it in a pinch.  I nearly cut my hand off trying to figure out what does what."  He admitted with a grin.

With Blake finally cracking a smile he got the impression she wasn't as annoyed by his presentation as she was letting on.

"Well I can honestly say he needed one on the road.  Good idea Blakey!"  Yang added in cheerfully.

"That or your driving just is not passenger friendly."  Ruby added in.

"Heeyyyy!"  Her sister objected.

Blake found herself unable to resist as she added in:

"Come to think of it Yang should probably hand out brochures to everybody who rode along. 'Beware, by sitting on this seat you are waiving your rights to pursue any legal claim to injury regardless of the source or circumstances that either the road, other drivers or my own driving might cause.  Please sign on the dotted-'"

"Ok ok let's not get silly here!"  Yang grumbled with a grin none the less before advising:

"If they can't handle my driving they should just get off at the first opportunity!  I mean I slow down on turns occasionally."

She paused growing sad momentarily, then as quickly as it came excitement followed.

"Just you wait by the time I am done Bumblebee Mark II will be the envy of the road!  Be nice or I will make you wait in line for your turn!"

"After that last experience I am unsure if I could handle the improved version."  Jaune added in with a grin.

"Your loss!"  The Brawler happily declared.

Jaune just smiled… he had no idea if that exchange helped to cheer either of them up or not but at least he tried.

A knock followed by the door opening announced the arrival of Deborah to the room.

"I tell you that man can talk and talk like nothing I have ever encountered."  She stated after shutting the door.

Intrigued Ruby asked "Who were you talking too may I ask?"

Deb found an empty chair and supplied "Both Professor Port and Dr.  Oobleck.  They wanted to bounce some theories about the salvage effort off me.  It seems the Headmaster volunteered me given how busy his schedule has been of late."

When the professor turned her attention back to classroom level and focused on the cat-girl in the room Blake couldn’t help but sit up a bit straighter as her ears stood up to full attention.

"You want to talk to me?"  She guessed.

Pausing a moment to reflect Deb took a deep breath before answering "In a way.  Ozpin asked me to see to a few things.  The doctors as you no-doubt know have had their hands full with patients from the town.  As I understand you have not yet been told your prognosis?"

When Blake shared a confused glance at Yang more information was supplied "I am here as a Professor and Huntress.  Which is why protocol has been rather loose regarding knowledge of your care.  Ozpin asked me to see to it and so I shall."

With a deep breath Blake tried to relax as she asked "Ok, what is the prognosis?"

Stated seriously without her normal friendly smile Deb answered "You knew your leg was broken.  You also know you had a procedure done last night, correct?"

Blake nodded following along easily enough.

"What you do not know is just how badly it was damaged." 

Yang decided to interject "A break is a break… how bad could a break be?"

Mom shook her head and answered "Many things can be worse than simply breaking a bone.  I don't intend to have that discussion here as it isn't relevant.  But the point is this:  The operation was to try and save your leg"

Blake narrowed her vision and took up Yang's hand. "Save my leg?"

Mom nodded "Yes.  It was not 'just' broken Blake.  It was broken in 3 places.  Had your team leader not had the foresight that you needed immediate aid and had your teammate not done what she did, they would have had to remove your leg last night."

Blake exhaled while Ruby gave herself a pat on the back playfully.

"Weiss managed to restore circulation in your leg.  That was the biggest accomplishment and something she should be commended for.  That act alone saved your leg to be frank."

Blake nodded gratefully to Ruby as she answered "I will need to thank both of them when I can, what was that process about last night then?  I barely remember any of it.  I kept slipping in and out of sleep most of the night."

Speaking easier Deb answered "They did that to set your leg so it could heal properly with rest.  It went through without issue."

"So what is the problem then?"  Yang asked unsure where this was going.

"Well I am obviously going to be trapped here for at least a few weeks.  Even with aura 3 breaks will take some time to mend."  Blake stated with a frown nearly, probably unintentionally making a near perfect 'sad-cat' reference from Jaune's list.

_Yeah I cannot imagine she would like to be stuck in this room anymore than I would for that matter._

Jaune was still wondering why she had asked him here… though for the moment he was content to just listen.

Deb nodded and inched closer "That is what the Headmaster wanted me to see too Ms. Belladonna."

Blake blinked "I don't understand."

A slight grin appeared though it vanished as quickly as it came "Blake, Ozpin is of the opinion that we cannot afford to have one of our advanced class students out of commission for that long.  Given recent events we might need to call on them again and as such we need all advanced teams at full readiness.  I have been asked to heal your leg to get you back on your feet as soon as possible."

Blake's ears perked up at that.  "Well that sounds better than weeks of being stuck in this bed.  What is the problem?"

Now Mom definitely smiled.

_Oh I … oh no I think I know where this is going._

"The problem is I have already surrendered much of my aura to helping some of the citizens who came here.  Not to make a point of it the medical staff was just not ready for what they have been asked to contend with given the attack.  I do not have the aura reserve right now to do it."

At this point she looked up towards her son.

And… he understood.

"Oh… I get it now…"  He lamented bringing a hand up to his face.

_I should have seen that coming…_

Blake swapped her vision between the Knight and the Matriarch several times before asking "No disrespect to my friend over there but… is he ready for this?"

"Yeah are you up for this Jaune?"  Yang asked with a grin.

When Jaune hesitated Ruby decided to say "This is a bad break… and wouldn’t she have to feel the pain of it breaking again?"

Deb nodded much to Blake's chagrin "Unfortunately yes.  I do not know exactly how much pain she would find herself in.  By her own admission she didn’t feel much discomfort when it happened, correct?"  She asked looking back at the wounded one in the room.

Unsure of her own answer Blake nodded "Yeah the break itself didn’t hurt much at the time… that is true."

"Mom I don't know if I even have the aura to heal a broken leg 3 times.  Especially given this would be my first time trying."  Jaune cautioned from the corner of the room.

_I know our semblance can heal but it isn't like it is built entirely around healing… just healing a scar really took its toll last year.  A break in 3 places seems extremely difficult if not completely out of my league._

Deb smiled and spoke on with some surprising news "True, even with our aura pools that is a lot to heal.  At least if not our own injury.  This is where a bit of good news surrounding this event comes into play however."

"Oh?"  Blake asked still unsure how she felt about this situation.

Nodding in a friendly manner Mom advised "As a byproduct of them setting your leg last night your body is still going to have some aura boosting medicines affecting your recovery rate.  Basically your body, your leg specifically is very receptive to change right now.  If your leg is going to get assisted by a semblance it is going to be soon.  There won't ever be a better time to try it."

Looking back at her son she concluded "I know this is a tall order and I will be here to help you.  But I cannot do this on my own.  We lose too much aura when we try to restore another's on this scale.  Thus the only option we have right now is you, Jaune.  Are you willing to try?"

_At least she decided to give me the option to say no…_

With a sigh he didn't even pretend like he had to think about it.  Blake is a good friend, if she needed help that he could give there was no debate.  He would try if she were willing to let him.

Pushing himself off the wall and making eye contact with his query, he said "If she is willing to let me try, I will."

"No time like the present."  Blake declared with a weak smile.

"Do you need anything Jaune?"  Ruby asked brightly.

Jaune started removing his coat as he answered "A drink would be great.  Thanks."

Ruby nodded and left the room searching for some water.

Mom stood up to allow access to Blake's side.  He moved the chair next to her taking a string of deep breaths.

"A trial by fire if there ever was one."  Jaune grumbled under his breath.

"More like a trial by kitty-cat!"  Yang supplied cheerfully clearly trying to be supportive.

Blake grinned slightly and took Yang's hand reminiscing of the time the Matriarch healed Weiss' scar.

Mom set a hand on his shoulder with a firm grip.  An act he knew, was more than just for moral support.

"Once Ruby gets back with that water… I will give it a shot."  He announced.

Deb nodded and orated "Remember, Blake you need to keep yourself still.  Any movement you perform will make his job more difficult especially if you move your leg.  Keep calm as best you can, if you must move grip or otherwise, squeeze your partner.  Needless to say this is going to be a challenge for your friend here to do."

Ruby reentered the room carrying a modest cup filled with water.

"Best I can do, right here."  She stated happily.

Jaune grinned and downed the cup in a single gulp.  "Thanks Rubes."

Jaune took another deep breath and rolled his shoulders trying to relax as much as possible.

"How do you want to do this?"  Blake asked trying not to sound like she suspected a car crash was imminent.

With a sigh Jaune extended his hand "Grab my hand… let's start there."

Obliging Blake seemed to close her eyes and just wait out whatever happened.

"Here we go."  Jaune stated closing his eyes.

A white glow soon began to surround him as his aura made itself known.  To the viewers it looked nearly like an exact duplication of the last time they saw this attempted.  He did not ignite in his flame, nor did his eyes take on their customary sapphire glow.  None the less a sense of warmth and comfort filled the room.

Seconds afterwards Deb herself began to light up, keeping her eyes closed like her son she none the less declared "Ruby would you please close the blinders?  We do not need any visitors distracting our work."

Jaune had to fight to keep his thoughts to himself.  More used to letting his aura flow freely through the area, here however that would just let his friend share each others thought.  Needless to say that would be distracting in a horrific sense.  Thankfully he as least seemed able to shield himself from her recoil as she felt the power of his aura work its way towards her leg.

"Hold still… finding the wound now."  He advised to try and keep his nervous friend steady.

Blake might have mumbled something but he wasn’t able to hear it.

As he extended his aura through her body he felt more than heard his mothers thoughts… connected as they were through hand and aura.

'Remember, keep yourself calm and your breath steady.  You cannot do this when you are anxious.'

She advertised.

'Trying.'

Jaune found the first break relatively easily.  Near her hip high on her thigh.

'Tell me your thoughts.'  She instructed.

Suppressing an astral sigh he answered 'I think this is going to be the hardest to heal.  The bone is thickest here.'

'Alright, see about finding the other breaks.'

Shortly thereafter the other two were located.  First in the middle of her thigh, and second closer to her knee.

'Must have been hard on Weiss looking at how her leg must have seemed.  I'm getting queasy just studying the damage.'  He advertised.

'True, it was a nasty situation.'  She agreed casually before resuming her typical Professor mannerisms with 'Before you try anything, describe your best course of action.'

Knowing that his aura would follow his commands, and that his commands needed to be clear, he did his best to keep himself organized.

'Well I will need to focus on the broken bones and direct my aura to those spots.  It would be best to start with the center of the bone rather than the outside.  Keep the flow of aura steady and consistent.  Breaks in concentration or the flow of energy could cause the leg to be imperfectly healed.  Her body will handle any deficiencies in time but it is best to do it correctly the first go round.'

Satisfaction seemed to flow from her as she kept him inline and on point 'What else?'

"When are you going to start up?"  Yang asked absently stroking Blake's ears in the process.

Jaune seemed to be focusing too much to hear her… thus mom answered with "Soon.  Please be patient… this is a lot to consider for a first time attempt."

'Well… she naturally has 3 breaks…'  He as if it was obvious.

'So?  What does that mean?'  She challenged.

Patiently reviewing his training he seemed to jolt as he recalled 'Oh… I can't heal them one at a time.'

Smiling slightly Mom asked 'Why?'

Now smiling himself he answered 'Cause if I run out of aura and the task is still incomplete she will still effectively have a broken leg.  The only way this works is if they are all healed at the same pace even if it isn't a complete job.'

Giving his shoulder a warm squeeze she stated 'Good boy.  All that is left to do is focus in on the 3 points, and crank up the output.  Just remember to adjust the focus evenly across all 3 as you go.'

"Blake… Yang… be ready."  Deb advised sagely.

Jaune seemed to sigh yet another time through his aura connection, then resolutely began to turn up the heat.

To his friends that white light on his body began to glow and put out so much light it was difficult to look at him.  What was already a pretty and pure white light became this overpowering burst that soon was filling the room coming off him in waves.

"Oh …OW!... Ack… Ok this is getting uncomfortable!"  Blake hissed smacking her right foot down against the bed.

Yang tried to hold her still and moved an arm across her body in a quasi hug of some form.

"Wow… they have so much aura, it's amazing."  Ruby wondered observing the affair from her spot with a hand of her own on Yang's shoulder.

It was obvious a tremendous amount of aura energy was being unleashed in a very short amount of time.  Nobody really was of mind to look at the clock and keep track, but it was obvious to any observer that this was draining in the extreme on the healer.  Minutes ran into minutes.  It was not long into the session that he began to pant slightly and get a light layer of sweat glistening on his skin.

"When Weiss had her scar healed that took a fraction of the time…"  Ruby stated factually as time continued to drag on.

Just as abruptly as that light of his aura began blasting through the room it seemed to fade into a candle.

Jaune lost grip with Blake's hand and began to fall forward in his chair, thankfully his mother remained alert through it all and managed to catch him.  With care she more firmly lodge him in a chair.  She seemed to glow brightly herself for a moment as if reinforcing his aura briefly before letting it fade and turn around.

"So uh… where do we stand?"  Ruby asked diplomatically.

Deb smiled appearing a touch tired, but also somewhat pleased.

"Well Blake I do not think he managed to fully heal all 3 of the breaks before his aura gave out.  But he did get it the overwhelming majority of the way done.  I would wager that your own aura will have it fully healed by morning."

Blake seemed relieved "Good… what about him?  He seems rather exhausted."

"True… it is to be expected.  Our aura could heal a broken bone over a weekend on its own but completing the task in a matter of minutes… well that level of output is going to tax the user.  He did well all things considered."

Ruby pulled a spare blanket out of a closet and tossed it across the room.  Deb arranged it around him for some comfort.

"For now I think it is best if we let him rest.  What do you say we go and get some lunch in the meantime?"  Professor Arc suggested.

"We are gonna bring something back for Blake and Jaune though, right?"  Yang suggested standing up.

"Naturally."

*** Later ***

It probably took Jaune a dozen pokes… but he did eventually realize that somebody was poking him.

"Hey, this is pretty fun!"  Somebody claimed energetically all the while something continued to poke him.

"Careful he is waking up."  Another cautioned.

Finally opening his eyes and giving a long groan he found himself getting poked in the forehead by his lovely partner… who seemed to be enjoying this a bit too much.

"Ok ok I am awake… I'm awake."  He sniffed a bit.

"And I smell food… also I am hungry like so hungry wow I hope that’s for me!"  He asserted.

Nodding happily Pyrrha handed him a plate "Yeah, your mom dropped it off and told us to come get you.  Here you go!"

Now looking around he realized he was in one of the medical facilities guest rooms.  Reaching for his lunch he couldn’t help but ask:

"Did I get kicked out of Blake's room?  Last thing I remembered is that I was trying to heal her leg."  He asked taking a monstrous bite of his lunch.

Pyrrha just put on a proud smile while Kate supplied "You did… mostly.  Mom said it was mostly done, and according to the medical staff mostly done is upwards of 95% of the way there.  She will be fully functional in the morning."

Grunting an affirmative Jaune choose not to reply instead lining up another mouthful.

"Well now that you are up we should probably get back to our dorms.  Blake indicated she wanted to sleep a bit, everybody got a chance to say their 'get-well-quick-wishes-quick' speech.  There is still some time left to relax before our evening session."  Pyrrha declared with a smile.

Jaune couldn’t help but groan comically "When it rains it pours."

Raising a finger Kate added in "Also you can expect more private lessons with Mom this term, I was suppose to pass that on.  Consider yourself informed."

Finally finished with his lunch Jaune lurched upwards to stand up.

"Well… I guess we should go back now."

The day despite not going the way he planned out… more or less turned out to be a fruitful one.  Though he still never shook the feeling that he would come to regret not pressing the headmaster more following his meeting earlier in the day. 

One thing he knew to be certain, whatever may come, he would stand together and face it with his friends.  Somehow he thought, that is how things were meant to be.

**A/N**

**So here we go what happens next is posted… yay!**

**On a slightly more serious note AgentWhiteHawk has posted another image regarding this story titled "Engagement".  To my mind Pyrrha has never looked better.  Feel free to like it and leave a comment if you agree with me.  The picture itself takes place a bit advanced in the story but I deemed it a good enough time to get that specific image made.  I am always interested in any idea's people have regarding what images could be made.  Either SFW or NSFW.   If you have a good suggestion feel free to hit me up.**

**As ever I am always-Always-ALWAYS interested in feedback.  Please like/fav/follow/comment/review/IM/Email your thoughts.**

**Thank you again for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	52. Y3 Winter: The Old Guard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schisms within the White Fang Organisation seems to show with Blake the focal point.

3.26  The Old Guard

It took her the better part of the day.  But she managed to get back on her feet with a reasonable degree of success.  In hindsight standing up?  That was the easy part, sitting up turned out to be infinitely more challenging.  It was definitely a dangerous if necessary task to disentangle herself from her partner.  Somehow their hair got mixed together and even in some places partially knotted up.  Something she absolutely blamed the Brawler for… her hair was always an uncontrollable mess in the morning…

Due to not being cleared to leave by the medical staff until later in the day Blake had to watch her lectures via a scroll broadcast, it was only after classes were concluded that she finally was able to rejoin her team that mid afternoon.

Following her much needed shower Blake made her way to the lobby where Yang promised to wait for her.  With her weapon (cat-emojis remaining unchanged) comfortably close she exited her room and without any really haste proceeded down towards the stairs.  Happy at being back to her normal agile self Blake none the less navigated around the still crowded medical facility, keeping an eye out for the big mass of blond hair waiting for her.

Finding her Partner amidst the crowd they shared a wave before closing with an increased pace.

"Hey there Yang."  She stated brightly pulling on her coat.

Smiling like only she could Yang cheerfully declared "Hey there Kitty-cat, good to be back on your feet eh?  You look much better!  Feeling ok?"

As ever asking multiple questions without waiting for an answer, again like only the Brawler could.

With a balanced grin she shrugged in response "Better now that I'm not stuck in that bed.  I appreciate the effort but 'Cat-Feelies' was giving me an aneurism."

With a barely concealed laugh Yang retorted "You are just annoyed he was spot on!"

Blake just scowled at her.

"See!  That’s what I mean, it’s a perfect annoyed-cat!  That's too adorable."

Unable to resist when the blond pulled her into a tight hug even going so far as to lift her off the ground.

"That happy to see me?"  Blake queried amused.

"Happy your feeling better."

Upon finding solid ground again Blake just coyly scratched Yang behind her ears.

"Good girl."

Yang beamed… then thought the better of it after realizing Blake had walked off "Hey what did you mean by that!?"

Hurriedly chasing after the eared one she caught up without any real difficulty.

"Just pointing out the obvious… you are obviously a dog in human- Ow!"

"Pardon me."  A quiet voice declared.

"Hey watch it!"  Yang barked out with a raised voice.

A stranger seemingly not noticing the faunus girl half shouldered half hurried his way through the walkway.

"People these days…"  Yang grumbled with an annoyed glance at the offender before he rounded corner.

When it was clear the stranger wasn't going to reappear the Brawler deigned to give her attention back on her girlfriend…

"Blake…?"

Noting the rather distracted expression present.

Lifting up a hand to display a piece of carefully folded paper Blake advertised "I think, this just got more complicated."

"He passed you a note?!"  Yang declared taking the offered item before opening it carefully.

Yang shuffled around to carefully peer at the letter while Blake seemed to gawk in disbelief.

'Ms. Belladonna,

I apologize for the manner in which I contacted you.  I need to share something with you about our mutual friends.  At this point you do not need to know my name, only that I am -at worst- a friend and -at best- an ally.  Check your coat pocket, it should contain a drive.  Watch it's contents, show it to whomever you will.  I care not who sees this video, but I do ask that they be deemed trustworthy.  There is much you need to know and I hope I get this to you in time to make a difference.  We share a goal for Faunus, one that is accomplished by peaceful change.  I would not have that dream be destroyed by the actions of the mislead.

-A friend.'

Sharing a confused look the two partners couldn’t help but feel a bit sheepish.  Something which multiplied as Blake reached into her pocket and sure enough… found something that shouldn't be there.

"I'll be damned…"  She mused eying the short and thin boring grey colored plastic object.

"I guess the first thing we should do is show this to the Headmaster?  At least assuming you don’t want to chase after him… whoever he is."  Yang suggested.

With a curious eyebrow Blake inquired "No I'm not all that keen to chase him but You?  Being cautious?  When did that happen?  I rather figured you would want to get back and show our team."

Without any of her brazen confidence Yang simply issued a lazy shrug "My girlfriend already had a broken leg once this week, that’s more than enough for me.  I doubt Jaune would be happy if he had to heal it a second time."

That second sentence spoken with attempted dry wit.

"In that at least… we are agreed."

Making their way towards the Headmasters tower neither of them were particularly confident on what the drive would contain.  Though, given current events neither proposed an alternative.

***Top of the tower***

Upon their arrival they found the headmasters study to be more heavily populated than what they expected.

"Ms. Xiao Long, Ms. Belladonna.  I do not recall requesting either of you join me in my office."  Ozpin declared from behind his desk.  Despite the suddenness of their visit or the fact they were obviously intruding on another meeting he seemed willing at least to entertain them to a degree.

Flanking the desk was both A man neither of the newcomers had met personally, though both knew of through their team leader, General Ironwood of Atlas.  Across from him was the stern but welcoming Professor Goodwitch.

Sharing a brief glance the partners nodded before Yang confidently said "Sorry for intruding sir, but something happened we think you should know about."

With that her partner held up the drive briefly before placing it on the Headmasters rather large table.

Ironwood looked at the tiny object briefly before calmly declaring "I trust you two are not so foolish as to waste our time.  I expect some explanation is in order…"

"I rather agree."  Goodwitch agreed crossing her arms expectedly.

Just diving into the subject Yang energetically broadcast:

"Well, see its like this.   I wanted to pick up Blakey after class personally but she was taking too long so she had to attend class over scroll communication so I had to come pick her up before dinner and well that’s when-"

"I think in the interest of time, we should let calmer clearer heads orate… Ms. Belladonna?"  Ozpin suggested evenly with a friendly look shared with his long time ally.

Yang looked pleased with herself as if she did that on purpose to get Blake to talk.

Giving her a slight scowl Blake cleared he throat, and began with:

"As you know I was cleared to leave following my classes today.  I was barely out the door when somebody nearly knocked me over and put this in my coat.  I don't know who it is but they are calling themselves a mutual friend.  I thought it best given recent events to start here with it."

His eyes sharpened before responding "That is a bit assuming Ladies, what makes you think this is something you should bring us?" 

Taking a deep breath Blake answered "Sir, the letter that came with it" said holding up the note "spoke of my old friends.  I think it’s a reference to the White Fang.  If this has anything to do with their recent activities I thought it best to come forward with it."  Then after sharing a brief look with her girlfriend added "We both felt it best."

The Professors shared a concerned glance before Glynda picked up the item in question "I suppose it would not hurt to give this a look.  Do you think we should bring any of the others here Headmaster?"  She asked moving towards the communication projector.

Scratching his head Ozpin sighed before responding "Though I did not think it would be this soon when they must be called upon I cannot deny others should probably see what this mysterious individual has to say.  I suggest we get both Mr. Arc and Ms. Rose up here.  Anything involving the White Fang they should probably hear."

"Not our entire teams Sir?"  Yang asked finding a comfortably place to sit.

Ozpin -seemingly never caught- without his precious coffee mug couldn't help but drain it before advising "I don’t intend to confiscate the device, you can show it to both of them if you wish."

With Glynda getting confirmations from both team leaders that they were on their way Ironwood felt the need to ask something.

"I was not aware you had ties to the White Fang Ms. Belladonna?"

Not intending to be abruptly cold Blake none the less looked away as she answered "I made it known, put on my transcripts that I was once a member.  When they turned violent I decided on another path in life."

Seemingly unsure what to say he seemed to straighten his posture further "I had not realized that, perhaps I missed that detail.  I do wish to point out it takes a great deal of courage to change ones path in life, it is not easy to accept that path which you walk is the wrong one."

Blake nodded "It… was hard leaving my comrades behind.  Many where good people who simply wanted a better life for their loved ones.  I do not think I made many friends when I left them."

Nodding appreciatively James shared a glance at Ozpin "This junior class continues to surprise me."  Looking over at Glynda he continued "I trust we will not need to wait long?"

Shaking her head Glynda found a spot and plugged in the drive, a video seemed to load while she spoke "No, they said they would only be a few minutes."

It was not a long wait for either the Reaper or the Knight to arrive with a polite nod to the Headmaster and friendly wave to their friends. 

"Thank you both for coming, we came across something you both might be curious about.  Please take a seat."  Ozpin stated with an open hands towards some empty chairs.

Seemingly swallowing their curiosity they simply joined their friends unsure what the deal was.

"I am sure we all have many things to do tonight… why don't we get this going."  Ozpin suggested.

With everybody not already situated found a comfortable spot to hunker down at.  Once the headmaster himself had refilled his coffee mug he reached for his remote and declared "Ok, let us see what the fuss is all about…"

*** Video is normal text, any actions on the outside are in italics ***

Once play was pushed the video started without any preamble.  Barely visible was the man from earlier shown in silhouette, seemingly wearing a circular hat and full length coat, but neither was he particularly visible.  He gave the viewer a handful of seconds to take in the image as if gathering his thoughts, then he spoke in a somewhat friendly somewhat tired tone of voice.

"If you decided to load up this video then one of a few things have happened.  If you are the young woman to whom I entrusted it, then please give it your full attention.  If you have obtained this through another manner then I am most likely dead, and likely will never see my goals through.  I will not use your name Miss, as a manner of protecting you should this fall into wrong hands.  If however you still do not recognize me by the time this runs its course, all should be made known at that time."

He shifted on his chair and flipped on a light, showcasing his body while still hiding his face.  On his knee was the old White Fang mask, similar in nature to the one currently worn by their membership, but its crest was painted a white instead of the now standard red. 

_"Know who this guy is Blake?"  Yang asked curiously._

_Blake just shook her head as if unsure herself "He seems somewhat familiar but… I just can't place it."_

With a much more bold and proud tone he resumed "For over 60 years I devoted myself to the cause of the Fang.  I was never somebody of leadership, I followed my orders and strove for change.  The type of which would only benefit those whom I care about without causing harm to those outside the cause.  From the time I was learning to walk to the time when I decided it was time for a younger generation to lead I devoted my life to peaceful change and a better life for Faunus everywhere.  In my time with the Fang I served as a trainer, an instructor, an advisor and finally as a recruiter, trying to find like-minded young men and women to further our case.  It was while I was active in that role that I found you, young miss."

_"Hespith.  That is his name, Hespith.  He was a senior member of the Fang back when I joined… I recognize him now, he has not aged all that well."_

"The device I gave you was recorded on a scroll that until a few months ago belonged to my son.  For all its flaws I believed for most of my life and still do believe, that The Fang is not evil.  But either as a byproduct of dishonest or misguided leadership, or possibly control from an outside source under the guise of change by any means necessary the end of the organization is being brought about.  They offer and promise what many of us want without the trials of waiting and diplomacy many of the younger generation shun.  So few members remain with a clear head, blood is running very hot indeed and I fear it will grow hotter still.  If such a thing happens not only will the Fang cease to exist but it can bring about some very dangerous events besides."

_"I'm not sure if it would be a bad thing if the Fang were destroyed to be honest.  Seems like it would be a calmer world with them gone." Jaune commented somewhat coldly.  Given his experience with it in his home, it was not all that unreasonable a position to his mind._

_"He is NOT wrong Jaune.  Not all of the Fang is evil.  Many simply want to help their fellow Faunus without seeing any other option available to them!"  Blake argued back._

_"We can debate this point later, watch the video for now and be silent."  Goodwitch demanded sternly._

_Neither student really wanted to argue at this juncture and simply redirected their focus back to the video._

"I give you this message so you can try to find other solutions, solutions which originate outside of the Fang.  The Fang is not safe for you or anybody right now seeking to steer the ship back to the correct course, leadership has seen to that.  Rejoining it is thus not an option.  But there must be those outside the organization which could help free it from itself or as a last resort, prevent the damage its current actions threaten to cause."

Seemingly losing some of his internal passion an air of pain came unto the speakers face as he advised one more kernel of wisdom.  "Watch the video, see my son's story and what I am speaking of.  By its end I have something I wish you to pass on to your leadership.  Some hint that might aid in correcting the path the world is moving in.  An insider whose of a rather shady and unscrupulous methods mean he is not to be trusted in most cases.   Yet above all he is a businessman, and at the moment business has been only getting more difficult.  Until then… please observe."

_A glance at Jaune confirmed for the Cat-girl that he was already suspect of this man's motives, something Blake would not deny to be herself.  Even so she knew from personal experience this man did not warrant suspicious, only ever acting with valor in the instances she had known him._

With a forced flourish of his hand the imaged faded to black, then came back in the appearance of a barracks of some form.

The first image loaded in around a dinner table.  A lone individual sat off to the side speaking into the scroll, clearly making a recording meant for his father.  Not much was visible in the background, beyond giving off the impression it was not a well lit area.  Unlike the image of his father this one portrayed an open smile while the multi-point antlers proudly arching up from his head marked him as a deer Faunus.

"Hey dad, just checking in.  I might not get a chance to do this for a few weeks and figured I should stop slacking off.  You know… I know we had a rough time earlier in life but I genuinely think the last time we talked it did some good.  So… I am going to try and continue this new journal idea from our last get together."

He repositioned and twisted the camera around to view the others in the vicinity.  Many younger individuals were present both men and women.  Not all of them were obviously faunus, but that hardly really meant anything.  A few ended up waving at the camera with one girl even going so far as to blow him a kiss.

With that he rapidly spun the video around and spoke on through an obvious blush  "I had asked her not to do that, she's always eager to embarrass me.  Anyway as for why I won't be able to message or call you, see I just got a new assignment.  Supposedly something big is underway and my entire unit has been selected to go!  I know you have your issues with the Fang and its directives but they are the only ones trying to improve our standing, I feel like I have to do this!"

From off screen somebody, possibly the friendly girl from earlier shouted "Hey Hiravus!  Come get some food while its hot!"

Smiling ruefully at the camera he stated "Well, guess my time is up if I want to get something.  Gotta go, love ya dad."

With that he looked off to the side and closed the recorder.

_"Well, so they are people under those masks after all."  Ironwood declared somewhat sarcastically standing at his rigid attention behind the gathering._

_"I wonder was mission he is talking about."  Ruby pondered brightly._

The image soon lit up again causing a sharp intake of breath from Jaune and the instructors present as they immediately recognized the scene.  Gone was the low light and interior setting, this was a blizzard.  On a frozen lake in a mountainous setting, something very familiar with the bunch but only a few of them was quick on the uptake.

_"Oh I don't like where this is going…"  Jaune stated ominously._

Though… the rest of them soon figured it out.

Unlike before the young man was not talking to the camera, instead he just seemed to hit play and keep the camera pointing outwards.

"Dad!  Something really weird is going on here!  They told us we were suppose to capture these people and try for a big ransom or something!  This here… Look!"

From his position behind some cover the camera panned towards a cave opening, the bodies of several workers were coating the snow a crimson hue and some seemed to still be trying to move away however they could.  The initial stage of the ambush of a few months ago seems to have been concluded.

"This is not what we were told was going to happen at all!  I think you were right something really odd is going on!"

_"They were involved in that mess with your homeland Jaune…"  Ruby stated as if unsure what to think._

_"Still takes me aback seeing that type of action from the Fang… that isn't what they were suppose to stand for."  Blake stated both quietly and sadly as if speaking to herself._

For a time the video cut in and out.  Various orders were given, men moved around in packs searching for anything suspicious that might have been missed.  All in all not much happened as they settled in around the exit and waited for their query to appear.

Seemingly after a time he found a spot to record more.  Within seconds of the scroll turning on however the sound of conflict became known.  A countless mass of Grimm erupted from the mine taking the Fang forces by surprise.  They were after all expecting to encounter a team of Hunters, not exactly a horde of ravenous beasts.

"The hell did these Grimm come from?"  He wondered out loud angrily fumbling for his weapon barely switching the scroll off again as they closed in on his position.

_"I suppose it doesn’t take much to assume all those Grimm appearing would have been unsettling.  I know several of their number fell to them.  I always felt that they were meant as part of the ambush though."  Jaune stated factually if a bit emotionally detached._

_"Well sure, but they expected you to deal with them."_

The video was black for several moments as if recording an interior coat pocket.  Within moments the video swiveled around again to reveal the owner attempting to bind a wound to his arm.  A deep gash seemingly overwhelmed his aura sending a continual scream down to the snow below.  He might have switched on his scroll by accident as he seemed not to realize it was on given his desperate gasps for breath and muttered speech.

_"Must have his scroll around a tie on his neck or coat I guess.  Accidentally switched it on."  Goodwitch guessed._

"Hell… what... damn.  Curse those evil savages, my entire… they are all gone."

Various commands in the background seemed to boom through the area as Fang Captains bellowed out instructions for various tasks.  His own leader seemed to have been slain, as he didn’t rush to react.  To be fair though his wound might have slowed him down.

"Well… this has been a cluster-from-hell.  My entire group is gone who the blazes is the brain behind-"

A rather pleasant buzzing sound slowly began to filter into the video, unsure what was the cause Hiravus began to scan the horizon seemingly looking for a new threat.

"Now… what the hell are those things?!  That’s the symbol of the Cadian Military, they have A new flier and nobody in command thought to mention we might be encountering one?  I wonder… great if that high value target is somebody from that nation it's no wonder they responded however they could."

Panning up briefly the camera managed to capture the image of the 3 friendly Hummingbirds arrive.  Settling in above the theatre at a safe enough height.

He continued to look up observing the newcomers even as they seemed to be observing them, what little of them he could see anyway.

"I wonder what happens now…"  He pondered out loud.

"Form up again Fang's, today didn’t go as planned but we still have a job to do.  Get ready to engage the newcomers then we still have to search for that princeling." 

The voice echoed out from behind and slightly above on a ridge.  Looking back he spotted a familiar figure briefly. 

_"Well… dad has been spotted."  Jaune commented dryly._

_"Adam as well.  Guess he told me the truth about being present for that event."  Blake murmured._

_"Well at least we know what is likely to happen next."  Ruby chirped neutrally._

So it was that the expected attack from JNPR was announced by the opening salvos against the heavy weapon specialists of those Fang members and the blazing flare of the Arc semblance lighting up the night.  The only thing that might have surprised any of the viewers was the point of Jaune's attack to make the position of his team known:

Right next to the camera landing in a shoulder roll.  Coming out in an aggressive attack position Hiravus was completely unprepared to try and defend himself.  Already wounded and drained of his aura he couldn't resist the aura augmented attack of the Huntsman in training.  Quickly finding himself wounded a second time lucky to be alive.  A second gash on his thigh caused him to fall to the ground and attempt to crawl away.  His assailant didn’t try to press his advantage and instead moved forward going for the flat area behind the recorder.

_"I don’t remember fighting him… but I evidently did."  Jaune commented wistfully._

The group knew more or less what was going to happen next.  It was still something to watch from this perspective.  At some point the wound on his arm began to bleed again while the gash in his thigh made it difficult for him to move around.  None the less he tried to crawl backwards away from the conflict and served as the silent observer to what most probably looked back on as a tragedy.  Though it would certainly be a popular video if posted to a file sharing site.

"Wonder if they know each other… are they speaking?  Seems odd."  Said he through pained gasping for breath.

Jaune's brief but intense encounter with his father.  Him sliding through the snow to close the distance and ultimately triumphantly slicing the weapon of the older man in two.  Before the elder abandoned the contest diving off the walkway to the ice lake below entryway.  JNPR slowly but steadily making their escape to the landed craft providing covering fire along the way.

An elaborate explosion above as one of the Hummingbirds was destroyed lighting up the night sky. 

"The woman did that?  She was always so quiet I had no idea…"  He voiced sounding exhausted and somewhat weak.

It was rather shocking seeing the efforts of the JNPR leader to rescue the wounded Nora once everybody had gotten in the air.  Even from the limited perspective it was obvious the team was in obvious peril, yet action was called for and acted upon.  Even the wound to his leg didn’t stop him from getting back up to the safety of the remaining transports.

The camera couldn’t capture the destruction of the White Fang Bullhead flying in the air.  It did none the less cause the night to light up a second time in an explosion when it collided with the ground behind the recorder.

_"Ok… we have seen all that and we know how it turns out.  Let's see what happens now."  Jaune stated sounding rather determined if not a touch curious._

Once the chaos began to erode and the sounds of nighttime resumed people were genuinely unsure what was going to happen now.  It was fairly obvious the wounds Hiravus had suffered were limiting his movement if not completely immobilizing him.

He spent a good few minutes still trying to catch his breath and eventually try to stop bleeding.  Once again trying to bind his arm and thigh.  His breath practically appearing as a dragons breath given the cold chill of night in a Cadian Winter.  Eventually somebody who could actually walk wandered over and found him lying there.

"Hey, let me help you."  The nameless person stated.

Noticing the new arrival he seemed to relax a bit issuing a pained "Thanks… this hasn't actually played out as they expected."

The newcomer grunted seemingly not willing to discuss it.  "Well… we can leave that for later.  Let's try to get you patched up."

Laying back in the snow he let the new arrival work.  Issuing the occasional grimace in pain once work began on his leg.

"They really got you good."

Stirring slightly Hiravus commented "How good?"

Nodding towards the wound the other said "Clean through your leg, barely missing your main arteries.  Your aura will need to stitch that together though.  The bullhead carried most of our medical supplies so… aura is about all you have right now.  You should be ok provided you can rest a bit.  I can't completely stop the bleeding in your leg but as your Aura comes back it should get that taken care of."

Not wanting to test the wound he simply said "Thanks, I think I will stay here for a bit.  Not that I have a choice."

The other nodded then stood "I need to see to the others."

With that turned around and sought out any other wounded he could find.

Staying true to his word and not moving for several minutes the video became somewhat dull.  It seems however Hespith set the recording to fast forward.  After an unknown amount of time, probably around an hour Hiravus attempted to move again.  Reaching for his scroll and muttering:

"Ugh… what am I going to tell my father about this mess?  I have no idea…"

Reaching for his scroll and pulling it in front of him he continued "… I… oh this thing has been on the entire time.  Well that's awkward.  Oh well nothing I can do it now."

He reached into his supply back off screen and began to eat some type of ration.

"This crap still tastes like-"

Off in the distance what sounded like weapons being fired stole his attention.

"Now what?"  He grumbled looking and therefore turning the camera towards the newest disturbance.

Seemingly unsure what to do or think he just observed who the group knew to be Adam, and the woman in the dress move forward to a cluster of wounded Men and Women.  Amongst them was the medic from earlier still trying to assist those he could.

"Did more Grimm-!"  His question was cut off as he was forced to hold back a startled scream.  It was not more Grimm emerging that had caused the disturbance.  The medic from earlier had stood in front of those wounded on the ground refusing to move.  In response a senior Fang member fired his weapon clean through with a gory flash of red in the air.

Those wounded on the ground began to move however they could to try and crawl away.  They too were met with a grim end at the end of the weapon from earlier.  Rallying together and this point many Fang members advanced on the leaders moving around executing them.  Before long a skirmish had ensured.

"What the hell!?  What is going on!"

Words probably put into context just how astonished and confused he was given the civil battle taking place.  It was rather obvious the leadership had told some people what was happening prior to this going down.  Some Fang members turned on their fellow brethren for who knows what reason as those in charge were outnumbered.  Those not in a leadership role were themselves betrayed and cut down after as reward for their loyalty to those calling the shots.

_"This is horrible… it’s a massacre!"  Ruby stated sounding rather shocked._

As the images and loss of life continued to raise in tally it did get difficult to watch in many places.  It seems Hespith agreed as once again the video began to fast forward, cutting back some of the bloodshed.

_"I cannot believe I am seeing this… I believed you from earlier but I just never imagined they would cut down their own people…"  Blake seemed completed speechless even as she worded that.  Blinking away tears best as she could._

_Yang reached over to grab her hand at the same time Ironwood commented "There are many things one wishes upon an enemy.  This is not it."_

_Jaune seemed to smile unexpectedly.  He didn’t exactly expect the General to have any pity for the death of an adversary.  But… well he supposed there is no honor in this act.  Disagree as they might he had to admit at the very least most White Fang members were fighting for a cause.  This death here this butchery, serves no cause._

_"This is savage…"  Glynda commented._

By the time the video slowed down the viewers seemed to suspect something was about to happen again… they were not wrong.

"Did we miss anybody?"  A distant sounding Adam queried.

Hiravus' breath kicked up and became much more frantic as the leaders in the distance pointed towards him.

"We seem to have missed one."

"I'll deal with it."

Desperately trying to move away he pushed and scrapped for anything he could do.  His fingers occasionally blocking the field of view as he seemed to clutch it as if for good luck.

"Hurry he might get away!"  The woman shouted.

"Away?!"  He repeated confused still trying to find a way to escape.

The volunteer fired off a rifle round whizzing past his head digging into his shoulder.

Hissing in pain he grabbed a tree trunk with his good arm and pulled himself around trying to get out of view.

More rounds and even an arrow flew by with another bullet hitting him in his other leg.

"AHGH!"  He screamed out.

Finally he seemed to figure out what the woman mean by her warning of his escape very much so by accident.  Coming to the edge of the cliff the snow gave way to a very dangerous and steep slide down the ledge.

Slicing through plants and shrubbery Hiravus was launched into the air multiple times only to come back down to earth, only to continue his slide with even more force.  Narrowly missing what would be lethal impacts with rocks or trees his luck preserved him until the very bottom where a tree awaited which was too big to evade.

The crunch of the impact was heard painfully clear even on through the recording.

_"I don’t even know what to say …"  Jaune admitted seemingly barely able to even watch the video._

It seems during the fall an unexpected button was pressed unknown to the scroll owner.  Before long the beeps of a call going out was heard.

_"I can't imagine how lucky he was to have scroll reception there… that slide must have taken him in the direction of the only tower nearby to have any chance of being operational."  Ironwood commented._

The caller picked up seemingly confused "Hello?  Hiravus?  It is 4 in the morning what's going on?"  The speaker asked.

A weak hand moved towards the scroll trying to bring it closer to his body.

"Da… Dad?"

"Yes I am here!  I am here what… you don’t sound good what's wrong?"

As the seconds drag on you could practically feel the desperation and confusion present in his voice.

"Hiravus!  Answer me are you alright?"

Coughing weakly he managed to answer "Hel… need… Help…."

Seemingly forcing himself awake Hespith spoke on again sounded even more engaged than before "What do you need where are you?"

Coughing again he answered "Mountains… Cadia.  Not sure exactly where."

"Cadia?  What?   You know what don’t answer save your strength.  Keep the scroll active I will home in on its signal!"

"Hu… Hurry."

_"There is no way Hespith got to him in time.  No way at all, not with how remote that mining location was."  Ozpin stated sadly._

_"No… I do not believe he did either."  Ironwood agreed._

The remaining parts of the video nobody really would have been surprised by once it was set to fast forward speed.  Days passed, possibly a number of weeks went by.  It was obvious while the boy held on as long as he could, it would not be enough.  He had no food, no water, and possibly most important no shelter from the cold.  With his aura already depleted in the conflict his breathing did not last long.

As if to complete the story however the father did eventually find his son.  The image was growing weak due to lack of power.  They could barely hear him as the microphone had been covered by snow at this point, though once he spotted the object of his search a frantic:

"HIRAVUS!"  Did manage to get through clearly.  He quickly closed the distance, once he was within a few feet however he slowed to a halt.  All they could see of him was his reaction to seeing the state of his child.  The jolts his body took as he seemingly cried and his struggled movements to pick up the barely still active scroll once he seemed to collect himself.

When it was brought squarely in front of him Hespith seemed unsure what to think, eventually just switching it off for study later. 

The video faded into black once more…

_"Poor guy, devoting everything he has to a cause, to retire when your time came.  Only for the cause to claim your son in the end.  Gotta be hard on the guy."  Ruby stated empathetically._

…When the video came back it was just Hespith sitting there from his position before the adventure with Hiravus was shown.  Before speaking on again he moved another mask into view, this one a red to match the normal coloring of the Fang emblem.

"This mask was worn by my boy.  We did not always agree in life, but never once did I believe he wanted anything less than to improve the world.  We do not want to tear down humanity or the nations that govern it.  We just want Faunus to have a place in that world as an equal, not the status quo as second class citizens seen all too frequently across Remnant..."

He turned to set the mask aside before lifting the white mask on his knee up and place it on.

_"In that he is correct, nobody can deny that to be true."  Blake asserted._

"… Never again will I wear the crimson of the current Fang organization.  I do not know what good will come of it.  But from this point on I will be active once again.  There are many other veterans like myself who I believe will answer the call of duty once again.  It seems before the world can be changed, the Fang itself must change.  I was never a leader, but maybe the time is right for me to be one now.  My only request is if any of you see us in the field wearing this mask, to employ your power of speech over that of your weapons."

He paused to take a deep breath before looking forward once again.

"I have two more things to say.  First, as a personal message to the young woman to whom I entrusted this message.  When you have the time I would like you to visit the Faunus isle of Menagerie off the coast of Atlas's more hospital side.  I recruited you in the streets of that city.  I believe you must return there at some point.  Go to the corner on which we first met, and more closely study the area.  You know what to look for now, it might help you with answers about your parents."

_"Your parents have passed away right Blakey?"  Yang asked just to confirm things in her own mind._

_Blake issued a confused nod "Yeah, since I was young.  I remember their funeral… I don't know what I am going to find but… maybe I should make a trip when time allows."_

"Finally this last message is meant for those Huntsmen in a position of leadership.  I intend to bring the Fang down from within.  But I won't turn aside help should assistance be available to call upon.  Attached to the drive you will find a file.  On that file is the contact information for one Roman Torchwick.  He is a businessman of ill repute with ties to the White Fang, but he is still a businessman.  It was by his information I was able to find the carrier of this message, and his tips which assisted me in finding an abandoned Fang facility in Cadia."

_"Never heard of him."  Jaune stated evenly, probably wondering about this facility in his homeland he didn’t know about._

_"You hear his name come up in certain circles.  None of them I would want to associate with."_   Ozpin admitted.

"I would respectfully suggest that you reach out to him if you feel the need.  As I stated he is a businessman, and a legal one if you were to ask him.  The Fang might have started out good for his people but as things have continued to escalate that doesn’t necessarily hold true.  He might be able to tell you more.  All he was able to tell me was that the Fang has put nearly all of its resources into maintaining a location called 'Grendel'.  I know nothing about it beyond my son once mentioning that is apparently where everybody is trying to get posted now.  That is all I have for you, till next we meet may the broken moon light your path."

With that he reached forward and turned off the recording.

***Back to normal***

Silence ensued for several moments possibly nearing a minute following the video with everybody mostly caught up in their own thoughts.

Jaune thinking about his homeland and the encounter with his father…

Ruby being the one most able to remain neutral was actually trying to blink away a few tears on behalf of the father and his loss…

Blake and Yang had no idea what to think.  It was not that long ago they had a clash with the more violent side of the Fang, being asked to give the other half a chance was not the easiest thing to hear.  But at least Blake could say she wanted to make a trip to Menagerie when she was able too, possibly over the summer.  They would have to see if the opportunity would appear.

Ozpin was the first to speak following the silence after clearing his throat.  "Well… that was an eventful video that gives us something here to think about."

At the headmaster speaking the students stood to face him.

"I thank you Ms. Belladonna for bringing that to our attention."

Blake nodded respectfully.

"I will be taking the contact information for this character Roman Torchwick.  It isn't something I believe students need.  However the message this man sends I believe is a pertinent one and I would encourage you to show it to your teams.  I won't suggest treating anybody wearing a white mask as an ally just yet but it will be interesting to see how events play out."

"At the very least we should coordinate to investigate claims of an abandoned facility in Cadia.  If it is near atlas that might be the location where the event from last year was organized.  I do not believe we will find anything but we would be remiss not to look."  Ironwood cut in.

"What do you think about his request of you Ms. Belladonna?"  Goodwitch asked.

"If you mean about visiting Menagerie… I do not know.  I remember the location but, I don’t know what he expects me to find."  She answered honestly.

"In any case while this was a useful tangent to take it was none the less a distraction from our current meeting.  Thank you for coming but it is time to see yourselves out.  We now have to hurry to prepare for our upcoming appointment."  Glynda stated with a pointed look towards the headmaster.

She went about copying the needed files from the drive before offering it back to the cat-girl.  Naturally deleting the contact information in the process in line with the headmasters wishes.

With a sequence of looks the students began to slowly make their way out.  Blake accepted the drive gracefully plucking it from the open hand with agile fingers as she passed the professor.

The students might have jokingly poked or said something on their way out, but the instructors couldn't really hear them as they moved further and further away.

Once the door was closed Ironwood felt the next to speak more.

"That took a great deal of time out of our preparation for this evening.  But… I guess we at least have a name now to go with intel.  I wonder if this 'Grendel location' is the same facility STRQ has been dispatched too?  I would coincide with our own reports about troop movements."

Ozpin took his time with a healthy slurp before answering "I don’t know James.  We had to send them in there but we had so little intel to go off of.  It might be yet another dead end for all we know.  Still… it had to be done."

"Still no word from them then?"  Glynda asked.

The Headmaster shook his head "No… still radio silence.  To be frank I am starting to be concerned.  The silence has continued for far too long.  I hope it isn't the case, but I believe they might have run into difficulties."

James stroked his chin briefly before advising "It might be time to get aggressive old friend.  We have waited years for this chance.  If they can move everything to another location… it would just be that more dangerous for the next team we have to send."

Ozpin shook his head yet again "No, any aggression on our part will only tip them off that we know where they are.  Or at least have some idea, that puts the mission and all its objectives at risk.  As dangerous as it is, anonymity is still their best defense and chance of success."

With a frustrated sigh Ironwood pressed on "Ozpin as much as I respect your opinion I have to believe you are wrong here.  The loss of people is never a happy thing to consider but right now its risk losing a team or risk losing much more if they cannot handle it."

Ozpin took a deep breath "Yes, there is danger.  I do not deny that.  But rolling in with all the military might at our disposal is not necessarily a better option.  At this point we do not even know what to look for."

"But sir there is no denying that more manpower could make the search easier."  Glynda suggested.

"Or it could just tip off our enemy we has some inkling of where they are and they could very well decide to evacuate in turn.  Then we would have no way of locating them without another lengthy and possibly bloody search."  Ozpin asserted sternly yet still in a friendly manner.

The conversation stalled out until Ironwood asked "Then what do you intend to do?"

Ozpin thought about it for several heartbeats, until speaking his mind.

***Back in the JNPR Dorm***

The walk back to their rooms was a rather quiet but not depressed trip.  More or less everybody keeping their thoughts to themselves.  They ended up showing the video to the remainder of their group leaving the majority of them feeling empathetic towards Hespith and his plight without knowing what exactly to do about it.

It did weigh on their minds for a bit, but it wasn't anything that preventing them from doing their normal routine.  Following their nightly weapons practice routine Jaune exited the shower to find the JNPR room empty.  It seems the gang was playing cards in the shared living room before lights out that night.  Pyrrha however, had decided not to join the gathering.

Laying on her stomach while talking on her scroll she seemed to be mid conversation as he came into listening range.

"… Yes mom I am ok.  Like I said I joined in the battle once it was already almost over."

He grinned and rounded the corner.  Pyrrha was taking great care to only show her face.  Much of her body was open to the air and was looking unbelievably sexy as it was most times he saw her.  Feeling that rebellious side of him start to whisper evil things to him he tip toed closer towards her.

The reply from her mother seemed quiet though he did catch the latter part "… Well that’s good at least.  Nobody beyond this Blake was wounded?"

Reaching his goddess of a girlfriend Jaune gave her gorgeous booty a bit of a slap to startle her before starting on a backrub.

"Oh hey-… Oooohhhh!  Mhmm…. feels nice!"  Pyrrha always happy to enjoy her boyfriends affection seemed a first a touch confused by the light spank… though her confusion quickly vanished once an overly adorable smile took hold on her features.

"Pyrrha?  Pyrrha you ok?"

Barely able to keep focused the Spartan mumbled out "Oh just.. Jaune is… hmmmmm being… Jaune.  Oh just a bit lower please sweetie.'

Jaune could practically feel the cogs in Phaera's mind start to spin as she replied "Is he using those 'magical hands' again?  Well that’s fine I will leave you to it.  Be sure to pay attention to every inch of her!  You both work a lot and one shouldn’t avoid pampering any part of you that gets work!"

A cough echoed through the phone as Luke objected "Honey!  you don’t need to tell the boy that!  Pyrrha could manage that on her own."

"Mhmmmmmmmm."  Was all Pyrrha could formulate sinking into the bed further.

"Actually honey I don't think she can."  With an obvious smile Jaune didn’t need to see he just went about his task.

Enjoying the look on her daughters face Phaera just advised "I will let you two go.  Sleep well!"

With the call concluded he just focused on working the tension out of her back.  Eventually working his way through her gorgeous butt and strong but perfect shapely legs.  Always happy to have the chance to give her a massage he was just happy that she seemed to enjoy them.

"At some point mhmmm…. I think I will need to learn how to do this to you."  She commented happily closing off her scroll.

Not feeling the need to argue the point he just stated "Whatever you like."

Not being shy about working on her gorgeous if strong and athletic body, he decided to follow her mother's advice.  Not avoiding a single inch of her figure.  By the time he was done she felt slightly more cuddly than normal.

Their sleep that night was rather refreshing for the both of them.

**A/N**

**At some point I hope to be able to write more consistently.  As it stands I had computer issues that basically meant I couldn’t write for an extended period of time.  Regardless I do apologize for the delay in between postings.**

**As ever please provide feedback however you can.  This chapter is slower than others I confess that.  Trying to add some meat to the middle of the year here before the year finale in a couple chapters.  In regards to feedback, same as always.  Review email kudos comment IM… yada yada yada.**

**Thank you for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	53. Y3 Winter: The Calm Before...

3.27 The calm before…

_"Glad to see you are making consistent progress.  Overall you are doing better, much much better."_

It never really ceased to amaze him.  He seemed to spend nearly all his time working.  Either in getting his body in shape after a childhood of neglect.  Or with weapons practice with his team having missed out on some early years of instruction.  Not to mention anything he does privately with his partner and sister.  He had plenty of work to do, much to make up for.  It sometimes seemed to astonish him how far he had come from the guy who didn’t know which end of the sword was the pointy one not all that long ago.  Not at least as Arc's recon time.  He gave credit to seemingly everybody but himself in most cases… though that isn't to say he wasn't happy to be given some honest praise.

_"Thanks Mom."  He replied._

There he was sitting in his chair besides an open fire, semblance blazing with a steady and reassuring white hue constantly competing with the other pristine glow across the room.  All across the walls their wills battered against each other constantly striving to push the other back.  It was yet another in a seemingly endless supply of lessons he had submitted himself too and he -if he would be so bold as to suggest- was starting to get the hang of it.

"Sometimes I wish we could have a conversation like a normal family…"  A voice proclaimed over scroll chat between them making a holographic image in the open space above the fireplace.

The curveballs never seemed to stop being thrown at him however to some extent…

At an unannounced point Mom stood and headed towards the fridge.

With a humored chuckle and a wave Jaune replied nodding to answer the unspoken inquiry "Hey it was your idea to call me, I just pushed the button."

"Who knew calling my brother in one of his off hours would result in what should we call it… a swoonish lightshow for all to witness."  The speaker replied wistfully.

_"I think we can let this die down a bit, it's about time to draw this to a close anyway."  Mom announced as quick as thought.  Before anybody could blink their flames began to wither away and she took no time retorting:_

"Think of it this way Anna, this way you only need to explain it once.  You have to be busy with all the new Intel Vale and Atlas have supplied of late." 

Reaching into a fridge she pulled out a couple bottles tossing one to her son across the room.  He wasted no time in gulping down liquids voraciously, not realizing until now how thirsty he was after his semblance work.

With a barely audible scoff that might have genuinely been a concealed giggle Anna playfully declared "Yeah they have done a fine job of keeping us busy here in intelligence.  It would be nice to get ahead of the game for once you know?  Instead of finding enemy facilities abandoned we could find them fully manned and not expecting us.  That would be nice change of pace."

It really didn’t need to be said, but with the news of possible internal strife within the White Fang to the point the organization might implode or splinter into several warring factions nobody doubted that everybody at home would have been pulling extra hours.   The idea of each cell becoming its own "Fang entity" was downright nauseating for anybody he could name.  Anna especially as both a member of the family and a liaison to their head of state it was a position that often times had her moving from one meeting to the next.  Such that when she called, the Matriarch quickly included her in the lesson plans than waste her time with having her callback later. 

… Though that in and of itself was probably not so much in the plan for the military officer, she proved willing to humor them.  Mom as it turns out was difficult to argue with in her 'Professor' mode.

Following the news of possible abandoned facilities near or around the border they all knew Cadia had to act on the information in an official capacity.  As such a search was organized.  Beyond confirming that such locations existed on the Atlas side of the border nothing of note was found.  It was however, something that the information was proven correct.

"We both know you appreciate the extra challenge Anna, it would be too easy otherwise."  A bright and rather surprising voice chirped on the other end of the phone.

Both Jaune and his mother shared a rather quick eye contact before voicing at the same time "Miyas?  Has Miyas joined in?"

Sure enough where there was just one neatly presented blond girl with her hair in a profession bun another shorter and infinity more petite girl materialized walking into view.  Wearing her hair in a large braid that coiled down her left shoulder his older sister Miyas made herself known.  The final triplet of the group of which Lissette and Patricia belonged too, she looked like a splitting image of her birth mates.  Though she was very small of frame by comparison even to Anna who was a rather normal sized girl all things considered.  Being about a broad as Weiss was despite being several inches taller.

"Present and accounted for."  She said in confirmation with a playful salute in an obvious imitation of the real thing.

With a sigh signifying her surrender Anna just shrugged arms off to the side and rested her chin on her younger sisters shoulder.  "It seems Miyas has indeed decided to join in."

"I take it this is what you meant by wishing you had some advance notice of things?"  Jaune commented with a coy grin.

Just leveling an annoyed 'Big Sister' glare Anna decided not to dignify that remark with a comment of her own.

"Our Military needs to be adaptable, she should thank me for messing up her plans in all honesty."  Miyas commented with a half-smile.

That time Anna couldn’t help but scowl.

"It's just a way of keeping you on your toes really Anna!  In all seriousness though… I assume nobody minds me being here?"

Looking down away slightly she drew a deep breath before facing forward again…

_Guess it still isn't easy for her to be so outspoken or outgoing._

"No I don't think anybody minds, though we do only have a few minutes.  I have a meeting with the Headmaster in half an hour."  Mom put forth.

"What about?"  Anna asked brightly seemingly deciding that her sisters shoulder was rather comfortable.

After taking a healthy pull from her bottle Mom answered with "He wanted to discuss the final assessment for our advanced class students coming up next week.  Don't know thus I can't say more than that beyond Ironwood and myself would be in the same room."

"Ooof.  So expect an argument to be heard from anywhere on the grounds at any time in the near future.  That about right?"  Anna asked.

"I never did ask you why you and he always seemed to fight.  Seems to me you both try to do what you think is right."  Miyas interjected somewhat surprisingly.

Jaune gave her a raised eyebrow before shrugging it off… if it concerned the advanced class he would find out soon enough.  He had to admit he could understand why his mother found General Ironwood an irritant or a pest at home but… he hasn't gotten that impression thus far in his schooling.

With a deep breath and a sigh Mom eventually admitted "A good portion of it probably comes down to the fact we both like getting on each other's nerves and I personally love arguing."

"Mom that’s not fair… that runs in the family."  Any of the children could have said… in fact they might have all said it at the same time.

Waiving them off she continued  "At least if you want me to discount old biases which most anybody from home would have.  Atlas has always tried to meddle with our affairs it isn't anything new."

Not wanting to start an argument of his own Jaune couldn't help but think the general seemed reasonable enough.  It might not be a bad time but to try and work beyond that inborn bias.  But… it probably wasn’t the time for that conversation.

"Hopefully the meeting goes well… I have decided something.  About my name."  Miyas supplied, maybe trying to change the subject, he couldn’t be sure.  This might be why she even decided to make an appearance.

He nodded willing to let the previous topic die, there was plenty bad in the world without continually thinking about it after all.

She took a deep breath before continuing "I have decided to forego my middle name as well... Like Lissette and Patricia have I suppose."

The Knight couldn’t bring himself to smile given the circumstances for her decision, but he had to say he was pleased just the same.  Truth be told he wasn't sure what to say at the moment regarding it either beyond having an idea she would come to that conclusion.

After a couple seconds it seemed like nobody had a good idea on what to say to be frank.

"I guess I wouldn't know what to say either."  She admitted nervously rubbing the back of her neck.

"It was your decision either way, I just need to remember to call you by your first name now is all."  Mom suggested seemingly pleased Miyas er… Iris was trying to move on.

"I guess it might be odd hearing Iris now, but, I believe it is what I need to do."  Iris stated looking off to the side briefly. 

"Does this mean you have come to a decision about your scars too?"  Anna asked from behind her.

Never very good at lying Iris didn’t even try to conceal her discomfort in the subject, but none the less seemed determined to work her way through it.

Jaune had to look away himself at their mention… he still struggled to believe his eyes when he saw any picture with them present.

Mom seemed equally at a loss for words though she was infinitely more angry over the matter than he himself was.

"You know nobody is going to rush you into a decision about them Iris.  Your sisters said if you wanted to get rid of them they support you.  Even if they had to feel it all over again."  Knowing full well the decision to heal the scars would likely be her responsibility and it would cause not an insubstantial amount of pain on her daughters when she ultimately went through with it.

"I understand that.  It won't matter though, I have chosen to keep the scars."

That prompted the other Arc's on the call to look between them unsure what to say.

"You don't want them removed?"  Jaune asked after nobody said anything for several heartbeats.

Iris shook her head resolutely "No, they are a part of me who I am.  In time I might desire them removed but for now… I will let them serve as a reminder of lessons learned."

_'Except… the lesson was learned by everybody in the family.  Not just you, we have our share of the burden to bear too.'_

Jaune nearly spoke the thought, instead he nodded and kept it to himself.

"If it's what you want, I can't help but support you in it.  Eve is still working with you right?  So you still want to attend a hunters school I take it.  Have you decided where?"  He eventually said instead trying to keep everything as positive as possible.

Iris nodded gratefully and seemingly happy to being able to speak her peace  "Yes to both, Glad to hear it.  I have to ask little brother…"

Seemed like she had something else on her mind as well though…

She began to look just a bit playful as she concluded "What in the world are you wearing?"

Jaune grinned showing off his new gear proudly "I believe my partner called this a hoodie.  They are actually quite comfortable."

His sisters in the image nodded non-committally "Uh-huh.  It looks comfortable but what I can't understand is the bunny rabbit logo."

Jaune shrugged "Hey that’s just what it came with.  I don't care its comfortable on its own.  It might be a logo of Pumpkin Pete.  You know… the cereal brand?  But honestly it doesn’t bother me at all.  She gave it to me and it would be wrong not to wear it."  He had to admit the oddly cuddly bunny holding up a handful of flakes with each hand on the black cloth background seemed odd but.  Eh it’s a gift and furthermore Pyrrha went out of her way to get one for him.  Supposedly the ones with the logo are rather hard to find.

"But why though?  It isn't like you need clothing, much less actually need anything to help you keep warm in Vale?"  Anna asked innocently enough.

Jaune shrugged "I have no idea, just that she thought I might like to wear it."

Scratching the back of her head Anna shared a look with her mother before supplying "Uh huh… Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if it mysteriously disappeared one day little brother."

Jaune seemed confused by that "Why who would steal it?  Not like its valuable or anything."

Seemingly aware of something he was not the women shook their heads before sighing seemingly at the same time.

"You females are so strange…"  Jaune mumbled under his breath scratching the back of his head.

Mom chuckled somewhat evilly before checking the time.  After taking another drink she put a hand on his shoulder and said "It is a lifelong goal to understand us and most never accomplish it.  Even other women."

Jaune sighed "Not sure what to think about that."

Laughing briefly on the other end of the conversation Anna suggested "Nobody ever does.  But… Mom I guess it is about time for you to go?  We don't want anybody to be late."

Mom nodded still seemingly amused.  But she did turn around to prepare however she needed too.

"I guess that’s our queue to leave.  Nice talking to you both."  Anna stated with a wave.

"I guess it is about that time.  We got through everything we needed too?"  Jaune queried standing up to stretch a bit.

"Yeah, we got through the reports.  There is always more to do but if something comes up I will get back to you."  Anna answered finally moving her chin off Iris' shoulder.

"Till next time."  She stated before ending the call.

Turnings towards the door Jaune asked "Miyas… or uh… Iris looks much better.  Glad she is being social again, has she told you what school she wants to attend?"  He asked.

Mom took a deep breath before answering "Well… she hasn't said as much but I know she wants to come here.  It’s a bit of a tradition as you are aware.  Atlas is the last place she would want to go, and the other institutions just… well they aren't the same experience I don’t think."

He nodded.  Being older than her peers would be a challenge for acclimatize, but it wouldn’t necessarily be impossible.  But it would be more difficult to bond with her teammates if she is 5 years older than everybody.  But… if that’s the path she wants to walk then so be it.  Why shouldn't she get a chance to pursue her own desires?

Taking a glance outside he commented "Winter really isn't all that hard here in Vale I almost never even notice.  Probably don’t even need this hoodie."  Referring to the fact that spring had basically returned in full form.

Mom chuckled "Yes you don’t need it but just humor your partner and wear it for a bit, at least as long as she lets you."

Jaune just issued a confused look and shook his head fairly certain question marks would be floating above his head.  "Lets me… huh?" 

Laughing at his confusion she couldn’t help but give him a hug "You will know before long I think.  About time to get back, I need to get to my meeting/debate session.  Love ya son."

After their embrace they parted at the door going their separate ways… to his eyes she still seemed amused about something that continued to elude him all the way back to the dorms.

***Headmasters Study***

Back in her formal Professors garb weapon included she arrived with a -ding!- from the elevator to find herself the last to arrive.  Arrayed around the table was naturally, the Headmaster himself, flanked by General Ironwood and her former student Glynda Goodwitch.  All three turned in her direction and greeted her with a nod.

"And there is our last participant.  Private lesson plans still going well Deb?"  Ozpin asked brightly before going for a swig of coffee.

Walking confidently forwards she nodded in return "They are, thank you for asking."

Ironwood seemed to hold back some of his normal criticisms about how it is irresponsible for a teacher to spend so much time in private lessons with a student, but thankfully he seemed to deter from that line of thinking.  Deb however couldn’t seem to help herself as she asked:

"I see you are still here James, the attack was awhile ago I am surprised you haven't gone back to Atlas yet.  Surely High Command must miss you." 

Ozpin could only marginally shake his head… it seems like whenever those two encountered each other it resulted in an argument, either heated or otherwise.  He knew Cadian's had resented Atlas rule for nearly as long as the arrangement was put forth, but he did find it tiring that even here when working as colleagues that sentiment remained.

"One of the benefits of an established militaristic style of command, Ms. Arc, is that you can always count on other officers to step up and act in your stead with competence.  I am informed of what is happening in my stead and find it acceptable.  I trust my subordinates to be loyal, that’s what the military does for you."  He replied coolly keeping his hands behind his back with rigid posture befitting his station.

"I just find it odd that the nation's leader could be gone for so long and not cause side effects-"  Deb began.

"I-"

Ironwood opened his mouth to speak probably to mention the similarities between himself and how Cadia is currently functioning with its technical ruler being away at Beacon… however Ozpin decided to cut in.

"James, Deborah.  We are here to do a job.  We do not have so many allies that we can afford these constant distractions whenever you two share each other's company."

A hard look at both his colleague across the table and his good friend to his left carried a great deal of silent communication.  Essentially a silent plea that enough could simply be enough.  They tried to avoid each other as often as possible throughout the term but it has come to the point where they simply must both listen to and order the other around. 

The hard look appeared to have done its job for the most part.

Deb took a couple deep breaths before silently placing her hands on the table ready to get to work.  At least willing to be a professional.  Not liking somebody was no excuse for sloppy work after all.

James likely did not appreciate the lecture but he likewise seemed willing to face the group and get to work.  Ozpin might have expected an apology to be issued from each of them but he was being disappointed in that aspect.

As such Ozpin felt the need to elaborate.

"Tension between your two nations runs high we all know that.  However are not at a staff meeting in Atlas nor are we at the throne room of Castle Cadia.  We are at a school trying to prepare our charges for the future and right now we have something of a dark task to see too.  I hope that is the last I see of politics from either of you.  I need you to work together if not for the Vows we all made as Huntsmen but for the safety of our students.  This mission is going to be dangerous enough as is we need everybody on the same page."

Ozpin knew from the get-go that these were two of the best at their prospective roles around, however he also knew that sometimes natural bias just will not go away.  Maybe cooperation was too much to hope for but they should at least be able to stay out of the others way.

He could feel Glynda sending one of her trademarked glares into the side of his head.  As normal she would want him to be even more direct and confrontation than he typically was.  Hopefully all that needed to be said has been said.

It was around the time Ozpin was prepared to go forward with the meeting, that his friend managed to surprise him.

"In light of cooperation Ms. Arc… I feel as though I must apologize.  I know we have not gotten along at almost any time in the past and being told to work with me cannot be easy."  He offered his right hand.

"Maybe it is time to try and make it work?"  He suggested.

Deb seemed completely caught unawares, having never considered Ironwood would even do this.  For the briefest of moments She considered the possibility of rejecting the peace offering outright.  However much her pride might like to do that she ultimately could not act upon those feelings.  It takes something to be the first to step forward after all and right now they had bigger issues than each other to contend with.

"I will not apologize for the times we have argued James, I stand by everything I said.  But I can try to at least understand why you see things in another light than I do."

Taken slight slightly aback Ozpin just looked on mildly but pleasant surprised that what began so quickly seemed to change course just as swift.  Maybe now, they could get to work.

"Well… Good to see that we might be able to be civil towards each other after all.  We have a final task to plan after all."

Thus, ignoring the remaining tension in the air, they sat down and began.

***Shared Dorm room***

Jaune had no more finished with his shower and dressed in his lounge clothing before he noted a received message from his mother…

…

…

 It seems she wanted to talk to both JNPR and RWBY regarding their final exams.  Unsure what to think of this turn of events he simply deposited his hoodie on a nearby chair for use tomorrow and made his way to the living room outside having spied most of the group chatting around the fire when he arrived back.

Shutting the door behind him followed by a turn towards his friends he noted only Yang seemed to be missing.  Kate and Ren were in the Kitchen in the far back preparing what looked like celebratory smoothies for a completed term.  Ruby and Nora no doubt were serving as a judges for which drink was the most delicious, probably routinely changing their minds just to get multiple refills.

Pyrrha gave him a happy smile and a wave rooted to her spot in the sofa trying to contend with a couple of his dogs for attention.  Weiss was working on something to do with her scroll, which really could be anything just down the way and likewise was trying to contend with two addition golden's.  The only being who was dog free at the moment was, predictably, Blake.  She was found reading a book in a high back chair with her cat firmly on its place on her shoulder.  Oddly enough Zwei had found herself a pillow in the form of Blake's feet.  Or possibly more likely Blake had found a foot warmer in the friendly canine.

"Welcome back Jaune!  How'd the lesson go?"  His lovely partner asked happily kissing his cheek when he found a spot next to her.

"It went well.  I see you all are enjoying yourselves?"  Deciding to leave out anything regarding the call with Anna… it anything became relevant he would of course tell her but the information regarding Iris he had decided to keep as private as possible.

Unable to keep from giggling Pyrrha observed 4 dogs decided to ply their attention to him.  It wasn't long before he was the one hard pressed to keep everybody happy already halfway buried under a mountain of golden fur.

"Jeeze it's like the poor things have been ignored all day."  He commented theatrically trying to be even and fair with the ear scratches.

"Have these people been ignoring you?"  He asked the dogs in a childish tone of voice.

With a scoff the Heiress commented "They most certainly have not been ignored at all.  Some people just have more of a tolerance dogs than others."  Sticking a thumb at the Cat-girl all the while.

"Anything of note happen Jaune?"  Kate inquired with a raised voice from the kitchen.

Pyrrha took the moment he needed to form an answer to kiss him yet again on the cheek before declaring "I'll be right back."

She then promptly if somewhat teasingly swayed her hips back and forth as she moved towards their room.  Dressed in the tight clothing his own twin got her hooked on it was more than a bit difficult to look away.  When Pyrrha reached the door she gave him a wink then went out of view happy smile and all.

Seemingly following her at the same time he was Weiss stated with a slight note of appreciation "If I might be so bold as to say Jaune, you sister has been a bad influence on her."  It still was difficult for Weiss to understand how somebody so strong could move so gracefully, one of the many mysteries of the world we might never have an answer too.

He really could only groan in reply.

Kate and Ren had finished their task and went the room to pass out the completed drinks.

"So… why do I get the feeling you have something to say?"  The mischievous one inquired again grinning the whole while.  Probably not disagreeing with Weiss on any specific point.

Looking around the room briefly he took a deep breath.

"Well… before I get into that I notice one of us appears to be missing… where is Yang?"  He asked taking a sip from the drink to try and clear his head.

"Delicious!  Thanks!"  Nora commented sampling the tasty drink.

Sending an amused smile at the orange haired one Weiss answered "I can answer that in part-"

Ruby found a spot next to her, the partners wasted no time in getting an arm around the others waist.

With a shared smile Weiss continued "She wanted to check out some new pieces and options for her new bike."

Intrigued Jaune asked "She intends to rebuild Bumblebee?"

With a shake of her head Ruby supplied "Nah, Bumblebee Mark II.  Apparently the '2' is really important.  Weiss here agreed to buy everything.  I think Yang intends to get it all put together over summer."

"She is checking out her options?"  Ren assumed finding a spot himself.

Nodding Weiss replied "Something like that, she wants to make her next bike 'Bigger Badder and Bolder in every way.'  Once she decides on the last few pieces I can get them ordered."

Ruby decided to translate "Basically louder, faster and more flashy than before.  To put it in normal people speech."

Chuckling briefly Nora commented "Honestly Ruby I don't think you are one to lecture about attachments to inanimate objects."

Ruby opened her mouth as if to object when like so many times in their career at Beacon… the unpredictable occurred.

Bursting through the nearby window with a squawk a golden bird burst onto the scene flapping wildly.

"How did that bird get in?"  Jaune queried.

"We must not have had a window fully shut."  Kate answered evenly.

"It's a dove?"  Ruby asked curiously.

With a scoff Weiss half lectured half corrected with "No you dolt Dove's are white.  That’s a Golden Oriole.  Notice the signature black wings and golden yellow body?"

Difficult as it was the spot with the birds rapid flapping, Ruby had to admit:

"Oh… oh yeah I do see that."

"Oh great last thing we need is a stupid bird trapped in here."  Blake complained.

The bird seemingly was drawn to the cat girl and swiftly flew towards her hovering just inches from her nose chirping all the way.

"Stupid bird get away."  Blake grumbling making an angry cat like swipe at the offender.

Deftly dodging away the bird seemed to squawk again as if insulted this slow human being would try and catch it.  Once again hovering in front of Blake's nose yet again, still chirping.

Another miss from Blake and the Cat-Girl was prepared for drastic measures:

"Blasted Bird!  Get it Shoopuf!"  She commanded pointing at the irritant.

Either out of instinct or dutifully following instruction the black cat deftly leapt claws out narrowly missing the target.

"I really shouldn’t think this is funny…"  Jaune mumbled to himself chuckling all the same.

"But I can't help it either…" Kate agreed with a humored nod.

Shoopuf diligently pursued the golden bird as it put out an alarmed squawk for the third time in as many minutes zigzagging around the room.  Narrowly avoiding claw or teeth by the narrowest of margins.  The kitten seemed to realize she wasn’t going to catch the bird after a half minute of frenzied pursuit and settled down into a prowlers stance and edged along trying to remain out of sight.

Curiously it seemed the bird stopped pestering the Cat-Girl and began hovering around the head of Tyrion, the friendly golden dog nearby.

"Jaune, your dog is a traitor.  Make him grab that bird and get him out of this room!"  Blake instructed seemingly ready to pounce again.

Amusingly enough the bird landed on the dogs noggin and made another indignant chirp at those trying to catch it.  It hopped a time or two to spin around until she was facing the approaching danger…

At that exactly moment the door knocked followed immediately by it opening to reveal that the Matriarch has arrived.

"Well I am here, is everybody accounted for we have a few things to talk about?"  Deb stated in greetings waving at the gang just down the hallway.

"NOW I HAVE YOU!"  Blake declared pouncing towards the irritating bird/dog combo.

"I see some things never change…"  Mom lamented watching Blake inch ever closer mid air.

The bird leapt off and tried to fly away only to finally be caught by its feet.

"HA!"  The Cat-Girl boasted triumphantly.

*POOOOOF!*

With a puff of smoke and an "Eeeek!" of confusion A strong well put together athletic body seemed to fall to the floor.

"YANG?!?!"

"YANG?"

"Yang can turn into a bird!"

"Yang you can turn into a bird?!"

"Yang… why are you naked!?"

"Huh… good question… why are you naked?"

"I'm Naked?!"  A familiar voice inquired obviously confused.

Seemingly everything froze as the Brawler stood up and realized that she was in fact naked.

"WAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"  With a golden blur she sent Blake tumbling to the ground at a loss for words before violently slamming the RWBY dorm door open then close behind her.

"Well that was yet another thing I have not seen in my career here.  Clearly I am not as weathered as I thought."  Mom stated wistfully in good humor.

"By the broken moon… My sister is a bird!"  Ruby lamented arms panicked skywards.

When nobody in the group could think of anything of note to say Mom just declared "Somebody will need to fill me in at some point."

Still frantic Ruby blurted out "I wish I knew what to tell you… I mean I knew that Uncle Qrow could become a bird when he wanted too and I'm pretty sure Raven could as well… oh my god my sister is a bird!!!"

Pyrrha left the JNPR dorm to rejoin the gang at that point and worded "What did I miss?"

Jaune had to blink as he realized… she had decided to steal/appropriate/liberate/wear his hoodie.

"Uh Pyrrha?"  He questioned.

Happily finding a spot next to him she just issued a happy hum and leaned against his shoulder, smiling all the way.

With a sigh of surrender coupled with a knowing grin Mom made her way towards the kitchen.  "I think I will need a smoothie before I will proceed any further this evening."

Few things got the group to agree like chocolaty goodness, with that declaration it was agreed that while Yang dealt with… whatever she was going through everybody else should have a refill.  After all the judges never did decide which was superior.

***After refills had been divvied out***

"I swear I didn’t do it on purpose!"  Yang entreated for what seemed to be the 20th time.

The Brawler -now fully clothed- sat with her back to the fire pleading that she didn’t give everybody a show intentionally.  Not that Blake ended up minding as she had a good view and many others would admit Yang had a pleasing form… it wasn't exactly something Ruby aspired to witness.

"So… you were talking to the store clerk.  Made a decision, and was so excited on your way back that you just… started to fly away?"  Weiss asked with incredulity.

With another groan Yang asserted "That’s as close as I can be to what happened!  I knew where I was flying I just didn’t know how to change back!"  She turned to look towards the nearby professor and continued with "I don't know how to control this!  How did I shift?  How do I not do that in the future?"

Deb could not keep the smile off her features no matter how hard she tried.  Even so she felt compelled to answer best she was able.

"Yang I do not know what to tell you beyond what most professors would be able to share.  Sometime's people come of age and in moments of strong emotional output trigger abilities people did not know they possessed."  She took a drink and shifted to be a bit more comfortable before continuing  "As I understand it this 'bird' form you experienced is commonly passed down generations.  I know your mother can become a bird and I am fairly certain your uncle can as well."

The two sisters shared a look before Ruby shrugged, Yang still looked alarmed.  None the less with only possessed a mockery of her typical brazen confidence as she declared "Well… I don't know what do.  I am me, I get emotional.  How do I not transform into a bird mid battle?"

Deb shrugged herself "Yang it mostly comes back to a need and controlling yourself, no matter how hot you might run.  You were so excited you wanted to share the news about your bike as soon as you possibly could, right?"

Yang issued a semi confident nod.

"Well odds are mid combat you aren't going to want to peck somebody in the nose.  You would rather slug them.  I will do some research on the subject but it isn't anything I can claim mastery of."

When Ruby chimed in Deb decided to empty her cup.

"But what about her clothing-"

"-Yeah how does she do that bird thing without showing off her bits?"  Weiss concluded for her.

"Excuse me, but my babies are not bits!"  Yang argued clutching her chest.

"Fine, your very impressive lady mounds.  The question still stands."  Blake stated back with a smile petting her kitten on her shoulder.

Weiss couldn’t help but issue a rather epic scowl while everybody else more or less just giggled.

"Well you are probably going to want to get some type of specialist clothing.  Something that shifts with your Aura so you aren't exposed in any way after a transformation."

Yang couldn't help but cringe at the term of 'exposed' but had to admit she wasn’t quite sure what Deborah was referring too.

"What do you mean specialized clothing?"

"She means aura infused material.  Something that can withstand such transformations."  Weiss concluded.

"I had not heard of such things." Yang stated somewhat off balance.

"It is common in areas of the world where those type of abilities run in the blood.  I know a few merchants who could offer you their selection if you were interested."  The Heiress stated.

With a shrug Yang conceded the point "Sure, couldn't hurt.  Hopefully I can learn to control this… ugh I can only imagine what Ms. Goodwitch would say if I accidentally 'birded' in combat class…. hoo boy."

Laughing slightly Nora agreed "Yeah though I'd be more interested in the number of pictures people could snap up more than anything she would say."

"You'd be taking pictures Nora?"  Ren asked with a grin.

"Of course!  Just think of the blackmail possibilities!  Her boobs alone would-"  The hammer-wielder replied.

"Okay kiddos I would prefer not to be called in as a witness." Deb complained silencing any talk of blackmail.

That didn’t stop the students from sending a cascade of varying degrees of evil through the group.  Many of them probably wondering how many of them actually got some risqué images from today's events already.

Clearing her throat Deb gave the impression of trying to get somewhat serious again as she continued "I come here for somewhat serious business so… let us try to get the heavy stuff out of the way."

Respecting her wishes the group focused up setting aside current subject matter… however temporarily it might be.

"So… I am here to talk to you about your final's for the year."  She stated simply edging into the conversation.

Nobody deigned to interrupt just anxious for her to get to the point.

"The Headmaster has made the difficult decision to bring both the third and fourth year advanced class teams on a joint venture to Atlas."

Weiss had a raised eyebrow as she couldn’t resist "It would take a day to get to Atlas… why are we being deployed there?"

Taking a deep breath Deb leaned forward to speak as plainly as she could.  "I cannot tell you everything there is to tell.  What I can tell you is this is officially a search-and-rescue mission."

Pyrrha Jaune and Kate all shared a glance before Jaune inquired "A rescue mission?"

Deb nodded "A veteran team was deployed nearly a year ago.  Their job was to search for some vital enemy positions and destroy it if at all possible-"

"Wait is it STRQ Ma'am?!  Was that the team?"  Ruby blurted out excitedly.

"Ruby you should let her explain fully-"

"Rubes-"

Yang and Weiss reacted somewhat irked at yet another interruption….

However Deb seemed unsure what to say.

"They left us about a year ago!  That’s why we had to look after Zwei and inherit the house!  This is it isn't it!"  The Reaper asserted.

Now looking between the Reaper and the Matriarch, Yang had to admit it fit the timeline…

"What do you know about it Ms. Arc?"  The Brawler asked suspiciously.

Seemingly conflicted like Jaune had never seen, his mother genuinely seemed unsure what to say. 

She just sat there twiddling her thumbs for probably a minute leaving Ruby sitting there looking like she could fly out of her seat at any moment.

"It is not my intention to give you false hope or to lie to you Ms. Rose."  The formal response nearly took everybody by surprise.

"Please!  I have waited all my life to know about my parents I need to know this!"  The younger girl implored.

"It would mean a lot to us Ma'am, please tell us what you know."  Yang pressed moving next to her sister appearing nearly as eager.

With a very Jaune-like sigh… Deb quietly stated "Yes… it is about team STRQ."

Despite her misgivings and anger earlier in the year those words seemed like music to the sisters on the team.  Questions flooded their minds…. what where they doing there?  What are we doing there?  Why haven't we heard from them?  Those 3 and more came to mind, all of them halted by a raised hand from the Professor.

"I understand your desire to know more about your family.  I cannot, I will not completely disregard the Headmaster.  There are things he does not want students to be concerned with and I cannot betray that trust.  I will tell you what I can, nothing beyond that."

Nodding eager for any scraps of information she could obtain Ruby listened with all her focus eyes glued on the speaker.

"They were deployed looking for a White Fang facility, something critical to their operations.  This is the type of mission only veteran teams are assigned and there is a significant level of danger involved.  Technically that danger is still present."

"But what were they doing?  Why is it still dangerous?  If dangerous why are we being sent?"  Ruby fired off without thinking of if they would be answered.

Shaking her head Deb empathetically stated "Ruby I cannot answer all of that, as I said I cannot tell you everything you wish to know.  It is not the type of knowledge trainees are told.  This is not just the policy of the Headmaster's policy all the schools agree on this."

"What can you say then Ms. Arc?"  Yang asked.

With yet another deep breath Deb stated "It is dangerous… because it was unknown what they would find.  It was known that a large number of Fang personnel was on hand.  That really is all that we knew for a certainty."

"Then why are we being deployed Ma'am?"  Jaune asked very much in his 'Leader' mindset.

Seemingly happy to be back on more clear ground Deb replied "Because for one all of us, as in all 10 of us are going at once.  For another we do not know where they are specifically.  Atlas, Mistral and Vale all are deploying teams in the area."

"How large of an area are we talking about?"  Kate asked neutrally, but focusing on what's being presented.

From there the Matriarch spelled out the plan as easily as she could.  Fearing that bringing the military to bear would cause their query to flee the Huntsmen Leadership instead decided to deploy under the shield of it being a training mission.  The students could cover a great deal of ground without the same level of scrutiny a military action would.  They were to fan out to cover the mountainside searching for the cave in question. 

"The area is littered with caves each of them potentially going deep into the ground.  Like Cadia there is a great deal of mining taking place in Atlas.  If the Fang have setup in an old abandoned mine shaft there is literally hundreds of miles of ground to cover."

Raising a hand Nora asked once given permission "If it's that much ground… what are the chances we can find them?"

With a shrug Mom replied "To be fair we do not 'Know' they are even here.  They might have moved.  The possibility exists that STRQ failed.  The objective is rather simple.  Stick together while we do a thorough search of the grounds.  Report any findings as we operate and if we do find any Fang personnel to consult your operational leader, in this case, me, before you engage.  Anything beyond what I have said including anything regarding team STRQ, I would be guessing."

Considering the implications of the assignment the group seemed to look to one another eventually ending up at their leaders.

"What about our other classes Ma'am?  I assume this task is just for the advanced class."  the Spartan inquired moving an arm around her Partner.

"That is still up in the air Ms. Nikos.  You might have to take them while we are en route you might not.  I do not know."

When nobody else asked a question for several seconds Professor Arc stood up and prepared to leave.  "I guess all that is left to say is when we leave, which is very very early on Monday.  Enjoy your Sunday tomorrow.  We catch our flight before sunrise Monday morning."

With that she left her cup at the sink and moved to the door.  Setting a hand on Ruby's shoulder on the way out.

When nobody spoke for several minutes Jaune gave Pyrrha a kiss on the neck and stood up.  "Well… I guess all that’s left to do is get our nightly routine done and do an arms count sometime tomorrow."

Agreeing whole heartedly on getting prepared for their evening workout Pyrrha stood with him keeping an eye on her sister team across the room.  Ruby and Yang seemed slightly unsure of what to think, where as Weiss did appear to be worried for her friends.  Course Blake also seemed a bit preoccupied and really who could blame her?  Pursuing the White Fang just means another encounter with Adam is probable in the near future.

Thinking ahead Nora and Ren shared a glance before they stood together "Well if you three are going to go do your nightly thing Renny and I should probably check and recheck our supply of ammo.  I intend to have as many high powered rounds as I can."

Nodding he agreed "Yeah, I hope to carry plenty of spares.  Never know what we will encounter.  I think you guys should do the same."  Saying that last pointing over towards RWBY.

Finally asserting herself Ruby clapped her hands on her thighs and stood up.  "Yeah we all have some preparation to be done before Monday morning.  Thankfully we have a full day to get it done."

The agenda being decided everybody went about their business, starting with Jaune and company heading for the gym.  At which point he couldn’t help himself any longer.

"Pyrrha… why are you wearing my hoodie?"

Looking over her shoulder playfully she replied "Cause its comfy."

Another step or two down the hallway the two close friends exchanged high fives mirroring each other's rather playful strut to the door.

"Weiss…"  He stated.

Looking at him she lightly said "Yes?"

"Yes… My sister is a horrible influence on Pyrrha."

Hugging him playfully from behind Nora asserted "But you wouldn't have it any other way."

Smiling in good humor he nodded and followed them for their nightly practice.  Hopeful but unsure if he would ever get that hoodie back again.  Even more so if he will ever learn to understand women the way women do… as imprecise as they admit they are at it.

**A/N**

**Here you go, year 3 finale is just around the corner.**

**As a reader informed me Volume 5 is going and before anybody asks I have not watched any, I do not know if I will.**

**I am always eager for feedback.  I thank each and every one of you who reviews.  Be it regularly or whenever something prompts you to leave feedback.  Obviously I like hearing rosy things as it helps keep me motivated but all feedback is crucial for improving as a writer.  Please Review/Fav/Follow/Kudos/Comment/IM or email me any feedback you have.  I Am always happy to talk about the story or other subjects.**

**Thank you for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	54. Y3 Finale Part 1:  They Glow in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Year 3 Finale begins!

3.28 Year 3 Finale Pt. 1

Sunday passed more or less without incident.  Given their upcoming mission they decided to take the afternoon off and instead use the time to ensure they were well prepared for whatever they might find.  For Jaune this meant checking and rechecking his armor and weapons.  As a gift from Nora he brought along his stockpile of high powered dust rounds for his Bracer in addition to a fair amount of standard ammunition.  He doubted that the under layer would struggle to keep him warm, but even so he prepared a coat with spare food and water in his travel pack.

Before he went to sleep that night he couldn't help but chuckle.  His partner decided to add back the sleeves to her under armor in anticipation of some rather cold climates.  He was wise enough not to tease her if for no other reason everybody else would probably gang up on as the only other warm person present… at least outside of his sister.

Of course she would most likely just pull up a chair and watch as he got tickled to death… being the mischievous creature she was anyway.

Regardless…

He knew that everybody needed to be awake at 3 am and get to the bullhead station by no later than 3:30.  Ensuring that everybody woke up on time proved to be a less challenging affair than he anticipated given the various means of alarms used.

For one the scent of freshly cooked pancakes would be let loose throughout their shared rooms along with the production of coffee through automated brewers. 

Briefly it was considered that a similar game with Tuna would be used to ensure Blake awakened on time, however a caffeine-high Nora was decided to be all that could be tolerated at that early hour.

It was a long flight to Atlas, and their orders would not truly be known until their flight sat down.  Given the transit time it was basically decided that most of the group would sleep while in the air if at all possible.

That more or less was the plan at present… or at least when he laid down to get some rest.  Unfortunately it seems the plan had to change and at this point he might be revising it to simply stay awake through the night and just crash once he found his seat.

Pyrrha as it turned out was having one of her moments… No nothing major like accidently activating her semblance sending anything with a magnetic pull every which way.  Something which had only happened a time or two.

No this was much more tame… though it was also infinitely more difficult to escape from.  At least in the Knight's case.

With her arms locked and tense around his torso she seemed to keep a lid on how much he could move throughout the night, when she seemed to bring her legs up to his hips and lock them down, he was convinced she was either having a nightmare, a really weird dream, or was the worst sleep-wrestler he had ever encountered.

*** Dream land ***

The Spartan found herself yet again in a match with her father.  Without her semblance or her excellent education with weapons or hand to hand scenarios this was a much more even contest than anybody likely had the foresight to guess.

She was extremely flexible, possessed of a level of stamina nearly unheard of in the Mistral tourney scene and though she could not say she was as physically strong as her dad, she was hardly a weakling.

Even so… Technically this was not a competition, this was a lesson.  Her dad was highly thought of in the art of Mistrali Grappling, and decided if his daughter was going to be taught how, he would be the one to do it.

Pyrrha just never expected to learn it so fast!  In fact the last few rounds he didn’t even really fight back!  Yet she just could not get him on his back!  This was her chance to beat her teacher and she would not let it pass by!  Even if she had to play dirty to do it!

*** Jaune ***

_Oh you have GOT to be kidding me!_

When Pyrrha started happily humming to herself and exerting pressure to flip him onto his stomach he couldn’t help but think she was doing something wrong.  As such he more or less just tried to whether the storm until either the dream passed or ran its course.

Though when she started to contort awkwardly, essentially testing his own ability to stretch.  He wouldn’t help but wonder if he would live that long….

_Ok Jaune its time to move… Pyrrha clearly wants the bed to herself tonight._

***Dreaming happily ***

_He is making his move!_

After several minutes of stalling and trying to tire her, dad finally tried to pry away and escape her clutches!  It nearly worked too… nearly. 

_You will have to try harder than that!_

*** Back to Jaune again ***

"Seriously Pyrrha!  C'mon I need to pee!"  Jaune grumbled trying to break away from her unnaturally stout iron grip.

Gripping her wrists he started to exert more force, not wanting to hurt her but really needing to get to the rest room.

Finally with a grunt her arms gave away, he was free!

"Finally!" He stated relieved moving his legs towards the bed's edge starting to stand.

"Was really starting to get worried therrrreeeeEE----  P-P-P-Pyrrha!  What is- Waaggh!!"

In seconds he was mid air floating back towards the bed.

*** Happily dreaming away ***

With a stroke of brilliance the Spartan decided not to try and outmuscle the bigger individual and simply take advantage of natural leverage.  No sooner did he start to stand and thereby extend his center of gravity did she grip him again and suplex him back to the mat!  More points for her!  This was almost too easy!

It wasn’t long into it however that the ref called the match and she had to let him up again.  Oh well, she got him down once she could do it again!

*** Back to the world ***

Pyrrha seemed to hum once again happily once his back hit the bed and he was once again semi immobilized.  He was beginning to wonder if he would have to take drastic measures to free himself… until with a kiss on his back she let go and allowed him up mumbling:

"Ha!  gotcha!"

_She seems pleased with herself…._

Not waiting around to see what would happen this time he quickly zoomed to empty his bladder, or to fully understand why she let go.

"Yeesh Pyrrha is like a woman possessed!  Note to self- never hint that she can't wrestle at all in any manner ever!"

Thankful to be back in bed very ready for whatever rest he would find that night he no sooner laid down, then once again the oddly eager and horrendously happy Spartan  reengaged those grappling techniques and joyfully ( if eagerly ) resumed their match.

"Oh you have got to be… Kidding… Pyrrhaaa!"

Thus started an epic encounter where there was no winner, at least not for anybody trying to sleep.

*** After Nora's wakeup call ***

"Jeeze Jaune… you look like you half dead.  You sleep ok?"  Kate asked with a wink handing him a cup of coffee.  Barely getting it in his hand as he plopped right into a seat next to Ren and Nora.

"Ugh… I am not sure if I slept… somebody was a … you know I don’t know what to describe it as."  He grumbled barely noticing the hot coffee was practically still boiling as he tiredly gulped it down.  Unwilling to use the term 'gorilla' in a way that would guarantee it gets brought up again.

Heeding the alarm the RWBY door opened to find their sister team slowly utterly whatever profanities or curses came to mind.

"Mornings."  Yang stated.

"Are" Ruby added.

"EVIL!"  They all agreed in unison.

Falling more than sitting down it took a good cup or two before they were even remotely conscious.

"It is so early it is practically still night!  Whoever invented early mornings should be shot."  The brawler mused grumpily.

Barely able to keep her eyes open Yang looked around before speaking through a yawn "Where is your team's redhead?  If I gotta get up so does she."

Jaune might have answered her, despite not really having the best idea of what to speak.  Thankfully his partner took away the need for that.

Bursting out of the JNPR sleeping area Pyrrha happily hummed her way towards the group, dancing the whole way.

Sitting down next to her boyfriend she energetically declared "I slept GREAT!  I feel like I had a full night's sleep!  How about you all!"

Neither thought or motion was possible for anybody in the group for several seconds, nobody seemed to have any idea how Pyrrha could sit there eyes closed yet happily hum to herself as she drank her offered beverage.

"Although I had to admit I had the Weirdest dream!"

Nobody had the energy or the wherewithal to interrupt as the Spartan began…

"I was in training again learning how to grapple!  My dad was teaching me but this time I managed to beat him!  I never was able to get him when I was younger, but in this dream I did!  Oh It was so much fun he couldn't do anything!"

Ever the clever one Kate just switched her field of vision between her twin and good friend several times before piecing a couple things together.

"I think I know why you didn’t sleep well Jaune…"

Pyrrha finally opened her eyes only to blink them innocently a few times.  "I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about."

Before anybody could press the Spartan in either direction A backup alarm blasted off shocking the group to the point they nearly toppled to the ground advised them it was probably time to get moving.

_Right… gotta arrive before 3:30… get there first, pass out second._

"Might as well head out… we haven't been late yet and we shouldn’t be late to our final."  Jaune forced himself to say wiliest simultaneously resisting the lure from the comfortable chair.

Grumblings, mumbling various cursing and in the case of Pyrrha happily stating "Great idea!" followed him, none the less they threw on their coats, shouldered their bags and went on their way.

With only the walkway guiding lamps to guide and with most of their eyes still closed it was difficult to tell where exactly they were going.  Resembling a mass of zombies except for the Redhead at the lead they barely reached the bullhead station in time, to find Professor Arc waiting for them.

"You folks are cutting it close.  But at least you are on time.  Quick everybody get on board, we need to get airborne soon."  She instructed impatiently.

Moving with more purpose than before they climbed up the short stairwell into the cabin.  It seems their 4 year representatives -team CFVY- had already arrived.  Velvet even took the time to wave at her friends… Coco and the rest of them seemed to be sleeping.  Accompanying them was Winter Schnee.  Seems she was going to be their combat commander once they arrived.

Quickly getting their luggage secured Jaune found a spot towards the back and buckled in.

"We have a tight schedule to keep people, find a seat buckle in and lets go.  If we need to move mid flight we can."  Mom dictated before ducking in to check on the pilot. 

Within moments the gang had found their places and the plane lurched forward and was airborne heading towards their destination.  Spinning in a circular manner the plane climbed until it oriented in northern direction. 

Even the sound of the plane roaring to life didn’t cause any commotion visibly seen on the Beacon Grounds.  Jaune seemingly watched the tower until it went out of vision, a popular task it seems.  The instructor was doing likewise before she spoke again.

"Well, now that we are in the air and en route we have a long time to wait.  As we discussed privately we will land in Atlas in the morning.  Get some rest but behave, remember you are all advanced classmen, I expect all teams here to act like it.  We are all representing Beacon from this point on, I expect you all to be on your best behavior.  Remember this is not a field trip this is a Huntsman assignment and an important one at that.  Keep yourself hydrated and sleep plenty so we can arrive well rested.  Odds are good once we land we will be deployed within the hour.  I doubt we will have time for meals once we are grounded."  Professor Arc advised before settling down to try and rest herself.

Jaune leaned his chair back slightly and deliberated pulled a blanket over his head trying to shut out whatever light he could.  Not that there was much to be found but it wouldn’t be long before the sun came up and he knew, he needed some sleep.  Before long it was announced they would be able to get some lunch mid flight in a few hours.  Not wanting to wait the Knight got as comfortable as he could once the pilot turned off the speaker.

It did not take him long before he felt himself start to drift off to sleep… however he both heard and felt a presence lift up the blanket and move her arms around his torso in a somewhat cuddly manner.

"Cold… *Yawwn*" she mused finding a comfy spot on his shoulder "I'm sleepy."  An adorable Spartan declared. 

As if she had an on/off switch she somehow seemed to get to sleep before he did too.  Not that he minded just… he was really tired.

"You have to be kidding me…"  the Knight groaned before moving an arm around her.

_Oh well at least… at least I can sleep now._

_If her highness doesn’t try to toss me out this window anyway…_

So it was that soon, they were once again resting, only this time it benefitted both of them.

***Later the following morning***

Nearly everybody from the group slept rather soundly the majority of the time they were in flight.  A few awoke to enjoy a lunch.  Most slumbered for a good while only to mingle until an hour or so prior to touchdown.  At which point most everybody seemed interested in getting a hearty meal eaten, not really knowing when they will have another opportunity.

To their credit the group didn't seem nervous or fazed in the slightest with the task ahead of them.  Ruby was the notable exception.  His sister team seemed oddly eager for the next adventure and RWBY's first real assignment as an advanced class member.  The Reaper however just seemed nervous.

Jaune couldn’t blame her, he knew the point of this mission was to search for her mother's team and just about everybody dear to her heart was a part of it.  But she still ate her food, and seemed alert when Mom got everybody's attention at the front of the plane.

"Alright everybody focus up here."  She snapped her fingers a time or two, as expected whatever conversations were going on came to a halt as they turned their focus towards the Veteran Huntress.

"Thank you.  We are about an hour from setting down.  We have received word where our teams will be expected to search.  Once the plane sets down we will set out."

Ruby rose her hand and asked "How exactly are we going to search?  Can you give us some details?"

Mom nodded politely and said "The 3 schools involved will be required to search a specific fan of ground.  Primarily we are going to be searching a valley.  We get the start of it, another school, Atlas the center with Mistral academy supplying the 2 squads to search the back end towards the territories edge.  Once we land a map will be sent to your scrolls."

The Reaper nodded before taking another gulp from her drink.

"Are we going to be given more information on what this team was doing at the facility Ma'am?"  Coco inquired.

Mom crossed her arms and thought about it for a moment "Ms. Adel I cannot give you more facts that what has already been shared.  They were deployed some time ago and only recently were they able to attempt their objective.  Atlas leadership has long suspected that the White Fang held some presence in this valley but has lacked the ability to do a detailed search.  Something always held it back, either from politician pressure or outside forces.  However with the attack on Vale enough interest has been placed on it where we have been dispatched here.  The team in question is overdue to check in and the best chance to complete our objective is to search all the locations completely and thoroughly.  It is not normal to deploy more than a single team on a mission, there are 7 teams being deployed with 6 full Huntsmen involved here.  That alone should be telling about the importance of our task."

"So there is some risk of encountering Fang forces in the field?"  Coco voiced calmly.

Mom nodded "Yes, that’s is why each group is being assisted with a full Huntsman.  Winter Schnee will be going with you, myself with the third year teams."  Winter nodded at being mentioned but maintained a professional focus on the speaker.

Professor Arc waited a few moments before continuing.

"Once we land we will head north to the Altmus-Seabridge junction, that will be our landmark for anybody who experiences scroll failure or who gets lost.  Once at the bridge Ms. Schnee's group will head North-East with myself taking the remaining students due north.  Both directions should yield a single mine entrance.  It will be up to the Overseer of each group to determine where and how each location will be searched."

Looking to his right the Knight saw an openly confused look on Weiss, deciding to speak up Jaune asked "What is the Altmus-Seabridge Ma'am?"

Mom shrugged and stated "It is a fault line between the Atlas continent and the ocean.  When the tides run low, which incidentally is this time of year, it can be seen for miles leading off into the ocean.  It is a national landmark of Atlas and something that cannot be missed.  Hence why we are using it as a point of interest in this task."

Weiss nodded as if agreeing with the answer given.

Mom looked around at the assembled students one more time before checking her scroll.

"Alright people.  Get yourself mission ready we are going to land in half an hour.  If you have any further questions once we set off they will be answered to the best that we can."

Taking a collective breath Jaune shared a moment with his partner.  A friendly smile and a reassuring pressure from the others hand kept each other uplifted.

"Let's get our gear on."  He stated.

Pyrrha nodded pulling both her and his cases down from the storage compartment.

With space limiting how many people could be changing at a time Jaune could only share a curious glance at his mother down the way.  As if reminding himself of the previous mission his team took part in he couldn't help but wonder at several questions.

'What was STRQ doing there?'

'They have been there awhile… why deploy now?'

'What was Summer doing in a White Fang facility for so long that was just recently found?'

He didn’t believe he would receive an answer to those questions.  He might ask his mother directly once they are on foot, but he couldn't help but think one of them might be something they really need to know.  They still didn’t know what to expect.  Sure the Headmaster didn’t exactly know what they would find, and as such nobody wanted to spread inaccurate Intel.  Still… it seemed like something he would want to know.

*** Boots on the ground ***

Mission anxiety was something each person seemed to be dealing with to their own standards.  It didn't matter how many times he put on his armor or weapons, when he did he would feel his nerves flare up.  All the time, every time, it was something he was trying to learn how to deal with.  However hard he tried to fight against his nature, at some point all he could do was face them and move on.

He wasn't sure if it was because of the mission or because Coco genuinely was trying to set a good example for her underclass friends.  It couldn’t be denied however that the friendly and quirky team leader was replaced with a rather cold faced squad captain.  Even the ever friendly Velvet seemed more businesslike. 

Once they set down Mom's prediction turned out to be accurate.  They had deployment orders within moments of the transport coming to a halt.  The path was not all that difficult to follow, Atlas was in the northern area of the world but it was much more temperate compared to the territory the Knight called home.  As such they continued onward as per the mission plan until they reached a turn off.  The group shared a quick goodbye with Coco's team once they reached the northern fork in the road.

"See you all back at Beacon!  Take care of yourself Velvet!"  Ruby shouted with a wave.  Various other's might have joined in.

The Bunny Faunus replied with a silent wave paired with a brief smile before focusing up and following along at the party rear.

"Ok Hunters, let's get a move on."  Mom ordered from the head of the pack once CFVY was out of sight.

With a slight smile Jaune took a deep breath and continued onward.

It was a bit of a shock to him seeing his mother in her battle gear.  Her armor was every bit as well made as his own and actually seemed even heavier than what was made for him.  Upon consideration he realized of course that he naturally used a shield, his mother did not.  Which is probably why Mom's armor, while similar to his own seemed more intimidating than either his or his partners suits.  Covering much more of her body seemingly making up for the lack of protection a shield would offer. 

It was a refreshing thing however, having a full Huntress with them.  Her naturally calm demeanor and quiet confidence was a reassuring force to all students involved.  At this point however he had been around her plenty to know when she was not quite as collected as she was letting on.  Aside from his twin sister, he doubted if anybody else picked up on that.

It was well known that she valued the lives of her students and took personal responsibility for their well being in as many ways as possible.  She did not know what they would find, but she knew that at least 3 of her students were likely to be found with a 4th at least a possibility. 

…

There was a lesson in command here that was not lost on the Knight.  She was feeling anxious, she was not completely calm.  Yet if she let any of those emotions be seen her students would pick up on that, and their own nerves would be thus magnified.  Something that was obvious in hindsight, but like always hindsight is 20/20.  She could do nothing about either of those emotions at present, as such gave no heed to them.

Looking away from mom he shared a brief look with his partner to his immediate right.  Pyrrha just returned a proud smile at him, eager for whatever was to come and a chance to grow as a Huntress.  One might envy her innocence but, well that is part of what made Pyrrha, Pyrrha.

Her armor thus far had succeeded in keeping her warm, and she happily kept pace with her partner while watching the surrounding territory for anything slightly out of place.

His twin naturally wore her intricate robe with her weapons holstered, keeping her bracer in crossbow mode for anything that surprised the bunch.

Virtually everybody seemed to wear what he expected them too with the exception of Weiss.  She was still wearing a dress much to his disbelief, but actually had something on underneath it this time.  Sword carried via a sheath at the hip, it was somewhat more practical than before.  Possibly even more shocking she didn’t wear high heeled shoes.  Heeled boots gave her several inches in height yet was also infinitely more practical than her previous choice of footwear.

It still struck him a bit odd that nobody besides himself and his partner wore armor or any type of protective padding.  But to each their own.  He had to admit the stuff is really expensive.  Yang might be willing to wear armor but it isn't like she had the funding to order a quality set.  Weiss while perfectly capable of paying for armor wouldn’t be suited for one due to her fighting style.  No arguments there anyway.  Still… even if it was something as basic as an extra vest it seemed to him the added protection would be well worth it.

More than that he had seen everybody else wear what they had previously, though they took special care to include additional ammunition.  Taking no chances at running out in a crucial moment.  At least their preparation was to be lauded. 

"Professor!  I found something over here!"

Jaune banished that line of thinking promptly and switched his bracer to canon mode while turning behind and to the left.  Nora was off to the side testing a bush with her foot.

_What… did you find a bunny or a snake?_

"What did you find Ms. Valkyrie?"  Mom asked professionally.

"HA!"  Nora declared after grabbing the shrubbery and giving a tug.

Even from his spot several dozen yards away Jaune couldn’t help but gasp.  She literally found a hole in the ground, not to big on appearance yet easily large enough for an adult to walk around in.  Even walking towards it he could barely distinguish it from the rocky terrain it was set in.

"Is this the mine we were searching for professor?"  He asked reaching his teammate looking downwards.

His mother seemed unsure what to think and pulled out her scroll as if checking something.

RWBY joined up nearby to gawk into the discovery.

"How did you see this Nora?  It's completely pitch black in there."  Weiss asked rhetorically tossing a light stick in.  It seemed to bounce down and down steps until finally coming to a rest several stories into the earth.

"I don’t like this."  Jaune mumbled to himself ominously.

_This is not a mine, there is no track, there are no lights, there are no holsters for torches.  What this is I do not know but this isn't actually our target.  At least I highly doubt it we haven't traveled nearly far enough._

"The map confirms this is not our target… we are still several miles off from our objective."  Professor Arc advised seemingly unsure what to think hands on her hips in thought.

"I will check in with the others… give me a minute." She declared before moving off slightly, far enough to have a private discussion.

Jaune watched her go unsure what the decision would be while seemingly his sister team wanted to talk about it openly.

"I don't see what the problem is.  We are here to search some hole in the ground.  This here is a hole, I say search it."  Yang declared.

Weiss shook her head and sighed "Yang this area of Atlas is really, really old.  Who knows what this is?  It certainly doesn’t look like a mine, it might be an abandoned military base, a shelter from who knows when or anything else.  If we search every 'hole' in this valley we might as well just setup a permanent camp, there is more than enough such structures to keep us busy for the next 10 years."

"Well it all needs to be searched at some point, I don’t see a point in arguing about it when we could be trying to do it."  The Brawler asserted with an exaggerated shrug.

Blake lowered herself to her haunches feeling around the entryway as if looking for something.

"Something interesting Blakey?"  Yang asked neutrally.

Blake just shook her head and continued to search with her hands.

His own team looked at him as if seeking his opinion, deciding just to shake his head as if he didn’t know what to think.

"It isn't our call.  Remember this is a test and it is up to leadership if we go in or not.  Just keep our focus and let's do our jobs."  Ruby stated diplomatically.

Jaune smiled and agreed "There is no right or wrong way of thinking here.  All we can do is our best."

"Weiss."  Blake said.

When she received an inquiring nod Blake continued "Luminescent Dust, do you have any on you?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion and reached for her pack " A bit… that isn't a mixture I carry much of, it isn't used in many formula."

"I know that… so does the White Fang."  She replied accepting the small vial of near invisible material.

Yang and Ruby shared a confused look before looking on intrigued.

Blake ran her fingers along the stone edge of the entry hole several times before nodding and sprinkling the dust lightly around it.

Mom rejoined the gathering advising "Command left the decision up to me, frankly I say to move on and get to our objective… Ms. Belladonna what are you doing?"

In reply Blake lit a match and dropped it onto the Dust covered stone and lowered her ears flat to her head as if feeling nervous before saying "Testing something."

The group seemed to either gasp or take a sharp breath.

The dust lit up into a very pretty flash of light illuminating a small area for a limited time.  In its wake however the White Fang symbol came into view glowing a sinister red.  It was not the uh… traditional Fang emblem however.  The emblem, while representative and circular was not uniform.  The Colors of Red and black transposed cutting the image in half in a straight diagonal line.  As if recognizing what it meant Blake pressed down on the symbol confidently.  As if to justify her actions a torch came up from the ground.

"I believe we have found what we were suppose to look for."  She declared giving off a stoic determined look to her.

Mom seemed to take a few seconds considering before drawing her weapon and pushing a few buttons on her scroll.

"I believe I have made a decision.  Take something to drink while I report to command… we are going inside."

With a determined grimace the Group shared a domino of glances before Jaune moved his scroll to comlink mode and moved a reticule over his eye.  Faunus might be able to see in the dark but he certainly couldn’t.  Without knowing what they would find inside then Huntsmen in training seemed to steel themselves before following The Matriarch into the dark below.

***Inside the Cave***

The keyword for the situation was, mum.  Tensions ran high, if for no other reason nerves were starting to escalate.  It was difficult to see, the air was stagnant and not pleasant at all breath.  More than anything else nobody liked feeling trapped under the earth.

The first thing the Matriarch ordered upon entering the cave was for their scrolls to record their path so it was something they could used if they had to backtrack.  Beyond that the only other command was:

"No talking, nobody knows what we are talking into here.  Move silently as you can, keep light to a minimum and do not speak unless you absolutely must."

Nobody questioned the command, even if people wondered why it seemed rather simple.  If this was a mine… or a cave, or whatever.  Sounds tend to carry a good bit.  No point in alerting everybody who might be listening that unwanted guests have arrived.

At the start most of them kept their weapons up and searching for anything that looked even remotely funny.  Pyrrha, Blake, Weiss, and Ren all seemed intent on nearly professionally clearing every room or section they came across.  After about an hour into the cave that type of enthusiasm had ran its course.  They had come across no signs of life, no proof that anything was even here outside of the Fang emblem at the entryway.  But let's face it, that could very easily have been an old mark from days long past.  The place could have been abandoned for a dozen years or more and there was barely anyway to tell for sure if this was the real deal or an otherwise big waste of time.

At least… until they came upon another emblem hidden at the supposed end of the cave.

Breaking her own rule mom asked "What do you know about those markings Ms. Belladonna?"

Working her fingers over another wall face Blake answered "It has been used by the Fang to showcase places of importance for longer than I've been involved in the organization.  Various markings identified what a Fang member could expect to find.  Be it a friendly place to rest, a place to avoid, a place that is under Fang protection so on."

When she began to spread a small portion out on the rock Mom asked "What did the mark at the entrance tell you?"

Keeping her voice down she answered "Safehouse."

Blake continued to work while the Knight voiced just loud enough for his partner to hear "I don't know what makes this location very safehousey.  It's just been a cave thus far.  A plain boring dull cave."

Pyrrha seemed to nod but otherwise didn’t respond.

_Maybe that what Hespith meant… about Blake knowing what to look for now.  Why wouldn't she just say she knew?  Maybe she just doesn’t know the exact symbol or…  uh oh._

Blake concluded her work and once again lit a match to ignite the dust.  Like before another symbol seemed to come into vision, yet this time the Cat-Girl hesitated with pressing it.

Whereas the first image paid homage to the original White Fang symbol… this just seemed like a sinister warning.  The typical Wolf head was once again displayed, however dominating the emblem now as a purple… clawed fist was the best way it could be described.  A humanoid hand was shown wrist up with the fist extending downwards.  However it was hardly the hand of a man.  It was elongated with claws the likes of which would not be seen on a Beowulf, Ursa or any other Grimm they could name.

Finally with a shake of her head Blake pressed down on the emblem, and once again the way forward presented itself.  A section of rock creaked open letting a rush of air out raising up to allow entry.

_'Not sure if I want to go in there…'  Jaune thought solemnly, nearly voicing it but keeping it to himself._

"What does this symbol mean Blake?"  Yang asked curiously.

Blake just shook her head as she continued to study the emblem "I … I don’t… I don’t know.  I have never seen anything like that before."

With an air of command about her mom stepped through the exposed tunnel "Our objective has not changed, we keep going.  Keep your wits about you Hunters."

With a deep breath, Jaune was the first to cross the threshold after her.

"Jeeze…"  He said under his breath.

Looking around after clearing the door, things got a bit less claustrophobic.  Gone was the enclosed cave like walkway.  This area was well lit, though what was doing the lighting he couldn’t say for sure.  However that wasn't really all that dominated the view.

Where the previous walkway was enclosed and rather grim looking, this was a single stone passage over a seemingly endless valley under the mountain.  Various similar passages honeycombed the background as far as the eye could see.  Despite the rather awe inspiring view, they kept pushing forward, granted in a much more careful manner. 

Only wide enough for a singular individual to walk through at a time without any rails to assist to either side it was a long, long way down for anybody to fall.

"Ma'am at what point do we decide this is too big for just ourselves to handle?"  Ruby asked out loud carefully following the Knight across.  Keeping her voice down but feeling the need to speak regardless.

In reply the professor made a hand gesture for everybody to gather once they had reached the other side.

Once safely across the bridge Mom spoke up "As hard as it is to say this Ms. Rose, I have to answer that until I am sure that it is too big for us to handle, it will be our responsibility.  This is the reality of being a Huntress.  There is not always a road to follow, no easy path to lead you to your target.  There are times one must hunt it, seek it out and find your own way.  We do not always have the luxury of bringing overwhelming force to bear.  Understand?"

Everybody nodded in understanding… until they realized that the Reaper wasn’t paying attention anymore.  The girl in question at first merely walked slowly away, then upon identifying what she was seeing committed at a quick jog.  First around the corner down, then continued through a doorway until she was very much so out of sight.

"Ruby where are you-?"  Yang started objecting following after her.

"Ms. Rose what …are you?"  Mom began following her along, then seemed to understand as she rounded the corner.

The room seemed to be like a dome.  Several doors were visible as entry points to the chamber.  Even tile like floor panels were proof that this was no simple rock cavern.  It was neither empty nor a mirror of the hundreds of feet of rock they had passed previously.  It was obvious that something happened here.  Great gashes, trenches and otherwise wall damage took place all over the room.  In some locations even crater like impact points were present, rubble of all sizes littered the area. 

"What happened here?"  Jaune pondered out loud.

Coming to his side Kate voiced "A fight of some kind… Where did the cookie monster get off too?"

Leaving the question unanswered the remaining students seemed to spread out among the room.

"Ruby!"  Mom called out from the center of the chamber.

"Here!  Over here!"  Looking genuinely upset Mom moved at a quick walk towards the voice, finding her without any real difficulty kneeling down near a door off to the side.

Jaune and company followed quickly reaching the professor just as she saw the student in question.

"Ruby Rose don't you do that again!"  She chastised.

Ruby looked up at her holding something in her hands.  "I'm sorry professor but… I found something."

Letting go of some of the anger she carried the Matriarch walked up to her to kneel down.  Doing a double take when she was finally able to look at the item in question. 

The Brawler beat her too it.

"Qrow's cape?  What… how did that come to be here?"

Indeed… it had seen better days, and seemed to be holding together by a single thread… was Qrow's trademarked red cloak.  Won from the Matriarch herself and worn as a trophy. 

"I guess this proves it… STRQ was here."  Pyrrha stated simply.

"My cape…" Mom said wistfully, before she continued with a shake of her head "Ruby this is not the hallways of Beacon you do not run off alone again when on assignment.  Am I clear on that?"

Ruby sniffed and nodded still kneeling down clutching the red garment "Yes… I'm sorry Professor I just saw this and… I didn't think."

With a deep breath Mom relented and stated "I need to check in with command now that we have some confirmation that STRQ was here.  Give me a moment."

JNPR seemed to gather around its leader while members of RWBY moved forward to help settle down Ruby's visibly frayed nerves.

"Think she will be ok?"  Nora asked.

Kate and Ren nodded while Jaune replied "She will be fine.  This I just personal for her."

Kate gave him a nudge with her elbow and asked "I can't figure this room out."

"What do you mean?"  Pyrrha inquired inquisitively.

Tapping her foot Kate just shook her head "I don't know.  This was setup as some type of joint room where several junction together… but there are centralized junctions.  I really do not like it at all.  It is like a puzzle without corners.  Something is missing I don’t like it."

Jaune just nodded.  Regardless of if there was any White Fang people on hand or not, the situation continually alarmed him.  Thus far they had exactly one way to go.  One path to walk at a time.  That meant of course, that if any enemy personnel was on hand they would know the layout of the area far better than any Beacon student.  Not to mention any other passages or pathways hidden to the naked eye.

"Like we are on a train track and we don’t know where it leads."  He commented.

Mom walked over after putting her scroll away and declared "Well we need to keep going, more teams will be deployed to this area to assist.  We should get a move on."

Nodding respectfully JNPR followed her onwards to the exit on the near side.

"Let's go everybody."  Mom declared.

Ruby finally put on a forced smile and stood up making a step towards her teacher.  However an audible *click* sounded through the room once her weight made contact with one of the room tiles.

"Uh… what was that?"  The Reaper asked nervously.

Blake's ears went to high alert and made the sure steps towards her team leader shouting "Ruby move!"

Ruby tried to push down to move away, sadly she was slightly too slow.  The floor opened up below her abruptly.

"WAAHH!!"  Ruby tried frantically reaching an arm out.

"Ruby grab on!"

"Rubes!"

Ruby caught Yang's arm just in the nick of time, but was left dangling in mid air.

Below the floor a tunnel made itself known, blocks along the corner continued to upturn sending rubble and rocks tumbling down various slides or passages under the floor.

"To the other side Run!"  Jaune barked out sprinting forwards avoiding tiles flipping up vertically best he could.  His team followed across the chamber barely getting to the other side when they spared a look back at their sister team.

Mom and the remainder of RWBY leapt towards the beleaguered sisters and jammed her sword in the rock wall.

"Blake!"  She yelled out extending an open hand.

The Cat-Girl was mid leap but made a mirror image and adjusted her trajectory, reaching out a hand she caught hold of the Matriarch and fired Gambol Shroud down towards her partner in its line mode.

More and more of the floor opened to drop Yang and her sister further down.  Weiss missed the Brawlers hand but managed to catch her backpack and desperately claw at the line from Blake.

"Ooof!  AGH!"  She grunted out.

Had the group been supplied the time needed to organize a thought they probably would have been able to claw or scrape their way out of that hole.  Unfortunately a hissing sound soon made itself known rather ominously with doors slamming shut all around the chamber.

"I don’t like that sound."  Mom stated still anchored to the wall.

Within seconds her face went pale as a familiar green gas started to get pumped into the room.  Both to her left and her right the noxious vapor was slowly but surely making its way into the chamber.

"What do we do Professor!"  Yang asked sliding further and further away in Weiss' grip.

"Quick!  Losing my grip here!"  She advertised.

Looking towards her sons team she ordered "You all get out of this room hurry!"

"But!"  He objected.

"That is an order!  If you cannot work your way out then work your way down and link up with us as soon as you can."  She commanded having no time to debate this.

The green vapors were beginning to get a bit more steady and started to work its way towards the group.

"GO now you do not want to get trapped with this poison!  Go!  Move!"  Finally drawn to action he hustled his team out the far end opposite their entry point right around the time the situation turned worse.

"Woah!"  Jaune called out as yet another hole in the floor made itself known.  Sadly that one either went unnoticed by the team or it was simply better placed, it swallowed all 5 of the students.  They were soon sliding their way down a shaft to where, nobody knew.

"Professor!"  Weiss called out visibly struggling but refusing to let go of her teammates.

Deciding she would rather take her chances against wherever the track lead her too that get caught in the poison cloud, she made a decision.

"Everybody stick together best we can… I am going to let us go in 3…. 2…. 1…"

On queue she pulled her weapon out of the wall, and with a yelp fell into the darkness.

***The Reaper***

Being already in the air and a few feet from the slide she could do nothing but steel herself as the Professor pulled her weapon out of the rock initiating the trip.

Determined to remain alert to her surroundings she speed into the unknown.

"Ruby hang on!"

Looking up she realized that she and her sister were still gripping Qrow's cloak.

"Ruby!  Yang!"  She heard a shout off to the side.

"WEISS!?"  She screamed.

It's difficult to see given how quickly she was moving, but she caught glimpses through the rock when she was able.  Seemingly at random the path would shift, opening up different compartments to move into.  By luck or by determination Yang was able to kick and push various objects to keep on the same path as her sister.

Weiss was not so lucky.  Narrowly avoiding a dangerous collision with a stone statue the Heiress was sent skidding down another direction.

"Weiss!"

When the passage seemed to both straighten out and go vertically Ruby looked up.  Yang was still there, but she couldn’t see anybody else.

The ground came rushing up to greet her landing somewhat awkwardly but safely on her feet.

"RUBY MOVE!"  Yang implored from above.

The Reaper rolled to the side a fraction of a second before Yang thundered downwards landing in a stance as if expecting an ambush.

"Rubes you ok!?"  The Brawler demanded looking over at her.

"Fine!  I'm fine!"  She asserted standing up to dust herself off.

"Did you see what happened to Blake or any of the others?"

Yang shook her head "Weiss tried to hang on but something jolted her loose.  I couldn't see Ms. Arc or any of the others.  Jaune and his team also ended up in one of those slides."

Ruby looked up the slide before declaring "Well I don't think we could climb our way back up… I guess all way can do is try to figure out where we are and link up with the others."

Yang was about to nod her agreement… however a rock passage began to open and lift.

"Uh oh."  She declared fully arming her gauntlets.

Ruby spun with her to face the doorway getting Crescent Rose lined up to fire a shot.

Soft footsteps echoed through the room, one after the other.  Then another and another until those moving came clear into view.  The light of the room showcasing two friendly figures that nobody really expected to see at this point.

"Uncle Qrow!"

"Dad!?"

They shouted out beginning to walk forwards.

As Qrow looked up towards his nieces Yang was brought to a halt picking up something seemed wrong.

"Ruby!"

"Uncle Qrow your ok!!!"  She continued to move forwards eagerly.

"RUBY STOP!"

The anger in the call finally got through to the Reaper, skidding to a halt a dozen or so steps from  the newcomers.  As one Tai and Qrow seemed to point towards the girl and finally open their eyes.

Feeling a ghastly chill, unwilling to think of the consequences of what she was seeing, Ruby could only say "Oh no… no no no…"

Never wanting to see this firsthand familiar with how it was described before.  The mad inhuman pink glow found within chilled the sisters to their very souls.

"Ruby get back here!"  Yang shouted cocking her weapons.

With a familiar giggle the two Hunters walked forward.  One reaching back for his weapon, the other taking up a familiar fighting stance.

"Uncle!  Uncle Qrow! Please!"  Ruby entreated from her sisters side unwilling moving her weapon into a ready stance.

Sadly, to no avail.

*End Part 1*

**A/N**

**Thank you again for reading!  Feel free to leave some feedback as to your thoughts.  Always eager for whatever feedback you can provide be it through review or any other method of communication.**

**Hopefully the next chapter will be ready soon!  Ideally it won't be another 3 week delay but uh… we will see.**

**Enjoy your holidays!  The story is getting near the end of the third year ( duh ) and as such the story is getting near 75% completed.  I hope those of you who enjoyed the story continue too as we press forward.**

**As ever I will see you next time.**

**-Sean**


	55. Y3 Finale Pt 2: A Confusing Discovery

3.29  A Confusing Discovery

While possibly amusing to any invisible beholders Jaune and company tumbled, screamed and clanged their way down the trap door chute.  Coming together seemingly out of a combination equal parts luck and determination they ended up in a bit of a tangle.

Making a hideous screeching noise on the wall along with a symphony of grunts and not without a few curses or various obscenities.  Team JNPR finally seemed to grind to a collective halt.

Her body bracing with all the physicality she posses Kate had a leg on each side standing open legged while holding desperately onto a greenish black boot.

"Ugh…. You know… I think you all… should go on a diet."  She grunted out feeling the burn in semi good humor.

Grateful for the fact that he tied his boots extra tight that Morning Ren issued a light laugh.  Keeping a firm grip with his hands… not entirely certain what he was holding onto given his vision was clouded by a full head of red hair.

"MBBRRBGRRLLL!"

"I think he said we should hurry."  Pyrrha stated amused keeping both hands gripped tightly on Milo stretched out in its spear form.

Ren might have grunted again indignantly at that.

"You are awfully good at interpreting grunts Partner."  Jaune commented very pleased with the fact he wasn’t holding onto the pointy end.  Left hand straining the weapon while his right hand clutched his pink colored friend, he had to admit it would make for an amusing picture if not for...

"All I know is I am very glad I have thick hair or this would not work at all."  She stated looking down and running her finger on the shiny and rather deadly row of spikes they narrowly avoided crashing into.

"MMMBRRR!!!"  Ren repeated.

"I agree we should move…  Also… OUCH HURRY AND LET GO OF MY HAIR!!"  Nora pleaded violently shaking her fists skywards.

"Yes please can we get slightly more organized?  That would be great thanks."  Kate implored really-really-really feeling the burn in her thighs and back now.

"Jaune if you don’t pull me up or do something quickly I am going to pull out my hammer and just start swinging!"  Nora threatened/stated looking upwards at him and trying to get her hand higher up.

"Ok ok ok just… not sure how I am going to do this."  He admitted not really wanting to just yank upwards as hard as he could. 

_At least this is Nora not Yang… somehow I bet Yang would already have hit me over this._

"I would normally offer lower my shield down and lift everybody up but… well I can't do that entangled like this."  The Spartan said brightly still rather well knotted up.

"Guys!  Heavy!"  Kate repeated.

"GGRRR  AIR!!!"  Ren grunted loudly.

"Ok everybody relax and focus!  Work as a team cooperate.  We can get outa this!  If you can't see what your reaching for listen to those who can."  Jaune instructed trying to swing Nora up so he could let go of her hair.

Once everybody seemed to settle down and get to work much more progress was made.  Nora eventually was able to grab Jaune's foot and pull herself up to finally relieve Katherine at the top.  Despite being in utterly superb shape holding on for as long as she did would have stressed any of the bunch.  Especially considering the awkward position and angle.

"Much better."  She claimed relieved at the lighter load.

Thus a game of worm took place.  With that person on the bottom climbing up their teammates to try and progressively push themselves higher.  More beneficial griping points were established and without hair either being used as amount or being used as a blinder.  They seemed to make better time.  Ideally they would have formed a circle and moved up as one, sadly there just was not enough room to do that.  Somebody would have been the odd man out.  Hence, the game of worm.

"Oooof… Oh well… my turn."  Pyrrha stated looking upwards slightly.

"Though… are we really going to climb all the way up Jaune?"  She asked once it was her turn to be the upper brace.

Jaune helped Ren push himself higher up before responding with the best answer he had.  "Until I have a better idea I don’t see a point in just waiting for a boulder or something else to push us back down.  I would prefer to see where we are going again."

Not seeing the point in arguing about it the Spartan gave an equal measure nod and shrug, then focused on doing her job.

Once a pattern seemed to form and familiarity set in the group was able to do more than just climb.  They could study their surroundings.  Try to find patterns or some other clue as to how to get out of this shaft.  Thus far aside from the fact that they could somehow see what they were doing and the fact it was still a purely vertical climb… he didn’t have any bright idea's.

…

Scratch that he had one idea.  Taking over as the guy on top for the moment he asked.

"Pyrrha do you sense anything magnetic around you?  Something that might serve as a switch or lever?  Maybe a way to open a way out of here?" 

With an energetic smile she seemed to bounce or hop in place briefly.

… Sadly it quickly become something of an adorable pout.

After searching with her semblance for anything she could latch onto… nothing was to be found.

"Nope… Sorry I'm not seeing or uh… feeling anything."  The Spartan said with a frown.

Once somebody settled in on his shoulders Jaune took a moment to look down and around studying the terrain.

As Kate was setting her feet again a familiar sound clicked through the shaft.

"Oh I don’t like the sound of that…"  He stated ominously cringing.

When the side compartment swung outwards towing the 5 Beacon students with it they could only fall again with a surprised yelp….

Though Nora found it in her to shout angrily "Really!!! Who puts a trap pressure plate on the SIDE of an entrapped tunnel!  Who has that kind of time!"

She might even have shaken an angry fist to the sky before the darkness swallowed her figure falling once again down towards the ground.

***Lower in the structure***

Sounds of thudding, near misses, frenzied footwork and the occasional clang of weapon on weapon made a conflict known for a considerable distance beyond the stone walls boxing in the contestants.  Hurried breaths and shouts of emotion continued to echo through the rocks and the rooms form.  Intense was the word of the hour, neither of the students involved were eager to face their key instructors from their youth.  But the choice in this case, was not theirs to make.

"This isn't working!"  Ruby called out trying to survive her Uncles deadly combination of sword and scythe attacks.

The most irritating part was by all visual appearances Qrow wasn’t even trying.  Ruby had tried everything she learned.  Parry's, twists, pirouettes, even dust round assisted acceleration not to mention the odd dirty trick.  The only reaction she ever earned was the same dead stare which seemed to freeze her heart each time she accidentally made eye contact.

"Qrow!!!  Wake up!"  She implored for what must be the 10th time.

"Ruby you have to fight him!"  Yang shouted off to the side only to nearly take an elbow shot for her troubles.

"GRR!!"

The Brawler was always a better match for her father than the reverse for her younger sister.  Tai was a full Huntsman sure but he didn’t work to maintain his skills and just in general was regarded as a more average fighter compared to Qrow.  As such the theory a few minutes ago was that Ruby could delay Qrow long enough for Yang to finish Tai, then together they could take on the elite Huntsman.

Ducking under Tai's overhead strike Yang struck out with a kick and in rapid succession landed 3 more punches concluding with a swing that sent the older male floating backwards to the ground.

"Finally!"  She exclaimed…

Only to have to duck again as the hunter got back to his feet unhurt and already on the offensive.

The following exchange was yet again won by the Brawler.  Sadly, while Yang got more than her fair number of hits in Tai was hardly a weakling.  He had lost some of his sharpness but not his competence.  In nearly every exchange Yang normally came out on top, but she would still take a hit or two for her troubles.  These hits however minor they were, are starting to take their toll.

"Something is definitely wrong here!  Dad doesn’t have Arc-levels of Aura!  How-"  Cut off by her opponent she was forced to back pedal blocking a spinning multi faceted leg strike.  Forcing several blocks before landing and entering into yet another elaborate attack.

_They are learning… they are adapting…_

"Dad knows I struggle against this style!  Whatever this is they are still inside!  Maybe even aware!"  Yang issued out a warning before being sent to her back missing a block.

"Yang!"  Ruby screamed before parrying a strike so hard it sent her screeching backwards heels skidding along the ground.

_This has gone on long enough but what can I do!  He taught me everything I know!  Even every dirty trick what can I possibly... I… I have to do something he didn’t teach me._

_Ok Uncle…. No Not Uncle Qrow.  You aren't Uncle Qrow.  You are some jerk called Branwen.  I can fight him._

Cocking her rifle Ruby planted a foot and with a push engaged her semblance.  Speeding with sonic force Ruby brought Crescent Rose back and circled her uncle.  Qrow seemed to follow her, or at least tried too like he was instinctively understanding what his niece had in mind.  As if he was aware what she was doing but didn’t have a direct counter to it.  Even so he tried to turn around and get his weapon into a position to block.

Ruby ended up being too quick.

"YAAAAHHHHH!!!!"  Yelling in triumph as she finally managed to land a solid strike.

Jumping backwards to avoid Qrow's retaliation she circled over towards her sister.  Tai seemed unaware of Ruby's semblance fueled assault and as such made no attempt to block her.

"Yang!"  Ruby shouted out she understood the intent..

"Got It!"

Still moving faster than most could follow Ruby leapt forward and kicked out at nearly the same time Yang went aggressive again forcing Tai back.  Ruby landed a solid kick to his back and propelled herself back towards her Uncle while the Brawler used the opening to once again land a crunching multi shot combo.  Tai landing motionless on the ground at the near same moment the Reaper went into the next engagement.

Yet again being taken off guard Qrow was unable to effectively block the attack.  She got another solid strike in and pivoted to the side going low to his knees.  With a head of steam Yang bulled her way towards her uncle driving forward with a  hellacious right cross.  He seemed fully able to lazily dodge the punch and even seemed prepared to counter attack.  Yet Ruby spinning along the ground brought the butt of her weapon against his knee and a fraction of a second later connected with the blade on the torso.

Firing a dust round she spun the battleground to her favor and rushed at him from the opposite flank.

"Best chance we have hit him hard now!"  Ruby instructed racing in for another joint assault.

Not needing the go ahead Yang landed a knee strike righting Qrow upwards for another punch…

That… was when Qrow seemed to smirk.  An act they never saw him do in their time with him.  As such she didn’t know what to think.

Until her fist passed through the space his face was… hitting nothing but air.  A black bird fluttered behind her and in moments he reappeared with a two handed strike aimed at Yang's back.

"What the!"  she exclaimed clearly confused.

"Yang!"  Setting her foot down and rushing towards her sibling Ruby got her weapon up to block what should have been an easy strike to intercept.

Unfortunately in the chaos of it all they forgot about Tai.  The older man barreled into his eldest daughter in a shoulder tackling her to the ground preparing for an onslaught of sorts.

With a sharp breath the Reaper seemed to realize.

_He was never aiming for Yang!_

Coming to that realization just a bit too late to correct her weapon angle Qrow flicked his wrist hitting his niece squarely on the back of her head with the flat of his weapon.

Seemingly froze on the spot Ruby struggle for a moment and twitched in obvious pain weapon clanging on the ground.  After a moment she dropped to a knee trying to crawl along the floor.

With calculated moments Qrow slowly walked over, footsteps echoing around the room.  Then with casual ease, rose his weapon above his head in a two handed grip.

"Uncle Qrow get a hold of yourself!"  Yang shouted out trying to fend off Tai above her raining blows left and right.

Getting progressively more desperate the more attacks came thundering down.  Punches, elbows, aimed trying to take her out of the contest.

Trying once again to warn her sister of the danger Qrow possessed She shouted out "Ruby!! You have to move!!"

Only that time Tai finally managed to catch her arm trapping her below him pinned to his knee.

Taking a deep breath Yang just met his gaze imploring "Dad… dad Wake up!"

The mad pink glow of his eyes is all that would answer her.  Tai slowly if methodically raised an arm up making a fist.

"Dad!"

Swift as a snake the fist descended.

Once again trying to yank or pry herself free without success.  She sternly faced forward again.  Closing her eyes bracing for impact.

A sound did indeed echo through the room.  She heard a breath, then another breath.  Realizing it was her own breath that she heard, she opened her eyes.

Qrow stood over Ruby, but seemed to be struggling at lowering that weapon.  Tai on the other hand did punch forward… he just missed.  His fist struck the ground to the exact left of the Brawlers cheek.

"Dad?"  She tried again somewhat hopeful.

"Ya-  Yaaa… AAGGHHH!!!"  In what seemed to start as a welcomed recognition it only turned into a pained shout from both Qrow and Tai.

The event only lasted a handful of seconds, but that pink glow seemed to shine a bit brighter afterwards.

With distressing quickness Qrow had that weapon above his head again, and this time did not hesitate to lower it.

"NO!!!" A voice shouted.

***Dangling mid air.***

"You know… as much as I like you guys.  It is getting tiring to keep meeting this way."  Jaune stated with a friendly tone.

Having jammed his knife into the rock with one hand his other was linked tightly to Ren's. 

"You know… I can't disagree with that."  He added.

Somehow he and Katherine had their legs linked together.  Her upside down gripping Pyrrha's arm as securely as she could manage.

"What?  'Sadistically maniacal trap door fun house' isn't your typical get together local?"  The Ghost joked.

Nodding and looking down he agreed "Correct…"

Then in hindsight couldn't help but add "Not a bad view though."

"Ren…"  Several people declared dangerously.

"What?  This… rock is lovely.  It has such an amazing curve to it."  He objected flatly.

"Its flat Ren…."  Pyrrha declared without amusement.

Keeping her arms firmly gripped around the Spartans thigh Nora cheerfully declared "Well… at least my hair isn't being pulled outta my skull this time."

Somewhat used to this by now Nora climbed her way upwards with Pyrrha to follow afterwards.  Before long the line was a touch more organized and more comfortable for all participants.

"Hold up fellas… I think I have an idea for getting us out of this situation."  Jaune declared a several minutes of silent climbing.

Finding a stable spot to listen to him Nora declared "Finally, I'm learning to hate climbing… what's the plan Jaune?"

With a somewhat silly smile, he gave a look towards his twin.

For once, she found herself unable to guess what he meant.

"Your semblance Katherine.  We can use it to move through these walls… caverns whatever you call it."  He said simply when it was clear she wasn’t sure.

"Oh hey that’s a great idea!  Let's do it!"  Pyrrha asserted to the agreement of Nora and Ren.

Kate just took a deep breath.

Nobody asked about the tactical advantages this might have.  It didn’t need to be said.  Not sticking to carefully planned menus of advancing.  The initiative would be taken away from their enemy and for the moment reside with the Team.  They could move around unhindered and finally get their bearings in a way that the Fang or their allies could not predict.  From that standpoint… it was a magnificent suggestion.

Not wanting to argue about how much she hated depending on her semblance… she could not deny it was the best play they had here by a proverbial landslide.

"Ok… we just need to be careful I've never shrouded so many people at once."  She had more of a warning to advertise… unfortunately time disagreed with her presenting them.

A rumbling sound above them cut out any further suggestions.  Getting progressively louder and louder the group shared a domino of confused glances at what that was or what to do.

"If I didn’t know better that sounds like a…."

"Boulder?"  the Twins began and finished.

Alarm shot through them as the rumbling ceased.

"It either stopped or its falling now.  We are outa time Kate!!  Do your thing!"  He instructed.

Draw to action they crowded around her clutching whatever they could as she stated "Hold on tight."

Not being shy at all about how much strain their added weight put on her she none the less proudly grunted her way through it and engaged her semblance mere moments before a round rock of prodigious size sped right through them to crash on the spikes below.

"Not a moment too soon."  Ren stated looking down before looking at the Raven haired girl.

"Do we need to hurry or help somehow?  We gotta be heavy."

Without her typical teasing smile Kate just shook her head clearly focusing "Weight doesn’t really work the same way under my semblance.  This isn't anything I can't handle, but you don’t want to lose contact, I'm still rather horrible at extending it beyond a touch."

Nodding absentmindedly everybody seemed to get a smidge closer.

"Can't see a blasted thing right now how do we know where we are?"  Nora admitted via complaint.

"In time that will change… light works differently for us now too.  I am used to it but I suspect you all aren't.  I could use some help figuring out where we should be heading right now.  It's easier to go down than up semblance or not just uh… well yeah not sure."  She asked the floor.

Thinking on it briefly the nearby leader declared "Down… We were last ordered to go down.  Our goal is to link up with the other team.  I doubt we could escape from this place even if we could get back up top.  The entire topside is probably abuzz waiting for confirmation that we died or for us to try and climb out of this tunnel too exhausted to fight.  Glide us down safely and… well let's just see what we find.  One step at a time."

With a deep breath that went unnoticed by the outside world, the Ghost pushed off from the wall and like a piece of falling snow on a glider, made her way majestically down outside the trapped corridors of stone.

Accepting their fate as being on a roller coaster with no rails and witnessing the strangest trip they ever made the team made the occasional gasp or shout in warning as they approached a wall… only to float right on through it.

"I assure you, unless I let it, nothing can touch us in here."  Katherine declared confidently.

"I know now why it's called an assassin semblance.  This ability to move around unhindered is unparalleled for those with clandestine interests."  Ren stated eyes looking every which way.

"What happens if we are in a wall and we lose contact with you?"  Pyrrha asked nervously.

"Then your body merges with the wall and you are dead within minutes.  The same thing happens if I run out of Aura."  Kate stated with a slight grin.

Looking at her best friend she continued with "I have plenty of aura but this method of travel does come with some risk.  I can keep this up for a very long time but as I said before, you do not want to let go."

From then on, they were grasping too tightly for it to become a further issue.

***Watching as if in slow motion***

Yang could not swap her gaze off her sister or the weapon descending downwards towards her even if she wanted too.  It took her a fair bit of time but after a few heartbeats.  She realized that scream… was not her own.

_That sounded like…!_

In the moments it took for Qrow's weapon to make its dangerous and potentially lethal decent downwards a different type of weapon seemed to appear out of a hole in the middle of nothing.

First a colossal sword of immense proportions made up of brighter colors linked to a semblance portal followed by an armored figure the Brawler had seen a time or two.

With a clang that reverberated throughout the room the newcomer not only deflected the strike but came swinging with both sword and fist forcing the Veteran Huntsmen back.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!!"  the Heiress shouted sprinting in from a side cavern.

Looking more angry than Yang had ever seen her Weiss made a series of catapult like circles propelling herself with tremendous velocity over Ruby towards Qrow.

"Weiss!   You made it!"  Yang shouted once again straining against her father trying to break free.

The arrival of the Heiress seemed to give pause to the Huntsman.  The slow but powerful Knight  along with the quick and graceful Heiress made for a formidable pair.  Qrow seemed hard pressed to find the time to strike back.

Anger granting her an abundance of speed Weiss rained a score of quick thrusts and slashes all around his guard.  When paired with the powerful swings from the summoned Knight that required a concerted effort to block she managed to score several quick hits.

"You… Drunken … Smelly old man!  Don’t you dare hurt my partner!!"  She roared out staying on the offensive.

_Wow… she's certainly pissed off._

"YANG!"  Another voice shouted.

Blocking a wayward elbow Yang retaliated in kind and spared a glance behind her.  Blake just arrived on the scene sprinting towards her teammates.

"No go help Weiss!  I can handle this one!"  She shouted back.

"You seem to be losing right now!"  The Cat-Girl retorted.

"Just cause I'm letting him go help Weiss!"

"What about Ruby?!"  Blake retorted.

"I hit her harder as kids when we were practicing she will be fine!  We gotta subdue Qrow!"

In reply A copy formed and gracefully leapt sideways.  With typical Cat like precision Blake landed a foot on the small of Tai's back while raining several weapon strikes down before switching off him away towards her friend in light blue further down the way.

When Tai -predictably- reacted to the strikes Yang did not let the opening pass her by.

Seeing her opportunity she surged forward with a headbutt in a collision that would have been felt by anybody nearby.

_This has got to end, this time you are staying down!_

Igniting in her golden light Yang punched her way to her feet literally rocking any lose rocks nearby with every contact finally earning enough space to fully stand.

"I don’t know where all this Aura comes from but I will run it dry punch by punch if I have too!"  She shouted quickly closing the distance.

In reply he just slightly adjusted his stance to be more defensive.  Determined to make this the last time they clashed Yang focused with all her mind on beating the person before her.

Across the way Weiss still felt she could move a mountain at the sight of her partner taking that shot and was unwilling to lower the pressure of her assault in the slightest. 

Hearing more than seeing the familiar blur of Blake prepping for a fight Weiss made a light jump back charging up a barrage of ice missiles.  Hoping the change in tactics would confuse the veteran and leave his back open to attack.

Sadly he wasn’t even slightly confused, like he had faced this particular semblance before.  With casual ease he flicked his wrist sending a wave of energy slicing towards her and in that same motion ducked under her knights attack before cutting the summoned apparition in two.

"Yeaah!"  Blake declare swinging her leg across her body in a roundhouse kick.

Before the attack could be blocked -and it would have been blocked- she shifted to both sides with multiple copies of herself narrowly avoiding another sideways swing from that two handed weapon of his.  With a risky dance of daring Blake continued switching around Qrow all the while sending attacks and misdirection at him.

"Stay down already!"  Yang yelled out still in her duel with her father from beyond the Cat-Girls actions.

Debating the merits of letting Blake keep up the pressure on Qrow while she assisted Yang, Weiss decided to try and bombard both of them beginning to summon up another torrent of projectiles momentarily loosing track of the battle.  With it only coming into focus in the realization that Blake was making a play for Qrow's weapon and it somehow ended pointing right at the Heiress.

"Weiss move!"  Blake shouted out a fraction of a second before a large barrel let loose a round.

"Uh!!!"  Weiss fumbled breaking the summoning pose to try and defend herself.

Ruby reentered the battle intercepting the bullet with practiced ease and declared "We need to end this!  Tie them up or something!  Blake let's try Gambol Shroud!"

"Ruby!"  _She's ok!_

With a rare overly happy smile Weiss nodded and together with her Partner charged in sword in hand.

Unable to think of a combination of red white and black Ruby decided not to shout out something silly and instead took a page out of her uncle's book.  Part of what makes him so effective as a Huntsmen is you never can tell what exactly he will attack you with.  His weapon switches between scythe and sword with the flick of a wrist and in both cases you can be fired upon by the canon built into the handle.  It was something she envied and was never quite able to completely emulate with Crescent Rose. 

But now more than ever she was determined if she couldn't out fight her uncle she was going to out think him.

Zooming straight at him with her semblance Qrow squared himself for a straight on attack tossing Blake off him finally catching enough of her to send her skidding out of the fight briefly.

Ruby stopped inches from him and instead aimed downwards.  Pulling the trigger she went airborne aiming another volley at him from just outside of his range.  Weiss came in from that same angle jabbing forwards.

Unfazed by their tactics Qrow simply switched out of one parry into another he was not overly bothered… until Weiss pulled the same trick.  With a glyph bounding her outside of range Weiss let loose a volley of ice missiles.

"We are only going to get one chance at this!"  Blake shouted via a warning locking a special round into her weapon.

"Not yet!"  Ruby shouted firing her own Ice rounds trying to slow her target down.

Getting hit from 2 distinct angles was more than his one weapon could block.  He was still capable of dodging many of them, but a few critical rounds hit home.

"Anytime now!"  Yang shouted out still in her match with her father.

When Blake took off circling Qrow and giving a curt nod at her leader Ruby shouted "NOW!!!"

Progressing simultaneously Ruby fired another round to accelerate down and away.

Blake fired her grapple hook function towards her leader's decent point then began to sprint in the other direction.

Weiss took a distinct pose and jammed her sword into the ground creating a glyph moving with power before one could even blink.  Appearing in the dozens semblance powered projectiles sprang up all around her.  Behind side and even directly to her front.  Setting loose a torrent of firepower designed to hinder her targets. 

Ruby caught the other end of Gambol Shroud and shouted "YANG NOW!"

Catching Tai's hand in hers Yang aimed a powerful kick at his knee knocking him into the air losing his balance.

"Air mail!"  She shouted out taking hold of his arm and shoulder tossing him towards Qrow.  Slowed as he was by the barrage of ice Qrow couldn’t avoid him.

The rope carried between Blake and Ruby began to coil around them.  They did not just let this happen.  Trying to cut or just hold the tie at bay.  RWBY however was not to be denied.

"Here pull on this."  Ruby commanded appearing next to her sister.

With a chuckle Yang obliged and said "Gladly, I can give it a… Yank!."

Ruby had the decency to ignore the pun… pulling with all she could on the binding.

Blake kept spinning around and around using multiples of herself to speed the process along.

"Now Weiss!"  Ruby shouted.

Twisting her sword in the ground and pushing it deeper a pillar of water seemed to spring up around the two adults.

_Now to freeze the water!_

Removing her weapon from the ground to point at the target and move in small circles the water solidified and in less than a minute contained both targets.

"Yeah we did it!"  Ruby exclaimed in celebration letting the rope go giving a jump in the air.

Sending a cocky smile to her sister Yang stated "I always told him he needed too… chill out.  Seems I was right."

Groaning the Reaper none the less smiled and walked towards the block of ice.  "Not now Yang… I have no idea how we are going to carry them out of here."

Tapping the ice with her finger she said "Looks sturdy enough."

"Took you two long enough by the way."  Yang teased moving up towards her partner.

With a scoff Weiss couldn’t help but say "Forgive me for not coming prepared with a map.  It took awhile to find you both."

Eager to get back to business Blake stated "So… what now?  I lost track of the Professor early on the track.  I couldn't hear Jaune or his team at all in the fall.  We don't know how to get out, or how far down we are in the ground.  Frankly I think these two stay here until we do.  It would be too dangerous pushing them along the entire way."

With a sigh Ruby couldn’t help but agree… she would hate herself if she had to fight them again but she couldn’t risk carrying them along.  Not that she was willing to give up without really trying to think up a solution.

"Uh… Ruby… Yang… was that bird there a minute ago?"  Blake asked pointing at something in the distance.

Sharing a look at her older sibling Ruby spun around thoroughly perplexed… if only for a moment.  Resting above the door Qrow and Tai entered from… was another bird. 

"Uh… not that I am an expert on birds… but do all Ravens have red eyes?"

Uh oh…

"Uh… wait.  Oh no!"

In one fluid motion the bird hopped off its perch grew and elongated until it was no longer that of a bird, but of an adult woman.  With so much black hair she could only be Yang's mother and other aspects of her daughter to boot.  Raven stood before them, keeping her eyes closed she took a few steps towards her brother.

"Uh.. mom?"  Yang tried cautiously.

As if in reply the newcomer drew and swung her weapon before sheathing it again.  The ice pillar shattered in a violent explosion sending bits and pieces every which way.

"This is not good!"  Weiss stated taking a spare second to reload her dust reserves.

As one Tai and Qrow stood to either flank of the newcomer.  In unison opening their eyes to reveal what nobody wanted to be proven true.

"Ok sis… we need a plan b!"  Yang stated cocking her weapons.

"Right!  Plan B… got it, everybody has to have a backup plan at all times!"  Ruby stated doing the same.

Forming up behind the sisters Blake couldn’t help but ask "So… what's the plan?"

Observing the pink eyed individuals slowly step forward Ruby honestly stated "Not a clue…"

_We cant 2 v 2 them given Raven showing up… Yang won't admit it but she's tiring… Weiss just let loose about half of her Aura… I am not exactly fresh and Blake doesn’t match up well against either Qrow or Raven 1 v 1… Agh I don’t know what to do!_

Refusing to let her loved ones be controlled for the rest of their lives A fresh wave of steel found itself in the Reaper.  Finding her courage she shook her head.

"Just fight together work as a team and give it all you have!  That’s the only plan we have right now!"  Ruby declared appearing very determined, before leading the charge for the next round of engagements.

***Back to JNPR***

Jaune remained unsure what to think of the predicament they found themselves in.  Atlas Intel called this location a mine.  It certainly didn’t look like a mine at the entry way or any other further point of emphasis throughout.  Now to be fair he didn’t know for sure that they entered in the 'front door' however much a mine has a front door.  None the less he couldn’t decide if this was a repurposed mine, a shelter from times past, a research facility or a military base camp.

It could have been any of those locations as they explored under the cover of Kate's Ghost Shroud.

Coming to a fork in the passageway they took the few seconds needed to discuss which way to move.  Hearing the sound of somebody approaching Jaune quickly got everybody to hush up with a quick hand motion.  Knowing they can't be seen or heard while under the shroud, he still wanted to gain as much Intel as possible.

Following his wishes the group halted their movements to listen in on a group of armed Fang personnel run by them everybody focused in on whatever they could gather.

"What now?!"  A large faunus male grumbled jamming a clip into his weapon.

"Not sure, the alarm was sounded and we were told to move to the upper areas."  A second answered, a smaller more normal sized female on appearance.

"Think we are under attack?"  The first asked casually.

"We might be, we were told to expect opposition moving in on the entry points."  A third answered, its neutral voice could have been anything.

"What about the intruders?  Did the traps take care of them like the others?"  The girl asked pausing at the exit.

The 4th person spoke up after snapping his fingers "That’s enough chatter folks.  None of that matters get a move on to the upper level."

"But boss we should know if enemy forces could come at us from behind!"  The first objected.

The 'Boss' seemed to sigh and repeated "They split up into multiple groups.  One of them is assumed dead in the pits, the second should be in our possession soon.  The current danger is any new groups finding this location before we can move to our new facility."

"What about the lab."  The smaller girl asked pointing directly at Jaune.

"We were next on watch… I don’t think there are replacements for it."  She concluded

_Lab?_

"This lab sounds important!"  Nora muttered under her breath.

"Enough talking we are already behind schedule.  Get moving!"  The boss declared then left no chance for further conversation as he look off outwards going up.

Given nothing more to listen in on Ren spoke up "I agree with Nora the lab sounds important.  I say check it out.  We are right here anyway."

Pyrrha shook her head "We can't be digging through a lab while the rest of us are in danger.  We can't afford to waste time."

Nora spoke up again, Jaune didn’t hear what she had to say.  Too busy trying to deduce what to do.  He fully agreed with Pyrrha.  Ruby and her team, not to mention his mother were still somewhere in this maze.  They could potentially need help.

"Nora… the guy over there just said they expect to have them in their possession.  That probably means they are fighting right now!  How long can they last without reinforcements?  Nobody knows but we don’t know what they are fighting.  They could be facing the entire bulk of the Fang forces right now at this moment."  The Spartan repeated.

Jaune sent a glance at his sister…

Unlike when most times people would see her, she did not have a warm expression nor did she walk with a teasing swagger.  All her focus was keeping her semblance active.  A glance at a scroll showed she was not in danger of running out of aura.  But he knew from firsthand experience constant aura use put an exaggerated drain on the user.  The last thing anybody would want is for her focus to fail when they are bypassing something and for the entire team to be trapped in a wall or block of stone.

"Jaune what's the plan?"  Pyrrha asked civilly seeing as She Ren and Nora all had spoken their peace.

"We look at the lab."

"But-"

"Pyrrha, you know I respect your opinion.  From that conversation we know that 'down' is one way, and 'out' is the other.  Beyond that we do not have a map of the layout of this place.  We don't know where RWBY is or how to reach them.  Blinding running in any direction we can will not help them."

See seemed thoughtful.

"Moreover if we are going to keep depending on Kate and her semblance to move its only going to get more stressful for her.  We could go in there, see what we can find, try to find a map, and give her a brief respite all at the same time.  Then hopefully have a better idea about what we can expect to find here and what our next move is.  Sound fair?"  He put forth confidently.

While considering Pyrrha gave a glance to her raven haired friend as if asking her opinion.

Kate put forth a struggled shrug and said "A rest sounds good… nobody wants anything to happen to RWBY, Pyrrha.  But if we are going to help them we can't just rush in blindly."

With a deep breath followed by a smile Pyrrha nodded and said "Ok, then I agree but let's hurry!"

Finding their previous grip points Jaune said "Use your semblance to get us through the door… hopefully once on the inside you can drop it for a few minutes."

With a nod and a light jump forward they passed the barrier but found the walkway to the lab to be further than expected.  Moving through several sets of security doors to finally come to a reinforced dual locked sliding door.

"A retinal scanner with a finger print reader?  This seems like the real deal."  Jaune stated with a wistful whistle.

Pyrrha shook her head wide eyed "I admit this could be more important than I figured."

Setting down firmly inside they all detached and moved a step away.  A second later she dropped the effect of her semblance bringing everybody back into the physical plane.

"I think I will hit the light…"  Ren stated heading off in that direction.

"Ren no!  No lights!"  Jaune issued successfully getting him to stop.

"Why?"  the Gunslinger calmly asked.

"Because I would assume if this room is any level of important somebody is monitoring if anything is powered up.  We don't want to let anybody know we are here if at all possible, move using your scroll light."

They nodded and switched their scrolls accordingly.

Getting a good look around the Knight quickly formulated the order of business.  A computer terminal was nearby as was a chemical work station.  A shutter was nearby blocking who knows what and several walls or stacks of paper containing what could be anybody's guess.

"Ok folks.  Nora check that computer but use an external power supply.  See what you can find."

She gave a happy salute and moved with gusto towards the computer station.

"Should we check what they were doing with the chemical equipment?"  Ren asked curiously.

Jaune shook his head "No I don’t much think that will be important.  Try to find a map or key we could use to navigate around here.

Before he could put forth his suggestions with the remaining members of his group, Nora broadcast "Jaune!  You should see this!  It's your least favorite person ever!"

Jaune cocked his head… _My least favorite person… who… oh joy…_

Moving over as requested he quietly said "You rest.  Alright?"  Towards his twin.

Not even putting forth her typical mischievous grin Kate responded with a thumps up and found a comfortable spot on the ground to relax a bit.

"I'll see if anybody is heading this way!"  Pyrrha put forth moving toward the door to keep watch.

"Good idea."  He answered over his shoulder.

Finding a spot next to his excitable teammate Jaune took a look at the offered scroll.

"I can't get sound.  That requires a different drive I can't access from here.  But I was able to find a transcript nearby.  Most of it has been censored but it seemed something of note."  She claimed.

From a camera on the computer itself the image slowly came into focus.

"Poor visual quality, that your scroll or their camera?"  He asked quietly.

"Both I would say… the video system wasn't designed to be accessed this way after all.  I am making a copy of all this by the way."  She stated simply.

Nodding again he watched the image of his dad move around the lab talking too… either himself or a another individual off camera.

Following along best he could with both the visual image and the transcript was not easy.  Most of the document was blacked out.  For what purpose or why he couldn’t really discern.  But when matched up against the visuals he got a small amount of sense for what was going on.

'Grimm… Evolution… difficult.  Catalyst … insufficient.  Resisting nucleus… probe.'  Were the words working along with the visuals best Jaune could determine.

_Grimm evolving?  He is trying to force them to evolve or study them and how they evolve?  A catalyst?  Something to do with scientific change…_

_'Reaction… fear… working.  Need…. greater… presence.'_

Another person moved into view.  Somebody who was obviously a woman and obviously in extremely good shape.  Wearing a red dress tight to her body shielding her left arm from view.  The woman had black hair and moved with slow precise steps.  Clearly the woman in the dress from before.

"I don’t have a transcript for this part."  Nora quietly claimed following along.

He nodded in reply continuing to watch.  But after a minute or two decided that he had better things to do.

"How much more footage of this is there Nora?"  He asked.

With a considering face she guessed "There are at least 50 more entries… unknown length.  Safe to say at least several hours worth of content."

Standing up he said "Make a copy of it all, we don’t have the time to watch it all here."

From directly behind him his sister said "Notice Dad's arm? It was in a sling and looked… a bit weird.  According to that report he should have lost an arm from that incident last year."

Startled to hear her but not at all surprised he didn’t notice her close on him he sighed out of habit.

"Yes I did notice it but I don’t know what exactly to think about it.  Do you have an idea on how old that report was?"  He asked looking towards Nora again.

She could only shrug and say "It would be a completely blind guess… they use a measure of recordation I am not familiar with.  But… I would say less than a year.  There are many reports before that one I just chose it cause I had a transcript for it that matched the video name… Catalyst.  Or… at least a partial one but… well you get my point."  Adding that last as an afterthought.

"Hey Jaune!  Something to see here!"  Ren called out barely above a whisper.

Happy to hear from him Jaune moved over still trying to keep noise to a minimum "You found a map?"

Ren waited before his team leader was at arm's length before shaking his head "No… just thought this looked interesting."

Following his outstretched arm Jaune wasn't sure what he was looking at.  Judging by first glance it was a cabinet…

Upon closer inspection… it looked like a holding cell.

"Nora said Catalyst just now… at first it didn’t mean much but I came back and looked… this could be it."  He said.

Feeling a bit odd Jaune couldn't help but look at the word for several heartbeats.

There it was, Catalyst.  In plain sight.

_Is this really going to be this easy?  If it was important enough to make a transcript and then censor most of it inside your own base why put this right here where it's so easy to find?  Did they really anticipate this place at being too deeply hidden.  To secure that nobody unexpected would find it?  I don’t get it at all._

Moving his hand forward Jaune ran over the label and hesitated over the latch labeled 'Release.'

"This might be alarmed… if I do this it could make us the center of the hornets' nest very quickly."  He said clearly seeking other opinions.

His teammates had gathered around him unbeknownst to him and shared a chain of glances before looking back at him.

Ren was the one who spoke up "Jaune we trust you.  Our goal is to find out about Fang operations, at least in part.  We have many things on the table right now… but if you feel we need to investigate that… we are behind you."

Followed by a nod and in Nora's case… a thumbs up Jaune smiled shyly.

"Ok… here we go."

Finding the latch again he pushed it down gently until a click made known it was fully down.

Air pressure releases triggered lifting up a large section of the wall…

_Oh boy… hope I didn’t just make a colossal mistake…_

Confusion took hold as after a section of the wall lifted up what appeared to be a stasis chamber spun around to face forwards.  Very plainly detailed yet carrying a glass window towards the top.  Showing that the chamber was not empty.

"A woman?"

"A person?"

"What is this…"  Various team members voiced behind him.

The casket let another hiss of condensed air into the room as it cracked open and lifted up.

"Pyrrha, Nora, Ren be ready to fight… We don’t know if this person is friendly or not."  Jaune stated as a precaution.  Spreading out around the room the three of them pulled  out their weapons and made ready to fight if they had too.

For several seconds the Hunters in Training just stood there observing the newcomer… she was breathing… not moving at all but she was breathing.  It was difficult to see but she appeared to be in decent shape but somewhat underfed.  Plain brown boots and black pants were worn loosely and were generic enough… the biggest feature about her was:

"A white hooded cloak… its similar to what mom wore in the past but… this has a hood."  Kate stated studying her closely.

The newcomer shivered slightly… weakly moved her head to the side.  Unable to speak… she uttered a tired groan and fell forward.

"Hey watch it, you're ok."  Jaune stated striding forward quickly to catch her gently placing her on the ground.

As if becoming aware of the fact she wasn’t a prisoner anymore she managed to open her eyes briefly.

"Jaune her eyes!"  Kate stated clearly surprised.

"She… Jaune, you know who she looks like!"

Jaune nodded focusing intently on the woman.  Very dark red hair, longer than Nora's down to her shoulders.  Unkempt for as her stay in the stasis chamber likely was an elongated one.  However he was not ignoring or avoiding what his sister mentioned.  Just… was unsure what to think.

"Silver… her eyes are silver.  It's like… it's like she is an older version of Ruby its eerie how similar they are.  I don't… I don't know what to think."

End Part 2

Part 3 will be posted once it is read


	56. Y3 Finale Pt2: What A Huntress Fears

3.30 What the Huntress Fears.

Jaune couldn't claim to have made up his mind for what seemed to be several hours of frantic consideration.  Naturally only a few seconds actually passed in actuality, that didn’t mean those seconds seemed an eternity.  That wasn't helped at all when the newcomer, who at the moment remained nameless… was probably the leader of STRQ, Summer Rose.  Somebody they theoretically were searching for.

Kneeling over her he gently moved her towards A nearby wall for support.

"Well this complicates things."  Kate stated simply hand on her hip seemingly thinking things over herself.

Nodding his head Jaune moved back to business "Pyrrha keep your eye on that door… We need somebody making sure there's no activity outside we aren't expecting."

With an agreeable nod Pyrrha went off towards the door to keep an eye out.

Joining him near the wall Ren went down on his haunches and asked "Still worried about an alarm?"

His eyebrows pointing down sharply Jaune nodded again "Absolutely.  Just because we can't hear anything doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist."

Keeping his gaze leveled on the newcomer Jaune continued to try and sort through his thoughts… clustered as they were with everything going on.

_I can't say I knew what to expect, or what I should expect.  She seems exhausted… Do I wait for her to come too?  That would probably be the logical thing to do… this is a rescue mission after all nobody here is truly a medic.  But the rescue was for STRQ… not just its leader.  That doesn’t consider RWBY or mom and the situation they could be in either for that matter.  Should I leave half of us here and the other half to try and find them to render support?  That just seems to be a waste… further dividing our strength in the middle of the enemy stronghold without really knowing where we are or how to escape.  For that matter I don’t even have any proof that this is Summer Rose… it could be a completely random person with silver eyes.  Rare eye-color that might be it isn't an impossible thing to consider…_

_Gah… I wish I could contact command, get a feel for what is going on.  Hell for that matter the Atlas military might be deploying here given the proof of Fang activity.  Maybe the best play is to move upward link up with them.  Drop off Summer and rearm.  Then after joining up with some reinforcements head down and pursue whatever we can.  That might be the safest plan, but it essentially means RWBY is on their own…_

_No.  No that just doesn’t feel like the right play here._

_Alright new direction.  Let's focus on the here and now… what should we be doing now?_

Shaking his head Jaune stated "Ren, Nora, I need both of you too keep looking around.  We absolutely must find a map or some method of checking in with command.  We are completely blind right now.  We have to find some way to keep the initiative."

"You got it."  They said in unison moving away.  Working in tandem to cover each other and their search area as if they had done this a million times.  They always did have great team work.

His twin found a spot next to him and softly said "We might consider reinforcing her aura.  If we have a surefire way to jumpstart her system… it's that."

He shook his head "I don't like that idea."  Raising a hand to quell her objection he continued "We might have to do that, no doubts there.  But we have no proof that this is our query, we do not have any idea how to get out, because of that lowering our Aura would lower our fighting strength on the way out.  Furthermore we do not know what they did to her or how she would react to an infusion of Aura.  For all we know they were doing some type of aura based torture and the last thing we should consider is building hers up before her body is ready for it."

Kate looked contemplative for a few heartbeats before admitting "Good point."

Switching his gaze to his twin he asked "How are you holding up?  Doing better I hope?"

Nodding without preamble she brought her left arm in front of her and made a fist a few times channeling aura into her hand, glowing a familiar royal blue hue.

"The break really helped… That has to be the most work I've done with my semblance in a very long while.  If not ever now that I think about it.  As with most things mom is proven right… need is the best teacher.  That got a bit easier the longer it went on… drain and focus demands notwithstanding."

Smiling lightly at her he said "I knew you'd get it.  We may yet be depending on your semblance on our way out."

Returning the smile she looked back towards Pyrrha then searched around the room briefly.

"I figure a forensic team would love to setup shop in here.  This place seems to have a ton of information just waiting for the right people to find it given the chemical station and computer.  Too bad we can't figure out what exactly happened to her."

Going slightly more serious she continued "How long are we going to stay here Jaune?  We risk discovery with every passing moment, not to mention the risk to the others.  We still don’t know what they are against right now."

He shook his head "Katherine the best I can do right now is play it by ear.  We don't know how deep in the structure we are.  We don't know for sure how to get out… we don't know where RWBY is.  If our next move is going to be a guess it is my job as Leader to make sure it’s the best possible guess we can make.  I don't want to make a decision until I know as much as possible."

Kate took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"Should I go out and do some scouting?"

Jaune shook his head subtly "That might be the best move according to a field manual Kate… but every instinct in my body says we need to stick together.  If you leave and we are forced to move we might not link up again.  No, we are already divided in half I cannot in good coconscious isolate us further."

Nodding as if agreeing with him she said "It would be great if she woke up.  Would make uh…"

Looking now at the woman in question she seemed to be moving her head slightly.  Eventually a low groan emerged.

"Convenient timing…"  Kate concluded.

From behind both of them Pyrrha stated via a whisper "I am seeing lots of traffic outside this hallway… I cannot tell what they are doing but they could be moving up or massing outside the doors!"

"Yeah we aren’t finding much here Jaune!  Still looking but no maps yet."  Ren advised still frantically searching through everything he and his partner possibly could.

"Joy… we are running out of time." He stated.

Deciding the time had come to make a move he inched forward intent on reinforcing her aura slightly to see how she handles it.  Within inches of his destination her eyes opened, barely and not with full alertness… but she was at least awake.

"Water…I need some water…"

Katherine had one of their spare bottles in hand within moments.  Realizing she was strong enough to hold it herself she handed it off without a hassle.  Greedily gulping down much of the bottle in seconds before trying to look around briefly.

"Where am I?"  She asked softly.

Oddly unsure how to answer her question Jaune looked to his sister.  Kate moved forward -silently as always- to get next to him… both about 2 feet from the exhausted woman.

"You are in a White Fang facility."  Kate stated bluntly.

Blinking as if unsure what she heard Summer searched the room best she could.  Not moving her neck, just her eyes.

She gave Kate a thorough up and down.  Noting the  design on her robe, placement of her weapons, and finally the Bracer on her left arm.  Freezing when she saw the Arc symbol located on its front.

Switching to the Knight she did a similar search.  Seeing the Arc logo also on him she said "You are wasting your time… the machine already did everything your father could.  If I didn’t say anything then I certainly won't now, giving me water won't help you."

Momentarily confused the twins shared a glance at each other before those infamous Twin Senses of theirs did some deductive work.

_She doesn’t trust us… she must know it was James Arc who torture her and recognize the dual crescent moon symbol… great._

"If you know this symbol then you must know the family to whom it belongs.  Beyond the actions of one, they are not allied with the White Fang."  Jaune stated intently.

"The time I spent here as his captive seems to belay your argument."  She responded still appearing as weak as ever.

"Deborah Arc, you must know her right?"  Jaune pressed gently keeping his gaze locked on her.

Summer blinked "Your point?"

"Do you think she would condone what James did?"

Summer held his gaze for a few seconds but looked away just the same.

"We are here to find and rescue Team STRQ.  Along with our teacher and sister team.  That means you."  Kate stated bluntly.

Switching to her Summer stated "What proof to you bring to earn my trust?"

Getting frustrated the Knight had to fight not to sigh.  He could understand her confusion if not her distrust given the situation and surrounding… that doesn’t mean he was happy at having to spend time with the goal of gaining her trust.  Or at least enough shed her distrust.

Jaune stated "Besides the fact we just got you out of that chamber?  How about this: Ruby Rose."

That got a bit of a reaction.

Sitting up sharply Summer flinched at the name.  Suddenly giving her full attention to the speaker.

"I have your attention now?"  Jaune asked.

She managed to nod weakly.

"Good… Listen to me.  I do not have the time to argue or convince you who we are.  I do however need to confirm who you are.  Ruby and her team were separated from us.  Our teacher and battle commander was with them; our mother.  That is all I will tell you unless you can answer some questions."

Seemingly reevaluating her opinion of him she nodded curtly.

"Your Daughter, what color are her eyes?"  He asked.

Answering instantly she said "Silver.  Like mine."

_Ok so she is remembering some things… let's try for something more personal._

"Ruby told me previously that you gave her a lesson before you left on your mission.  Something when she was just a toddler, about her favorite way to pass time with ants outside the house.  What was it?"  Confident a fraud wouldn't know this.

Visibly thinking back briefly she smiled warmly and said "I taught her that life is precious regardless of how large something is.  That all life should be cherished."

_Good enough for me._

"Jaune… they are trying to force open the doors in the hallway!"  Pyrrha broadcast down the way fighting with her semblance at something… probably keeping them shut for as long as possible.

_Great…_

Switching between the two twins Summer said "I doubt they would break into their own lab while their people controlled it… who are you two?"

"My name is Jaune, this is my twin Katherine."  Jaune stated with as friendly a tone as he could.

Smiling again Summer surveyed her surroundings more before speaking further "My teachers two youngest… you both have grown up well.  I'm Summer Rose… as you know."

An explosion rumbled in through the hallway, not opening any of the doors but making it obvious something was happening just outside of view.

"Jaune still no map!"  Ren advised from across the room.

"Great… Well I think it's about time we moved however we can." 

With a speed that he didn’t believe her exhausted body contained she gripped his hand as he tried to stand.

"No stop… listen.  You were saying something about Ruby being in danger?"  She insisted.

Taking a deep breath he nodded "Yes… her team is probably engaged with enemy forces right now.  I do not know how severe.  We don't currently know where to find them, but it is about time to move.  I can't risk getting bogged down in here, not if I want to complete our operational objectives anyway."  Breaking from her grip he turned around.

"No!  Wait!"

He turned around somewhat impatiently.

"Ms. Rose I am sorry but we don't have time to waste talk-"

"Yes!  You do!  You might not know the way around here but I do!"  She confidently declared.

Looking at her as if he wasn’t sure if he believed her he asked "How could you possibly know that?  You were a prisoner here not a guest."

When the door rumbled from another explosion in the hallway Summer seemed to understand the gravity of the situation clearly.

"I can't hold these things together forever!"  Pyrrha hissed out pressing her hands together forcefully… clearly trying to reinforce the doors however she could.

"Look it would take a long time to explain fully.  But while they… tortured me… experimented on me… whatever you want to call it.  They were trying to force me to have very specific data come to the fore, in a manner they could detect and tried to tear that information from my mind.  Doing so opened a two way street.  They got to peek inside me, but I got a look inside them too.  I doubt they were ever aware of it."

Both twins just looked confused "They got some info from me and their experiments did … well it did a few things I am not entire sure about.  But while my mind was open to their input, so too was their mind to mine.  I saw the layout of the place very clearly.  Just before you released me I was having a dream where my Team was fighting a horde of Grimm.  It didn’t come to me until just now… I only saw what they wanted me to see.  They aren't fighting Grimm… what they are battling is my daughter.  That’s the only way I would see them all that clearly, if they were all involved directly.  I know where that is in the facility."

_She saw?  How… she isn't under my dad's influence semblance… how could she possibly know that?  This sounds like barely reliable information to be frank… but it’s the best we got._

Sharing another brief glance Jaune went back down on his haunches and asked "Where?  If you can guide us there we can help them."

Here… she shook her head "No… this place is much too dangerous.  I will go, you all must head for the port on the sea entry way.  It is the only way we will get everybody out of here.  Right now they are funneling people to the top and securing things along the way."

"I guessed as much about their reinforcements, yes."  Jaune grumbled.

"Once they know I am missing they might try to secure the harbor.  Once they do that we won't be able to steal a ship and get out.  By that point the top will be too well fortified.  Somebody needs to go there and get that area under control before they can lock it down. The harbor has access to an external communication tower.  You can use that to call in any reinforcements you have available."

Shaking his head in frustration the Knight pressed "What sea based entrance?  Our Intel spoke nothing about it or a Harbor on the seaside."

"Jaune!  We need to do something quick!"  Pyrrha declared gripping the inner most door with her semblance to hold it shut.

Raising her hand Summer answered with a hand towards the shaking door "For now let's get out of here, I can fill you in with some points.  But we don’t have time for a full debrief.  I assume you are going to blow open a wall or something?"

After a deep breath Jaune nodded.  "Not quite."

Deciding to trust her, and not seeing a better option he took her hand and picked her up.  "Ok people it's about time to get out of here!"

Katherine rightly figuring that it's going to be her job to get everybody out jumped up to a desk to give everybody space to crowd around her.

Pyrrha gripped the door with her semblance and with both arms ripped it from the wall then gave it a shove forward down the hallway.  Clunking its way down the passage giving everybody a few seconds to gather up safely.

"This ought to give em a surprise." Nora stated tossing a proximity grenade towards the opening.

Within the next few heartbeats the gang had rather comically group hugged Katherine, then they vanished.  The only proof they were ever there evidenced in the explosion that greeted the newcomers and the fact the cell had been opened.  Aside naturally from the rent in the wall where the door had been.

"Where too?"  Kate asked.

Very confused by this method of transportation Summer clutched down as hard as she could, unsure what to expect.  None the less she quickly got her bearings.

"That way"  She said pointing down and away.

"It should bring us to a main junction."  She concluded.

Pushing off without hesitation Katherine floated away carrying everybody with her.

Behind them the Fang just began pouring into the room, Nora's grenade surprise did its job detonating with a foul cloud of smoke.

"We don’t want to hear what anybody arriving has to say?"  Nora asked with a glance at the Knight.

He shook his head "It would be an interesting listen but at this point time is entering in as a factor.  We just don’t have any to spare spying on them."

The Hammer-wielder nodded accepting the answer before lending another hand towards keeping Summer with the group.

"This has got to be the strangest semblance I have ever experienced… Are you sure you are an Arc?"  Summer asked the Ghost… possibly joking possibly not.  Nobody really knew for sure.

"Unless my mother has been lying to me my whole life.. yup pretty sure."  She answered with a slight grin.

Appreciating the joke Summer looked across her body to Jaune nearby.  "I assume you have the same… or at least a similar semblance to your mother?"

Not seeing the point in denying it Jaune nodded "Yup, same color and everything."

She nodded as if expecting that and asked "You should probably give me an aura boost… if we have to fight I would hate to be worthless."

Mulling it over in his head he seemed to delay long enough for Ren to ask "But you don't have a weapon?  We would have to be doing all the fighting.  Moreover you've been in captivity for how long?  Are you really able to fight?"

_Gotta admit it’s a fair… if somewhat direct question._

Summer gave a sad smile before declaring "I might not be in peak physical shape but I assure you I can fight.  I DO however have my weapon.  You are wrong about that."

Pyrrha joined in by voicing "I don’t see or feel anything on you… are you sure you are ok?"

Coming out with it Summer stated as flatly as she could "My cloak.  My cloak is my weapon." Absentmindedly stroking her shoulder as Ruby might Crescent Rose.

_Now I know where she gets it…_

Giving the alabaster cloak a second more studious look Jaune had to admit he was skeptical.  There was nothing even remotely dangerous about it… it was just a piece of cloth…well made and slightly decorated for sure that served as both a hood and cape.  Basically what Ruby always wore… but white.

"Need an update!  Where too now."  Kate announced breaking him out of his thoughts.  They emerged beyond the wall to the lab and came to a rather open cavern.  Keeping a hand grip on a wall over a large chasm emerging towards upper end of the structure.

Summer smiled happily at the more open terrain… underground though they may remain and took a moment to look around.

"We need to link up with Ruby and her team.  Where are… or uh… were they fighting?"  Jaune asked.

"We should go to the docks.  We have to secure and get reinforcements or just saving them won't help matters."  Summer asserted.

"This is your daughter we are talking about, you do realize that?"  Pyrrha asked.

Summer looked her dead in the eye and replied "Yes, I fully understand.  That’s why we must reach the docks to call in reinforcements and arrange for an exit strategy.  Right now we have neither of those as an asset.  Saving them will only give them time to reinforce the docks and lock them down.  If we can turn their security measures against them we have a chance of holding it with limited numbers."

Seconds passed following that declaration everybody seemingly diagnosing it for themselves.

"Jaune?"  Kate asked.

Deciding to keep to his initial assessment the Knight repeated. "Summer we need to find Ruby.  That is what we were last ordered to do.  Where are they to your best guess?"

"I'm telling you the docks are more important in the big picture-"

"I get what you are saying.  As the leader of this team I disagree.  We need to link up with our sister team before we make our way out."

"Yeah I agree."  Pyrrha asserted.

"Same here."  Ren and Nora both added in.

Seemingly annoyed at being overridden Summed shook her head and supplied.

"Move this way."  Pointing off to the left. "Ruby is fighting over there.  How about that aura boost?  If we are going towards battle I need to have some Aura.  Mine will take too long to recover naturally."

Jaune nodded his head gratefully and said "Kate you have a heading.  Summer… lean a bit closer."

Kate pushed off gliding her way in suggested direction happy to have a target in mind.

Touching her head Jaune glowed brightly after a handful of seconds familiar with this process by now.

"Kinda amazed your semblances shield each other…I wonder can we can use them from under this shroud?"  Pyrrha commented observing the Twins work.

"Far as I know, yes."  Kate stated still heavily focusing on keeping her semblance up.

For an unknown length of time they just floated on in silence, all the while Jaune kept to his task.  Observing the rather odd and unworldly lighting the Ghost Shroud allowed those under its effects to pick up.  Light that would not otherwise get a reaction turned into beautiful hues rarely seen in the material world.  Waterfalls sparkled like diamonds falling in the wind, winds picked up gold and silver particles like dust. 

"Ok that’s about full."  The Knight stated removing his hand taking a deep breath.

Nodding her head in thanks Summer hummed a thank you.

"Wow… I am definitely seeing better now.  I am only mostly blind… instead of completely blind."  Nora admitted.

Katherine, being the only person among the group who truly was used to seeing and sensing things around them… was the first to notice the obvious.  While it was clear that Summer was being a bit ambiguous over what was in 'that' direction.  She did clearly point out what was in the other, namely a harbor.  Once again flying through a rock wall, rather thin this time their current location was revealed.  Continuing the float forward Kate had to be sure before saying cautiously:

"Uh Jaune… either I'm going crazy… or this is an underground harbor."  Point off to the right she continued with "That looks like a radio tower."

Focusing and trying not to lose his temper Jaune tried to look at what Katherine had noticed.  Not incredibly used to seeing through the shroud did not make it easy-

"I'm Sorry."  Summer said.

"Sorry? …  wait!-"

Summer flipped backwards away from the group.  Free falling away from the Hunters floating in the air to just barely enter a shaft below.  After another 20 or so yards of freefall she blazed to life with a silver visage surrounding her then flew down and away disappearing down the tunnel.

"That stubborn lady!  She brought us to the docks anyway!"  Nora exclaimed with a  mixture of annoyance and admiration.

"She must be heading after Ruby now…"  Ren ascertained.

Kate shared her twins anger.  Neither of them enjoying being mislead  "What now?  Go after her?"

Visible upset Jaune answered "How?  We don’t know where she is going!  You saw she was moving like Ruby in her semblance.  Nothing we have will keep up with that."

He looked around frantically  trying to gauge the surrounding area ignoring the fast approaching dock.

"Anybody notice if anybody outside of us noticed her falling or zooming away?  She might have given up our position."

Kate pivoted in the air to spin the group in a half circle somehow while not changing their directional path.  After nearly a minute of frantic study she declared "It is hard to say Jaune.  I do see others in the area and they could be moving more now than before I suppose.  But I don’t know if they specifically noticed her or not."

"Question remains… What do we do now?"  Nora asked brightly.

Jaune thought ferociously… to the point he eventually shook his head "Damnit I don't know..."

Visibly taking a deep breath and looking around best he could he declared  "Now that we are here we might as well check it out.  No point in getting lost at this stage of the game… in however much we actually know where we are."

***Pretending to be a Silver bullet***

Pleased with that fact that aura and motion control seemed to be coming back rather swiftly Summer for all intents and purposes might as well be a beam of light.

_Ok Summer, good job!  They are at the docks and hopefully will take care of business… though they might hold a bit of a grudge.  I wouldn't like being lied to like that I can hardly blame them for being upset with me.  But… it really is the best play here._

_In any case there is nothing I can change about it now… this passage should be a straight shot to the storage pits where they were currently fighting._

_…_

_I wonder what Ruby looks like now?  I probably should have asked what year it is in hindsight… is she a freshmen?  A senior?  I suspect I will know closely enough when I see her._

She smiled warmly.

_I didn't want her to become a Huntress… but I can be proud of the fact she is leading her own team.  Like Mother like daughter, just hope she is faring better than I was an hour ago._

Expecting the journey to the pits to be a short one Summer none the less eventually pulled herself out of her musing to study her surroundings.  The cavern growing dark forced her to pull her borrowed scroll out of her pocket and set it to work on helping her see.

_Hopefully that dark-haired man doesn’t need this… they do have 4 more to go between them after all.  Definitely need to apologize for this when I see them again._

-CLANG!-

_That… that sounded like a sword!_

Instantly dropping out of her semblance Summer clumsily skidded to a halt and made a fist. 

_Damnable high Heels!  how do people run in these cursed things?!_

Giving her hand flex or two she calmed down enough to try what most would call a stupid idea.

_Hopefully I remember how to do this…_

After a few seconds silver lightning coiled around her arm stemming from her cloak traveling down towards her hand.  Coming in waves until a faint glow emanated from her right palm.

Moving quietly and slowly she looked right and left scanning for anything out of the ordinary.  Hoping to find some evidence of what she suspected…  Either that of STRQ or that of her daughters team most obviously.  Instead what greeted her was uh… not that.

Several bodies littered the ground.  Most wore White Fang uniforms.  Blood was present on some of them, but they were in the minority.  Most were simply knocked out or wounded, not dead.  Almost all of them had their weapons damaged, either cut in half or broken in some other manner.

_Guess something happened here… but this isn't what I am looking-_

Unable to complete the thought an iron grip found its way to her neck.  Caught unawares she was unable to resist the overwhelming force against her she was spun around then tossed unceremoniously to the ground.  A heavy boot impacted her sternum clearly holding her down and rocking her focus on her hand to the point its energy dissipated.  Finally feeling a sword point on her throat she opened her eyes to look up… into somebody she really was not expecting to see.

"Professor!?"  She stated breathing steadily.

The other blinked a handful of times looking only slightly confused. 

Several seconds later Summer repeated "Professor!  It's me!  Summer!"

"Summer… what in the… how… what are you doing here!?"  Deb asked removing her boot stowing her weapon.  An offered hand helped the younger woman to her feet.

"You don't look a day older than when I last saw you."  Summer claimed with a chuckle taking in her former instructor.

With an amused snort Deb stated with only a moderately stern glare  "Yeah I get that a lot… Summer Rose, you must tell me though what is going on where have you been?!"

With a sigh Deb could have swore Ruby herself performed Summer said "Well I ran into your twins… they… well they probably are a bit upset with me…"

Truth be told Deborah took the admission fairly well.  Keeping the explanation short and succinct quickly moving through the various points of interest.  As much as she knew about her rescue, where she left JNPR along her goal now of saving both her and her daughters teams.

"I told them to secure the dock and try to use the radio tower.  We need to bring in reinforcements.  Whatever is on call."  She concluded.

Keeping her arms crossed Deb listened intently and asked "Reinforcements for what?  What is this facility hiding?"

"Professor I am telling you there is no time!  Ruby is in danger and my own team might be too for that matter I gotta go!"

Catching her arm Deb insisted "Summer I get you worried but there are hundreds of lives at play here.  What has you so worried?  What could possibly warrant that?  Does this have anything to do with what they did to you here?  I am responsible for both RWBY and JNPR, I need to know what we are facing."

_RWBY… my daughters team is named RWBY… oddly convenient._

Fighting back a grumble Summer took a deep breath and stated "Look, I don't know everything only what they told me and what I saw.  They might have lied on some points.  But… they were doing work on Grimm Evolution.  Forced evolution specifically."

Considering Deb asked "Forced Evolution?  Not breeding?"

Summer hesitated briefly likely due to an unfavorable memory "We know that they are drawn too and act upon negative emotions.  Correct?"

She received a nod.

"Well… Those negative emotions… that fear, is normally being generated, or felt by common citizens most of all.  Making the Grimm more threatening, but it ultimately isn't anything we as Huntsmen haven't seen before."

Nodding yet again Deborah said "Go on."

"Deb… the answer, the result James wanted to find is what would happen when the Grimm were evolving off of what a Huntress, or Huntsman fear.  Listen to me now carefully.  This is why we must hurry and go.  I never saw her specifically, but apparently the answer to that question, is in part, the Grimm Queen.  She is here Professor."

Focusing her eyes very intently Deb forced herself to withhold the gasp.  She… the she was hunting when she encountered the larval Vampire.  The thing that tormented her son for years in addition to claiming the life of another unborn child.  The Grimm Queen herself… Salem.  Called Higher or Master Vampires by the Hunting community and the Grimm Queen by the population in general… this was a horrible omen.

_So it is true… another Master Vampire was discovered.  She must be the Fangs new source of poison.  She has been willingly giving it to them for testing._

Lowering her voice down to a whisper Deb asked "Salem… They forced another spawning of the Queen?"

Nodding slowly Summer continued "Not just another incarnation Professor.  A much more dangerous evolved version.  Most Grimm are ruled by instinct, by primal desires.  As such they can easily fight amongst themselves.  It gives them patterns one can recognize when hunting them.  This one, at least according to your husband-"

"Former husband thank you very much."  Deb interjected with a half smile.

Grinning weakly Summer nodded "Very well former Husband.  This one according to him is an intelligent one.  A Beast with all the power of the previous Queens, but one that has reason.  One that understand tactics, insiders.  The power of traitors and paranoia.  Something more dangerous than anything we have ever encountered in the history of the Grimm conflict."

Deb nodded "Such a being could unite the primary packs of Grimm on the forsaken continent.  A force of that many Grimm would overwhelm all society. Even if we knew it was coming there just wouldn’t be enough Huntsmen to fight all of those packs at once.  A single one nearly whipped us all out millennia ago.  This… is not good we have to pass this on to the tower."

"Exactly that is why I need to go quickly.  Once I get everybody back under control we will use this shaft and get back towards the docks.  It is a straight shot along that junction."  Summer claimed pointing off behind them.

"You know where Ruby is then?"  Deb asked looking down the passage Summer entered from.

The shorter woman shook her head "No… I… feel as though she is around here.  But where exactly I do not know."

Deb pointed further on down the pass.  "I am getting several Beacon SOS's from that location.  They match RWBY's signals.  If are anywhere, they are over there.  Let's go."

"No you won't keep up.  You should head the other way.  Help Jaune and his team secure the docs.  Your voice would go a long way in getting Atlas to deploy their military.  Once I am done I will get everybody back through this tunnel.  Then we blast away however we can, flood this place out, and live to fight another day."

"Summer this might be a good chance to take out the Queen.  If she is indeed here this is a chance we can sorely pass up."

Shaking her head Summer retorted "With Huntresses who are exhausted and weakened?  With an army of reinforcements at her beck and call?  No, this is a situation where we would be lucky to get everybody out alive.  We need to recall our forces and try again once we are in strength."

Deb shook her head "Summer if we pass this up we are almost guaranteeing it will be decades before we get another chance."

Turning around and walking towards the alert signals Summer said "I left my daughter once… I cannot do that again."

When Summer initiated her semblance another time and disappeared in a flash of silver energy Deb sighed rather comically.

_Well… this got complicated in a hurry._

After several seconds of considering she turned around and began to jog down the tunnel.

_I suppose Summer is right… there is calculated risk.  Then there is reckless._

Torn between following after Summer and turning around to establish communication with HQ and helping Summer… she admitted at this point they were left with precious few options.  But linking up with HQ did seem like the best overall play here.  As such, she continued down that passage, very eager to get to the end.

***Silver on Silver***

"This… cannot… be normal…"  Weiss gasped out barely staying on her feet. 

Ruby looked over at her… both hands on the pommel of her weapon, sweating more than she had ever perhaps seen her.  Somehow all that sweat never took away her dignity.  At least not in her eyes.

"It doesn't… matter how many times we knock them down…. They get back up unhurt."  She concluded once more readying her sword.

"This … Mind Control semblance… it has to be rebuilding their aura somehow."  Yang declared breathing just as hard next to her.

"I've hit them enough to drain their aura 5 times over."

Looking around the room Blake continued to try and spot other options "We need another plan.  At this point our aura's can't take much more abuse and they keep coming."

Ruby was the recipient of a hard kick to the abdomen in their last encounter and as such was kneeling down next to her partner.

"No one besides… Me, could get away.  We can't outrun them.  I will not leave you all behind don't even suggest it!"  She declared pushing herself up and cocking her rifle.

Moving together in unison once again their adults walked confidently forwards… only to halt randomly.

"They fighting back again?"  Ruby wondered.

"No Miss Rose… nothing so farfetched as that."  A confident voice declared off to the side.

Standing in the walkway that delivered Tai and Qrow… was somebody nobody was exactly eager to see again.  Dressed lavishly with a fancy garb with a full length cape wielding a scepter in one hand he looked every but the high class noble he claimed to be.  Between the folds of his dress shirt a whip came into view a time or two as he stepped just out from the door.  Astonishingly… his arms seemed perfectly normal… aside from one being covered by his cape currently.

"We have nothing to say to you!"  Yang roared out behind her.

"Be silent, I am speaking to your betters.  The silver eyed one."

Yang bristled with anger and pointed her gauntlet at the male speaker.

Raven moved to stand directly in front of James obviously shielding him.

"You can fire that weapon… but it will do you no good."  The other taunted.

"Say what you will then leave us alone!"  Ruby exclaimed raising a quieting hand.

"Much better… I will say this only one time.  You can continue to fight these 3 and unless I miss my guess lose your lives in the next few minutes-"

"That remains to be seen!"  Weiss blurted out.

Ignoring the Heiress James concluded "You can fight and die… or you can stay here under my watch.  Serving the order of the new world."

"Sounds like slavery to me!"  Blake exclaimed.

"You can continue to fight and die.  I could just as easily have them render you unconscious.  Then it would only be a matter of time until I had your minds.  At least this would be a choice, don’t you agree?"  All said stroking his scepter as if bored with the conversation already.

_'Just hold on!'_

Ruby shook her head in confusion… Like a whisper on the wind it was gone.  But she could have sworn… No, no that wasn’t a trick she HEARD it!  It has been a very long time from when she last heard that voice!  But it was definitely something she recognized!

_'I am close!  Just a few more moments!'_

Deciding to stall for time Ruby said "How are you still controlling these people?"

Pleased with the question James humored her for a moment "My semblance obviously… I think what you really meant to ask is how has their aura not failed?"

Her teammates looking at her as if she was insane Ruby voiced "I suppose that was my question… yes."

"In time servants get to ask questions… but only if they are obedient."  He replied confidently.

Before Ruby could ask whatever else she had in mind a silver flash blinded her forcing her to hide behind a hand.

"Agh!"  She complained shielding her eyes with a hand.

"What?  How?  How are you free?!"  She heard James roar obviously confused about something.

"Do something now!"  Ruby instructed with a shout intent on taking aim with her rifle and firing at anything she could...

She didn’t need too.

A silver beam of light halted in the middle of the room taking the form of a woman wearing a white cloak.  Lightning was flowing down both of her hands gathering for some unknown purpose.  Glowing with a strange majesty she seemed possessed of extraordinary power.

"Get Back!"  The newcomer shouted diving towards the mind controlled Hunters.

James took the moment to look around as if worried before hurrying out the door and shutting the passage behind him.

Ruby stumbled back and watched wide eyed, unsure what stayed her feet.  The newcomer raised her left hand and opened her shining palm.  With a flash of light she deflected the oncoming attack of Qrow and Raven ducking down under Tai's swing while pulling her right arm back.

"Mom?"  Ruby worded.

An energy sword… for want of better term shot out of her forearm and jabbed directly upward catching Tai square in the chest.

"Dad!"  Yang yelled out concerned.

Holding her position Summer said "Be free!" … in a somewhat cheesy way in her daughters opinion.  A pink humanoid figure floated upwards from him and roared his displeasure.  The scream drew on for several seconds before the energy seemed to go unstable, eventually vanishing with a snap just as abruptly as it appeared.

Spinning around the silver eyed people locked for a moment with Summer warning "Ruby stay back!  Let me handle this!"

"Mom!!"  The Reaper shouted again.

The next clash was just as quick.  Several ducks, a few parries and after switching to her left arm a jab into Raven's chest repeated the pink humanoid appearing and vanishing from view.

For the first time Qrow spoke, sounding just like the man who previously quit the battlefield "You!  The other rats must have found you!"

_Other Rats?  JNPR?  Jaune must have freed her!  Good to know they are ok!_

"These people are MINE!  Be gone or I will see you all perish!"

Qrow executed a quick two handed swing across his body, visible starting to lose his technique as if the mind control was failing.

Still not believing her eyes Ruby blinked but followed each act in their entirety.

"You will have nothing more you parasite!  Even now you are losing your grip on them!  Leave now and return to your Master!  Stay and one of us will find and finally end your miserable existence!"

"Confident for a woman who spent the last several years as a science experiment!" 

"Better that than be an agent of chaos!  History will remember my deeds proudly!"  Summer retorted ducking under another attack coming out of it with a forward jab towards his chest.  Qrow caught her with a swipe sending her skidding backwards briefly.

Skillfully using that momentum to her advantage she shifted the energy on her hands downwards.  Suddenly propelling right back at him she sent her teammate to the ground with an elaborate twisting action, her weapon this time taking the form of a staff.

"Enough of this!  I warned you!"  He shouted out standing up again.

Moving his weapon so his canon was angled upwards to his head Qrow smiled.

"I told you I would have them or nobody would!"

"Wait!"  Summer shouted an arm stretched outwards.

Ruby summoned what remained of her will and pushed off with her semblance.  Colliding with his arm and yanking away from his head the shot fired and ricocheted harmlessly away.

"NO!!!!"  He roared.

"Do your thing!"  Ruby implored hanging on for dear life.

Seeing the chance Summer made a spear of energy with both hand thrusting forward with all her strength.

The mind controlled Qrow made one last attempt to get out of the way, but Ruby's team, following their leaders example put a stop to that.  Yang first around the waist, Blake coiling something around his legs and finally Weiss holding his other arm.  Grunting and shrilling the entire way, it was ultimately amounted to little, the spear finally hit home.

"I WILL FIN-!"  Cut off from his own speech a third pink entity materialized and in the blink of an eye vanished.

Slipping and falling to the ground Ruby pointed off toward Tai along with the nearby Raven "Blake check them!"  She instructed.

Watching Blake move off as quickly as she could Summer just stood there panting for breath still under a silver visage… slowly fading as it was.

"Did it… I did it…"  She barely stated before the silver light seemed to fail.  Her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell forward.

Ruby caught her with limited grace.  Still very much confused over the situation but allowing the odd tear or two to fall.

"They are ok!  Whatever she did it seems to have gotten them out from under the influence of his semblance!  They are resting soundly."  Blake declared.

With a cough and a groan Qrow seemed to come too briefly.  Looking directly at Weiss… who for the moment was one of the two people holding him upright he said:

"For the record…I am not a drunken smelly old man."  Before he too seemed to pass out.

With a sniff Weiss retorted "That is up for debate…"  sadly just a moment too late.

"At least he sounded normal!"  A very happy Reaper declared.

Putting her hands on her hips Ruby considered for a moment before wondering out loud "Now what to do… we can't fight again and I wager Fang reinforcements is on the way."

"That way…"  Summer weakly groaned out.

"Huh?"  Ruby queried lowering herself down.

Summer pointed in the passage that she emerged from.

"That way…"

With a Shrug Ruby picked up the exhausted silver eyed girl and declared "Ok… best get too it!"

-End Part 3-

**A/N**

**Conclusion in the next chapter.  See ya next time.**


	57. Y3 Finale Pt 4: ... The Storm

3.31 … The Storm

"Ok Jaune I have a better view now.  I can confirm 3 people inside with A possible door access control switch near the far door.  There are several packs of guards walking around on the outside, more so than I first thought."

Jaune grunted in confirmation staying low to the ground observing whatever he could.

"I hate to say it but I think we are going to have to go lethal, with Faunus senses they probably already smell somebody else in the area if they can't hear us.  I doubt we will have much time at all to figure things out once we get inside."  Katherine stated over scroll chat.

"Relax I can figure out how to operate a Radio!  It is powered by electricity!  I get that!"  Nora confidently declared.

Jaune could only shake his head moderately amused.

A few seconds later Nora broadcast "Anyway, Renny and I are go from this end!"

Checking the hallway one last time Jaune followed his partner at a hectic but quiet-as-possible sprint across the passage towards the nearby door.  With a deep breath and a slow exhale the Knight murmured "Ok, here we go.  Go for disabling over lethality.  Do not let them trigger an alarm and if you have to, fire to kill.  But if at all possible disable them first."

With an obviously withheld sigh Kate answered "Ok."

Jaune couldn't explain this feeling even if he had too, but he knew he needed to hurry.  To his mind it somehow felt as though he was standing on a bomb.  A bomb that might already be ticking down, if not in the final seconds of its timer.  Further evidenced by the fact that while en route to their standoff points each member of his team had reported back hearing various radio traffic about the majority of Fang forces being redeployed downward to lock out possible sea escapes from the facility, but to leave the main  junctions open, for… whatever that meant he wasn’t sure yet.

Somewhat validating what he had recently learned, but not exactly restoring his confidence in Summer or what she did.

Moving on from that…

While Jaune and his partner were trying to avoid detection Ren and Nora carefully scaled the cliff to the far side of the control room.  Katherine semblance walked towards the elevator to set some traps before retracing her steps back towards the backend of the command room.  Something cleverly placed such that it would be nearly impossible for somebody to conventionally scale.  At least, unless that somebody was a Huntsman in training and had been taught how to do that.  Like the team trying to take control currently for example.  Leaving of course Jaune with his partner on the near door.  The 3 sets covering the room quite nicely.

"Remember take them out silently and be on the lookout for radio or administrative controls.  If we didn’t set loose an alarm we will definitely be doing that now, damaging the equipment with carelessness could be really bad.  Be mindful of what is behind your targets."  He sternly reminded his team readying a round in his bracer and prepping his sword in the other hand.

With the goal of trying to connect to Hunter Command or at minimum boost their scrolls so they can locate RWBY in the underground superstructure to arrange for some form of support.  Something Ren at least was determined to mention as he realized that not only did Summer steal his scroll… but there was no guarantee that she had actually gone after Ruby or anybody else from their group.

Pyrrha gave his shoulder a nudge and made eye contact.  After she checked her rifle once again she smiled supportively, then nodded.

"Three…Two…"

Oddly enough Jaune remained inextricably torn on the matter.  NOT firing to kill opens himself and his team up to any number of things.  His team couldn't just shout out get down or any other means of taking people prisoner either… again Faunus all around them.  But… He couldn't bring himself to use lethality as his first response. 

"…One."

With a heavy kick Jaune burst through the door at the same time Nora did the same on the other end of the control room.  Like a vengeful spirit Katherine appeared from the wall between them practically exuding lethal intent with her being.  A few silenced shots fired courtesy of Ren, a tossed knife a crossbow bolt and a needless shield wall on the near side initiated the contest.  A few heartbeats later… it was done.

"Ok well… that’s over.  How'd they turn out?"  Jaune stated looking around locking the door behind him.

Nobody answered him, Pyrrha sent him a sad look pushing the body of a nearby female against the wall out of sight.  She acted like she wanted to say something, but decided against it and looked away.

_Ok that’s the near operator what about the other two?_

"Over there?"  He asked.

Ren shook his head mirroring the Spartans actions while his partner towed the last one away.

"Sorry, one of them looked like they were going for an alarm and we couldn't shout.  I had to Jaune."  He stated.

Jaune nodded sadly looking down at the nearby woman again.  She was just a bit too young for his conscious to cleanly accept however…

_We couldn't have trusted them with instruction on how to access the systems._

"Well… that went somewhat according to plan at least."  Nora stated holstering her hammer locking the door on the other side.

_They could have easily triggered an alarm or locked the place down even after we restrained them.  Something that could have prevented anything from being done and ensuring this entire event was a waste of time._

"Looking for antenna controls now."  Ren confirmed eagerly sliding into the nearby chair having already holstered his weapons.

_If that was the right action then why does it feel so wrong?  We are the good guys don't we give people a chance to surrender first even if it makes things harder for us?  Should I have tried to get them to stand down first?_

With another shake of the head and a deep breath the Knight replied "Let's hope this is all worth it."

_I may come to regret this but we have no time to waste… RWBY may need our help and we cannot spend time watching over people who will betray our position or call out to their buddies at any time.  Just… man I wish we brought some tranquillizer or something._

Kate reached down and pulled the masks off the ground before tossing one to Ren, Nora and keeping a third for herself.

"Put these on… should delay anybody looking inside from figuring out something is wrong."

Obliging Ren stated "Good thinking."

"Too bad I can't see a damn thing in this mask… how exactly are we suppose to put this on?"  Nora complained struggling with the mask.

_Alright… Now we just need to figure out how to use this equipment, send out a signal, contact HQ, either take over or deactivate any defenses the harbor has, contact the others all the while keeping up appearances that nothing is out of place.  Wonderful, this operation isn't both complex and highly dependant on luck at all is it?_

_…_

_I guess that seems to be a trend with my career thus far.  Why should it stop just cause I am in the field?_

"Guess we just stand and pretend to look inconspicuous."  Pyrrha stated flatly standing up after closing the eyes on the nearby woman.

"Rather hard given our armor… too bad we didn’t have a chance to appropriate some uniforms.  Would make our job a lot easier."  He murmured keeping a nervous eye on his team.

"We can still do that you know?"  The Spartan pointed out.

He shook his head "Won't work. There's blood on them and the size would be wrong.  If it wouldn’t pass a cursory evaluation it isn't worth the risk."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement.

Nora despite her previous boasting seemed frantically trying to figure out how to translate and use the equipment while Ren and Kate did their best to keep up the impression that everything was business as normal.

Having not seen anybody walk around without a mask, much less in obvious armor made him feel more than a bit out of place just trying to stay out of sight.  None the less he really didn’t see any alternative.  They just spent all this time and effort to get into this room, he couldn't think of any real reason to suddenly leave.

"I'm finding everything but what I wanted to find."  Nora grumbled off to the side.  Still searching several seconds later without any success she very nearly rammed an angry fist to the control console, though she stopped uttering a quick:

"You two need to hide the patrol is coming around again!"

Jaune dove for whatever cover he could find winding up in very tight quarters with his partner… not that he objected to that.

"So soon?  It took them longer to get around when I was watching them from earlier!"  Kate announced going very still in her chair.

"Everybody look professional and natural.  Hopefully they just walk right on by."  Jaune commented pulling one of the fallen Fang members further out of sight.

"This is insane they will see us!  We aren't wearing uniforms!"  Ren objected.

"Only if they look at you, they might not be able to see much inside here.  If they set off an alarm we are going to have to fight our way out of here!  Be casual and keep low!"  Jaune stated as silently as possible.

Even through the wall he had no difficulties hearing them walk by.

"Not exactly how I imagined this mission going."  Pyrrha whispered dryly almost as if she was somewhat amused.

_Just shedding nervous energy I suppose._

The steady thumping steps continued around the corner pausing for a moment.  Before resuming down the left across the control room.

Jaune dared look up, somehow piercing the veil of red hair somewhat covering his face to spot the back of a Fang member lazily walking down and away.

"I can trigger the blinders, I found the switch."  Nora whispered over scroll chat.

"Not now, that would give us up." Jaune replied under his breath.

Much to his bewilderment the guard didn’t look inside at all really.  Not like the group would have been in instant danger of discovery.  The bodies were hidden and those without masks mostly out of sight.  But if they were on a first name basis with any of the staff or if they looked lower than the mask, it would have been fairly obvious.

Instead those loud steps kept going until they rounded the corner on the other end and proceeded out of sight.

Once a few more seconds passed by and it was a bit more clear everything was ok Pyrrha gingerly pushed herself up shooting him a half smile before offering a hand.

"Too close."  He stated dusting himself off.

"Jaune, I officially hate White Fang lettering, almost none of this crap makes sense!"  Nora complained with her fingers drumming along her forehead.

Raising a finger after a few moments of additional consideration "But… I think I have enough to operate this thing.  Just you won't like it."

Returning the smile he turned towards his orange haired teammate "What's wrong?"

Catching herself from something guaranteed to draw unwanted attention she issued a hearty sigh.

"Do you mean beyond 'EVERYTHING!!!'?  This entire antenna system is a trap.  It requires a password to activate which makes some degree of sense but the system automatically keys it in.  Basically anybody in this chair could use it.  The frequency also seems to randomize every few minutes.  Probably as some security precaution to prevent somebody from dialing in.  The nearby guards probably have their tuners automatically set to adapt to it-"

Ren decided some translation is in order:

"Basically Jaune to save time let me sum this up… the only way we can gain access to the antenna is to deliberately hard wire into it to take control and remove those default instructions.  If by some miracle people don't notice the fact that the antenna is on when it shouldn’t be-"

Jaune saw the problem "Then when we change the frequency to something that allows us to send a message out the entire base will know exactly where we are and what we are doing."

Kate nodded following along while Pyrrha commented "If they didn’t already."

"Which they don’t as that guard just walked right on by."

The Knight dropped his hands to his hips and thought about it for a moment.  There was basically zero chance of them getting everybody out without some alarm being triggered.  It is almost a guaranteed eventuality…

"What about RWBY or Professor Arc?  Any luck picking up something from them?"  He asked.

Kate spoke up "I thought I saw something about a battle with some foreign SOS's but they vanished not too long ago.  Whatever it was, it isn't being broadcast now."

"Meaning either they are safe for the moment or-"

"Are captured."  An exasperated - if concerned - Pyrrha concluded.

_Or… Or they are being blocked.  The only way the signals would be blocked is if they were free and moving somewhere.  Where would they be going?  Do we have any way to predict that?  Nothing reliable that I can think of._

"We have seen or heard no evidence of that happening.  Don't you think if they were captured they would make us know that?  Try to get us to surrender?  No I don't think anything irrecoverable has happened to them yet."  Jaune pointed out.

Pyrrha took a breath "I just don’t like thinking our allies are in trouble and we don’t even know what to do."

"Well… yeah nobody likes that Pyr.  But we gotta take it one step at a time."

Pyrrha took another deep breath but admitted "Yes, your right.  I hate feeling helpless."

"Getting back on topic…"  Nora chimed in;

_Ironic for Nora to be the one on point…_

"…  What's the decision?"  She finished.

Jaune chuckled happy for the change in topic.

"Alex this is Lookout.  You missed your routine check-in.  What is going on?"

Suddenly standing upright the team's gaze converged on the nearby radio.

"What do we say?"  Nora asked reaching for controller.

"No wait, Alex is probably man!"  Ren hastily put forth.

"It could just as easily be a woman's name."  Kate put forth.

"What if it's just a call sign?"  Pyrrha asked visibly getting back into her fighters mode.

"Alex this is the last time I am asking, are you going to make me sound the alarm?  Pick up, and give the code." The anonymous voice threatened.

Jaune briefly surveyed the area outside the window before realizing everybody was looking at him expecting him to have the right answer.  Or… at minimum trusting in his judgment however he decided to play it.  In the end he had to go with his gut.  With a deep breath, he began.

"Nora do your best to block all communication but ours… get the antenna rolling and broadcast that message."

Not hesitating she shed the obtrusive Fang Mask and ripped off the side panel.  Then set to work rerouting things… seemingly enjoying the little shocks she got here or there.

"Any of you seen switches or anything regarding the automatic defenses our wayward rescue-e hinted at?"  He asked not feeling the need to hide anymore.

"Yeah I found something like that but I would have no way of knowing what switch does what.  I would just be guessing blind."

"Well figure it out best you can.  Once the message is sent come out and help us… we will buy you some time.  Send word to RWBY to meet us here for evac.  Keep it playing even if you don’t hear a confirmation but stop it if you do."

Not waiting to see the responding nod Jaune followed his Partner outside the command room.

"Well… here we go."  He said pulling his shield down and griping his sword. 

Already the nearby guards where more reactive to the nearby Huntsmen.  Not giving them the time needed to organize they advanced quickly initiating a decisive skirmish which ended before it really began.

"That hardly counts as a fight."  Kate claimed spinning around looking for any other approaching threats.

"Well… I suspect we will be in one soon."  Jaune stated.

At the sound of machinery churning to life the group could only look around confused.  Several short spires rose up from the ground and began to morph into a rather unwanted shape.

"If I didn’t know better-"  Jaune began.

"Those are defensive turrets!"  Kate and Pyrrha concluded.

Just barely audible enough to hear a shout came in "Jaune!  Those aren't mine!"

"Oh crap!"  the Knight uttered diving for cover.

"None magnetic metal!  I can't rip that apart!"  Pyrrha advised leveling her shield with her partners.

"Well just hurry up guys!"  Jaune shouted back at his teammates behind him.

"We need to flank it.  Coordinate with each other and focus them down one at a time."

Their task now set they shared a brief glance, then nodded in unison before separating and set about taking those turrets out.

***Primary Tunnel Junction***

RWBY for their part and supported by the fact they didn’t have a better alternative to follow decided to take Summer's suggestion to heart.  They weren't moving with all speed given their collective burdens, but they were at least moving.  Aside from the paved but not perfectly flat footing the tunnel itself was circular not all that bigger than a normal hallway.  No doors were found as of yet and while they had encountered multiple other branch offs the likes of which hinted that they were in the middle of a hive of sorts, nothing had been seen of note.

If this structure had been a mine at one point in its existence, it remained a mine no longer.  That much was clear.

Ruby advanced at the head of the line stealing an occasional glance at her mother.  Certainly exhausted by her fight she seemed to be sleeping draped over her shoulder.  Finally after all these years… she understood.

Nearly every adult who knew both herself and her mom spoke of how eerily similar they appeared.  It was like she was seeing a version of herself.  Nothing she noticed indicated there was a 20 ish year differential between the two of them and beyond being very skinny, she seemed to be in superb shape.  Nothing a few meals with the gang couldn’t help.

"I don’t understand why I have to carry the smelly one…"  Weiss grumbled behind her.

Getting her answer in before the one that remark was likely intended to Yang answered "Cause you are such a cute couple."

The Brawlers smile was telling as the Heiress put forth a slightly offended "I beg your pardon but we are NOT A good match!  He is far too tall for one and oh so old and don’t even get me started on his hygiene!  This…"

Weiss would not stop her rant for several sentences.

With an audible sigh Blake added : "Weiss as the person with the best sense of smell amongst us I can assure you, that they all smell.  At this point we all do." 

"Oh wonderful there is that too… I will be taking a week's worth of showers the instant we get back I promise you all that!"

Giggling despite herself Ruby proudly broadcast "Well as much fun as it is to keep talking we really should focus on moving."

"Yeah your-"

Cut off by a broadcast on all of their scrolls ( including strangely enough one on Summer ) they found themselves with a pleasant surprise for once.

"Hello?  Does this stupid thing work yet?  Renny!!!   Turn the knob harder!"  Somewhat static filled it might be, there was no mistaking that voice.

Stopping to meet each other's glance in reluctant amusement it continued.

"I can't 'Turn the knob harder' Nora its all the way cranked!"

"Well one of us needs to answer at this point…" Ruby declared reaching for her scroll.

"Fine!  I will just kick it!  That normally works!" 

"Nora no-no bad!  That might break it-"

With an audible thump that thumped clearly through the broadcast, incidentally the static did seem to dissipate.

"Hey Nora!  Yeah we hear you!"  Ruby announced finally getting her scroll in her hand.

"… !  HA!  See I told you kicking works!  Ruby who all is with you!?"  Nora asked with her typical cheer.

Motioning to get her team moving again the Reaper answered "All of my team as well as STRQ.  Did Professor Arc make it yet?-"

"BAHH!!  Well that’s just rude!  Renny do you mind!?  I am trying to talk here!"  Nora squawked.  Several rounds was fired in the background shattering through what sounded like glass.

"They are trying to flank us on the far side!  Hurry up Nora!"  He answered back.

Something exploding in the background made it very difficult to hear their friend… however loud she normally is.

"No we haven't heard from the Professor yet.  Listen Ruby you need to get your little butt in gear and get up here!  We just contacted Atlas Hunter command, specifically General Ironwood.  He is moving with reinforcements to us-"

More glass shattered in the background cut off her speech.  Ren was heard speaking next "My rounds are just bouncing off that armor!  You hit it lets switch off!"

"HA!  Ok let's see how they like these beauties."  Followed by a loud cocking action.

"She had her high powered rounds with her didn’t she?"  Weiss queried curiously behind her.

The cringe inducing explosion that followed heavily hinted at a yes.

"We are short on time here ladies as you can tell we are all fighting and will hold the landing ground best we can!  Some of us are already involved in melee combat we need you to get here soon as you can!"

"Then don't talk about it and get to it Mr. Lie."  A familiar voice cut in.

Looking slightly upwards they found the missing individual.  Her sword drawn and scroll out moving back towards the team.

"RWBY and I are moving with all speed, keep us informed best you can."  With that she closed her scroll.

"Ma'am!"  Ren answered.

"Ms. Arc!"  Ruby squeaked out surprised.

"Save the reintroductions for later get a move on, let's go!"  She instructed with her typical authoritative tone before about facing and leading the way.

Nodding in unison the group followed at a jog.  Keeping her gaze on the Huntress as she moved brought on a new aspect to the Professor Ruby did not realize until now.  Or possibly about being a Huntress in general.  The core tenants of being a Huntress are not one of militaristic tendencies.  Yet here they were in what would likely be classified as a warzone.  It really was not so simple as cutting up Grimm on a stroll through the countryside.  This here, where she found herself.  In the deep dank underground of Atlas, relentlessly pounding along the ground.  Each of them carrying another.

This togetherness is what being a Huntress is all about.  They were not a military, yet they did what militaries could not.  The combat training, the discipline, the attention to detail the constant prep and work to get ready.  This is why.   It was not what she initially pictured as a young girl… but ultimately… she liked this picture more.  Being not as clean cut or simple made the picture more dangerous, yet infinitely more interesting.

The relentless sound of feet on the ground did little to change the scenery, even so even they simply didn’t have the time or energy to be bored.

"How much longer… is this damn walkway?"  Yang grunted out in-between breaths repositioning Raven on her shoulders.

Drip…. Hiss.

"It is hard…to… say…"  Deb tried to state.

Drip…. Hiss.

Coming to a stop to look down one of the side access ways initially all that was visible was an endless blackness.  But the sound remained.

Drip… followed by a brief period of silence.  Then… an equally quick hiss.  Like a leaky water faucet letting lose a single drop.  Only to land and boil itself back into vapor immediately upon striking something.

Drip… Hiss.

A few heartbeats passed…

Drip… Hiss.

"What?-"  Ruby began.

"Go… all of you run as fast as you can."  Deborah ordered turning towards the side passage.

"But-"

"Do I have to repeat myself again!  Go NOW!  None of you are in any shape to help here!"  She briefly turned to face the student before moving her sword in front of her holding it with both hands.  Its ice blue runes normally dormant seemed to be inching their way towards being awake.  A faint glow seemed to flow down the length of the blade.

Drip… Hiss.

The same trend continued for several more heartbeats growing progressively louder.

Ruby only really considered running when two glowing and incredibly evil looking blood red orbs appeared in the black tunnel.

Drip… Hiss.  Only now those orbs now identified as eyes looked amused.

"Ruby I know what I am doing.  Go, Now!"  The instructor repeated.

Dutifully nodding the Reaper stated "Use aura book it people!"

Moving much quicker now the team was out of sight after only a brief delay.

Keeping her gaze on the approaching entity the Matriarch kept her weapon at the ready position.  Having a good idea of what it was that was making its presence known.

Footsteps now became audible, and more sets than one at that.  Anguished orange colored orbs appeared to the right as if putting off a strange light.

Finally coming into the light she confirmed her suspicions… though she wasn’t sure on the second individual.

The red eyed… creature for want of a better term had the physical appearances of a woman.  White-Gray hair done up with care shattered her expectations however.  This creature had been captured in various media before.  Always with a wild, primitive, savage appearance.  Unkempt hair and unintelligent eyes is always how they were described in the past.  Savage in her movements and actions.  Capable of only the most rudimentary of communication.  This creature this Grimm… broke all those preconceptions.

An intelligent smile, clever studious eyes, well cared for and even styled hair.  This was for all accounts a well cared for athletic woman on appearance if not for her obvious Grimm like aspects.  Ghastly pale skin was under a dress of black and red.  On her right hand was that elongated claw, which now she recognized from the second emblem on her way in here.  The one in purple.  It didn’t belong to any Beowulf or Ursa she had remembered seeing… because it belong to the Grimm Queen.  Even now it dripped its venom freely on the ground. 

Possibly a taunt as a way of letting everybody nearby know that she has so much of the poison she can let it freely fall from her?  Her purpose Deborah could not claim to know. 

All she could say for certain was that this creature was dangerous beyond knowledge to the Huntsmen who came before.  She had no reason to assume it was any lesser now.

"We study each other in mysterious ways don't we?  Deborah Arc.  A pleasure to meet a veteran of the Hunting trade such as yourself."  Even her voice was rich with a sultry side deep and rich with culture.

Not answering Deb switched her gaze briefly to the woman accompanying her.

Now recognizing the black haired woman in the red dress from a year before.  She had a figure many women would find enviable and moved with a natural grace that spoke to her training as a fighter.  Neither seemed armed, not that the Huntress really believed them to be defenseless.

"The world of humans has indeed lost much of its civilization if it cannot even greet another politely.  Perhaps, you wait for me to introduce myself?  Despite the fact that you broke into my home, and damaged my property?"

"The fact that you speak does not belay what you are creature.  Come no closer." 

_Summer was right… this one has intellect but that’s not the worst of it.  Being born with intellect does not make one intelligent or understand language.  Someone or something has to have been educating… James… Michael Masters.  He would have had all the tools, all the assets and equipment needed to do it.  Even without anybody else noticing._

At her speaking both advancers halted… probably about 10 paces away.

Smirking now she replied "Tsk tsk tsk.  There is no need to be rude, there is a great deal we can learn about the other.  Why not enjoy some pleasant conversation?"

Moving both hands to her side to stand open in plain sight, the other woman mimicked her in this.  Interestingly the elongated claw seemed to change back to a human hand for the moment.

Realizing the longer she can forestall a fight the better, Deb decided to humor them.

"Grimm has not given me many opportunities to speak before.  They tended to slice first, eat second.  You will I hope forgive me for any lapses in decorum."

Though she never did lower her weapon.

"Wonderful!  My name, as you might have guessed, is Salem.  Though you will I hope, concede that the name is all we share, I am very different from my predecessors.  This here is my associate, Cinder.  Pleased to meet you."

"I hope your associate isn't cold, given the rather cold climate in your house."  Deb asked with a head motion.

Chuckling in reply Salem waved it off "Her semblance always made her a bit of a hot bodied individual.  You need have no more concern for her than you do myself."

Nodding in agreement Deb stated "Noted."

A few heartbeats passed, long enough for Deb to wonder…

_She has to know that RWBY is on their way and JNPR is already at the exit.  Why even go through with this conversation at all?  This… couldn’t be a trap could it?  More likely she thinks I won't be able to slow her down enough to matter but why take that risk?  Why gamble when she could have used them against me in a fight?  That lends proof to it being a setup but what could it possibly be about anyway?  Maybe to isolate me here?  Possibly but… no that just isn't what…_

Beginning humorously and progressing into an almost professional oration Deb found herself listening to the next words spoken.  The speaker even went as far as to walk back and forth moving her arms for dramatic effect.

"Arc's have long been a thorn in my predecessors side.  Not like I have had many of them… but each before had been silenced in a similar manner.  Being possessed of a rare combination of speed, talent and power.  The makings of a talented elite warrior, clever tactician and politician meant they could bring considerable force to bear against me.  Always they are thinking the next step or two ahead.  A fact that leads to them being talented chess players and assists in the wondrous tactical mind they all tend to share.  When facing a member of the Arc clan you must be prepared for all this in addition to a staggering amount of aura when compared to the average human.  Most will have around 8 times more but those with white aura's, the purists… can have as much as 15 times the standard aura quota.  For being enemies your former husband speaks highly of your family.  He respects your insights, if for nothing else anyway."

Keeping her silence Deb remained focused on the speaker.

"I say this… because I do not understand.  Your students are obviously walking into a trap.  They do not suspect it, you I feel would have some inkling of what it is, yet you cannot put your finger on it.  The longer you stay here and delegate command to them however the greater the odds of something happening.  If you insist on keeping me company would you mind, at least, to share why you are allowing this?  If you have some clever play here I had not planned for I would be delighted to hear it."

_Trap?_

"What trap?  If anything they are about to get out of your trap.  Reinforcements are on their way and we hold the exit.  You must know this."

Salem dipped her head in a polite nod, sinister intent however radiated from her as one of her hands began to elongate back into its clawed form via a few subtle flexes.

"Defend it… from what?"

_From people… White Fang of course.  We haven't seen any Grimm yet… aside from… you…_

In few heartbeats she understood.

_The Queen is never without her brood!  They were hiding!  They were letting us get inside!  This is no mine it’s a hatchery!  These tunnels are a giant Grimm spawning ground!  Where is the Grimm corruption or signs of their presence?  Are those spawned from this Mistress truly so intelligent as to be able to hide all of that?  To mask their presence even from veteran Huntresses?_

"They are expecting… people.  The Fang who have loyally served my purposes for years and likely will continue to serve for the short term."  Turning her gaze back towards the Huntress.

Igniting in her semblance her aura spread out around the area… what she sensed… alarmed her.

"They will not be expecting Grimm… and even if they were, it would be your typical Grimm horde.  Mindless beasts, uncoordinated brutes without a care for schemes or plans, plots or precision movements.  The only tactics they care for are the quickest route to their prey.  Tell me, Murderer, you must have heard the broadcast as easily as my people did.  Did they give any mention of Grimm?"

Not giving any time to answer Salem concluded "Of course not, they had not encountered any, as such they would not advise to expect them.  Not the endless hordes which these tunnels contain.  As it stands, it is a nice story.  One with but a single ending."

Her gaze rapidly growing into one of deadly sharpness her other hand rapidly regained its clawed state.  "This concludes our talk, nice meeting you, Ms. Arc."

At that, she pointed.

Cinder leapt upward diving forwards spinning two fires near her hands.  Two swords materialized out of the flames.

_Gotta slow down all the Grimm in these tunnels somehow!  But how!_

Cinder looked full of confidence in her fall towards The Matriarch, a look that didn’t go away when the other parried her swords keeping her airborne for the moment.  She spun to the side and sent another powerful stroke angling wickedly towards the knees.

Parrying the powerful stroke sent an echo around the area.

Catching her with a kick Cinder was sent skidding away.

"You will fall!"  The said wheeling sideways to re-attack.

_These side passages seem numerous but the only way they could hide this many beasts is if there were relatively few access tunnels and they controlled when they were used.  Collapsing them would certainly slow them down._

Parrying strike after strike slowly made that confident look vanish from the younger woman.

Right cross into a left slice lower at her knees.

"You cannot stall forever!"  She shouted rushing forward again

Diagnosing a weakness in her attack stance Deb subtly slipped a leg forward to kick the younger woman in the shin breaking her balance.

"I don’t need to stall at all amateur."

Swinging powerfully with both hands across her body a deadly stroke closed in.  Cinder to her credit blocked the attack but the sheer force behind it completely destroyed her balance sending her colliding hard into the stone wall sending chunks every which way.

Backing up slowly into the tunnel drastically limited the attack options she had to contend with.  At least… from the human.

If not for her semblance Deb would have completely lost track of the Queen.  Becoming something akin to a black mist she melted into the air only to reappear with one of those claws on a deadly approach.

"RAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!"  She yelled hinting at her feral nature.

Somehow able to get her sword in place to swat it away.  A foot was set and another second swing arched towards her from the other side.

Another feral roar echoed down the passage, seemingly around the same time a 'ding!' advertised a parry. 

Using all the power her semblance granted her a backhand landed its mark on Salem silenced all sounds for the moment.  Gingerly touching her cheek the Grimm smiled sinisterly.

"A nice shot… but not nearly enough to wound me."

Suddenly grinding her claws together she roared again with pure bestial rage then charged forward faster than most would think possible.

Blocking successfully but rapidly giving up ground Deb found herself skidding backwards in the tunnel with each stroke.

"RRRRAAAAHHHHH!" A shout from the left.

Ducking under it another attack was halted milliseconds later from A low angle came in from the other side.  Jumping backwards when yet another claw was flying at her from the left.

Thinking at this point she had done all she could playing it safe.  She had to get this tunnel collapsed and do so in a way that left her able to move and warn the students further on.  Spinning her blade to a reverse grip Deb trusted in her armor to hold while making a -hopefully unexpected- reverse footing twist towards the Grimm's torso.

It was only partially successful.

She felt her chest resonate with the force of the impact, hard enough to crack ribs had the armor been of any lesser quality, but thankfully the finely crafted plating seemed to hold.  Regretfully her attack missed.  Had it been a human, it would have skewered her. 

Sadly this creature seemed to see the incoming sword stab, and revert to mist again.

As if waiting for an opening Cinder leapt forward diving with a joyful squeal.

"Now you die!"  She shouted her swords held above her head.

_She has me I can't dodge or parry from this footing!_

Caught completely out of position and without much choice but to fall to her back once again trusting in the armor to hold true.

The force of the impact threatened to pierce, yet once again the finely woven armor was able to resist.  The same could not be said for the dress Cinder had chosen to wear.

Thrusting her own sword forward putting some aura into the attack to boot the weapon cleanly punched through.

"Throw yourself on my sword if you wish… it makes no difference to me."  Deb stated quietly trying to get back to her feet.

Only to be held in place by a powerful stomp.

"Worthless tool… still, she proved to be of some value in the end it seems."  Smirking downwards.

Desperately pushing upward, she could not -to her shock- force the Grimm back.  The grin turned into a full smile once she had a clawed hand around the blade holding it in place.

Chuckling as if she understood exactly what the other was thinking Salem stated "Yes your Aura is a powerful one.  As strong as any encountered… yet what they do not teach you is that even your aura is but a child's toy compared to me.  There is a reason it took millennia to store up the power to have a chance at seriously hurting me."

"What are you talking about?"  Deb hissed out still struggling.

Laughing openly at that Salem seemed beside herself.  "How can you not realize this?  Is this not what has been passed on through all those thousands of years?  The endless toil as Mankind searched for a weapon powerful enough to kill we Grimm Queens?  You stored your aura into the weapon so as to amass enough might to challenge me.  Even then it was not always enough.  That weapon you carry is one of the only ones capable of killing me even if it seems to be sleeping.  Which naturally is why I will be so glad to relieve you of it."

"It will never follow your commands!"  She grunted out.

Salem chuckled again putting a sharp claw to Cinders motionless back, even now dripping some venom carelessly all around.

"That is, as I am sure you know, what they all say."

Slowly pushing downwards easily penetrating flesh.

"That my evil schemes are mad and cannot possibly succeed.  Most of the time they are right… I suspect history will remember this one differently."

Before long Deb felt a sharp weight against her chest.

Grating against the armor plating Deb once again tried to push her way free.

"The harder you struggle the more I will push DOWN!"

The armor finally gave way, not that the Professor would surrender a yell in pain.

"Tell me Ms. Arc… this weapon of yours… Caladbolg.  It listens to the Aura of the owner, and will only function or even be moveable by that owner.  What do you think would happen, if something without aura.  Something like a Grimm hand, tried to lift it?  Do you have any idea?  I confess I do not either, yet I am very anxious to find out."

Rotating her hand back and forth got a pained gasp, but no more.

"Let's see if some venom loosens your tongue… it normally does to those suffering from an unfortunate amount of pride."

The floor began to rumble around them as if moving a large body of… something.

"Must be my minions opening the way… such is the way of-"

Cut off by an anguished cry Salem staggered backwards clearly  surprised.  Something took her clean through the eye, another two wounds appeared in the chest area.

"What, what was THAT!?!"  She roared seemingly going back to her primitive roots.

Finally 3 bullet shots echoed down the tunnel.

_Ruby's sniper!_

Nearly akin to her mother not an hour ago a Silver bullet flew down the passage screaming all the way.

"YaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Like a freight train colliding with a mountain Ruby appeared wielding Crescent Rose in a powerful overhead slash.  Hitting her target with more velocity than the Reaper ever had before.

Salem despite her previous confidence definitely seemed a bit bothered by it.  Staggering backward finally giving some ground.

"Ruby."  Deb stated weakly.

Not staying wounded long Salem quickly knitted back together catching the screaming scythe with her good claw.

"That will be quite enough of that little one."

"I think not."

Ruby fired the weapon bouncing off the wall somehow hitting Salem once again.  If nothing else it freed her weapon.

Ruby connected with another spin to the core before being halted in her tracks.  Reverting the her mist form yet again Ruby was unsure what to do until she found herself inches from those blood red eyes from earlier.  The Grimm gripping once again this time on her wrist.

"ENOUGH!  I wanted your mother as a pet but I am sure you will substitute in just fine."

"I might have something to say about that."  The Matriarch broadcast, a powerful two handed swing already descending.

Freeing the Reaper in one swoop a forearm harmlessly floated away, disintegrating before it even hit the ground.

With another pained scream Salem retreated briefly.

"Surprise!"  Ruby shouted tossing a grenade at her feet, then turned around to tackle Deb to the ground.

The resulting explosion more than did its job in sealing the pass behind them, but Salem vanished once again into an eerie cloud of mist.  Though the Reaper would swear her eyes remained there long after she vanished.

"That probably won't delay her long…"  Deb stated weakly.

"Well it will delay her…"  Ruby stated cheerfully… her gaze going concerned when the white light from the other started to flash and weaken.

"Are you…"  She said looking down.

"…No, you are bleeding and that doesn’t look good.  You aren't ok.  Though you probably know that."  She declared holstering her weapon.

"I told you to stay away."  The Professor lectured.

"Well as you always tell me, I am like my mother.  And like SHE recently told me, she is really stubborn."

Tugging and pulling with both arms Ruby struggled to get Deb off the ground.

"Come on!  Get up!  The rescue is here they are waiting for us!"

Deb struggled to sheath her weapon and allowed Ruby to get an arm over her shoulder.

"Your aura was drained…"  She said.

"Jaune helped with that.  Hang on I'm getting us out of here!"

Somehow summoning the brute force needed to get the larger woman off the ground Ruby semblance burned her way back down the tunnel, lighting it up silver as she went.

_That didn't always happen… maybe her semblance is growing?_

Ruby looked back after hearing something ominous behind her.  Seems the Professor was correct, the rock rubble did little more than delay her a few moments.  Already she had violently sent it out of her way and was screaming her way after them.

Screeching into her scroll the Reaper declared "Jaune we have incoming and it is not the pleasant kind!"

***Back at the Dock***

"Alright… We will have something ready."  The Knight tiredly replied in acknowledgement.

Already he had surrendered the overwhelming majority of his remaining aura to getting RWBY back on their feet he really did not have much left.  Moreover the act of healing them put a drain on his body, he felt like he could barely stand.

"Nora…"

"We are ready Jaune, you might want to head back."  Ren declared setting his sights on the access tunnel.

Behind them STRQ had been loaded into one of the transport carriers awaiting evacuation.  General Ironwood himself took command of the operation with his troopers quickly setting down multiple fields of fire forcing the Fang to retreat to that which had cover.  The appearance of the Grimm however changed the field of play a bit.

Acting in coordinated packs, they flanked, scaled rooms worked as teams.  It didn’t save them from being cut down ultimately but the savage force that drove them seems to be if not gone, was definitely held in check.  Making for infinitely more dangerous encounters.

"Once we recover the Professor we must leave immediately.  My covering Bullheads and Hummingbirds report multiple airborne Grimm in the area.  We did not anticipate such numbers we cannot risk being trapped in this harbor."  The General instructed from his position in an airborne battleship above the site.

"Jaune I mean it!  This lady is fast and packs a heck of a punch!  We need the kitchen sink!"  Ruby stated sounding close to the exit now.

_Right… everything we have._

Jaune had planned on trusting his team to handle it.

"FANG PUSH FORWARD!"  A voice declared from  the far sight of the field.

"Don't tell me he is making an appearance!"  Pyrrha declared through scroll chat holding the narrow corridor from whatever tried to overrun their position.

"Do not allow these CHILDREN to embarrass you a second time White Fang!  The Grimm will cover you push forward and overwhelm them!"

"That’s your dad Jaune."  Yang stated oddly calm from his side.

"Grr!"  Pyrrha growled off to the side.

Even without being able to see her, it was obvious she was being pressed.  Spear thrusts, shield impacts, kicks and near misses filled the air to their right.

"Huntsmen!  We need to leave soon what is your ETA!?"  The General stressed.

Ignoring the General as he really didn’t know to be truthful the Knight figured he should ensure everybody was on the same page.

"Everybody train whatever you have on the entryway!  Soon as Ruby appears hit it with everything you have!"  Jaune commanded resting his arm on a nearby crate.  Before long his bracer morphed back into its cannon mode and began to glow with a pure white light.

"Mr. Arc your aura is dipping into the deep red are you ok?!"  Ironwood asked.

"We just heard Ruby say we need everything we have.  I intend to give it."  He answered.

Not awaiting the Generals reply Jaune continued "Nora, Kate I think it's time to trigger your bombs.  Collapse everything around us."

"Uh that seems a bit premature to me Jaune."  Kate confessed.

"Something this massive won't fall instantly, by the time it does we will be on those bullheads heading out of here."  He reassured.

Pyrrha voice broke through the scroll "Jaune do it quickly this position is becoming indefensible!  Too many trying to outflank us!"

"Almost there!  She's right behind me!"  Ruby announced silencing any further comments.

"Just slowly make your way back here!"  Jaune stated taking aim.

With a flash of light Ruby flew up from the hole and while still airborne bolted towards the Bullheads at the back.

An evil spinning mist came up from the ground and like a dancer covered by a veil a Grimm like female found her place looking around at the battleground.  Savage in her body language yet noble in her physical appearance she seemed at odds with herself on how to proceed.

Ren and Blake did not waste time letting loose whatever rounds they had left in their weapons.  Though they had almost no affect on the target.  Wicked looking claws rotated around her negating any damage they might do.

"Bounced right off!"  Blake shouted out.

Yang and Weiss fired off various explosive rounds or ice bolts.  Hitting their target but Salem didn’t even bother to block most of them out of boredom.

"If this is all you have at your disposal you might as well just surrender now."  She taunted.

As one the explosives around the harbor detonated causing tremendous damage to the surrounding passageways. Even sections of the roof started to collapse.

Various Fang forces including several Grimm were finally intimidated into retreat.  Pulling back to whatever safety was left in the command base itself.

Salem found the Knight in the rear sections of the harbor and seemed to smile at him.  "Take your best shot… boy."

Nora let loose the remainder of her arsenal, 3 high powered shells detonated and finally managed to cause some damage.  Shredding the ornate dress, if nothing else severely battering her target.

Jaune himself fired his truest shot of the night… but did not stay upright to see the result.  Aura drain and exertion taking its toll he collapsed to the ground.

"We really need you all to head back now!"  General Ironwood declared noting their aura levels up top.

Salem caught the glowing shell with her seemingly indestructible claw halting its approach "Trinkets!  This truly is all you had for me!?  A hunk of metal to fling at me?"

Then… it exploded.  Being built for him by the resident explosive expert it had a rather hideous kick to it.  Disintegrating half of her body a chilling roar of anguish filled the area.  Ending only when a large section of the roof landed squishing her to the ground.

"My Queen!"  James shouted.

"Time to go!  NOW!"  Ruby shouted supplying covering fire from the bullhead.

Yang turned around but stopped when she saw the Knights still form.

"C'mon sleepy head this is no time to rest."  Hoisting him up to her shoulders.

Kate was the first to get back and proceeded to assist the more wounded and weary into the transports.

"Where is Mom's weapon? She wasn’t carrying it!"  She shouted over to Ruby.

"If it isn't in its holster it must have fallen out somewhere!  I am not sure!"  She answered.

"No time to search for it get aboard and get clear!  The air is about to get very dangerous unless you are in covering range of our turrets."  Ironwood ordered yet again.

Kate spun around searching for the weapon only to find her father had somehow … Grimmified himself.  His previously severed arm had morphed into a hideous on appearance but oddly powerful elongated limb hefting the rock which had hit Salem.

"Why are we never in a position to deal with him!"

"Bigger fish to fry right now Kate!"  Ruby stated.

In one's and two's the group made their way back, Pyrrha being pulled in just as the Bullheads were starting to lift upwards.

"Well… found her sword."  Weiss stated pointing idly.

James had somehow found the weapon, and was hoisting it with his Grimm arm.

"How… is he lifting it!"  Kate asked rhetorically… before answering her own question.

"Grimm have no aura… the sword doesn't know it's being carried…"

As the two bullheads floated away avoiding the destruction of the Fang base and the rush of water out the narrow entryway thoughts moved away from the Grimm presence and back to their comrades.

"How's Jaune?"  Pyrrha asked over scroll chatter once the sounds had stabilized.

"He's out cold resting, but is fine otherwise."  Came the Atlas officer on the other bullhead.

The Spartan looked around briefly before realizing Ms. Arc must be on the other Bullhead too.

"How about the Professor?"

The question sat for several seconds before the answer came.

"The medics are looking at her but it isn't looking good… She has some type of Grimm venom we cannot identify."

"It must have came from the Grimm Queen you buffoon!  Did you somehow not realize what they were contending with down there!?"  The Generals voice boomed through the speakers.

"Well yes sir naturally but… what we need is a massive amount of aura to keep her vitals active.  The only one who had a chance is equally drained.  We have no anti-venom for poison that powerful."

Nobody decided to speak for the a long while as everybody tried to get more comfortable for the journey home.

Katherine making a rather out of place gasp captured the Spartans attention.  Sending a concerned look to her good friend Pyrrha put a hand on her shoulder giving a comforting squeeze.

"I'm sure she will be ok Kate… she's a tough lady."

For the first time in a very long while, Kate actually had a few tears on her face and shook her head clutching her chest "She's gone Pyrrha… I… I feel it… she is already gone."

**A/N**

**Well… That is 3 years down.  More than 2 years I have spent writing this story and I hope to complete it before the century turns.  Thank you all for sticking with it and providing whatever feedback and support you can.  Year 4 will begin next chapter.**

**As ever please provide me with whatever feedback you all would like through whatever method you prefer.  Kudos/comment/email/IM/Review/favorite and /Drumroll…. DISCORD!  If you have discord and would like to have a conversation or ask a question shoot me an IM and I will give you my ID.**

**Thank you again for reading, I know this is not the end of the year result many of you wanted.  But I thank you for reading it just the same.  I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	58. Y4 Summer: Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group gathers to honor the memory of one of their own. Afterwards the summer break looms to grant some respite.

4.1 Remembrance.

The journey back to Beacon was not exactly a difficult one.  At least not when judged by the magnitude of recent events.  Day turned to night and night to day without care for the most part.  The world at large did not react in any sizeable way to the fact that a conflict took place of a not insignificant scale inside of Atlas' borders.  They possibly heard various officers mentioning there will be some type of backlash over this, but refused to speculate further.

Once onboard General Ironwoods flagship, which the team later realized was named the Unflinching Mercy, they were checked out and released in turn by the local infirmary.  To an individual the group had taken a few bruises but nothing their aura could not handle… at least aside from the one casualty.

If they had to pick a word to describe the return trip, it would probably be solitary, or in the twin's case, numb.  Emotionally or physically, they struggled to feel anything.  Many of their friends offered condolences when they weren't struggling with their own sense of loss.  It spoke well of them that they all took their turn at trying to cheer them up.  Velvet in particular gave a rather cute impression of a golden retriever, attempting to parley their relations with canines in general… but just nothing seemed to work.  Though that hardly stopped any of them from trying.  They arrived at Beacon still trying to cope.

8 days past.

It was a dreary day at Beacon Academy.  Rain began late last night and if the weather held as anticipated it would continue for much of the following days.  Rain or no, dreary atmosphere included along with a mourning student body.  One thing remained at the end of the afternoon.

They were Huntsmen, it was a dangerous well respected if necessary job.  One of their own had fallen, and proper respects had to be given.  That she was such a well respected member of the Huntsmen community spoke volumes to how many swelled the audience.

The sheer number was nothing short of a staggering, bordering on overwhelming.  Various heads of state, influential businessmen, family or friends and Veteran Hunters of all ages or backgrounds made the journey.  It was so much that the Headmaster had to call in no less than 3 additional Bullheads from Vale to ferry everybody to campus in the days leading up to the reception.  Living space was coming at a premium at this point.

At present Pyrrha waited with team RWBY along with two of her teammates in their dorm living room.  Dressed in Mistrali garb for the occasion of white and red's it brought out all of her best qualities, even if she had somewhat watery eyes at the moment.

Feeling satisfied with her appearance she felt the urge to take notice of each of her friends… regardless of if she went noticed or not.

Weiss was turned away and had done herself up quite wonderfully.  Not like she truly needed to but the girl pulled out all the stops for the occasion.  Ruby next to her in a red dress even combed her hair for the day.  Down the way a fair bit was Nora, sitting down dressed in A pink ensemble with a black coat sipped a cup while Ren sat hunched over hands on his face.  Colors ironically mirrored in his partners clothing.

Yang and Blake a bit further down each were trying to play with Ms. Arc's dogs.  Even the mischievous cat Shoopuf had taken to plying attention to the pooches.  They seemed to sense something was wrong and acted a bit depressed.  Even so, the dogs, being dogs, had taken it upon themselves to cheer up the group of students who needed the uplift.

Smiling to herself she was at least pleased that her friends felt the loss as keenly as she herself did.  In her homeland more so than abroad warriors are honored and respected.  To many at home falling in the line of duty is the highest honor one can aim for in life, especially if they belonged to the 'Warrior Caste'.  When one falls in the defense of others it is often an event to be celebrated, not mourned.  Hence why her clothing is the only one not dark in some manner or another.  Even so… the Matriarch had touched them all to a degree.  Feeling slightly reflective the Spartan took a moment to consider… what specifically each of them had gleaned in their time as her student…

For the Heiress it was a teacher who finally was able to help her break through that horrible plateau with Summoning.  Who taught her that feelings, taking hold of your emotions and learning to tap into them was not something to be ashamed for.  That it is normal to allow them to lend you power when you needed it.

For Yang a personality capable of pulling in her more wild nature.  To help her with tempering that fire of her being into a more refined weapon than the raw blunt forced instrument it often was utilized as.

For Blake a reason to seek resolution outside the circle of one's comforts.  That growing as a Huntress often implies risks or leaps of faith.  One needs to see that faith be justified at times in order to persevere.  It is worth stepping outside of your comfort bubble every now and again.

Her own teammates were probably just treasuring the time they had growing as a unit.  To learn to trust their instincts even if it scared them to do it.  That if your mind says something is wrong, something often is.  Learning to trust your instincts is not easy.  But there are times for doing what comes natural, and learning when doing what comes natural is the wrong play.  That the hard choice is often the best one, it is not always about the path of least resistance.

The Spartan shook her head unsure what exactly Ruby had gleaned from the Matriarch.  Upon further consideration it was probably something similar to her own lessons.  That nobody is perfect, that no matter how talented one is the possibilities to grow exist and that potential is sometimes not easy to exploit.  But through discipline and hard work, we can all reach our true potential.

In her youth her teachers would speak often that the ability to teach and pass on skills is often more difficult than learning them in the first place.  She can attest to some of that having taken upon herself the tutoring of her own Partner, but she has never came across another who instilled upon her students the ability to grow quite so easily as Deborah Arc. 

She was very much looking forward to several years of instruction under her if at all possible.  With a sigh she realized not only was that something not meant to be, but this would be the last time they utilized this room.  In the next year of instruction both RWBY and JNPR would be moved to the joint year 4 Advanced Dorm.  They had yet to see it, truth be told they didn't even know where it was.  CFVY had their own area sure but given that they were a single team they had a single room.  The joint dorm, where it was and what all it contained would remain a mystery until the start of the next term.

Pyrrha did not want to have their Junior term on a negative note, but all that could be done for now is make the best of it.

She just… wasn’t exactly sure on how to do that.  She knew what the Professor would say… 'Listen to your heart.'  Right now her heart was not in shape to speak… maybe that was a final lesson of sorts.  The need to learn to listen to your heart, even when it pains you.

The JNPR door opened rather abruptly and shut after only a moments delay.  Smiling at her official best friend Pyrrha nodded in approval.  Katherine in a dark blue dress along with her expertly stylized midnight black hair, she at least was trying to do her best given what happened.

"How's he doing?"  the Redhead asked.

Moving with her expected silent steps Kate tiredly exhaled and leaned against the wall at the end of the hallway.

"Not great."

"He still blame himself?"  Pyrrha asked quietly angling her head to the side.

Going down to her haunches Kate nodded, seems her dogs knew another person in need of cheering up had entered the room.

The Spartan was not as horrible at this as she was 3 years ago… even so she still didn’t know what to say.  She wanted to have something profound to say, something thought provoking.  Something that would make her friend smile and forget about the pain the last week had brought… but she just didn’t have the words.

Instead she just lowered herself down and gripped her shoulder.

"Should I talk to him?"

Shaking her head Kate stated simply "No… he wants to be left alone."

Not meeting the gaze of the inquirer either… somewhat out of character for her.

Pyrrha felt a poke to her side and identified Teclis as the offender.

"Think I need some cheering up do you?"  She asked.

When the golden animal jumped her to her thigh to lick her face the answer was rather obvious.

_Smart dogs._

Not long into the slobbery assault a subtle beep sounded behind her.  Pyrrha didn’t have a desire to push away the friendly furrball and as such she didn’t.  Even so Ruby declared:

"Well… it's time.  We should go find our seats.  It is going to start soon."

With obvious reluctance her team began their way towards the exit.  After sharing a knowing look Ren and Nora slowly followed in their wake.

"Think we will head out too.  Save you some spots."  They said in passing.

Once they filed out Pyrrha had have a mind to suggest they do the same… somehow though that did not seem like the correct move here.

"Sure he doesn't want to come?"  She asked.

Sniffing slightly Kate replied "Yeah… still blames himself."

In truth, on this point Pyrrha would confess to feeling a touch frustrated.  She knew Jaune had this habit of taking blame for everything that took place yet never accepting credit for those parts that did in fact go right.  She just didn’t know what he expected from himself.  Not from lack of trying but he seemed a very specific type out of sorts.

Thinking back for the umpteenth time she still didn’t know what he or anybody in his shoes could have done differently.  To her mind he acted well and used sound judgment. 

RWBY was barely on their feet when they arrived at the dock.  He needed to get them to be able to move freely.  When it was obvious they would likely need to do more than that, that they might need to fight he did what was needed to get them back into fighting shape.  Surrendering nearly his entire aura allotment in the process.  What with charging up various shells to deal with those fortified turrets, getting Summer recharged and the battle in general just…  He dumped all he had left into the only thing that managed to slow down that… terrifying Grimm and despite all of these points; points that without him would likely have ended in disaster, he still didn’t do good enough.

"I don’t even know what to tell him."  Katherine admitted taking the time to stand.

Thinking it might be a helpful suggestion Pyrrha put forth "You can stay with him you know… if you feel it would help."

Just now getting the impression that her friend was holding her composer together by the thinnest of threads Pyrrha waited for a reply that never came.

_Yeah… she probably does want to be alone…_

"Katherine-"

Jumping as if she was startled the other replied:

"No I need to go… One of us needs to be there at least.  If he can't then I have too.  I am the oldest, I was always… always… the…"

Pulling her head back at the realization…

'I was the tougher one…'

'I was the harder one…'

'I have to be strong for him if nothing else…'

With slow and deliberate, but confident footsteps the Spartan closed the distance.  With a gentle quality that worked against the Spartans warrior appearance she pulled the startled girl into a hug.  A hug that thus far had not been returned.

"Kate, it is ok not to always be the good example.  You don't have to act so tough all the time.  Cry if you need to.  It was your mother after all-"

She had barely finished the word 'mother' before with uncharacteristic ease Pyrrha felt exactly how hard Kate could squeeze when she wanted too.  Not quite as ironclad as she herself could perhaps, but it was telling how beaten up her friend was mentally at this point.  Punctuated by the other burying her face in her neck and letting lose a cry the likes of which she never heard the other utter before.

For the moment, all she decided to do was rub her back, rub the back of her head, and try to be the best friend she possibly could.

Several minutes later the tears slowed down, and her friend seemed close to being her typical confident and friendly self.  Even if she still didn't quite look right yet.

"I hear your family made the trip up here."  She asked pulled out of the hug briefly.

Nodding Pyrrha replied "Yeah.  The whole family made the trip… how about yours?"

Smiling sadly Kate replied "My sisters are going to be here, hopefully Jaune will make an appearance at some point.  Well… we should probably go."

At that the two girls along with all the 4 legged ones began the somber trip to the edge of the forever fall forest, taking with them the nearby umbrellas near the door.

***On their trip to the funeral***

On the trip towards their destination the friends and teammates saw more than one familiar face.  It only took a simple saying from Katherine:

"Stay with us pooches."

For the dogs to not take off after the first thing that smelled and or looked tasty. 

For the most part though, they walked in silence.  In quiet companionship… minus the dogs somewhat happy breathing and alert study of the surrounding area.

They passed a stern looking but oddly vulnerable Glynda Goodwitch, doing her job even on a day like today directing traffic and putting on a tough face for all to see.  Other faculty was present, Dr. Oobleck even shaved and styled his hair.  Neither Pyrrha or Kate identified him on first glance in fact.  Professor Port was his normal self helping people find seats with his normal over the top manner of speaking.  As a whole while people were still streaming in from the countryside it seemed the school was being forced to accommodate thousands of people already.

Walking into a know quantity out of chance made for a much needed smile.

"Hey honey, how are you holding up?"  Phaera, aka Mrs. Nikos queried pulling her daughter into a warm hug.

"I'm fine Mom… thanks for coming."  The Spartan replied separating after a moments delay.

The rest of her family pressing in around her proved a happy distraction of a sort.  Certainly the younger siblings enjoyed plying the dogs with attention.  Each was dressed similarly to the Huntress in training among the family.  A fancy dress like toga.  Bronze and white in the case of Mrs. Nikos, various shades of red for the rest of the family.  Appearing somewhat out of place was Mr. Nikos' imposing stature dressed in a black suit.  He delayed not a moment getting both women nearby into a hug once he had his turn.

"At home a Warrior's passing is often a cause for celebration, yet here in this case even I cannot help but feeling a bit sad.  How are you holding up young'un?"  He asked giving Kate a rough pat on her shoulder.

Smiling despite herself Katherine answered "It's been a rough few days, but all in all I think we are moving in the right direction."

Nodding in approval he replied "Good… that is good."

He looked around briefly before asking "Where is your brother?  Last I heard he was taking this exceptionally difficult."

Kate shared an evil eyed look to the side at her friend, ironically Pyrrha tried to whistle briefly ignoring the glare.

"He uh… He's…-"

"He is still tied up with the rest of the team leaders is he?"  A voice off to the side declared.

Looking confused but turning across her body she spied the Headmaster walking confidently towards them.  Wearing his typical green and black colors he didn’t look all that different than he did on a daily basis, but she could swear his eyes were a bit darker than normal.

"Mr. and Mrs. Nikos… allow me to introduce you to Headmaster Ozpin, leader of this academy."  Kate stated politely indicating him with an arm motion.

Shaking hands with both parents Ozpin nodded to his guests in turn.  Phaera decided to cut in next.

"Headmaster it is good to meet you.  Allow me to introduce you to our my two youngest.  They are set to enroll here next term.  Say hi kiddos!"  She implored looking behind her.

Regretfully it seems that everybody was distracted at the moment.  All of them, Ava, Cara, Conner and Tyra were all playing with the pooches at that exact moment.  Happily laughing in delight as if they had never seen or played with a dog before.

Nodding in return Ozpin smiled somewhat amused "Who is a Headmaster compared to the wonder that is a playful and cheerful dog?  It seems I fall short in that contest.  I understand 3 of them has had their resume's already approved.  We are eager to take on more talent from Mistral in the fall."

Changing the subject with a subtle glance towards Katherine he continued "I understand Jaune is still tied up with that latest duty I gave him?"

Kate blinked… _Is Ozpin covering for Jaune or something?  Why … why exactly would he do that?_

"Yes sir, he is still in our room."  Pyrrha supplied seemingly equally confused herself.

Pulling out his scroll the Headmaster checked the time before coming to a conclusion.

"You two should go find your seats by your teammates, I will go check with your Leader… see if I can't help with what delays him."

With that he walked off back towards the student dormitory.

Smiling sadly Phaera asserted "Unfortunately I think that is a good suggestion.  We should go find our seats.  We will have plenty of time to talk afterwards."

_Not to mention about where everybody is going to end up over the summer._

Putting a hand to his wife's back Luke lead her down the walkway towards the guest seating area.  Momentarily leaving the two good friends alone… at least alone with their dogs.

"What was Ozpin on about?  Have any idea?"  Pyrrha asked turning after the Headmaster.

He just walked out of sight around the corner.

"You know I never really could read him… I don't know."  Kate admitted.

Sigh a sad sigh and a deep breath of resolve she stood up a little straighter.  "Let's go… no point in delaying this."

The remaining trip proved rather straight forwards.  Team STRQ made an appearance and without much difficulty Katherine was able to spot each of her siblings amongst the crowd.  Yet she couldn't help but wonder… what's the deal with Jaune and Ozpin?  Why did her twin senses tell her practically nothing?

***Back in the dorm area***

Happy that he was able to follow the path without tripping on anything Ozpin had to admit he felt oddly ill at ease with the prospect of seeking out his student.  It isn't like him taking a personal hand in the upbringing of those under his care is strange for his style of leadership.  Though it was rare indeed for him to be the one visiting the room of another.

Typically they had to make the trip.

It was well known around the school that Jaune was a special case… he got in without the needed training… probably would not have made it were it not for his Partner and team.  Generally speaking the guy has been very lucky in that regard, maybe it balanced out his initial life at home.  In the end who can say what somebody does or doesn’t deserve.  The young man had done the best he could and even excelled with what opportunities were available to him.

But… as he hinted all of that was more or less common knowledge.  Maybe the time had finally come for something… less so to be spoken about.

Pushing up his spectacles he hesitated one last time, his knuckles just inches from the JNPR team door.

_How should he play this?  How direct should he be?  Should he even be here?_

All were good and more or less fair questions he could not answer cleanly.

Deciding in the span of a few heartbeats he took a deep breath, and knocked.

"Like I said I don't want to go.  I can watch it from my window."  The mumbled reply came back.

"Mr. Arc, I would like a chance to speak to you about that."  He replied.

The others surprise was rather obvious even though the door "Headmaster?  But- what… why?"

Chuckling to try and lighten the mood the older man tried again "I would rather not have this conversation through a door."

With a sigh that spoke his mindset Jaune answered "It isn't locked."

Shutting the door behind him his pupil looked… rather tired.  He was done up in a black suit but… seemed like around the time when it came to get his tie on he changed his mind about the whole thing.

Turning his chair around to face the newcomer Jaune took a gulp of drink before asking "It is about to start soon… shouldn't you be there?"

Sitting down and setting his cane between his knees Ozpin replied "I could ask you the same thing."

Jaune shook his head and looked away.

"You know she would want you to be there Jaune."

Not looking back at him he said "She would prefer this day not to take place at all."

Admitting the point with a slight nod the Headmaster took a handful of seconds to look the other over.  "It is true we do not all choose our end, but in the end she died in the same way she lived.  As a Huntress, trying to do her duty."

Rolling his eyes Jaune replied "Duty… pfft."

Letting the point drop Ozpin queried  "Why, may I ask, do you not want to go?"

Jaune seemed to consider for a few moments before moving his head back and forth.  Eventually to stand and move to a different window.

"If my sister asked you to talk to me I should tell you I really just want to be alone right now."

Setting his coffee mug aside the Headmaster moved his hands together briefly considering his options.  To push… or not to push?

"I'm told you feel responsible for her passing."

Jaune's subtle flinch was enough to convince Ozpin he had hit the nail on the head squarely.

"Jaune, how many times have we spoken over the years?  I have always told my students to be direct and be honest.  Not only would that save everybody some time but it tends to help with making progress in difficult scenarios."

Jaune looked back at him with a rather focused intense look.

"In light of that… I ask you again.  Why do you feel responsible?"

Glad that the area had been somewhat soundproofed and that the doors were shut tightly Ozpin was still somewhat taken aback by the heat of his pupils words.

"You want to know why?  Fine."  Not quite shouting but the words still came across and anger driven and hotly stated.

"You claim I am not responsible?  Well you know what?  If I had never made my way to Beacon against her wishes-"

_Oh right… he still thinks Deb was against his enrollment…_

"-then SHE would never have been forced to end Katherine's education early!  Dad probably would not have disowned me initially for that matter and while we are talking about possibilities whatever drove him to this madness might never have surfaced!"

_He has to know how unlikely that is… whatever game James Masters is playing at is has been in motion for a long while.  Jaune has to realize that on some level._

"For that matter every single instance involving my family results in somebody I care about being hurt!  Last year it was Nora.  If that horrible woman only shot to kill Nora would already be dead!  This last mission everybody is looking to me like I am suppose to know what we should do?!  How much of what I did was a guess?!  I will give you a hint, it was nearly every decision I had to make!  How is that being a responsible leader?!"

_Because you took a difficult situation and put your team in the best chance to succeed.  You were dealt a poor hand and managed to make it a draw.  Not many can do that Jaune…_

"MY biggest failure however is that this was our time!  In the past when the world was in crisis it didn’t matter who it was or however unprepared they were my family stared death in the face and managed to overcome it!  NOT only did we lose the most powerful and knowledgeable member of our family but we lost the most treasured weapon we had!  If I were up to the task we would have stood our ground and faced down that Grimm that… Queen whatever she is.  Instead we had to scamper away and barely survive who knows what she is doing right now!  I do not believe for a moment she is dead!  I … I acted just like my … like my father would have done!   The instant things turn against him he vanishes.  Just… just like what… I…. what…I…"

Openly crying now Jaune seemed to have finally burned through whatever he had been keeping inside.

Truth be told up until this moment Ozpin still had not decided on fully going into this topic.  But… now at least he understood.  Too many things were eating away at him, have been for too long.  The loss of his mom was just that last straw.

"And I don’t even care if what I just said isn't accurate or that I forgot some important aspect of the mission!  It is how I feel and nothing right now is going to get me to feel any different!"

_Guess he still had a touch more… he knows what he is saying isn't accurate in some aspect.  The heart is a fickle thing, but one that can overcome anything if… if it is given the proper reasons.  I guess… the time has finally come._

_… Empty mug…_

_Before we get into that… I need a cup of coffee._

Jaune had retreated to his bed to plant his face in his hands yet again.

Ozpin stood, set his cane against the wall, and left the room.

***Knights perspective***

Unsure why the Headmaster left his cane propped against the wall Jaune seemed mostly determined to just get his emotions under control.  He was never as hard a person as his twin was but that didn’t mean he enjoyed crying and leaving his heart on his sleeve.  It was something that made him who he was but it was also a source of pain in his life.

Within minutes of leaving however, Ozpin returned carrying 2 cups of coffee and handed one to the Knight.

"Thanks."  He said out of politeness not really wanting the drink at the moment.

After hesitating yet again the older man pulled a chair next to the bed and took a deep breath sitting down once again.

"Jaune.  I know you well enough by now to recognize that in time, you will overcome this.  That you will realize your peers, classmates and instructor's think you did everything you possibly could and should take no blame for what happened last week."

Jaune stared into the black liquids in his cup listening out of habit… even if at this point he really would rather just be left alone.

As if picking up on his moods… Ozpin changed direction.

"Because of that, I won't harp on it further.  Instead I will tell you something a very wise Huntress told me once."

"Who was this person?"  Jaune asked when it was clear the Headmaster was waiting for his input.

Ozpin shrugged "It was the person who was my primary competition for becoming Headmaster of Beacon.  A person I used to know very well.  The wisdom I wish to share with you, is something she frequently told her students."

"In life as it often is in desperate times.  People will come together in the way links form a chain.  They do this for several reasons.  Maybe they are afraid, maybe they are seeking protection, maybe they are just trying to find a friend or a shoulder to cry on.  As it is in real life, that chain it is going to be stressed and it is going to be tested the instant it is used.  Occasionally the chain is going to break.  Something is going to be strained so hard it cannot keep up.  It does not matter how well made that chain is.  Put too much weight on it, and it will fail."

"Sounds like common advise to me."  Jaune claimed crossing his arms.

Ozpin nodded in a half smile.

"Perhaps.  But the moral of the story is that the links of that chain are going to be defined not that one amongst them broke.  But of how quickly they can repair and remake that chain so that it can do its job again.  That often times somebody will fall in their duty, and it is even in the act of falling that we often inspire those that remain to be stronger.  To come together more powerful than ever before so that the next time that chain is so tested, it can handle it."

At least thinking on the lesson Jaune seemed contemplative.  "Do I know who said that?"

Ozpin nodded "Your mother.  Deb herself was that person.  Though as I understand it the original quote came from your great-grandmother."

Crossing his arms Jaune pulled back to a corner of the room.  "None of that changes how I feel right now even if it relates well to real life."

Ozpin looked towards the ground and took a breath before looking forwards again.

"Jaune I came here today obviously to try and help you but… I guess I decided something recently.  I… have something to tell you."

With another deep breath he began.

"I never really did figure out how I would begin this conversation with you Jaune… a large part of me hoped I never would have too I guess.  But please… indulge an old man and allow me to just get right into it."

"Jaune, your mother was one of the most important people I have ever had the privilege of knowing.  From the start of my Beacon career, through my life as an instructor.  Even going into the period of my being a Headmaster she was somebody I could depend on, and was often the only person I could depend on for much of my life as a young adult."

Cautiously Jaune made eye contact and seemed confused, but did not speak.

Reaching into his pocket the headmaster pulled out his scroll setting it on his lap.

"You are hardly the first student to struggle at A school for Huntsmen.  You were not the first and you will not be the last.  There was a time… many years ago.  When my hair was slightly more black, and I was a much younger man that I started my education here.  The events that lead me here however are thankfully -somewhat unique.  Like most students who first arrive here I found myself surrounded by multiple personalities and beliefs.  Many of which I was not prepared to deal with.  You see I came from a farm.  A rural heartland deep in the wilds of the world.  Amongst my fellow villagers I might have been a talented fighter but as I learned early in life I was not as skilled as I believed myself to be.  There is only so much books can teach you and I was barely literate."

Jaune despite his mood had given his full attention to the Headmaster at this point.

"Grimm attacked following a series of poor harvests.  We were never rich but we always managed to get by.  However so many were struggling to feed themselves that we lured the very things Huntsmen are trained to destroy.  Much of the village died, my family over the course of our brief resistance.  My friends and neighbors, my friends… most did not live.  Only a few were saved when a pair of Huntresses arrived in the village and saved the few of us that remained alive."

Taking a drink from his cup Ozpin resumed "One of those Huntresses I learned, was but a student.  The other much older and a veteran of the trade."

"You are talking about my mother I assume?"  Jaune asked.

Ozpin nodded "Your mother was the pupil, the master your grandmother.  We were as it turned out the same age and despite the fact that they were nobles, something I learned much later, they seemed down to earth people.  I begged them to let me go with them.  To take me on their travels.  Initially they turned me down.  Citing that school would be resuming soon and they needed to get back for Deb's first year of official Hunting education.  To carry on the family tradition.  Only after they learned I had no one left at home did their minds change.  I had no family or friends left, and did not possess enough knowledge of farming to start over on my own.  That I had no future where I was, when they agreed to take me to Beacon thus giving me a chance at a future."

Ozpin took a gulp and swirled the drink in his hands a bit before continuing.

"To make a long and rather boring story short I was grossly unprepared for the difficulties of student life here.  I struggled with reading, writing, I was not as well conditioned as I needed to be and while I could swing my cane like a pro compared to farmers it was amateurish when pitted against other students.  I had to lean heavily on my partner to get by.  She never judged me, never lost her patience with me, helped me along step by step until at some point I was capable of holding my own.  Sound like somebody you know?"

Jaune certainly had no difficulties in seeing the parallels.

_My mother… was Ozpin's partner?  Why did she never talk about that?  Why have I never heard this before?  With as free as she is with telling stories of her time at Beacon you would think the fact that she was the Headmasters partner would get passed on.  Not just that he was a good friend and acquaintance she knew years ago._

"My partner… was stubborn as a mule at times.  She seemed born to combat the way my parents were born to work the soil.  She spent endless hours with me, teaching me how to fight, helping me with my aura, putting some much needed fine tuning on my semblance and generally laying the finishing touches on an education that never really began.  One of my last memories as a student here was promising that if she ever thought of a way I could repay the favor, repay those endless hours and all the effort that she need only name it and I would see it done were it in my power.  There we were, having just graduated and prepared to go about our professional lives and the only thing I could think of was evening the scales.  Of trying to be as good a partner to her as she was to me.  Even so we both were several beverages into our celebration that finally, she agreed.  If only to help me not feel so bad for taking up so much of her time."

Admitting that the Headmaster could be quite the storyteller when he wanted, Jaune decided to bite the dangling apple before him "I confess you have my attention… how does this relate to now?"

Ozpin handed his scroll to his student and said "Because… I think this is something that might help you with moving forward."

With that he pushed play.

No visual's were prepared to greet him.  Instead the recording jumped right into the phone ringing as a scroll often does when receiving a call.  It must have sounded off a total of 13 times or more before Ozpin was able to answer the call.

"I do not know who this is but it better be good."  The groggy Headmaster tiredly declared.

Jaune recognized the caller immediately, the sound of her voice was obvious even with the humorous tone she often took when withholding a chuckle.  "Aww… and here I thought it would be obvious who I am."

"De… Deb?  What in the world?  By the broken moon it is 4:17 in the morning why in the world are you calling me at 4 by gods 17 in the morning?"

"Come-on Ozzy I didn’t realize the time, for me it is just after dusk.  If it matters I can call back later."

Sighing very much like Jaune himself might Ozpin replied "No… I am here and I am awake.  I assume by the background noise you are on the road again?"

Jaune could practically picture the nod his mother issued before citing "Yes… Currently I am traveling with my youngest daughter, Katherine.  She has shown promise and I agreed to take her under my wing."

"Sounds familiar."  Ozpin observed.

Mom took a deep breath before moving on  "What you said all those years ago… about you owing me a favor.  Did you mean it?"

Ozpin seemed taken aback by the change in vibe and tempo.

"Rather odd transition there but yes… of course I meant it.  Why?"

Breathing deeply yet again Deborah stated "Because… I need to call it in now."

The Headmaster clearly hesitated in the recording and seemed to match the real life variant in the room now.  Even so the call proceeded with "Tell me how I can help."

Deb lowered her voice and began "I was informed by my eldest daughter that my son just left home."

"The sickly one?"  Ozpin guessed.

"Jaune is his name… yes."

"Ok… what can I do?"

Mom took yet another deep breath before asking "I want you to let him into the school.  To give him a chance at being a Huntsman."

Ozpin scoffed "Deb I fully meant what I said about keeping my promise but this is something I just cannot do!  You know how dangerous student life is here for the unprepared!  The boy is untrained and isn't even of sound body, he would be a danger to himself and others if I let him in."

"Those things can be mitigated Ozzy, you know that.  The boy deserves a chance at happiness.  He would find none at home if he returned."

Mom seemed prepared to let Ozpin struggle with the request for probably as long as several minutes.  Jaune even looked at the Headmaster for what to do as the silence dragged on for so long he was concerned about hitting the end of the call.

"Deb I would need a very convincing reason to do this.  I am responsible for those students under me, You are asking me to endanger them so a completely untrained boy could be given a chance.  I may run fast and loose with the rules but that is a stretch even for me."

"Ozzy…"  Mom hesitated.

It was Ozpin's turn to wait…

"Oz… he is yours."

Jaune could not help but feel his jaw come ajar seemingly while the scroll clashed with the floor in the recording.  Struggling to get the scroll secured again Ozpin continued with.

"Wha-  De… Deborah what do you mean he is mine?"

Speaking quieter still Mom confirmed "Exactly what it sounds like… the twins are yours Oz.  Just like Evangeline."

_Eve too?_

"Evangeline… Deb this… why tell me this now?"

"Because… regardless of my wishes or his own health he is going to make the trip to Beacon.  If he is denied instruction he will try to teach himself.  Something is driving him Oz if he gets his shot and lives then at least he would have had his chance.  Maybe he would be more willing to accept a quiet life then but all children deserve a chance to be happy.  For too long he has had that chance taken away from him.  You might not be able to grant a random person entry without qualifying but for the sake of your own sons happiness you need to give Jaune a chance!"

Jaune could practically feel the thoughts flow from the headmaster's mind even through the scroll conversation.  He was still surprised when he heard the words:

"Alright… I do not know how much I will be able to do for him… but he will get his chance.  I will watch over him as closely as I can."

His mothers thanks were muffled by Ozpin reclaiming the scroll and turning it off.

_Well… that is the mystery then.  How I got my chance.  I… should have figured something like that out before but… Ozpin being my dad!  That… I am thrilled to not be related to James Masters but… why did nobody tell me this!_

"There once… was a man who lost the person he loved three times.  In each of these instances he had the chance to fight for her… and did not in each case."

Ozpin speaking again jarred the Knight out of his thoughts.

"First… is when he believed himself a poor match for your mother.  When he didn't speak up as she informed him of her parents intent to marry her off to another family from Cadia.  Even when he got the impression she wanted him too.  Shortly after she married and delivered her first child.  Far as I know James believed the child was his.  Your mother didn’t wish anything to happen out of wedlock, and as such agreed to the union as quickly as possible.  I only later figured out that your oldest sister was mine… much later."

As mesmerized as he was by the talk… Jaune couldn’t seem to turn away.  "The second time was when that marriage was falling apart and she wanted to resume teaching.  As such I found a place for her at Beacon.  We… resumed our affections a time or two but until I got that call from her many years later I didn't think anything came of it.  She resumed work after her leave and things seemed normal until her brother's murder.  At which point she gave up her post to take up the family title."

Ozpin emptied his cup setting it aside before speaking on with "Finally… I lost her yet again when she fell in battle against very Grimm her family had stood against for so long.  All while never accruing the courage to do what I wanted to do from the moment I first saw her as a youth.  I was … blessed with some moments of happiness in her presence, but I never got the companionship I truly wanted."

Ozpin took a deep breath and claimed his cane from the wall.  Jaune seemed a bit stunned.  Staring seemingly at the ground unsure what to think.  Some obvious tears flowing down the older man's face now he seemed to determine the time had come to make his exit:

"Jaune… your mother wanted nothing but the best for you.  Do not blame yourself for what happened.  People will persevere.  We can overcome these challenges and emerge all the stronger for them, all we need to do is keep the course.  Do not follow in my footsteps and not take action when you wanted too."

He took the time to clear the tears from his face before concluding with  "Speaking now as your father… I would very much appreciate you being at the funeral.  She would love to see you one last time."

The headmaster granted the other some time to formulate a thought, but the Knight seemed unable to come to a conclusion.

Turning to make his exit Jaune spoke up at last.

"This man from the story… what would he have… what would he suggest the boy tell his twin sister?"

Ozpin shut the door yet again contemplating his answer.  "I feel the man would say that I have made more than enough mistakes in my life.  My children being born was not one of them.  I have watched them grow into adults right before my eyes and few things have supplied me with more pride than the growth and heart they show each day with their actions."

"And… of well… anybody else?"

"That… he is free to speak as he sees fit." 

Jaune sniffed but shuffled his feet over and engaged in a heartfelt hug.  Finally feeling a bit better about… well about multiple different situations. 

"At this point we are doomed to being late… shall we go?"  The headmaster asked.

Jaune shook his head "There is something I gotta do first."

Moving towards his equipment suitcase the Knight pulled out his bracer.

Raising a confused eyebrow Jaune was prompted to say "Mom deserved to see the sun again."

Nodding as if agreeing with him Ozpin gave one final hug muttering "We will take this slow and figure things out… for now be free of the past, do not let it cloud the future."

Struggling with the words as if he rarely said them willing Jaune replied "I will try… father."

The Headmaster smiled warmly, before once again opening the door, and making his exit.

Once he was alone again Jaune let his Bracer expand to show its magazine and load a single shell in "One should be enough for what I have in mind…"

***At the procession***

Through the constant downpour and gusts of wind the day had yet to brighten… expected given the forecast but rather depressing for those outside.

Huntress funerals were, as Kate was learning, somewhat outside the realm of ordinary.  Many speakers thus far had come forward to speak their mind.  Summer Rose in particular delivered a very heartfelt tear jerking talk to start things off.  The one constant that several people mentioned was but a single word:

Champion.

"The world has lost one of its champions."  She had said.

"Yet it is the duty of those who remain to carry on their wishes.  To ensure that the loss of one of us, is never in vain."

Brief, but fitting and well orated.

Something that somewhat began the path towards repairing the impression the elder Rose left upon JNPR.  She had a fair amount of ground to makeup, but she seemed very capable of giving a speech when she needed too.

It was only as the final speaker had took his seat that the Headmaster reappeared looking as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  Truth be told many expected the Headmaster to say a few words, in the end it seems that he must have decided whatever had been said previously was enough.  Or… possibly he had already spoken his peace on the subject.

The most confounding thing about it all at present was that she still could not figure out where Jaune's head was at.  She had felt some rather odd flares of emotion from him over the last hour but…

Possibly for the first time zeroing in on them proved to be an impossible task.  Even for her.

With various talks complete the attendees began the task of forming a rather elongated line and take their turn at saying their farewells.  No body was on display, that had been returned to her family home.  Instead what awaited them was an extremely well crafted stone carving.  Covered in flowers the top of which was a good likeness to the Matriarch.  Holding a sword with both hands blade working down towards her feet.  It seemed a fitting tribute for someone who had devoted so much of their life towards the school and its students.

Her mother was now a permanent fixture on the campus grounds… albeit in statue form.  Not upright on the main walkway like she more earnestly envisioned.  But… all things considered it was a classy send off and did the memory of her justice.

Being Advanced Class students JNPR and RWBY had a spot towards the front of the line.  Bracketed in with Pyrrha and CFVY behind her the Ghost could finally breath a touch easier… she had nearly gotten through it.

"It's a shame Jaune never did come…" Pyrrha whispered whimsically.

Kate grunted in reply unsure what to say.

"Still confused?  No idea what he and the Headmaster spoke about?"  The Spartan asked.

Shrugging into replying "He… seems to be doing better now.  But… before it was just too much at once.  Surprise, shock, annoyance, bitterness.  I still barely have an idea what's going on in his head."

Sending a pointed look to her best friend Pyrrha didn’t seem to know what to think about that.

Letting the conversation fade away the group patiently moved towards the stone casket.

Finding something written near the Arc symbol on its side were some rather pointed words.

'Take your deserved rest Huntress.  You have done well and your watch is over.  Stand down, be at rest.  We have the watch.'

Both girls smiled at the text before something somewhat out of place sounded off.

Her dogs, normally well behaved quiet animals began to howl and bark happily at seemingly nothing.  Most confusing… was their orientation back towards the wall overshadowing the gathering.

"Boys!  Girls relax!"  Kate lectured out… then gasped when she saw what had them so animated.

"Is… that Jaune?"  Pyrrha asked already knowing the answer.

From above them all the white spread of his semblance active passed through the area.  Bringing a sense of comfort and resolve to those gathered even if they did not react more strongly.  Seemingly at the same time RWBY and JNPR both found themselves under the effects of his semblances giving a rainbow of colors for the observer.

There he stood, glowing with a blinding brightness channeling power into his bracer.  More energy being put into a single action than what anybody had seen before.  His arm was soon pulsing with power just as brightly as he himself was.  Even then he put more and more power into his weapon.

'Jaune!  What's wrong!'  Pyrrha asked through thought.

'Ack!  This is so weird!'  Ruby complained.

Various other's might have said something humorous but Katherine stood there rather transfixed, unable to comprehend his plan.

After an extended period of confusion Jaune pointed his bracer towards the sky.

'My mother deserved to see the sun one last time!'  His thoughts raced out with extreme intensity.

All the while the family dogs were just happy to see their new owner on his feet and seemingly doing better.

With a vivid flash of pure energy the power stored up was unleashed.  Pushing up through the dark sky lighting the path forward.  Pressing through cloud after cloud until no more bared its path and even then it continued its flight.  Until that ray of light finally pierced the highest obstructions it could and opened the way for a few beams of sunlight.

Finally allowed show itself and illuminate the whole of Beacons grounds the sun proudly held its place in the sky.  Still, the shot persisted, nobody knew if it would ever stop.  Jaune might have sunk nearly his entire aura into that single shot as he fell to the ground on his back.

No alarm came from either of the twins.  Kate in fact was smiling.  Finally identifying one of the emotions he felt… relief.

He was, as all signs pointed towards… doing better.  They all were.

They must be in truth… for a round of laughs echoed through the forest when Blake couldn't help but utter "Dogs!  Much… too… many… dogs!  Too much noise!"

Amusing awhile trying to cover all 4 of her ears.

Forced or not, nobody knew or cared.  They had taken the first steps towards moving forward, and like always they would do it as a team.

***Before leaving for the Summer***

Finally under shelter from the weather the two teams found each other.  As everybody knew… it was time to head home.  Nobody would object to some time off… but being away from their friends would prove difficult.  Yet it wasn't goodbye… not really.

"Well… all told that went fairly well."  Yang stated.

Blake checked her scroll and cleared her throat "We actually need to turn in… We have to get up really early for a boat ride remember?"

Ruby blinked "You two aren't coming back to Patch?  Why didn't you tell me, or… where are you going?"  She demanded.

Yang and Blake shared a glance "I'm still pissed at dad for leaving us like that… I can't be around him right now.  Besides Blakey decided to head to Menagerie, to look into that thing Hespith told her about… I decided to go with her."

Weiss chimed in "Well that is just fine.  I had planned on picking Ruby up for a summer vacation and if neither of you are around all the better for me."

The Reaper's face lit up like a torch "Really?!  When?"

Weiss issued a cocky smile "After a week or two. I need to get home but once I take care of some business I will drop by to pick you up."

"Can you arrange for my bike parts to be delivered on the boat?  It is a long way to the Faunus Isles I would like something to do."  Yang requested.

With a shrug the Heiress answered "Shouldn't be a problem."

Across the way JNPR was in a similar gathering.  "Well… I guess this is goodbye until fall.  I hope you two will keep in touch?"  Pyrrha inquired looking at the pink dressed individuals.

Ren smiled and nodded "Yeah… gotta get back, help her village with summer work.  Least I can do for them taking me in."

Pulling his shoulder into a tight hug Nora added "You better believe it bub!  We have lots of work to do!"

"Sounds horrendously dull."  Kate commented with a smile.

"What about you 3?"  Ren asked.

Jaune sighed "I suppose I will need to head back home… deal with this on the home front."

Kate cut in "Actually, Eve already told me you should just take some time off.  She can handle the political side of things for a bit.  But we might want to drop by before returning to Beacon."

"Eve…"  Jaune stated under his breath.

Sharing a glance with her redheaded friend Kate inquired "Jaune?  What is it something wrong?"

Jaune shook his head but simply said "No, nothing wrong.  Ask me again sometime."

Kate might have pressed him harder but Pyrrha couldn’t help but put an arm around her two closest friends and happily declare "I guess we are returning to Mistral for the summer!"

In the background Jaune couldn't help but grin at the shared smile between Pyrrha and her mother or the evil look from her siblings.

"Yeah… I guess we are."

**A/N**

**I thank you all for continuing with this story as we move into the final year!  Upcoming we have the gang break up for the summer and do their own thing.  IF anybody has requests for summer scenarios or situations ( or possibly any images to get made of summer months ) for any of the characters then bring them to my attention and we can talk about it.  You can contact me via Email, Discord, Note, or Steam.  Hit me up and let's have a chat :D**

**As ever I do want feedback on this story.  A point about grammar.  I spend probably as much time hunting for grammar errors as I do writing the text.  I am very aware grammar errors remain and to be truthful, I will continue to read this chapter even after posting it to try and find more.  If you have a wording fix I missed and feel obligated to bring it to my attention feel free.  But just telling me that there are grammar errors present isn't the most helpful of feedback.**

**As every thank you for reading, I look forward to hearing what people think about this sendoff and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	59. Y4 Summer: Off the Beaten Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer starts with a look into what RWBY is up too... as normal Blake is off pursuing some fish and Yang is causing explosions. Some things never change eh?

4.2  Off the Beaten Path

Blake might struggle to admit it, but she had several vices.  Truth be told depending on who was trying to count them out she might have a few… too many vices.  Being mildly annoyed is a feline right and as such one might even say it is yet count against that tally.

Well… at present she really didn’t mind any of that.

She had learned to cherish time with her friends and teammates. A voice insider her said Beacon was becoming something of a home.  That same voice seemed to think on how long these relationships would last and expected them to last a lifetime.  The type of friends one wishes they had more of.

Regardless she also had a habit of enjoying her alone time.  The press of people around her throughout the year was a burden at times.  She definitely needed a chance to cool down and recharge for the next year.  All told… Blake needed a vacation.

Today was about as ideal as she was expecting to find on the ocean.  Seagulls cawing in the distance, the smell of the sea and the feel of the wind.  It all spoke to her in a way she had nearly forgotten.  The boat was large enough not to be overly bothered by the waves or other passengers, but even so the constant swaying was something she nearly forgot.  Nearly… within a day or two she had regained her proper sense of cat like balance. 

A good thing too… she would have spilled her current allotment of goods onto the canvas otherwise by now without those skills resurfacing.

Moving towards the back of the ship where she had made her quarters Blake balanced a plate of seafood delight for herself with one hand.  A magnificent combination of thick grilled fish, along with steamed vegetables and sauce it was even more delicious to look at as it was to smell.  A bowl of the best kitty chow they could muster for her partner in crime… along with a boring combo of burger and fries for her blond haired girlfriend with the other arm.  The Brawler would eat nearly anything with meat and cheese anyway so… well she would like it.

Her loyal pet balanced carefully on her shoulder and had taken personal notice of everything being ferried, particularly her own dinner.  Though if she had to guess, Shoopuf didn’t care for boat rides.

'Merroew…' The cat muttered.

Chuckling to herself Blake rubbed her head to the side "Oh relax kitty cat, it's only a few weeks until we arrive."

Going flat to her shoulder the cat looked hungry, but tired.

_Honestly it’s a good thing the trip is somewhat short.  If the boat's journey was any longer I doubt we would be able to get back in time for the new term.  A month and a few days each way doesn’t leave much time on shore for investigative work._

A few more steps and a smile found its way to her features.  Eying the door to her destination she both smelled and heard her partner within.

_Oh well!  We are free of barking sounds!  Surrounded by plenty of fish with more than enough ample time to catch up on my reading!  Perfect start to a much needed-_

An explosion inside the room knocked the door off its hinges on a dangerous collision course with the food-bearer forced a rather hilarious 'Eeep!' and a frantic evade from the Cat-Girl.  With a gasp she spotted various foodstuffs tossed into the air.

"SON OF A MO!_$#%(@&$#... @$%# $@#$"  Yang's angry booming voice sounded off firing off curses in more languages than Blake could recognize.

Spinning and ducking at various angles she managed to more or less catch her precious cargo back in their original places… minus the cat bowl which ended up mysteriously caught by her kitten.  As evidenced by the cat having her head in the bowl already.

"How did you?"  She asked….

"Never mind… it was yours anyway."

'Meeeeowwww'  The mischievous one commented to herself.

_Cats…_

Walking cautiously forward Yang was still spouting off various curses that essentially translated too "YANG RAAAAGGGGEEEEE!!!"  She found a spot on a nearby chair, set Yang's stuff aside, and seemed ready to dig in.

Cutting a sizeable chunk off Blake took a moment to look around the room.

Yang was still a light bulb red eyes and all.  Off to the side a bit while there was a partially completed bike, shaping up to be an improvement over the original Bumblebee in every imaginable way… with one exception.  The engine… well that was giving her some fits still.  Frankly it's all Yang's fault too.

The motor supplied by Weiss had more than enough power to drive 3 bikes which Yang was trying to build.  But Yang… being Yang just wasn’t happy with that and decided to try and crank a few more horses out of it.  This was not the first time it had resisted her additions but it was the first time it had blown the door off the wall as a result.

When Yang seemed to cool off enough for regular communication Blake started with:

"You know Yang you should probably just build the bike so we can get around on the island… without it, it’s a rather long walk."

Sniffing the room and smelling her burger Yang pointed a finger to the sky and asserted "Yang Xiao Long will not ride around on some common 2 wheeler!  It will be a terror of the road the likes of which has never been seen before or mark my words we will be walking!  I have standards you know!"

"It isn't a proper bike unless it peels the road out from under it right?"  She stated sarcastically.

Nodding energetically Yang remarked "Exactly!"

Taking a Yang sized bite from her burger the Brawler grunted "Delicious!"  before taking a spot next to her girlfriend.

In mostly content silence they made quick work of their meals.  Between bites Blake had to admit her partner was a rather tasty morsel to look at presently.  A thin layer of sweat, lightly damp tank top and shorts in addition to her normally athletic build Yang looked every bit as attractive as she normally would.  She seemed to wear dirty engineer particularly well.

"Thanks for dinner… this bike will be conquered yet!"  Yang declared looking as if she were ready to roll up her sleeves and try again… if she were wearing sleeves to begin with anyway.

Pulling out a book Blake leaned back and mumbled "You are welcome."

Yang stood and went about reclaiming various pieces throughout the room asking "What do you expect to find here anyway?"

Blake hesitated… then closed the book to consider.

_What do I hope to find?  Hespith was rather ambiguous about it.  Only ever hinting that I know what to look for now even if that isn't entirely true.  I do remember where he recruited me… but what if the city had changed?  What if it's different than what I remember?  Ultimately this could just be a waste of time.  Not to mention if that is in Fang recruitment territory they would probably be on edge if a Huntress like Yang waltzed in without so much as a word.  Myself being a Faunus probably won't cause them to so much as bat an eye… but her… we could very well be waltzing into enemy territory and not even realize it._

_There is going to be a lot we have to figure out as we go…_

"Blakey?"  Yang repeated poking her girlfriend in the forehead.

Scowling out of habit she replied "I don’t know… I don't know what to expect but I feel like I need to do this.  I never really knew my parents and that eats at me a bit Yang.  You know that."

Pausing her preparations for the moment Yang took a deep breath.  "Well… we are making the trip and are going to make the best of it!  Don't worry about transportation I will get Bumblebee Mk2 done well before we make port.  It won't matter how spread out things are on the island it we will get around however we need too and get back to Vale with plenty of time to spare!"

"So vows Yang Xiao Long?"  Blake commented dryly.

"So vows!"  Yang declared.

Smiling slightly amused Blake cautioned "It won't necessarily be that easy.  Most Faunus don't mind Humans as people but it's rare for one to come to Menagerie much less to spend any significant time there.  Where I am trying to go is right in the heart of White Fang recruiting sectors… it is as close to the heart of the Fang as we are going to get.  We might have troubles with people just because you are you if you go poking too hard into the wrong places."

Looking confused Yang asked "Is that your way of saying you would prefer I wait for you at the port?"

Shaking her head she replied "No, not at all.  I am just saying there are going to be challenges that we encounter which cannot be solved by punching it.  And yes I know don’t say it 'I have never met an attitude I cannot fix with a  punch.' you don’t have to say it but I'm just telling you.  It probably won't be as easy as Hespith indicated.  I don't know exactly where everything is, the city might have changed in the decade since I last dropped by and more to the point… the markers that were left behind might just be gone now.  If we are going to find them it is going to require a great deal of tact and attention to detail."

Swaying her hips back and forth rather seductively Yang flourished out her hair before bending over to provide a wonderful view given her choice of tank top "Don't worry Blakey I can be all sorts of convincing when I need to be.  Attention to detail and tact are my middle names!"

Sending back a coy smile Blake pointed behind her via a thumb "Before you do that though…"

Yang looked behind her before jumping slightly with a cocky grin "Ah right… the door.  Should probably fix that."

Before long the door was back on its hinge… and they were hard at work finishing up the bike.  When they weren't busy distracting themselves anyway.

***At Patch A few Days later***

Once she left Beacon Weiss had a rather frantic few days of travel.  Not that she lied to Ruby… not really.  But she wasn’t, strictly going home.  She was going in a general northern direction but Atlas was not her destination.  Where she was going… was Cadia.  The stay was rather brief but it was nice seeing the harsh northern realm in its most hospitable time.  Instead of snow, green grass dominated the landscapes as something like spring seemed to be dawning.

Not that she stayed long.  Nope, she landed, visited her destination, picked up the items in question and stayed the night.  THEN she went to Atlas to ensure everything was perfect… PERFECT for her vacation.  Naturally her instructions were bungled by the clots in her families company and she had to personally stand in to make corrections.  For too long her ironclad style of leadership has been absent and… well she would remain absent for a bit longer so it would likely continue for the short term.  It did mean various changes to the plan's execution were required…

First Ruby would obviously want the most expensive chocolate for cookies… this low calorie trash was an insult to the title 'chocolate chip cookie'… or at least that’s what she felt her partner would say.

Secondly… really?  A lime green dress?  Please when have I ever worn a lime green anything!

She could list out a half dozen other lapses in good judgment but the truth is she didn’t have the time to fire anybody as that meant she would have had to stick around and hire a replacement.  So… she just fixed it, ensured that the luggage she needed was packed and set off for Patch.  She didn’t visit her girlfriend last year over summer and this time she intended to do a bit more than visit.

Vacuo… Mistral… Haven… all were places she intended to spend at least 2 weeks at.  Enjoying the best each location had to offer.  Enjoying the local eats, seeing the local sights, attempting to stay in shape and all in the presence of the person she loved the most in the whole of Remnant to eventually… hit that last point flawlessly.  That was 'The Plan'.  Not being a plan which came out of the mind of the Blond haired member of the team she fully expected this plan to pass with flying colors if it could just get off the ground.

Thus after several days of exhaustive planning and preparation she finally was ready to land in Patch and get things in motion for a memorable summer.  The personalized Bullhead she used for transportation was just coming to rest in the local airport.  Soon as it touched down the Heiress stepped off the craft.

Dressed in a white tank top and lightly colored short skirt she was comfortable enough with the customary summer heat Patch was known for… though she was forced out of her jacket early on.  She wouldn’t feel whole without her prized sword at her hip, thus it completed the look.

"Yes Kline, I just landed.  The flight went perfectly you can stop worrying about that."  She stated with a grin over scroll chat.

On the other side of the bullhead some of her employees were unloading her personal limousine grunting with its weight struggling to get it safely out of its compartment.  Why they felt the need to use their muscles instead of the nearby equipment nobody could pinpoint.

"Excellent to hear Ms. Schnee, I am sure your vacation will go splendidly.  If you have any further concerns please notify me and I will serve to best I can."  The other replied.

"Hopefully I don't have to call you, but if anything comes up you will be the second to know."  She stated closing down her scroll turning around.  An irritated vein in her head became visible at the sight.  Her teeth growing to sabers as the Heiress unloaded:

"What are you doing you dunderheads ( Schneeish shorthand for dolt and idiot )!  Use the onboard crane you don’t have to carry the car out by hand!" 

Jumping in alarm 2 of them stood at attention saluting her leaving the remaining workers unable handle the weight.  It might have been damaged if Weiss not had a plan just in case she was forced to save the day.

A swift sword draw split the air and a glyph appeared under the car.  "Don't panic I'll handle it."  _The crap I have to deal with… I really must have a word with my father about travel agent training once I get back.  How can they NOT know my bullhead is equipped with a crane for loading and unloading my car!?!  They could have at least lowered the ramp and let it roll out.  Why invent dust powered objects if nobody uses them!_

"My apologies Ms. Schnee-"

"Don't appologize just get the rest of the cargo properly loaded into the car.  Thank you."  Weiss hissed out gently setting the vehicle down off to the side.

Harold… her personal pilot/driver just rounded the corner confused about something "What is going on here?  My goodness why didn’t you people use the crane or ramp!?"  He asked noticing the glyph on the ground.

With him taking control of his underlings Weiss sheathed her weapon and smiled… even with these unexpected road bumps everything is still progressing more or less according to plan.  Walking up the ramp she picked up a specific briefcase before setting it in the backseat of the limo.

"A thousand apologies Ma'am.  Please have some patience Ms. Schnee we will be ready to drive in minutes!"  Harold asserted directing traffic off to the side.

Nodding Weiss couldn't help but tap her foot thinking she was forgetting something…

It was only as the loading ramp was being raised again and the craft was being locked down she jumped.

_Crap!  A map!  I have no idea where Ruby's house is!_

"Map!  Map!  Harold do you have a map!"  She screeched.

Holding up a folded piece of paper the other replied "Yes Ms. Schnee… Kline saw fit to hand me this before we set off."

Sighing she muttered under her breath "I really need to give that man a raise…"  Before stepping into the opened door and finally relaxing inside the limo.

Ignoring or simply not able to hear some of the others grunt a confused question "What's a raise?"

"I think it's how much trouble you get into when you forget something."  Another pondered.

Without any further delay Harold climbed into the driver's seat before long the car was speeding along to its destination.  With a pop the speakers came up with her driver announcing "Ok Ms. Schnee we are on our way, if this map is to be believed it is a rather short trip to Ms. Rose's home. This is however a rather sparsely populated location and there shouldn’t be anybody around for miles.  I have taken the liberty of carrying more than enough fuel for several trips to ensure we have no further delays."

"Thank you Harold."  She replied before rearranging the nearby briefcase and setting it on her lap.

After a few minutes of uneasy silence she couldn't help but open it up to stare at the results of her order those months prior once again.  Never mind that she had poured over every detail multiple times, seeing the objects of her mind made manifest nearly stole her breath each time.

Inside were 3 cases… two of them longer and flat being the matching pendants being even more gorgeous than she envisioned.  One of them with a crimson outer casing and sapphire interior, the other reversed.  When in sunlight the two colors were even more pretty than she predicted.  Each oval gem surrounded by a line of perfectly prepared gold set with diamonds at regular intervals surrounding it before coming to a tight chain link coil at the top.  Expensive… but the Master Artisans at the Manaforge really outdid themselves with those two alone.

The third a uh… 'Very Special Ring' in a more cubical case was the crowning achievement from her order.  Two lines of Gold ran the length of the ring surrounded by diamonds and ruby colored matching cut gems from that same stone.  The top of which had the single biggest diamond Weiss had ever seen in person and yet again was surrounded by smaller diamonds or stone gems in an alternating pattern.  All in all its price tag could practically buy a small island but it was nothing less than how much her partner meant to her.  She knew Ruby was unlikely to care about the cost… only the effort put into making it, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t aim for perfection.

"Ok Ms. Schnee… we are pulling up to the house now.  I think I am meant to park here?  Sorry but you would have some distance to travel on foot."

Pulling her eyes away from ring she shut all 3 cases then closed the briefcase.  "It is no problem.  Entertain yourself for a bit… I don't know if Ruby is going to want to leave right away or wait until tomorrow."

"Should I help you carry in some luggage ma'am?"

Weiss shook her head "No, I will take up something just to stay prepared."

Greeted again by summers heat she swung the door shut behind her fixing any imperfections in her hair.  Minutes later she was walking up the hill a small suitcase in one hand briefcase in the other happy to finally be in the starting points parts of her plan.

_It looks more like a log cabin than a house… oh well.  At least the windows allow some light in… probably don’t have air conditioning inside… It must not be too horrible of a way to live… Ruby and Yang admittedly turned out ok but why even do it if you don’t have too?_

Keeping her head on a swivel she half expected her partner to be off in the forest somewhere firing off her rifle in target practice or possibly swinging her weapon around like a maniac in her form of 'practice'. 

Tempted to pull out her scroll to call and simply ask where she was Weiss paused when she heard faint grunting sounds from a shack off to the side.  Angling that way the sounds continued for a spell until with a smile she identified her partners voice.  After a few more steps she had reached her destination and set her luggage down leaning against the wall, then rounded the corner for a better view.

There she was, Ruby.  Trying not to get too worked up at her appearance Weiss could only be amazed by what she was seeing.  There she was, with her back to the Heiress, doing wide grip pull-ups.  By the amount of sweat on her… she had been at it a good long while.

Ruby Rose, the girl from 3 years ago.  The klutz, the dolt, the person who was 'A hazard to my health' looked unbelievable.  Time seemed to move too quickly for Weiss to perceive how much her girlfriend had grown in her time at Beacon.  But in this quiet moment… with nothing to distract her she could clearly see.

Now fully grown Ruby had to be just as tall as her older sister… probably about 5'8.  There was not an inch of her that Weiss could think might be improved.  Her gloriously shaped *ahem* booty looked perfect in those tight shorts.  Her legs look delicious with a layer of sweat, they just made the lean and athletic look to her all that much more compelling.  Working her eyes above the waist she seemed to realize something.

Ruby… was topless.  Her back looked far more muscled than Weiss realized… of course wielding that heavy scythe like a toy meant she had to have some power back there but… wow she looked good.  Ruby had grown up, truly grown up right before her eyes and Weiss had been too caught up in her own trials to notice.

Showcasing just how athletic she could be Ruby pulled her toes up to the bar and held them there for probably a minute.  Keeping her core painfully still throughout the entire move.  Then without warning an explosive motion swung herself up top to be perpendicular to the ground.

She lowered herself to the bar before pushing herself back up grunting each time.  After probably 30 or so reps she lowered her feet to the bar mirroring the actions from earlier.  Then shifted her legs off to the side really straining her sides.  After a minute she shuffled her legs the other way.  That lovely sheen on her body growing more and more impressive with each second. 

A round of subtle dripping sounds might have been occurring here without the Heiress knowing for anybody keeping score…

Equally abrupt Ruby began to twist down to the bottom again keeping her core tight and in a line.  Flaying her legs out to the side just to heighten the tension.  Then twisting slightly towards the base she came back down ready for more.  Now facing back towards the Heiress she resumed doing pull-ups only this time close gripped.  Focusing so intently she didn’t even notice her girlfriend in the background.

_This isn't fair…_

Weiss thought… Ruby's abdomen cut a perfect V shape 6 pack abs displaying tremendous hard work and somehow still had a bust line that rivaled her sisters!

_Actually it might be a heck of a contest between those two now…_

Jealously ate at her for a brief moment but Weiss could do no more than just sit there as Ruby went through her routine grunting out pull-ups and bringing her feet upwards after every set, then repeat splaying them out to the side in turn.  She could feel the burn in her own stomach each time the Reaper performed that move as the seconds stretched into a minute, yet her Team Leader never shied away from her work.  Each time she did that Weiss felt herself get a little lightheaded, her abs flexing so perfectly delicious.

Finally after several routines back and forth with Ruby not letting up Weiss felt something slightly wet on her hands along with a slightly copper scent on the air.

_What in the?_

Looking down she saw her hands were somewhat red… and that red continued to spurt out at a steady -if not alarming- rate.

_Dust-Damnit Ruby you Dolt!  You gave me a nose-bleed!  How long has it been spurting out like this?!  Drat it's all over the ground!  Must… be… why… I'm so… light…headed…_

Unable to halt herself her vision gradually faded to black before feinting to her back with a THUD!

Next thing she knew:

"Weiss!"  A distant voice shouted.

Feeling a shake on her shoulders Weiss muttered "Wha?"

"Weiss are you ok?"  It repeated.

Finally opening her eyes the Heiress was greeted by her partners beautiful face smiling at her grinning like a fool.

"Yay she's back with us!"  Ruby declared clapping happily.

Very glad the rest of her team wasn’t around to see that… something they would never let her forget Weiss grumbled "I guess I fainted… must be this heat I don’t know how you deal with it.  What Pyrrha must deal with in Mistral I cannot fathom."

Ruby giggled before saying "The blood on the ground might disagree with you on that one Princess."  Pushing herself up slightly extending a hand.

Scowling Weiss decided against retorting and just accepted the offered hand gingerly giving a generous up and down given the must closer proximity to her girlfriend.  Weiss found herself no less impressed with what she saw even if various parts were covered now.

"I see you found a tank-top." 

Scratching the back of her head Ruby smiled again "Well in this heat… It was much cooler with it off.  But I know that type of thing bothers you so I will stay covered up."

Noticing her girlfriend wasn't quite steady on her feet yet Ruby gripped her partners shoulders.

"Hey you sure your ok?"

Smiling embarrassed Weiss gripped Ruby's arms about to pull herself into a hug before stopping with a  confused look "When did you get so hard Ruby wow look at your arms."  _Yeesh Yang and Pyrrha better watch out Ruby isn't fooling around._

_Wait a minute how did Ruby get better/bigger EVERYTHING than me and still be so slim!  Gah this is so unfair.  She's taller, just as thin, has more muscles and bigger breasts… oh well she is MY girlfriend after all.   I sure know how to pick em.  Curious though…_

_Yup._

The Reaper giggled again while Weiss gave a few testing squeezes "I've always had em silly, you just never noticed till now."

"Just… wow.  It's impressive."  Weiss admitted honestly.

Not holding back any longer Ruby pulled her girlfriend into a tight hug.  Weiss only hesitated for a moment before deciding the sweat was irrelevant and whole heartedly submitted to the embrace.

"I'm glad you are here."  Ruby stated rubbing Weiss back.

Humming happily in response she didn’t trust herself to say anything right now, always enjoying a hug with her girlfriend.  Though if she were to speak it would probably be 'You are so warm.'

Ruby gave Weiss a cute peck on the cheek before backing out of the hug moving her hands to Weiss' waist.

Smiling happily the Heiress finally found her voice "Happy to be here.  Are you always this sweaty at home?"

Laughing lightly Ruby grinned in her adorable way.  "Maybe."  Moving her hands over her girlfriends hips.

Seeming content to hold her before turning to grab a towel and take a drink of water.  Seemingly every action she did or any motion of her hips just multiplied Weiss' eagerness to get on with their private vacation.  The chance to be alone with this woman on a lengthy break was exactly what she wanted.

"So about our vacation… when did you want to leave?"  The Heiress asked hoping she didn’t sound too eager, that would be most unbecoming.

Ruby hesitated for a moment before drawing the towel over her face.

"Weiss… I think we need to talk about that."

Suddenly unsure where Ruby was going with this she cocked her head to the side.  "What do we need to talk about?  I mean it is all arranged, the hotel stays the flights.  If you want to know where we are going I can tell you but I'd rather it be a surprise, you don’t need to worry about any of that."

Setting the drink aside after nearly emptying it she took a deep breath.

"Look I uh … I don't mean to sound ungrateful.  I do want to spend time with you.  You are my partner and my girlfriend and I love spending time with you.  But… now is just not the time for me to go on vacation."

Blinking in surprise Weiss asked "What do you mean it isn't the time for a vacation?  It is the summer isn't it?"

Sighing again Ruby  continued "Weiss… with what happened on our last assignment.  We barely survived against Qrow and them.  We lost Jaune's mom.  Just… this isn't the time to take it easy.  All of his team works so hard even during the summer… Just.  If you want to take some time to yourself I won't try to stop you.  But I cannot do that.  His mother died saving mine Weiss.  If another person sacrificed themselves like that for me I … well I don't know what I would do.  But I decided I need to take this time to practice.  Really focus on getting in shape.  As in REAL shape like what Jaune or Pyrrha or Kate has worked towards.  Really put in the time in the off season you know work on my technique.  Work the klutz out of me."  She giggle humorlessly trying to lighten the talk slightly.

Weiss could only blink.

"Just… I can't… I need to work Weiss I won't let somebody down like that again."

"Ruby you didn’t let anybody down, they are trained huntsmen well respected in the community.  That isn't suppose to be an easy fight by any standard."  The Heiress pointed out.

Shaking her head "So what?  What if we end up fighting other mind controlled huntsmen again?  What if they freely turn traitor?  We can't use that fact as an excuse.  We barely survived as a team Weiss.  You might call it childish but what was it the Professor always said?  'A team is only a strong as the work ethic of its best member?' or how about 'We need to prepare for the worst case scenario, not the best case.'  I will not get out worked.  Not anymore.  Not now with everything happening.  I see our sister team working so hard all the time and I am going to start doing the same thing even if I have to do it alone."

Weiss bit back her argument when Deb was mentioned and maybe for the first time saw Ruby Rose.  As in the true Ruby Rose.  Not the clumsy and awkward young girl from beacon.  This woman was a Huntress.  Weiss always knew what potential her partner had, Ruby was always an elite Huntress in the making.  This aspect of her must be the person Ozpin saw when he offered to jump her forward to Beacon early.  Her true self.  This woman was a team leader -her team leader- and her partner to boot.  This woman spoke not from an uneasy place of leadership but from a rock hard determination to grow and be the best Huntress she possibly can be.  Staring into her eyes Weiss saw not a lick of doubt within.  This was an argument she would not win even if they argued it 100 times over.

She sighed in disappointed acceptance.

_So much for the vacation._

"Ok… Just give me a moment to grab my things."  She said before moving back towards her luggage.

Ruby issued a sad smile… but nodded and moved back ready for more work.  Deciding to grab another few gulps of water before resuming her training.  She paused just before she was ready to jump up and get back to it when she caught sight of her girlfriend through the wood panels off to the side.

She couldn't hear what was being said.  But Weiss was talking on her scroll.

_Probably telling people to expect only one person now instead of two…_

Ruby took a deep breath before Weiss surprised her.  Right there in the open… she started to strip.  As in take off her top, and start to remove her bra.

Intrigued Ruby moved towards the wall to get a better view.

Weiss began working with her skirt then took off her *scandalous* g-string panties displaying her perfectly shaped but adorably tiny butt for all to see… of course Ruby was the only one within miles to witness it.  Weiss began to grumble a bit pulling on a matching set of clothing before turning back towards the shack entryway.  Moving away to not get caught peaking Weiss appeared from around the corner appearing every bit determined as her girlfriend was a few moments ago.

Gone was the cute top and sexy skirt… now she only wore a sports bra and short clingy bottoms.  Her hair pins were gone, replaced with an ugly binding keeping it in a pony tail.  Setting her feet as if she was preparing for an argument Weiss closed her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"Ok if you are going to stay here and work all summer then so will I."  She announced then paused as if waiting for any counter arguments to dare present themselves.

"But Weiss… your vacation."  Ruby stated.

Opening her eyes the Heiress sent a burning glare at her girlfriend.  "If you are going to work yourself to the bone then I'll be damned before I let you do that alone.  If you are going to push yourself this hard with practice and such then I will do it with you and I will not be hearing anything about telling me otherwise!"

Ruby looked overjoyed before cautiously stating "This is wonderful!  Just… I hope you get along with my trainers… they can be… overzealous."

Raising an eyebrow Weiss asked "Trainers?"

From the top of the shack a red-eyed bird jumped off her perch and morphed to land with a graceful -Thump!-.  Raven rose up to tower over the Heiress.

"Hello Ms. Schnee.  Glad to meet my nieces partner."  She declared ominously.

Gulping Weiss nodded back "Nice to meet you… much better now without those pink eyes from earlier."

From behind the shack wall another voice announced "Yeah I very much agree."

At first Weiss thought it was her girlfriend speaking… until Summer rounded the corner carrying a tray of cookies with some milk.

"Happy to meet my daughters girlfriend.  We might have the time to properly get to know each other with this development."  She said with an even more ominous smile.

_Oh dear… what did I just get myself into?_

Smiling happily Ruby came up and put an arm around the shorter girls shoulder "Mom has been helping me with my semblance a bunch already.  It seems we have the same type and there is a boatload I don’t know about.  Auntie Raven has been in charge of the physical stuff."

"I thought your uncle was your teacher?"  Weiss asked.

"Well… we rather thought after all those years of being on the road the guys should be the ones out of the house.  As such… they are currently undercover."  Raven stated with a grin.

"Undercover… meaning?"

With a look at each other Summer answered "Meaning on a boat… observing a certain cat-faunus and blond haired girl on a trip to Menagerie."

_Oh crap… Yang isn't going to be happy when she figures that out…_

With a stomp that captured the groups attention Raven put some volume to her voice when she broadcast "Ok that is enough of a break.  Get back on that beam!"

With a light jump Ruby was back up there hanging several feet off the ground while Weiss walked over unsure what she got herself into.

"Get up there Ms. Schnee, if you are going to be here you are going to work by my rules."  Raven declared.

Jumping up Weiss could barely reach the bar… None the less she hung there as Raven orated.

"Ok… get to work.  Same routine as before but without stopping midway this time.  We will do things with tempo in mind.  We will build your endurance and shed those pounds at the same time building your body up to hold up in a contest.  Aura on its own is not enough one must have the body to backup its use or all you are doing is delaying the inevitable."

_Endurance?  Shedding pounds!  Is she calling me fat?!_

"Are you-"

"GO  GET TO WORK LADIES NO MORE STANDING AROUND WASTING TIME!!!"  Raven yelled somehow producing a megaphone and evil looking sunglasses reaching for one of the newly arrived cookies.

Instantly snapping to work the partners were too focused on getting their work done to complain about anything else.  Even if they remained glad for each other's company despite recent events.

***Back on the Boat***

Feeling much better after some interactive stress removal with her girlfriend Blake enjoyed a book via a lamp while Yang continued to tinker with the motor.

"I wonder what Ruby is up too?  It was always fun hanging out with you two last summer."  Blake commented wistfully.

Yang giggled before guessing "It probably has something to do with cookies unless I miss my guess."

Something on the wind might have cried out 'I was promised cookies!' followed immediately by an evil 'AAA-HA-HA I ate them already!'

Shivering slightly Yang looked around spooked "Yeesh it's like somebody just stepped on my grave!"

Blake looked around amused "What? Is it?  Hear anything?"

Unsure herself Yang resumed work on the motor "Not sure… just normally when somebody says the 'C' word Ruby appears to eat them.  I half expected her to appear next to me."

Snapping to attention Blake  reached for her weapon and stood to her feet ready to move.  "Somebody is coming!"

Unsure who would be visiting her cabin the Cat-Girl was prepared to have the occasional battle even if she preferred to avoid them.  It was always possible they were picked up by hostile White Fang personnel on the trip… they thought they were careful but there is always some level of risk with something like this.

Yang spun around into a battle stance ready to defend herself if she must, standing that way for several heartbeats the Partners were well prepared mentally for a fight to break out.  With whoever Blake heard getting closer the Brawler finally heard some heavy footsteps creaking their way up to the door stopping just outside, a gentle knock indicated no hostile intent.

"Hello Ms. Xiao Long?  I'm with the ship staff… I have a package for you."  A young male voice broadcast.

Exchanging a confused glance at her girlfriend Yang strode forward while Blake angled her weapon so as to not obviously appear armed.

Creaking the door open cautiously Yang asked "I'm Ms. Xiao Long… what do you have for me?"

A young well built but heavyset male switched his gaze between the two very attractive young women in the room before getting some color on his cheeks.

"Sometime today please."  Yang indicated.

Jumping to an alert state he pushed a package forwards "It seems some of your luggage was given to the wrong passenger Ma'am.  They returned it and asked us to return it to its owner."

_But… I didn’t lose any of my luggage…_

"Did they tell you what it was?"  Blake asked having moved forwards a few steps.

He shook his head "No… just that it was a personal item.  With you taking it I will be heading back.  Enjoy your evening."

Yang viciously ripped into the package to pull out some clothing… that really looked like it could be hers.  Displaying the perfect amount of skin and cleavage while showing off those muscles she loved to flaunt… The Brawler knew she didn’t buy this but it really could have been something she ordered.

"Yang… this company.  This is the aura infused material Weiss spoke about."  Blake quietly mentioned.

"Huh?"

"The stuff that lets you form-shift without losing all your clothing each time you do it… this is designed with that ability in mind."  Blake ascertained unsure what all this meant.

Her focus going blank Yang fully realized that the list of people who knew that she could become a bird was incredibly short, and that none of them had a chance to order her this outfit quickly brought her eyebrows together.  Before… coming to a conclusion.

"You!  Sir Wait!"  She called out walking after him.

He turned around and put his hands behind his back.  "There a problem Ma'am?"

"The person who gave you this package… my stuff.  Where are they now?"  She demanded.

Scratching his head the young sailor guessed "They were in the diner last I saw Miss."

Tossing the package back towards her bike Yang moved with purpose towards her new destination.

Not sure what has her partner so alarmed Blake morphed Gambol Shroud into something more concealable and locked the door behind her.

"What's wrong?"  She asked after catching up to her girlfriend.

"You don't need to come with me now… this is personal."  Yang stated.

"Damnit Yang stop moving!"  Blake demanded.

Yang took a deep breath but obliged, greeting her girlfriend with her patented angry red eyes.

Slightly taken aback Blake asked "What in the world has you so mad?  I don’t care if its personal or not we are a team."

Yang was about to retort 'This is a family matter'… before wisely swallowing that reaction back down.

"Sorry… I don't predict this meeting will go well."  Before turning again forwards again to keep moving.

"Who, Meeting what?  What has you so angry what are you talking about?" The cat-girl repeated easily keeping pace.

"Blake… who could have given us that package realistically?  Weiss would have included it with the bike parts.  Jaune would have done something more clever than pretend he wound up with it.  The list of people who would buy this for me is pretty slim.  It's an even shorter list than the people who know I need something like this to begin with.  Meaning?"

Getting back to her typical quick witted self Blake stated "You think your parents gave you this?"

Nodding the Brawler claimed "That is my best guess and if I am right… well I expect some answers and they better be good or we might be rowing our way to Menagerie."

"Just don’t do something outlandish Yang, I hope to avoid unwanted attention.  Wrecking a boat and getting arrested is the exact opposite of that."

Grabbing her girlfriends broad shoulders Blake spun her and voiced "Promise me you will keep your cool… alright?"

Yang seemed really conflicted for the longest time… but eventually relented "For you, I will promise."

Taking her hand with a grateful squeeze Blake mumbled "Thank you."

As a pair they made the rest of journey towards the onboard diner.  Entering through the glass double doors to find… more or less what was to be expected.  Various groups of differing sizes were seated around the large open area enjoying each other's company and the fine food from the kitchens.

"Smells like fish."  Blake commented… likely trying to be amusing.

Rushing passed the partners a blond haired male kept his hands over his mouth as if he was about ready to be sick.

"Poor guy… almost like he was as bad as Jaune with his usual motion sickness."  Yang stated with a coy grin.

Blake kept surveying the room casually and quietly asked "See anything familiar?"

A young stewardess walked up to greet them "Hello Ladies… 2 for the evening?"

"Don't say it." Yang whispered.

"Fish sounds great!  A table please."  Blake confirmed brightly.

Yang facepalmed.  _Damned seafood addict._

Humming happily to herself Blake towed her girlfriend along the way and took her seat at the provided table.

"Menu's?"

"Yes please."  Blake replied pulling her chair forwards.

"Blake what are you doing this isn't what we came here for?"  Yang asked incredulously.

Opening the menu the other replied "So what would you have us do?  Just wander the seating area like a duck out in the open poking everybody we come across?  We might as well blend in while we look and if we can get some dinner at the same time all the better."

Yang made one of her 'thinking' faces in contemplation before nodding nonchalantly.

"Alright… I guess a steak sounds good."

Smiling openly Blake cut in with "Now you're getting it.  Look around casually."

By the time their waitress came around Yang had fully bought into the idea and even suggested they get some appetizers.  She never really did give up the idea of looking for whoever was the gift giver… but had yet to identify somebody she knew.

Neither of them ate particularly quickly, due to a mix of remaining alert to their surroundings but also trying to savor the excellent meal.  Even so while neither of them rushed… they had to accept that there just was not anybody present waiting for them.  Or at least they were simply much better at blending in such that they went unseen.

"I guess there really is nothing here… I was sure we would bump into my dad."  Yang declared once they were on their way back for the night.

"What exactly would you have done if he was there?  Would you have honestly started a fight around all those people?"  Her partner asked.

Yang scoffed initially but genuinely considered before replying "I don’t know, I really don't.  Part of me wants to slug him over how he left Ruby and I… but I'm not so unreasonable that I can't see that they needed to do it.  Probably only expected to be gone for a few months."

Giving her a pointed look Blake stated "That is a very different speech than what you would have said an hour ago."

Rounding a familiar corner their section in the back of the ship came into view.

"I guess I cooled off… must be the night air-"

"Shhh!"

Going quiet once again Blake lowered her stance to move nearly silent.  Doing her best to mimic her Yang whispered "Now what is it?"

Pointing back towards their room Blake stated "There is somebody in our room.  I can smell them."

Sending a glance towards their door Yang didn’t see anything out of place.  "A Maid?"  She asked.

"Maybe but I doubt it… it’s a male.  That much I can say for sure."  The Cat-Girl claimed edging closer towards the door.

Giving her partner a pointed look they locked eyes for a moment, then nodded.

With a surge of movement they got the door open and closed behind them in the span of a couple seconds.  Before them was a somewhat tall male with sandy blond hair wearing a black poncho.

"The guy who was sick from the diner?"  Blake whispered loudly enough for her partner to hear.

"You two have done well…"  The stranger said turning around slowly.

"… though this bike seems to be missing some rather key points.  I thought I taught you better than that Yang?"

Blinking Yang seemed completely at a loss for words leaving enough time for the black bird resting on her father's shoulder to flap its way free and morph into the shape of her uncle Qrow.

"Hey girls."  He said in greeting.

"I guess we have a few things to talk about huh?"

"Temper Yang…"  Blake muttered under her breath.

"I see you didn’t try on Qrow's gift.  He put a bunch of time into picking it out.  It really worked against his fashion sense."  Tai claimed with a grin.

Shrugging the red eyed one said "Yeah cause our family is blessed with an abundance of fashion sense."

Caught between arming her gauntlets and trying to talk things out Yang settled for "I guess we do have some things to talk about… but I reserve the right to punch."

Smiling rather proudly Tai commented "That’s my girl."

Sighing Blake found a spot and pulled out a book.  Shoopuf wandered over and soon was resting on her owners shoulder "Best settle in for now girl… it might be a long night."

**A/N**

**Keeping it super short this time and for a nice change of pace I blame my beta reader for the delay!  It was actually done well before she got back to me!  Everybody look over that way and direct your angry glares at her for once!**

***threatens to stop beta-ing***

**Or… nah just keep burning a hole in my head… that works too.**

**Thanks again for reading, as ever I am eager for feedback in any format you choose to present to me, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


	60. Y4 Summer: Pink Haired Falling Objects

4.3  Pink clad falling objects.

After seemingly a lifetime of living with his orange haired friend Ren couldn’t help but be assured life had no further surprises for him… at least not anything from said individual.

Specifically in relation to how many times he had been wrong on that self assurance.  Yet even so it never changed the fact that he just couldn’t help himself.  Each time she would give him that nearly insane look of 'We are about to do something silly and you can't talk your way out of it.' He would rise to the challenge and attempt to prove her wrong.

Maybe somebody should tell him what the definition of insanity is?  Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result each time?

It didn’t help that this cycle of improvable events was all bound to some measure of reliability.  Like for example how he was currently on a plane heading back to Nora's home to help with whatever needed to be done.  That tends to range anywhere from manual labor inside the mines.  Typically that wasn’t the most lucrative of operation as her home really only had the one gemstone it was famous for…  but it was a place he assisted time to time.

More likely it would revolve around patrolling the countryside for any Grimm activity taking advantage of Beacon's coursework.  Heck it might even be helping people build homes or anything else you can imagine.  Nora's weapon and essentially family symbol is a hammer after all, when something needs to be smacked they have plenty to choose from.

Summer work in her hometown normally only had a few guaranteed aspects to it.  First… it helped keep you fit.  Second, the people around you were their own version of crazy given that Nora fit in perfectly with the locals.  Third they tend to keep you well fed.  Finally you got to relax the entire trip there and back to sleep it off.

All of these points amount to something grounded in reality, the type of thing that had a reliable start, middle ground and finish.

This flight started out essentially the same way as all the others before.  Showing up at a ridiculous time beforehand.  Boarding and then waiting an inordinate amount of time before they were actually airborne.  Reliable… but frustrating. 

None of this was helped by his traveling companion being the person with the single shortest attention span he had ever known.  Why Nora couldn't focus for any length of time outside of a mission or assignment Ren to this day did not understand.  Normal with Nora was always defined as a certain level of abnormality he and everybody he knew had accepted this.  Typically he was pretty good about predicting those periods of time and having some distraction prepared to wait out the storm.

Normally… except for now.  So the cycle span through yet another turn.

It started innocently enough… him resting and waking up for an in-flight lunch courtesy of his good friend.  Though her elbows to the ribs have been getting more menacing of late.

"Ok I'm up!  I'm up!"  He pleaded sitting upright.

Handing him a tray she giggled "Good… I was tempted to eat yours and say they ran out."

Digging in he commented "That would not have been nice Nora."

Shrugging she commented "Meh, I'm hungry, it was terribly tempting.  You should be proud of me for resisting."

"You are always hungry there is nothing to congratulate there…"

"Hey!  I am allowed to be hungry if you are always allowed to be sleepy!"

Looking confused he replied "But I'm not always sleepy!"

Sticking her chest out she declared "Then why am I always waking you up!"

Taking a bite he shrugged allowing her to translate however she wanted too.

Giving him a narrow eyed look Nora scowled at him briefly before lighting up in a rather dangerous way… at least if history were any judge.

"I think I know what you need."

Nodding as if he agreed "Yeah right now I need to finish my meal."

The dangerous bleeding into an evil visage Nora smirked like only she could "Tell you what Renny-"

"-No."  He said instinctively.

Ignoring him she continued "I will let you finish your meal in peace… IF you make the bet with me again."

_Here we go._

"Why would I do that?  I'm fine up here relaxing before we land."  He asked innocently taking another bite.

Giving him a nice version of Ruby's puppy dog look Nora implored "Cause I'm Boorrrrrrrrrreed!   Oh and I asked you so nicely!"

Nora didn’t appear to blink as she sent him that puppy like stare despite his best impressions to ignore it.  Finishing up his meal he thought about it before nonchalantly saying.

"Yeah you did ask nicely-" The reaction was immediate…

"HAH!  You said yes!  Yay!"  Gripping his wrist.

"Nora no no I need to let it set!"

Unheeding him they were soon out of their chairs heading towards the back of the plane, one slightly more excited about it than the other.

Knowing better than to resist Ren issued a hearty sigh "Nora… what are you doing and or where are we going?"

Giggling in her own way she replied "Relax its all arranged, I have a surprise for you.  We are going on a field trip!"

Rolling his eyes he had to admit he was asleep for a good hour or two before he was awoken via elbow jab.

Rolling his eyes "A field Trip?  Nora we are on a plane not the Forever Fall Forest.  I can assure you confidently there is no syrup over yonder."

Looking over her shoulder with a somewhat sinister glean she stated "Wanna bet?"

Shaking his head he kept his peace until arriving at their destination… the literal back of the plane loading ramp and all.  Emerging into a dark cargo section of the plane he really couldn’t see much.

"What are we doing Nora and why does the staff seem in on it?  Pretty sure we aren't meant to be back here."

"I told you… we are going on a field trip.  Yeesh and you say my attention span is the short one."  She stated sarcastically hitting a light switch.

"Well… we seem to have hit the end of the plane.  I guess that means the trip is over, can I go back to my comfortable chair now?"  He stated flatly.

"Oh C'mon Renny you should know better than that by now.  When I say something, I mean it.  Look around you will see what I mean."  She stated wandering off to the side.

_I better not spot a caged Ursa up here… what… you know I'm not even going to consider that._

His singular unpleasant thought aside he couldn't help but smile at that, he moved forward ducking under some hanging cargo to come face to face with what Nora likely was referencing.  Recognizing a vehicle commonly used in her hometown right in the middle of the storage area.  A rough and tough 4 wheeler doorless Jeep naturally painted a pink and black common to her family.  What he didn’t understand is why his cargo was already loaded in and buckled down.

"Nora…Nora?....  NORA?!?!"  He broadcast getting progressively louder each time.

"What What Whaaat I'm here?"  She stated incredulously poking her head around the corner.

Indicting the vehicle Ren stated "Care to tell me why there is a car back here?  It isn't exactly a long trip to your house once we land."

Waving him off she mostly ignored the question "I'll get to that in a second, you only brought your two normal suitcases right?"

Now feeling slightly alarmed Ren definitely raised an eyebrow there.  "What are you on about?  Yeah I just brought the two… they are already locked and loaded."  Then after looking closer added "Actually your stuff is already loaded too Nora come clean with me now.  What are you planning?"

Putting her hands on her hips Nora issued an exasperated groan "How can I be more clear?!  I've told you 3 times now that we are going on a field trip!"

"A field trip to where Nora we are in the air, mid flight, on a plane!"  He pointed out yet again.

Walking towards him she tossed a him a pack and said "Here, put this on."

Turning around with an energetic wave the Hammer-wielder said "Ok Misty we are ready!  Any time!"

He stood there transfixed just now identifying the bag "Nora why are you giving me a parachute?"

She had moved to the other end of the car having put on her pack… somehow she also had procured a bottle of syrup already enjoying a sample.

"Ok Ms. Valkyrie!  Have a pleasant trip!"  Misty apparently said over the speakers.

Nora waved again briefly while Ren asked yet another time "Nora I ask again… why are you giving me a parachute?"

Once again repeating "You are going to need it… put it on Renny."

"But we are on a PLLAAAAAANNNNNNEEE N-N-NOOORRRRRAAAAA!"  Keeping calm right up until the floor opened up somewhat comically dropping both Hunters in training and the vehicle out the airlock.

Emerging from the plane via freefall Ren couldn’t quite believe Nora was crazy enough to do that… almost.  More alarming was the fact he never really got his chute bag on properly.  Falling with his body open and flat to the ground his partner smiled at him still working on that syrup bottle.

"NORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!"

"What you don’t have to shout I'm right here."  She replied calmly.

"Fine I'll try again calmer this time…  Are you INSANE!!!!!"  He stated less frantically.

Looking at him in a calculating manner she lit up like a light bulb briefly "Oh I think I get it!  Don't worry about the plane they closed the hole in the floor already see!"  She declared pointing upwards.

"Totally NOT what I was talking about!  Are you actually insane?!"  He repeated struggling with the pack.

"What?  Oh the car!?  Don't worry it has plenty of chute packs on it!  In fact if you look up they are probably about to!" *POP!!*  "Ah-HA!  See?!"

"GAAH!!!"

On queue the Jeep's four chutes all fired at once with a deceptively loud pop slowing the car tremendously.  Somewhat irritating was the image on each of the chutes… Nora's face with a cocky smile giving him a thumbs up.

_Why do I even bother with this sometimes…  Just count to 10 you will feel better._

"Renny…"  His partner stated calmly still slurping on that bottle of syrup.

With another sigh he replied "Yes Nora?"

"Your chute… might want to get that on… you know maybe 30 or so seconds till you go splat."

_3… 4... 5... 6..._

"Renny put on the pack!  If you don't who would make me pancakes!"

_7… 8… 9…_

"Not much time Renny!" Nora pulled her cord quickly slowing her speed pulling away from him.

With another sigh he pulled his arms around the pack and strapped it on properly "10."  He stated with a hard yank on the cord.

And… nothing happened.

Yanking on it a few more times Ren came to the a regrettable conclusion 'The chute seems to be defective-'

"RENNNYYY!!!  The ground!"  Nora screamed from above him.

Closing his eyes he took another deep breath to center himself moving his hands in front of his body.

"HRRRRGGH!"  He grunted opening them up mere meters from the ground.  As if by magic he slowed to a crawl as he engaged and flexed his semblance coming to a mid air stop just a couple feet from the ground.  Gently moving his arms forward he flipped his legs overtop to stand upright feeling better to be on solid ground. 

Coming in from above him his partner was closing in judging by the gleeful shout.

"WEEEE!!!- Opp!"  Nora stated missing the stop to fall to her bum clumsily.

While dusting himself off the Jeep gently landed to the ground about 20 or so feet away, conveniently close to a nearby road.  Moving towards his partner he broadcast "Are you about ready to tell me what that was about?"

Nora had to dig her way out of the parachute before sending him a somewhat evil smile… but one grounded in good intent. "You mean beyond a field trip I assume?"

Walking to check on the jeep Nora seemed satisfied everything was still in working order with a few easy tests.

Deciding to join her Ren waited until he could put his hands seat before replying "Yes, beyond that please."

Smiling again she turned to him and said "Before I answer that we have a matter to solve."

Raising an eyebrow he replied "A matter to solve?"

Pointing to the plane in the distance she declared "Admit it!  I surprised you!"

He chuckled just deciding to get right to the point "No Nora, I am not surprised that you dropped us out of a plane… I am however surprised that you remembered to fuel the vehicle."

Nora held her gaze for a few seconds before beginning to giggle innocently, growing into a light laugh at its high point.  It might have stopped there had a loud pop not echoed through the area as his parachute finally decide to deploy covering the stoic Huntsmen with a funny visage of herself.

Now rolling along the ground laughing hysterically Nora's laugh rang out throughout the wilderness disturbing various wildlife for miles around.

Ren fully covered by the chute could only sigh and admit one more thing.

"Somehow the fact that just happened, doesn’t surprise me either."

***On the way to Mistral via plane***

Par for the course for the Knight, Jaune found himself awake while Pyrrha continued to make the most adorable puffs and huffs in her rest.  Occasionally tightening her arm around him muttering something indiscernible, it still got him to chuckle and relax a bit.  The part where her finger twirled his hair was new… and he remained unsure what he thought about that.

Jaune could not say if this world had any gods or divine beings but if any existed they would know he has had more than enough on his mind of late.  Truth be told he was still processing it all.  He spent more hours than was healthy wondering how he was given right to enter Beacon despite being open about not having the prerequisite skills.  About… well about a lot of things.  In some cases even after the answers presented themselves.

"Jaune… sleep you silly… silly… duck."  Pyrrha mumbled in her sleep.

He kissed her forehead and smiled.

_Even when she sleeps she still worries about me… I really was lucky to meet her.  I probably don’t tell her that often enough._

As he lay there and sleep still didn’t take him he couldn't help but recap everything yet again.

First the mission with the only casualty being his mother.  Ozpin revealing himself as his father and apparently giving him the green light to tell that to whoever he wants too.  Nearly missing his own mother's funeral to show up at the last moment…

At least the stunt with opening a hole in the clouds worked… too bad it didn’t stop the rain.  To say his suit was soaked by the time he stood up would be something unequivocally fair. 

Oh well… nothing I can do about it now.

"Yup… sleep you…"  Pyrrha grumbled repositioning herself more fully on top of him.

Sighing he closed his eyes…

_Her highness commands… I guess it's time to try again._

In time… this time he was able to find some rest.

***Later***

Pyrrha woke up first stretching like a happy kitten before opening her eyes.  Checking for the time she spun back around and took a good look at her boyfriend.

_At least he finally was able to sleep…_

As tempted as she was to lay herself back on for another hour or two she knew the plane would be landing soon.  Giving him a sweet but brief kiss she took a quick study of the results from her efforts with him before humming in approval. _Yeah… I do good work._

Smiling into a slight blush she spun off him eager to get home and enjoy the mistral heat once again.

Finding herself in the mirror she managed to surprise herself by the size of her own smile.

_I just hope I can get that dream out of my head… won't be able to focus all day if I can't._

Normally Pyrrha would just enter the bathroom to get ready for the day but given the number of people on this flight they had to reserve a different style plane than normal.  As such while there are rooms for individual or shared sleeping quarters each room did not have their own bathroom.  Thus she resisted the urge to wait and give her boyfriend a show that morning, to just grab her things and move towards the women's bathroom.

Out the door and down the hallway she went.  Passing several doors belonging to other members of her family along her way.  Several steps later the Spartan entered the room at the end to find her best friend already within.  Thankfully Conner didn’t 'accidentally' get a brief view or he might have put himself into a coma via nosebleed.  Pyrrha was never attracted to her best friend but she had to admit… the girl had a figure most women dreamt of achieving.  However much the other would just reflect that praise back on the Spartan herself or the help of her friends.

"Morning."  The smiling redhead stated.

Nodding back Kate finished putting on her Mistrali style toga before deciding she needed to stretch a bit more that morning.

"Can't figure it out but I've been abnormally stiff ever since we took off… I guess we are all still recovering from the last week.  Still it surprises me normally I recover much quicker than this."  Before proceeding to effortlessly get her palms to the ground.

"Kate it's your imagination… if you were any more limber you would be a rubber band."  Pyrrha kidded working into her own red and gold toga, placing her used stuff in the appropriate container.

Grunting in amusement the other retorted "Yes… my stiffness is all in my head.  It's a scary place to be I know.  I must be imagining this stretch feeling good too.  Nobody could EVER like stretching."

With the Spartan focusing on getting dressed, probably out of modesty for anybody who might join them the Ghost gave up on her sarcasm for the moment.  Pyrrha was just stepping into the garment  when Kate adjusted the toe touch to a split when she resumed speaking with: "How'd you two sleep last night?  He doing better?"

"You are asking me?  I figured you'd know better than I would."  Pyrrha commented.

Kate shrugged "I know that he is waking up now but I have no idea what caused the drastic change… he seems almost back to normal now.  I don't get it and… well I figure maybe he said something."

Moving her arms through the appropriate strap Pyrrha stated "Might have something to do with what the headmaster said, seems rather likely to me.  But no to answer your question he didn’t tell me anything.  I trust him to tell us when he is ready."

Kate appeared as if she wanted to argue out of habit… but in the end she couldn't do anything but agree either.  Though… Pyrrha suspected her good friends instincts might be leading to believe Jaune had something rather game changing to share.  Though what that could be… she could not guess.

By the time Pyrrha pulled the final strap above her neck Kate seemed content that everything was loose enough… that or she just got tired of stretching.  Thus after flipping herself back vertically she changed topics.

"Besides you have been grinning like a fool from the moment you walked in here… any reason for that?"  She asked curiously.

Unable to stop from blushing Pyrrha smiled shyly not even trying to deny it.

"I … had a humorous dream I just can't get out of my head."

As if those words summoned her Katherine slid closer and pondered "Are you going to make me drag it out of you?"

Her face becoming something resembling her hair color Pyrrha replied "Why do you always make me talk about embarrassing things?!"

"Because I am an evil evil woman and I feed off your shame, spill it what gives?  Why the blush?!"  Staring into her eyes seemingly with the power of mind control.

Pyrrha covered her face with her hands and still somehow felt her best friends glare.  Realizing on some level she WANTED to share this with Katherine, the Spartan breathed deeply… _It's JUST a laugh after all what's the harm?_ "Well… you know how I am always stealing Jaune's hoodie?  Especially when I'm cold?"

Nodding slowly Kate awaited the punch line…

"Well… I dreamt that I woke up and I saw Jaune trying on my corset… you know the one from 3 years ago?  He kept fumbling with the straps and it was the most adorable thing I've ever…"

Pyrrha might have continued to speak… rambling uncontrollably might even be a better term.  Something most of her friends knew occurred once the redheaded warrioress felt truly comfortable with those around her.

Not noticing any of that the Ghost had already checked out at that mental image.  Kate's eye twitched… her lip curled… and she took a deep breath.

***Back in his room***

Waking up in his room Jaune took a deep breath before quickly realizing his twin was up and mobile already.  Deciding the time had arrived to get dressed he grumbled his way out of bed and down the hall towards the dressing rooms.

Having no desire to arrive in something that would just cause him to swim towards his destination he quickly got to work changing into his mistral style garments.

Not long after shutting the changing room door did he hear a piercing laughing boom through the wall between the men's and women's changing areas.

"Kate!"

Instantly recognizing both the laugh and the complainer Jaune figured it might be better if he didn’t know in this case…

Still laughing uncontrollably his twin tried fumbling with the door till she gave up entirely and just leaned against the wall giving it a thump every now and again.

"Katherine Arc!"  Pyrrha tried again.  "It… this really isn't that funny!"

Catching herself long enough to speak Kate retorted "Speak for yourself!  Oh my goodness I can't wait to-"

"SILENCE WE SHALL speak of this no more!"  The Spartan insisted as sternly.  Jaune at this point guesstimated his girlfriends blush would be so profuse as he might never have seen a shade that red from her before.

As if bursting into the picture at the same time the door next to his crashed open with Pyrrha's younger sister Cara along with her posse of friends seemed to poke their nose in the conversation. "I could do to hear more of it!  Speak on Katherine!"

"KATE-KATE NO I FORBID YOU FROM SPEAKING FURTHER!"

Deciding it was probably safer up where breakfast was being prepared Jaune exited the room and tip toed his way to safety.

Catching a view of his twin tapping her foot to the floor contemplating the danger of being open vs the possibilities for a good laugh.  Jaune eventually found solace in a chair ignoring the curious glare from the remainder of Pyrrha's family. 

Eventually as if coming to a decision Kate opened Pandora's box by admitting:

"Your older sister has the strangest dreams.  Personally I find them fascinating-"

"No-No-No STOP!!!"  Pyrrha demanded.

"You would need to ask her about it though."  His twin concluded.

When Cara and her friends sharing a glance before stepping forward and locking the door.  Pyrrha was granted about 2 seconds of silence before they started plying her with questions leaving Kate free to surrender another bout of laughter.

_Must have done exactly what she wanted them to do…  Oh dear._

"No-No and NOOO!  This is a private conversation!"  Pyrrha asserted sternly.

"But we were invited to join in!"  Cara complained.

"What Hey- KATE!!! GET BACK HERE!"

Utilizing her semblance Kate appeared from beyond the wall grinning like a fool.  Everything about her spoke that she was the picture of merriment.

"Good that they work out this energy before we land.  It is always best to avoid causing a stir in the airport."  Luke commented across the living space as Kate found a spot next to her brother.

Trying to ignore the sibling squabble down the hallway Jaune muttered "I see you couldn't help but embarrass my girlfriend again Kate."

Humming in reply she seemed to recover from her case of the giggles "Oh… I think some mutual embarrassment is more like it.  At least most assuredly if she does speak on… that dream of hers.  Whatever happened to that old corset she wore anyway?"  That last spoken while looking at the nearby parents.

Phaera answered "Oh… I'm sure it's at home somewhere.  She never needed it after Deb… well after she was gifted that fabulous armor.  But it's still around."

Raising an eyebrow he considered for a moment.

_Well whatever it is cannot make HER feel embarrassed so… oh boy she must mean me._

"I think you understand now."  Kate whispered smirking slightly.

At yet another round of hysterical laughter from the back followed by Pyrrha opening the door looking every bit as red as her hair Jaune decided it was time for a hasty retreat.

Patting his legs and standing up again the Knight declared "Well I think I will volunteer myself for breakfast duty… who wants eggs?"

Thankfully shielded from any prying eyes Jaune was thankful for some privacy once he set to work… though he couldn’t help but feel as if a target was on his back as all of the younger crowd was eying him rather suspiciously. 

_Don't wanna know… whatever it is I do not want to know._

From then on focusing on doing his job was the priority… even so he couldn’t help but cringe each time laughter roared in from outside the kitchen.

***Back on their Field Trip***

"Ok Nora. We are in the middle of nowhere, driving on a road while I do not have the faintest idea where it leads.  You had the foresight to pack some water but our food is debatable at best.  Can you please tell me where we are going?"  Ren stated pensively deliberately phrasing the question rather carefully this time.

Looking to the right Nora had her feet up on the dashboard, hands behind her head humming out some tune he couldn't identify seemingly without a care in the world.  Truth be told she seemed to fit in with the surroundings pretty well.  If not for the vast differential in terms of colors.

They were not in a forest, not exactly.  There are plenty of trees to be seen that's for sure.  Their immediate surroundings were mostly greens and rather pleasant to be fair.  Beyond that however was the browns and tans of rough mountainous terrain.  Thankfully they were heading towards the green not away from it.

Holding up a finger Nora deigned to answer with "You are asking where we are going on our little field trip?  Isn't the point to not know where one is headed?"

"Normally one plans for those even if half the party is being kept in the dark."  He pointed out.

Giving him a pointed look she half turned to make her point.

"You assume I didn’t plan for this."

Holding out a finger "Who arranged for this Jeep?" 

A second finger  "Who arranged and prepared the fuel and foods along with the cooking equipment?"

"You mean the pancakes and frying pan?  Not sure if that applies."  He asked, she could probably live off of the stuff but he… well in a pinch he probably could as well.

Nodding proudly she stated "Naturally they all apply.  The point is I did plan for this and I do know more or less where we are."

"Then maybe you should be driving as I do not."  The Gunslinger stated tiredly with a yawn.

Chuckling she faced forward again and closed her eyes.

"Nah I would rather relax."

He sighed "Nora if you are familiar with this place then why don’t you tell me so **_I_** don't feel as lost?"

She chuckled again "Oh I don't know exactly where we are on a map.  I do know where this road goes and-"

"What do you mean you don’t know where we are on a map you just said you have some idea of where we are!"  He stated barely withholding the eye-twitch.

Smirking Nora leaned her chair back further "Well my father did a great deal of hunting in this area when I was younger."

"Ok great now we are getting somewhere.  Your dad is familiar with this area.  So when we get lost we can call him.  At least assuming our scrolls still have a signal."

Sighing herself she said "Renny believe it or not you do know where we are.  Really look around and think about it.  Trust me it'll come to you."

Slowly losing a scowl he didn’t even know he wore he took another deep breath and allowed himself to survey the land a bit more.

Not willing to entertain her for the next few miles he focuses mostly on driving.  The more those vibrant and… somehow familiar greens overtook the brown however… the more it slowly started to come back.

As the minutes ran into minutes and the forest gradually took over the terrain the more he seemed prepared to admit that Nora was right.  Something about this forest spoke to him.  It itched the back of his neck, yet he couldn't quite put a finger on it.  Right on the tip of his tongue yet he just couldn’t place it…

It was a somewhat gentle yet oddly familiar wind gust that contained a long forgotten smell which got the mind going.  A second stronger gust caused him to take a sharp breath and stop the jeep rather abruptly.

"Eep!"  Nora grunted bracing herself.

She seemed about to question what happened until with a look to the side, she saw the rather wide eyed look from her best friend.

He just sat there, eyes huge sniffing the air working his vision around turning in the chair so as to get a full circles worth of vision.

As if compelled to get out of the Jeep he fumbled for a door that didn’t exist.  After a few seconds upon realizing that stepped out carefully.  Looking in a full circle yet again he went down to a knee touching the ground reverently.  Pine needles and grass tended to dominate the ground… outside of the road anyway.

Now smiling Nora stood out from the car and just watched him… work his way through the riddle she had presented.

Moving quickly towards a nearby tree he put a hand against the bark breathing deeply yet again.  All at once memories began flooding his mind.

_A village in the woods, surrounded by a deep forest of pine trees.  Given life both by a river and the woods themselves.  The village had been built on the backbone of those resources living close to nature._

_A little boy laughing happily without a care as he runs through streets arms wide open joyfully playing in the rain._

_The smell of pinewood to greet him every morning as he woke up and ran to his father's bowyer to see what was happening._

_The sights, sounds and smell of home._

_In a flash the memory turned dark._

_Evil beady eyes lighting up the night from the tree line.  More and more appeared by the dozens surrounding the village.  Those evil orbs was all he could see no matter where he looked.  The adults finding whatever weapons they could standing together bravely.  The few with fighting experience confidently at the fore even if their prime was decades behind them._

_A clash, a defiant village, against overwhelming endless numbers._

_A last stand._

_The scrape of claws on walls as villagers look to their few remaining leaders for how they would fight this threat.  Even if they themselves weren't qualified for the task._

_The cold looks of determination from all around him._

_Another clash… there are few survivors by now._

_Switching rapidly to a faceless adult gripping his shoulders.  'We will make an opening.  You must run boy!  Run like you never have before!'_

_He had forgotten who said it.  It could have been his father.  It could have been his mother.  He thought he knew at some point… now he just can't know for certain.  It might have even been a stranger._

_A desperate ploy to break for the village edge.  People falling to either side of him as they paid the ultimate price to give him a chance.  Finally, when only a handful remained, he saw the moon above the tree line._

_'Run Ren!  You must run!' That same voice implored yet again._

_Then… just running.  Running without direction, barely without any hope._

_The pounding of feet and his own broken gasps for breath between the puddles avoiding trees best he could._

_Avoiding to look behind him as those pounding feet gave ways to aggressive barks and growls._

_Run I must run!_

_They are right behind me… I can practically feel them!  Run go go-_

_He tripped falling down a hill.  Spinning sideways bumping into a brush before a tree stopped him.  Finally seeing those things that had been chasing him._

_2 evil red eyed, large slobbering muscular wolves, moving closer on all fours with ill intent.  Their claws digging trenches in the soil with each movement.  Beowulf's he thought._

_He tried to move, he couldn’t.  Tried to scream, no breath.  One slowly raised a claw…_

_A gunshot split the night, one of them fell back landing with a thud.  The loud roar as a large orange haired man carrying a rifle gradually morphing into a hammer charged forward._

Breathing sharply he pulled his hand away from the tree.

"Kuroyuri, you are taking me to Kuroyuri."  He declared spinning around.

Resting back cross armed against the hood of the jeep Nora actually seemed to look semi serious.  So serious she just nodded.

Moving his arms out to the side Ren asked "Why?  Don't we have things to do at home?  There is always work to be done, especially during the summer."

Nora nodded "Exactly."

Here he blinked "You lost me.  You are saying I'm right?"

She nodded again "I'm saying you are right in that there is always going to be work to do.  That will not change just because the two of us are around to help.  We don't do so much that we can make up for a full villages worth of labor after all."

"I don’t understand."  He admitted after a few seconds of silence.

She took a deep breath indicating his temple before going further "You’ve had your hair dyed for a bit long don’t you think?  You said yourself it was only meant to be while the person was considered a child."

He sharpened his gaze, but answered "Well yeah that’s true.  It's my determination for when that changes through."

She took a breath "We are about to be seniors at Beacon.  We have grown up by now partner, even Ruby.  I mean have you seen her these last couple months?  My goodness it's like she is an entirely different person.  My parents thought you should take some time for yourself and let you work that out.  I agreed and… we felt you visiting your home should help with that."

Trying not to sound or appear ungrateful for their concern Ren shook his head "Kuroyuri is dead Nora.  It’s a ghost town at best, a charred ruin at worst.  There is nothing for us to find, we would be lucky to even scavenge supplies we can use."

"Sure, but it's also a place that you carry with you.  As long as you do that… well you can't really move forward all that well can you?"

Just giving her one of his 'Renny does not like this' looks she knew so well said all he needed to say.

"We think dropping by will help you.  You never talk about it Ren… we think this is something that should help you move on from it."

Chuckling with a brave face Ren just pointed skyward.

She contemplated for a heartbeat before lighting up in understanding  "More to the point I already kinda sorta threw us outa that plane so… you have no choice?"  She guessed.

"That’s where transportation is waiting for us I imagine?"  He asked somewhat back to his usual self.

Nodding happily if somewhat innocently in reply she began to move back to her seat…

"Well thanks for telling me-"

"Shush!  I thought… I felt…"  She stated listening sharply.  Then without warning pulled out her scroll.

"Nora what-"

"Just gotta make a call Renny… why don’t you get us moving again?"  She suggested sitting down looking somewhat irritated.

***Back on the plane***

Happy for the food and grateful that eating a breakfast at least for the moment distracted Pyrrha's family Jaune brought out the last of the eggs keeping a plate for himself and handing one to each of his teammates.  Choosing just to go with a tried and true favorite of his, scrambled eggs, bagels and bacon along with melted cheese you almost couldn’t screw that up.

"Breakfast was marvelous Jaune.  Thanks for cooking."  Phaera stated politely.

Taking a place next to his girlfriend Jaune nodded stated "You are welcome, happy to help."

Nodding the mother couldn’t help but push forward with something however "We were just talking about who all would be the best parent out of you kids, but alas you arrive in time to participate."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion "You mean like… right now or in the future?"  He asked looking to the right.

Both Kate and his partner seem to have said their peace on this already even as they looked on intrigued.  Pyrrha was already suffering from a terrible blush from before but it might have started up again in contemplation.

With a sideways look at her daughter near the male in question Phaera put on an impish expression and declared "Come now Jaune admit it.  If you were a father tomorrow you wouldn’t have the slightest clue what to do with a boy."

Jaune chuckled "Well I would be unprepared but I wouldn't say I would be a hopeless case."

Chuckling to match Luke asked "Oh?  You have a plan then?"

Shrugging Jaune answered "Well see it simple.  You just take how I was raised… and do the opposite of that.  I think that would be a good place to start.  Raise him how I would have preferred being raised."

Kate made an agreeable face while Pyrrha just smiled.

Phaera however had not finished with her interrogation just yet.

"And what if it were a girl?"  Once again his girlfriend seemed to be paying particular attention here.

Jaune looked away and after a moment his eye twitched… then he covered his face with a hand and mumbled his answer.

Her parents sharing an amused glance Pyrrha was the one to ask "What was that?  What if it were a girl?"

He mumbled his answer again slightly louder… yet still indiscernible.

"Jaune, we can't hear you.  What if the baby was a girl?"  Cara asked again from across the room.

Pulling himself upright his eye twitched one more time as he finally admitted "Whatever she told me… I would probably do whatever she told me."  Before facepalming yet again.

Pyrrha found that highly amusing while her parents seemed pleased enough.

"Yeah Jaune I think you would be hopeless if that happened to you overnight I gotta admit."  Kate stated.

Pyrrha even giggled there shyly.

Shrugging he replied "Well thankfully I don’t need to be worried about that.  We should have plenty of time for such considerations."

Clearing his throat across the hall Conner chimed in with "Boring!  Let's get off the grandkid topic and back to food.  Can I just say I am so very grateful for the eggs?"

The female section of the family seemed annoyed by the change of subject but let it roll anyway.

"You like eggs Conner?"  Jaune asked moving his arm around his girlfriends waist.

Leaning back in his chair the younger male replied "Well yeah I like most anything but it's just a break from what we normally get.  Eggs is great and I like waffles too, I mean most any food is good to me.  Most of the time we get pancakes which is fine too but hey you can get bored of them pretty quick-"

Thunder echoed through the air caused nearly every passenger to duck and looked around.  Meeting their expectations but adding to their confusion that there was not even a single cloud in the sky.

"What in the?"

"How?"

"Is there engine problems?"

Various people sounded off concerns, so many people were speaking that it was difficult to hear the scroll ringing.

After a few rounds however somebody picked up on it.

"Jaune it's your scroll…"  Kate stated lifting it up.

"Might as well answer, who is it?"  He replied.

Pushing the button his sister replied "Nora…"

No sooner did the call go live did Nora demand.

"Put him on."

Sharing an amused glance with her twin Kate inquired "Who-?"

"HIM!"

"Him who-?"

"THE HEATHEN!"

Handing the scroll to the side she said "For you?"

Jaune had his hand on the scroll for a split second before Nora resumed with "JAUNE?  You?  I thought you knew better than this How DARE you insult the great pancake!"

Jaune blinked holding the scroll away from his body.

"Nora what are you talking about I didn’t say anything about pancakes."

Nora froze for a moment before huffing "Well get it right this time I asked to speak to the HEATHEN!  It’s a Male and he is near you!  Get him on right now!"

Conner had attempted to make a quiet withdrawal but couldn't quite manage the feat without getting caught.

"Conner is seems you have a call… seems to be an attractive enough lady by the looks of her." Cara teased.

Her brother flinched as the scroll call went 3D to display Nora's angry form hand on her hip pointing a terrifying finger at him.  "NEVER AGAIN Are you to Insult Pancakes!  They are the greatest of foods and I will not have them talked down upon!"

Gulping unsure how to handle the sudden NORA! aspect Conner nodded occasionally while she continued to defend her preferred food group.

"Ok Nora I think he has learned his lesson.  What are you up too?"  Jaune stated trying to change the subject.

She huffed again not sure if her point was indeed made but answered "Renny and I are on a field trip!  I surprised him again!  We will check in once we are able, make sure you send us word on how things are going with you 3!"

Whispering towards Katherine Cara asked "She makes a random call to defend pancakes cause somebody grows bored with them?"

Her eye twitching in the call the Hammer-bearer almost got primed up again "Do I detect another HEATHEN  nearby?  It feels like I do!"

"No Nora all under control.  You and Ren have a good trip, we look forward to hearing from you."  Pyrrha stated brightly with a friendly wave.

Pacified the orange-haired one ended the call leaving the Nikos family very confused.

Pale to the point he might have seen a ghost Conner took his spot again next to his dad.

"What exactly was that?"  He asked.

"That was our teammate Nora… she uh… well has been known to do the oddest things time to time."  Pyrrha supplied.

Nodding Luke stated "That was very odd… is she always so defensive of her favorite food?"

Before anybody could answer the Pilot announced over the intercom "Ok folks we are going to be landing in roughly 15 minutes.  We still have not identified the source of that sound from before but we assure you the plane is in perfect working order.  If you have any concerns please notify the staff."

Everybody moving towards their seats to get ready to land Kate muttered "I wonder if I have a chance to catch a quick nap… maybe I could get a dream like Pyr-"

The Spartan covered her mouth pointing a menacing finger at her.

Shaking his head and still not having the slightest clue what they were on about Jaune took his seat and belted himself down… Though his twin continued to look more than a little evil in her machinations for the future.

**A/N**

**Ok another chapter down the pipe.  Putting out a call for any scenarios or situations folks would like the characters to do.  I have idea's of my own naturally but I have no problem utilizing a good idea simply cause I didn't think of it.  If you have something you think would be funny or something you would like to see play out hit me up and we will see.**

**Always looking for reviews and feedback.  I am on discord now.  Send me a message or email and I will give you my ID if you are interested in chatting.  If you have a discord server and would like me to join same deal.**

**Thank you again for reading, and I will see you next time**

**-Sean.**


	61. Y4 Summer: Wayward Country Girls

4.4 Wayward Country Girls.

Feeling a slight sense of déjà vu Weiss couldn’t help but think that she had been here before.  Feeling exhausted and struggling to move was beginning to feel like second nature to her.  But hey, at least she didn’t need help in the shower anymore… her legs might feel as if they were made from something gelatinous, but she was able to use them even when they were begging for a break.  So that is a marked improvement at least.

Grunting and heaving her luggage up the wooden stairwell step by step she was rather anxious to relax for the night.  Thinking back it had been a ride, she still wasn’t sure where it was going to lead ultimately but she certainly wasn’t going to let her partner walk it alone.

Thankfully Harold did what was requested of him with poise and took her selected luggage up to the Xiao Long house then returned to Atlas for further instruction.  Getting her cargo to its final destination well… that was her duty.  Choosing between sleeping in Yang's room, or with her girlfriend made for only a slight bit of hesitation from the huntresses helping them along, but whatever arguments could have presented themselves never did.  Likely her partners own insistence had something to do with that.

Either way part of her really struggled to accept that people, as in real, somewhat educated people lived like this.  The house did have power and running water contrary to her initial expectations.  But it hardly had all the amenities she was used too.  Ruby's room consisted of a bed, some books related to weapon specialization and adjustments, finally a window with her closet containing a wardrobe that was dominated mostly by reds and blacks.  That… essentially was it.  The total space of which was probably less than her own walk in closet back home.

The 'Feel' of the house however, that was what really took her by surprise.  Unlike her own excessive mansion, with all the elaborate statues, endless extra wings and additional rooms the size of the house she currently inhabited.  This actually 'felt' like a home somehow. 

Not as some monument to wealth or political power.  This was simply a place to raise a family, teach them morals and the ability to love each other.  It felt strange, it felt slightly odd to experience and it was definitely something she -if possible- would bring back to her home in Atlas when next she returned.  The Heiress was not entirely sure how to do that… to make a place seem like home.  But it was a worthy thing to aim for.

Maybe it was the presence of her girlfriend.

Maybe not, the verdict was still out on that one.  Right now all she knew, was she had finished the first several days of the torturous routine Raven had them do.   She had showered and dressed in something her father would be shocked to see her in.  Not because it was 'scandalous' but because it was cheaply made and looked rather terrible compared to the expensive high class fabrics she typically ordained.  But hey, it was amazingly comfortable.  Finally she could no longer delay getting her luggage up to Ruby's room and her stubborn side seems to have reappeared from its slumber.  Her partner did what everybody expected her to do; namely happily if even eagerly volunteer to assist.  Yet that offer was rejected cause 'Weiss had to do it herself.'

Now the Reapers amused smile, while something Weiss would always enjoy seeing, was a bit of an annoyance at present.

"I did say I would help you, I still would if you let me."  She said cross armed at the top of the stairs just outside her room.  Weiss to this moment still did not know how Ruby managed it but even when dressed comparatively in rags, the Reaper still had the power to take her breath away.

With a growl and another heave Weiss finally cleared the final step "And like I said… I've got it.  If I can't get this up the stairs I'd say we have bigger issues at hand."

With a chuckle the other nodded following the Heiress into the room.  Weiss set the suitcase -along with a locked and sealed briefcase- near the dresser then plopped down on the bed with a deep breath massaging her legs.

"At least we won't be tripping over this in the morning anymore."  Ruby stated with a kick before walking over to sit next to her.

"Not sure if Raven is as demanding as Pyrrha, but it feels about the same."  The Reaper concluded.

Scoffing somewhat amused Weiss replied "It is its own brand of horrible.  At least I'm seeing some results in being able to move afterwards."

Kissing her cheek Ruby said "Oh cheer up, you have been doing great and you know it.  Don't make me point out how you’ve changed."

Giving her girlfriend a sideways look Weiss stated "I still struggle to understand how your family lives out here.  There isn't a store for at least 2 hours in any direction, if any of my family outside of Winter even tried I bet they would give up after a day.  The last thing I want to do after one of our sessions is cook, but without anybody to help with that it's another thing we have to do if we want to eat."

Shrugging Ruby replied "True, this isn't a big city…A cosmo… something or other.  But we have food, plenty of water.  Yeah there isn't a ton of things to do here but we have what we need most."

When they shared a glance Ruby elaborated "Each other.  We never needed fancy clothing, all the nice things we saw at Beacon or even Cadia.  Here, we have each other and in a weird way, nothing really being nearby means there aren't any distractions.  We can focus on practice and doing what needs to be done."

Thinking it over the Heiress asked "That’s enough?"

Shrugging again Ruby stood and moved to the window.  "It's not everything, but it's plenty for me."

_I wonder… if that would be enough for me?  As of now I really don’t know.  Yeah there is not really any noise or press from other people or even nosy family members poking at you all day long but… that’s a two way street._

Letting the subject drop realizing the Heiress seemed to be thinking Ruby kept her gaze out the window.  The house did more to shut out noises from the outside than most expected but even so, it was rather relaxing just to listen without any time schedules or deadlines hanging over you.

A smile took place after a few moments.  "It's a beautiful night."

After struggling to her feet Weiss began moving to join her "It is a bit of a change to get used too.  I am grateful for the shower but at home I would be in a big Hot Tub right now.  I might even have the masseuse drop by as well now that I think about it.  The shower just isn't doing it for me in that regards."

Once observing like her partner Weiss was quick to point something out…

"That… is a gorgeous moon.  I don't think I've ever seen it like that before."  Broken it might be, its back seemed to be towards the huntresses in training, making a nearly complete circle in the sky illuminating the night.

Nodding Ruby stated "Yes… yes it is very pretty.  But not half as pretty as you."

Caught between a blush and a smile mixed with embarrassment Weiss gave Ruby a playful shove before leaning against her shoulder, finding it the perfect height now oddly enough.

Happy to just share this moment with her partner Ruby put an arm around the others waist feeling a slight but involuntary flinch.

"Sore there too?"  She asked.

With a sigh Weiss admitted "Yes Ruby… I am sore just about everywhere given that bar routine… I didn’t say take your hand away though!"

Giggling Ruby obliged and resumed her quiet study.

"Actually I have a question for you… if you don't mind."  Weiss stated.

Without any hesitation what so ever Ruby answered "Anything."

Clearing her throat trying to be careful with her wording Weiss continued "Look I, I don’t mean to cross any boundaries that I shouldn’t."

"Weiss, we are girlfriends.  We have slept together how many times now?  You don’t have to worry about that."  The Reaper assured with a slight glance before going back to the moon in the sky.

Nodding out of politeness the Heiress concluded with "Your… mom and aunt.  Far be it for me to tell you what you should feel.  But, shouldn't you be more angry with them?  Your mom leaves for who knows how many years and your aunt wasn’t all that far behind.  Have you already had it out and worked all those issues away or… where do you stand on that?"

Ruby looked to the ground briefly and took a deep breath.  "Weiss those feelings aren't just dealt with overnight.  I am still upset mom left me.  You bet I am upset Raven followed her."

She stopped gathering her thoughts.

"But… it comes down to the simple fact that I need them."

Scowling slightly surprised Weiss repeated "You need them?"  _Not the answer I was expecting…_

Nodding Ruby continued "I want to be angry it's my first instinct, but what purpose would it serve?  They are Huntresses Weiss, they did what they felt they needed to do, they did their jobs.  I cannot say I wouldn't make the same decision were I in their shoes.  If Yang or you or anybody dear to me was in trouble you better believe I would be willing to traverse the globe to help them.  That ultimately is exactly what Aunt Raven did for my mom.  As for mom… well she isn't fully recovered yet that should say something about what was asked of her.  But I mean she took a mission, she knew it was risky, but all missions have an element of risk.  She didn't expect to get captured and be isolated for so long.  We talk occasionally, they feel bad they had to leave.  I am angry that they left but I just can't afford to get hung up on that right now."

Weiss looked downwards contemplating that for a few heartbeats.  "Yang probably feels similarly but I bet she won't let bygones be bygones as easily as you."

Ruby nodded rubbing that arm around Weiss up and down.

"She always did run hotter than I did.  She will work through it on her own time, in her own way.  Right now I have decided being angry simply isn't worth it.  We will continue to talk about it over the summer and maybe by the time we are back in class I can close that chapter in my life.  I need my family in my life Weiss, ultimately people who love each other forgive each other.  I haven't forgiven them yet and truth be told they haven't asked for it either.  But that is the direction I want to go in.  It is just best for everybody involved."

Ruby continued to look out that window while Weiss looked up at her. 

_I keep being proved wrong about her… Even from the start of our career at Beacon she was likely more grown up about some things than I was.  She might run right into a brick wall like a dolt, but she would have done it going as fast as she possibly can giving everything she had to give.  She never was afraid to fail if it meant she could learn from it.  Me… the thought of failing at all is still more terrifying than nearly anything else.  Like right now why am I thinking this instead of telling her?  Aren't we girlfriends?  Aren't we partners?  Didn't she just say we can talk about anything without hesitation?  I should be telling her I am proud of her for trying to be the bigger person.  Why am I afraid do to that…_

"I think that’s enough heavy stuff for tonight… lets go for a midnight dip!  C'mon Weiss!"  The Reaper eagerly suggested.

"Wait what Ru-Ruby!  A dip where-"

Gripping her hand and towing the shorter girl along Ruby energetically lead the way out of the room.  Having the side effect of silencing any half hearted complaints from the other.

Letting go just as they reached the stair Ruby leapt up to slide down the rail on her thigh as if she had done that a time or two before.  Landing without missing a beat to run out the house with that same youthful energy she just never seemed to lose.

"Great… more stairs…"  Weiss complained gingerly moving her way down.

Knowing better than to try to keep up with her speedy girlfriend, sore as she was, thus she didn’t make an attempt too.  Instead Weiss followed with only a slight bit of uncertainty to her step.

"Ruby!  Where are we going?!"  She asked via raised voice.

Even from a fair distance Ruby's smile was obvious as she turned around  "The lake silly where else?!"

_Oh… Ok I'll give her that… why I thought she had a Hot Tub hidden away I have no idea._

Slowing from a rough jog to a walk she reached the lakes edge just a handful of seconds after Ruby herself did… not that the Reaper was moving as fast as she could anyway.

In any case Weiss was at least semi happy to be able to study the lake up close.  It was bigger than she initially gave it credits for.  Probably deeper too.  Made by a small but steadily flowing waterfall from a cliff high up Weiss was somewhat familiar with this having see scroll images from years prior to now.  Even so… well words or pictures don’t typically capture your girlfriend looking sexy as she can be standing on a shoreline.  Clear, pure sparkling water behind her perfectly captured the moon in the night sky.  Even at now the temperature was still rather warm, even so Weiss had some doubts about how tolerable the water itself would be.

"I used to do this all the time as a kid… Yang's idea to start with naturally.  But I grew to like it over time."  The Reaper shared whimsically.

Sighing exasperatedly Weiss couldn’t help but put a hand on her forehead before mentioning "Well you seem to have forgotten our swimsuits.  Do you intend to go back and get them?"

Chuckling lightly Ruby started removing her top "No silly haven't you ever skinny dipped before?  You don’t wear a swimsuit for that."

"Ruby I - no - I… "

Much to her chagrin Weiss felt blood rush to her face as right there in the open before her and seemingly without shame Ruby kept going until she was standing stark naked with that smile from before.  Completely derailing whatever thought the Heiress had in mind.

Holding a hand to her nose Weiss was hell bent on not feinting by way of nosebleed this time.  Even with the lack of a sun Ruby still brought out those same emotions as before.  She was perfect and the way the moon highlighted everything about her just… made her completely rooted to her spot.  It didn’t help that the wind seemed to be assisting the Reaper, giving her hair a slight sway in the breeze.  Even though she wasn’t coated with a layer of swear this time Ruby still looked every bit as delicious now as any time prior.

"Do you always gawk at me like this Weissy?"  Ruby stated teasingly half turning towards the shorter girl. 

Shaking her head free from the mixed image of booty and bust line Weiss blushed harder than Ruby had ever seen her previously.  When Ruby's teasing smile didn’t go away after several seconds the Heiress was compelled to say… to the best of her ability at present.

"I well… that is.. but you… what… GRR!  Look here you dolt do you have any idea how amazing you look right now?  We are dating I am your girlfriend and I love you blast it!  I cannot help but look at you!"

Fully turning to face her Ruby commented "Love you too Princess, do you intend to join me or just watch from the sideline?"  Pointing with her thumb over her shoulder towards the water.

Grumbling something about dignity and Ruby sharing too many things in common with her sister under her breath Weiss finally reached up and began the task of preparing for her first 'Skinny Dip'.  It was around the time her comfortable shorts were coming off that Ruby commented:

"If you get to gawk at me I will be happy to return the favor, have you seen yourself in a mirror recently?  It isn't like you are the only one who likes to stare."

The older girl had finished undressing herself before she seemed to realize something.

Namely that her girlfriend had been eagerly watching her every move just as sharply as she herself did moments before.  Weiss ran a self-conscious hand over herself probably without realizing it.  Her legs and butt, her stomach… chest… none of them measuring up to what the taller girl offered.  Taking a leap of faith the Heiress brought herself to say:

"You…do you like what you see too?"  Though she couldn’t bring herself to take up a sexy or seductive pose to go with it.

"Of course I do Weiss, you look unbelievable."

"But…"

Being silenced by an equally gentle and sweet kiss Ruby continued.

"No butts Princess"  With a brief pat on her rear  "You are perfect in every way just as you are.  You are you, I told you once before that is all I ever wanted."

Weiss could easily have countered with a handful of comparisons between the two but Ruby wasn’t done yet.

"I keep telling you, you are perfect.  You are so pretty and beautiful and graceful and a million other things really it makes me jealous sometimes."

_Ruby… is jealous of me?  How?  Whatever for?_

When Weiss seemed utterly confused, at a loss for what to say to that Ruby took the others hand again.

"Ready to get wet!?"

"Huh~?"

Taking that as a yes Ruby pulled the other girl along the short wooden dock.  Weiss gained her confidence with a few steps to spare matching the younger girls excitement.  The two of them splashed into the lake at roughly the same time.

They had somewhat different reactions from there.

"Wonderful-!"

"Cold!  This water is freezing!  How are you possibly used to this!?"

Giggling happily Ruby commented moving around in circles via a backstroke "You will get used to it.  It won't seem so cold in a minute.  Besides this should help you recover.  The water is good at that."

After trying and failing to give her girlfriend a near 'Old Weiss glare of disapproval' the Heiress had to admit the water did seem be doing something for her general aches and pains.  Deciding to make the best of it the Heiress enjoyed aimlessly swimming around not really with a pattern or goal, just to have a good and relaxed time.

Mostly she was accomplishing that… but: 

"You say you and Yang used to do this all the time?"  She asked gazing up at the night sky.

"Yeah.  We were raised by our dad after all.  We didn’t spend as much time working out then as we do now perhaps… but we practiced pretty hard most every day.  Just about every day we did something that left us tired and sweaty.  A swim afterwards just became routine for us."

"But why do it naked?  Wasn’t that weird?" 

Ruby seemed to shrug "Yang helped raise me so it certainly didn’t bother her.  It wasn’t like dad joined in.  It might have been odd the first few times and Yang certainly loved showing off how big her boobs are whenever she could.  But no, it mostly was just a nice way to relax."

_I have no idea what I will say to Winter when she asks about this… maybe it might just be wiser to not mention it at all._

Had the Heiress not been deep in thought she might have noticed the sound of Ruby swimming had vanished… instead all that remained was the minimum needed to stay afloat.

"How long do you want to stay-"

A mass of water connected with her face seemingly from nowhere silenced that question.  Knowing exactly who was the guilty party she instinctively called out:

"Ruby!"

Only for the other to not stop.  Spurt after spurt kept connecting with relentless precision even from a fair distance away.  The Reaper evidently had some practice with doing this before.  Ruby continued to 'snipe' at her with a water gun made of her hands.

"Do you surrender Princess!?"  she demanded keeping the shorts coming.

"Ruby I warn you!  I do not play fair!"  Weiss warned continually getting hit even then.

"Bring it on Princess do your worst!"  Taking aim and firing again.

With the water spurting against her nose yet again Weiss was brought to make good on her threat… no her promise.

"So be it!"  She declared winding her hands up with an odd glow.

Weiss smirked in her slightly evil way as water began pooling behind her.

"You should know better than to start a water fight with me!"

Utilizing her semblance to form up a rather huge water canon behind her Ruby realized she was outgunned.

"Hey that’s cheating!"  She objected with a smile.

_All's fair in love and war!_

With a twirling forward hand motion Weiss unloaded a vicious torrent forcing the other to dive into the water to escape.  Catching her squarely before the Reaper managed to get under.

Following her movements Weiss awaited her each time Ruby came back up to the surface to unleash her watery fury.

"What hey no fair!"  Ruby declared going back underwater.

Halting the flow Weiss kept her head on a swivel ready to play whack a mole whenever Ruby surfaced… She did several times with both girls laughing happily over the event.  Before at some point she realized the commotion on the lake's surface made it impossible to see underwater now.  Thinking she found her girlfriend yet again Weiss prepared to fire only to find herself pulled underwater by her hips.

"Sneak Attack!"  Ruby shouted gleefully gripping the other in a hug breaking the pose and flow of energy for Weiss' weapon.

"Ugh!  You brute!"  Weiss stated with a grin only giving half hearted attempts to break free.

With a gentle loving kiss Ruby pulled her girlfriend into a tight hug and declared "I win."

Returning the embrace Weiss couldn’t help but argue "I obviously won the battle, you had to resort to trickery."

"And it meant I got to kiss you first!  That means I win!"  Followed by one of those adorable lopsided smiles Ruby was known for.

Kissing her Weiss stated "You lovable dolt.  What am I going to do with you?"

For awhile they just coiled together and kissed the night away.  Neither of them getting particularly carried away… the lake itself rather prevented a full buy-in with regards to that.  But for those few minutes of happiness neither thought or gave a care to anything further away than what their lips could reach.

When both of them simply needed to catch their breath they found themselves resting their heads against each other gasping for air.

With another silly smile Ruby gave a final kiss and pulled herself into a deadmans float.

"You had this planned all along didn’t you?"  Weiss accused matching her partner utilizing Ruby's chest as a cushion.

"Maybe."  Ruby admitted finding Weiss' hand.

With nothing to listen to but the sounds of nature they remained happy to just experience this moment together.  Something slightly broken by somebody… probably Summer shouting:

"Ruby!  It is getting late!"  From the house back a ways.

"Think it's about time to get back?"  Weiss inquired looking upwards.

With an affirmative grunt Ruby spun around to swim back to the dock.

Helping Weiss up Ruby planted yet another kiss on her girlfriend before picking up her discarded clothes.

"This lake used to mean a lot to me as a kid.  Tonight really brought me back.  Just a kid with somebody you love swimming and fooling around in the water."  She confessed.

Getting dressed alongside her Weiss asked "How so?"

"Ultimately it is pretty silly but… growing up I didn’t really understand what happened to mom.  Dad always told me that she was a very special lady, an amazing Huntress and he didn’t really know what happened to her.  Before I started to attend combat school I asked what he meant by that."

Finishing her bottoms Weiss pushed "What did he say?"

Dressing faster than her girlfriend Ruby shrugged and said "Well, he explained to me that Summer was gone.  But that he had not given up on her yet.  That is more or less all they told me.  So… I made up my own explanation for what happened."

With Ruby going silent unsure how to continue Weiss couldn't help but think… this might be exactly what she needed.

Getting her top on the Heiress inquired. "Well… tell me.  You started it finish the story."

Giggling slightly out of embarrassment Ruby continued "Well alright.  Nobody really knows what happened to the moon… so I came up with this fantasy about she journeyed to the moon and in doing her job destroyed it.  See… If you look at the moon from the lake it sometimes seems like the waterfall comes from the moon.  Younger me thought that maybe if I could just follow the water upwards I could get to it and find my mom."

Weiss stayed silent in contemplation probably for much longer than Ruby expected.  Definitely for an altogether different reason than the Reaper believed.

_Hmm… Well I do have to come up with a substitute for the vacation at some point.  Maybe I can use this moon walking idea to make it special for her?  Yeah you know what with my semblance.. I bet I-_

"Weissy… you ok?  I told you it’s just a silly story."  Ruby stated with a poke.

Giving her a sharp look the Heiress allowed her girlfriend pull her into another hug.

"Aww is the Princess getting tired?"  She teased as if talking to a child.

Wrapping her arms around her girlfriend Weiss sighed into the taller girls neck taking advantage of Ruby's assumption.

"I love you, you dolt."

"Love you too snowflake."

"Snowflake?!"  She objected.

"What!?  You have white hair, you are unique and the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!  Snowflake totally fits you!"  Ruby orated with a happy grin.

Smiling despite herself Weiss could only close her eyes "Fine… I can accept that nickname.  Just now I need a better one for you than 'Dolt.'  I'll think on it."

"You do that Princess Snowflake."

_Sigh…._

After a few minutes spent being entwined Ruby took her hand firmly saying "I had fun tonight, there is nobody I would rather have with me right now, but I think we should get back."

With a kiss Weiss agreed.

Walking back to the house with an arm around the others waist and a shared smile the partners were soon sound asleep ready for another turn through the gauntlet the next day.

***Back to the boat***

One would think that today would be the dictionary definition of a perfect day to catch up on some reading… even by the exceedingly demanding cat faunus standard.  For one there was not a single cloud in the sky.  The sway of the boat was rather minimal, the temperature wasn’t a degree above optimal and she even had the 3 most recent releases of her preferred pleasure reading series to churn through.  Time allowing the Cat-Girl even came prepared with an entirely new subset from the series just waiting in the wings.  Basically… she had a lot to read, and she had a great many things in her favor to get it all done.

Well sadly she also had a few things working against her.  Tiny strands Fate just couldn’t help but toss in her way.

To start with, it typically was easiest to read when it was quiet.  She could sometimes deal with a fan cycling or in some cases the TV running in the background but even then she would still prefer silence given the choice.

The rowdy crowd surrounding the entertainment square on the ship was several magnitudes over what Blake would be happy to put up with.  All of them cheering the two blond haired individuals on in their match without somebody obviously ahead of the other as far as the casual viewer was concerned.  One hat bearing person might have even started a betting ring.

Even with her focus on the book before her she could still picture the fight; Yang, and her father 'sparing' in a way that would be lethal to most other people.  It certainly sounded dangerous even for those with aura to defend themselves with.  Violent impacts pointed dodges and mountain shuddering kicks sent echoes around the area.  Each one seemed to itch the hairs on her neck… and she wasn’t even watching them!

… At least not with her eyes… cat's had their instincts to call upon for such occasions when their eyes were busy after all.  Such as now with Yang flipping around using her dads momentum against him somersaulting over his shoulders to get behind him with a powerful punch already primed and en route.

-WHAM-

"Ohh!  That had to hurt!"

Several blocks later another quick combo connected.

"Him him again hit him again harder, harder!"

Countered by an expertly performed handstand kick ducking under the others punch to connect rather perfectly.

"Oh that's smarts!"

"Right in the stomach!"

"Least that girl has some abs, shouldn’t hurt her too badly"  And oddly concerned viewer commented.

_She probably bet against her… silly silly human._

"Get up blonde!   _Oh right they are both blondes…._ Get up sweetheart!"

_Now he on the other hand probably bet on the cute girl cause… guy._

Yeah… those cheers made focusing on her book rather difficult mostly because it got her to think.  Though she couldn’t help but grin when some of the nearby faunus children joined in the fun.  The female lion seemed particularly invested with the golden haired people going at it.

"Daddy Daddy!  They have gold manes too!"  She pointed out in her adorable way.

With another bone crushing impact that sent the few people to her immediate right diving for cover Tai flew right over the rope barrier and into the wall behind it.

_She knows better than send a body flying at me… or she should anyway.  In any case that was a near miss.  I'll chalk it up as accidental._

"Nice Right!"  He complimented rubbing his chin coming up to a knee appearing rather excited more than anything else.

"Thanks!  I have a Left for you too if you care to take it!"  The Brawler taunted motioning 'Bring it on' with her other hand.

"Come on get back in there!"  The crowd implored pushing him forward slightly

Smiling Tai rolled his shoulders before leaping into the air twirling around in an elaborate leg strike.

When Yang blocked another shock made the pages on her book shudder losing her place.  Blake could only sigh out of habit.

"I lose more reading hours like this than is probably healthy."  Blake commented to her kitten resting on her shoulder finding the correct page again.

"Meeooow."  It replied.

Taking a seat next to the her Qrow took a pull from his flask before commenting "They make it much more difficult than it needs to be to get a good drink around here.  Even volunteered to mix it myself but nooo, I am a passenger and they couldn't possibly let me do that."

Not all that interested Blake mumbled something neutral, essentially a 'Whatever I'm reading' in gruntish.

Chuckling as if the former Professor understood Qrow jumped into the conversation with "So you had the misfortune of being my niece's partner?  I am sure she has gotten you into plenty of trouble."

Making an annoyed-cat face Blake nearly put her book down as she countered "Just as often as she has gotten me out of trouble.  I trust her."

"She is improving then, back when she was at home she got her and Ruby into trouble every other day.  It used to be the only thing I heard about on a near daily basis."  Qrow stated easily.

Not sure where exactly he was going she asked "What exactly is your point?  Yang is here to help me I didn’t ask her to come along, but I am glad she is with me."

"I don’t have one, beyond Yang being an odd partner for an infiltration mission.  Her personality and skill set seem underwhelming in that regard."  He stated taking another pull from his flask.

"Keep working at it that quick you will be right back to needing another drink."  Blake teased taking a sip from her own drink, not that the older man was wrong… it didn’t change how she felt.  She would rather do this with her partner than without.

Smiling mischievously as if he understood yet again he asked "So what's the deal with you two?  Partners or cat and dog rivals?"

Scowling Blake gave him a burning glare unsure what he was digging towards "Partners, what is it to you?"

"Nothing just offering some advice, if you are considering getting into the family you should know this is not all that odd between those two.  They always communicated better with their fists than anything else."

"Fascinating, is this your way of saying the family is a category of insane?  They speak better with fists than with their voice?  Seems to be something I should have been told before now."  Blake replied sarcastically turning the page.

If Qrow caught on to what Blake was eluding too he either didn’t care or he decided not to comment.

"I wouldn't say insanity is the most applicable word... crazy might fit pretty well but insanity?  Nope.  Those two blondes however… that’s just how they have always been.  They would struggle at times to make a complete coherent statement but you can read them pretty good when they fight.  Sometimes I can almost follow along if I try hard enough, as if it was a conversation."  He said watching over the fight.

Thinking the older man was just drunk at first Blake didn’t put too much stock into that.  Though…

"It isn't particularly deep but it doesn’t need to be.  This has always been the best way they know how to communicate."  He stated again setting the flask aside.

Lowering her ears down out of curiosity she closed the book and looked on for a bit. 

Unlike most times when Yang either spared or fought she did not wear a smile.  That in an of itself was a bit of a shock.  Yang was always happy when she was fighting, it didn’t matter what it didn’t matter who.  When she fought in the past she always enjoyed herself.  Except for now.

Now she looked angry.  Her attacks seemed furious, relentless even and carried a punishing aspect not typically found with her.  Reckless aggression even more so than normal.  In just the short time Blake had been watching closely she chose to trade blows rather than block and look for another opening.  On the other side while Blake had not had many interactions with Tai Yang, the older man seemed extremely stoic and determined to weather the storm.  More often than not he was the one whose guard eventually got beaten down and took a shot as a result.  When this sparring match began it really was pretty even, that is how the Cat-Girl remembered it going anyway.  Now he was just trying to hang on and get out in one piece it seems.

"It's like she just screaming at him 'You left!' over and over."  Blake commented under her breath.

Nodding Qrow mumbled "And he is just replying 'Yes!  But I had too'  That is what I am talking about."  Looking at her out of the corner of his eye he continued "You are a natural at this."

Giving him an equally sharp look to the side she asked "Is this part of you being an old man or being a Professor?"

_Well… regardless of what I think about this guy, he did teach Ruby and is regarded as an elite Huntsmen.  Probably should take what he says seriously._

He chuckled briefly before replying "A bit of both but more Professor than Old Man.  Once you get enough experience anybody can read the emotions of a fighter.  Yang has always worn hers on her sleeve.  Experienced fighters can and do play off that, it works again her to some extent.  But she has also used that emotion as a driving force, all in all I think it balances out.  She is angry with him and makes no effort to hide it.  He has his own message to get across.  Her more than he, really needs to stop doing that."

"And is she picking up on it?"  She asked ignoring that last sentence.

Before the other could reply Tai threw a towel at his brother in law and stated "Tag, your it."  Rubbing various points on his body.

Surprised by his appearance, it seems such was her conversation with Qrow that she lost track of the fight to the degree they stopped.

"Your niece certainly packs a punch."  Sitting down off to the side.

With a grumble Qrow left his weapon behind but stood up rolling his shoulders in anticipation.

"Fighting bare handed?  I didn’t think that was your thing."  Blake asked feigning disinterest.

Looking back at her he shrugged "No Huntsman of worth will be helpless without a weapon… I certainly am not."

"Not sure if I should be proud or annoyed but it seems my girl can hit even harder than I can.  I am going to go with proud for now.  Though I definitely need an ice pack… ouch."  Tai complained with a half smile.

_Unlike when he was fighting, now he was smiling… not sure what to think of that._

Deciding to ignore him and focus on the match between her girlfriend and Qrow, Blake had to admit to being intrigued.  She knew first hand that Qrow's sword work was excellent.  She has no reason to exaggerate the point, she had fought him and knew what she was dealing with shortly into the fight.  It was obvious that Tai was the bigger of the two, yet still Qrow seemed fully willing to step in when asked.

Across the way it looked like much of the excitement surrounding the previous match had run its course with the hat bearer dividing out who won in the back ground.  This fight clearly didn’t have as much excitement surrounding it.  For one very few people likely thought it was still fair.  What with Yang -tough girl she is- looking a bit tired and more than a little worn down.  She was sweating pretty hard, which really doesn’t say much at all but the girl had been hard at it for a long while.  Now being measured against somebody who was fresh just didn’t seem like fair play.

If anybody knew the Brawler, or even took the time to ask they would realize she didn’t care about such things.  But that was besides the point.

"If we are going to do this then you need to realize I won't hold back."  She said dropping down into a stance.

Cracking his neck side to side Qrow replied "I would expect nothing less… but I won't either."

He however did not readily get into a stance… _Now I am really confused._

"Well I guess we will get some time to talk then."  Tai stated with a friendly tone.

Focusing on the fight further on Qrow gave Blake a quick sideways glance and nodded towards Yang.

_I think… I think he wants me to watch… maybe see what Yang is trying to say now possibly?_

Deciding to entertain him for the moment she had to admit to being somewhat curious what the point of all this was.

"Anything you'd like to talk about?"  Tai asked her massaging his bruises.

Shaking her head she said "Nothing comes to mind."

As before and as expected Yang rushed forward with a yell jumping into a spin and kicked outwards.

_She certainly is moving slower now…_

Qrow absolutely seemed capable of blocking it straight up, yet all he needed to do was duck under it and take a step to the side.  A great deal of effort into a miss, a comparatively little put into a dodge.

Landing Yang came out swinging firing off several quick punches working her way into a roundhouse kick.  All of which was deftly blocked by her uncle.  For a moment Blake thought Qrow was going to strike, she certainly saw the opening.  If the partners had been sparing Blake certainly would have taken the shot.  If it was that clear to her she was certain Qrow would have seen it too.  He had too, but he didn’t punch.  It would have been an easy hit to the stomach or kidney, instead it was a wasted opportunity.

Qrow mumbled something she was certain nobody else heard unless they were a Faunus, or his opponent at present.

"Don't let your emotion rule you."  He said evenly.

"Quiet!"  Yang replied diving in.

Moving a half step slower than when she fought Tai, Yang still could not land a punch.  She fired off several quick combos that had brought low several fighters in the past, nothing was connecting here and Blake didn’t feel is was because of a skill gap between the two at present.

"Think Yang why-"

"Shut up this is not one of your stupid lessons!"  She cut in obviously trying to hit him.

That time when he had the opportunity to strike he took it.

Growling in anger Yang rushed him again and at first looked as if she would brute force her way through to land a hell of a punch.  Yet with an adroit but of footwork and a well timed spin Qrow caught his niece in the stomach cleanly a second time.  Knocking the air out of her at least.

"Focus Yang use your anger but do not let it control you.  It will keep you alive kid."

Punching the ground viciously she stood up and came at him again… yet just as before something was missing.

"Focus Yang Focus!  On me now!  Not on anything else!"  He implored finally sounding a bit heated.

Yang seemed to be ignoring him.

_He wasn’t kidding… it's almost like she was talking to her father before.  Now… it is almost like she's trying to say 'I'm really not mad at you or at least I'm not as much as for my father.'  The driving force from before most, that hellacious physicality from the previous match is wasted here cause her emotion is not being met like it was before._

Qrow probably is not as skilled as Tai in a hand to hand fight.  He certainly wasn’t as flashy, but he was effective.  Being what amounted to a straight puncher it was obvious he knew what he was doing and was competent, but that’s about the limit of his ability from what Blake could see.

When Qrow finally made another punch, a punch that Yang blocked somewhat easily it still did what Tai struggled to do.  Stop her assault in its tracks.  It didn’t hit her, but it completely halted her attack and nearly sent her to her butt on the ground yet again regardless.

Suddenly in a flash, the Cat-Girl thought she saw the point… the moral of the lesson if you will.

It was something… Deb… Professor Arc said the very first time we got together.  Getting Tai to grow  disciplined both mentally and physically as well as emotionally was a supremely challenging problem.  Yang did indeed have the same issue.  Tai was somebody she had no problems getting psyched up to fight.  In some ways Yang wanted that fight, she longed for that battle.  Her anger fueling her in a literal maybe even physical way.

She did not have that same anger towards her Uncle.  She tried to fake it with those shouts, but it just didn’t have the same effect.  After all Qrow always was closer to Ruby than her being Ruby's teacher.  Yang was disappointed with him maybe, but she did not possess the visceral, blood boiling anger from before. 

Thinking back Blake seemed even more alarmed… Yang was hell bent on fighting her father even when it was RWBY verses part of STRQ.  That was her motivation, that was what was feeding her power needed to fight as she does.

Here against an enemy she does not hate, or feel a truly powerful emotion against she struggled.  She didn’t move as quick, she had lost a step.  She was not fighting to have fun, she was simply fighting her uncle, about whom she was not sure how to feel.  Somebody she probably just doesn’t want to talk to right now.

Evidently that was not enough.  Just that one change and Yang is a completely different fighter.  She was taking Tai apart piece by piece before.  Now she can't even connect with a punch.

_This has to be the same problem Deborah described back then, I see it so clearly now.  Yang needs to learn to motivate herself, to draw strength from herself, not simply from her emotions.  She does suffer from that same problem.  It might not be to the same extent as her father from the same age but it is there.  Qrow obviously knows it, he recognized it, it was what he wanted me to notice.  Just… I don't know what to do about it.  Ultimately Yang needs to fix this problem but… surely I can help.  I'd love to ask the Professor for help on this but… she is gone.  Maybe… Maybe Qrow can help Yang in her place?_

Just as quickly as it began, the match was over.  Or at least Qrow decided to walk away.

"You are giving up?"  Yang shouted after him breathing heavily clearly a bit beaten up.

Looking over his shoulder Qrow reply was a touch heated "What I have given up on this childish temper tantrum.  Huntresses control their emotions they do not become something akin to a wild animal.  Just because something happened you do not approve of does not mean the world owes you a favor.  This was not a sparring match or a practice session it’s a backyard brawl and I will have no further part of it."

With a lazy flourish his weapon was back in its holster and he was moving away from the gathering in a huff pocketing his hands.

Tai stood to hurry after him, but it seems Qrow wasn’t done yet.  Digging into his brother in law once they were out of sight "That did not help Tai, it might make her feel better but it won't help her."

Moving along with him blond haired male retorted "That is why it was needed."

"Oh for the love of … she is not a child anymore Tai!  She is in her final year of Beacon!  Adults talk, they communicate and work through their differences!  You edging her on does not get them ready or even help with moving through this!  Yeah its hard but that’s why you face it and get it behind you, not run and hide behind your feelings."

Tai seemed to take a deep breath before replying "I'm sorry Qrow that’s just how we are wired."

"Yeah I know, that’s the problem."

Blake could easily have listened in beyond that, but decided against it.  Unsure if Yang heard anything from that exchange… but it's obvious emotions were running high for everybody involved.  Even the more even flowing one was a bit steamed towards the end…  Deciding instead to check on her girlfriend.

The Brawler had fallen to her butt moving in short grimaces.  She didn’t even really notice the cat-girl approach until she was being helped to her feet.

"You seem a bit worse for the wear."  Blake stated not feigning her concern… up close Yang clearly would have some bruises the next day.

Smiling happily she replied "You should see the other guy."

Issuing a sharp look Blake commented "I did see the other guy Yang, you don’t look much better."

"Aside from my boobs?" Pushing out her chest proudly.

_You gotta be kidding me…_

"Yes Yang you have amazing boobs, let's get you taken care of.  I think you could use some downtime."

"Yes Ma'am… at least we got Bumblebee Mark 2 done well on time, I kept my word on that didn’t I?"

Finally getting a smile out of her girlfriend Yang was pleased to be on the receiving end of a kiss "Yes you did…"

With an arm over her shoulder Yang let herself get assisted back to their quarters.  Before long the two were joking and having a good time just like normal… random pained expressions besides.

**A/N**

**Basically nothing more to say here than a typical note from me.  I do not know if I intend to have a truth or dare round 5 as a couple of you have asked.  There is one of a couple ways I could take it but right now I'm leaning in favor of not having a 5th.  I am open to a 5th I suppose but I would need significant assistance in the form of suggestions to put a complete coherent chapter.  We are a long long LONG way off from getting to that point, but I am getting the word out early here.**

**Copy/Paste about feedback.  I am always looking forward to your feedback via reviews/notes/messages/IM's etc etc.  I am on discord now if anybody wishes to strike up a conversation send me a note, and we can talk : ).**

**Thank you for reading, and I will see you next time.**

**-Sean.**


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